 Dandelions
A bouquet of herbalists squeezed into my rooms today, to talk about dandelions
Historical herbalist warmed the topic with Jaundiced Cholerics, French Bed-Wetters and 'Failing-to-Thrive' children who grew like weeds themselves once they starting taking this essence of Earth
Brown-bottle herbalist witnessed Dandelion's persuasive, enlivening charm to today's tired patients
Science herbalist eloquently enthused about Dandelion's inulins, FOS's and fatty acids
Romantic herbalist described golden fairies dancing 'Doctrines of Signatures' over Kingly roots
Political herbalist gave a speech on the bland lawn of convention and the vital necessity of weeds
Then a Hands-on herbalist produced some dandelion extract to do the rounds
whereupon everyone stopped talking for a while while the herb spoke for itself
and somehow it showed us that our differences fade into utter insignificance
when we remember the least of what it is that binds us together
Published in : AVENA - Winter 2011
Thoughts
Have you ever noticed how people who should be on the same side can end up fighting more than anyone? It happens most immediately in our own families and close relationships but it's just as obvious on a wider scale too. The history of Christianity is littered with the corpses of those who prayed or kneeled slightly differently to those other Christians over in the next valley. There is no-one a fundamentalist Moslem hates more than another Moslem who isn't doing it exactly right.
The world of medicine is at least as bad as religion in this regard. There is a little bit of disrespect and negativity between the different systems but pracitioners from any modality tend to reserve by far their worst scorn for their peers who do the exact same thing as them, only presumably not as properly.
Herbalists are no exemption but, by virtue of the fact that nearly all of us are out on our own anyway we simply don't get much opportunity to disapprove of each other as those who are meant to regularly sing from the same song book. The above exercise in imagination picked a herb that becomes a favourite of anyone who uses it often enough, and pictures how we might all sing its praises differently, even if no-one but the Dandelion itself can really say exactly how it is.
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