Urban Herbalism: Turmeric Compress

My long time readers will remember that just over a year ago my husband and I were in a pretty bad car  accident. It turns out that some pretty serious crap went down with our spines. Yikes.  With herniated disks and numbness and pain to tend with, since then, I have been exploring options for healing.

Honestly, I am the kind of herbalist who gets a little skeptical when a new remedy from far away becomes the new "it" herb. Call me an herbal-hipster, if you will. I prefer my herbs before they are cool (or wayyyyy after). A few years ago, that herb was turmeric and I have, in honest, never been able to embrace it. You may not remember, if you're new to the scene, but turmeric, 7 or 8 years ago was as big as acai berries are now. I resisted. But when it came down to it, turmeric is a strong medicine with an amazing capacity to heal. I had once heard Rosemary Gladstar mention watching a traditional herbalist make a turmeric compress specifically for back pain, in all of her normal Gladstariness, and it sounded beautiful.

So when I was at the local health store and a bunch of going-soft-but-still-quite-good turmeric was on sale for 99 cents I decided it was time. Then I had to convince Mark to get naked and let me rub turmeric juice all over his back. Less easy than you'd think, ladies. Yesterday evening, I finally pinned him down.

Making a compress, depending on your method, is essentially like making a tea but with one additional step. For roots, a decoction is recommended. Essentially, to decoct something is to simmer it to release all the juicey herbal goodness. Toss in the herbs and the water, essentially one to one, and bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer the mixture on low for about 20 minutes. The herbs should become quite fragrant a few minutes before done. I tossed in some powdered turmeric towards the end of the simmer for some extra kick.

Then, strain. After it was strained I emptied it into a 9x13 cooking sheet and soaked several pieces of cotton fabric in it. Then I applied to one hesitant husband and covered the most painful spot with a hot water bottle, and then him with a wool blanket.

Turmeric is a powerful herb with anti-inflammatory capabilities. It's also known to be an immune booster, carcinogen fighter, and an infection kicker. But in this situation, I was hoping for the anti-inflammatory and pain relieving actions.

Initial response from the husband pinned down and covered in turmeric? "Actually, my back feels ok so far."

I'll take it.