Stomach Syrup

I happened to notice that a friend of mine was having stomach/intestinal issues with increasing regularity. "What does your doctor say about this?" I asked him. "Nothing much. I've mentioned to him for years that I've had stomach problems, but he does not think it is anything serious. I just use over-the-counter remedies." "Oh," I replied, "if modern medicine has abandoned you, then you are under my jurisdiction!" I told him I would bring him a bottle of my stomach syrup. "Keep it in your refrigerator," I said, "and take one to two tablespoons whenever you need to."

That was months ago and anytime he has a stomach/intestinal issue, the syrup clears it up in 20-30 minutes. "It works better than Pepto-Bismol," he told me. Do you know why Pepto Bismol is dyed Pink? Because the combination of bismuth subsalicylate, the active ingredient, mixed with the sulfur of certain proteins makes the medicine look like black goo. So, a colorant is added to make it look more appealing(?). So, now have electric pink goo.

You can dispense with all of that nonsense, and make a stomach syrup, too. Here is the page reproduced from my Greenbook. Sometimes I make it in a slightly different way (I've written a previous entry on it), but it makes no difference. They are equally effective.

There are, of course, a couple of ways, to supercharge a medicine. The easiest way to do it for this syrup would be to harvest your Ginger within the first half hour of dawn on a Tuesday during the waning moon. Then harvest your Fennel Seed and your Mint within the first half hour of dawn on a Wednesday during the waxing moon.

Not harvesting the plants yourself? Well, a weaker substitute, but still worth doing, is buying the Ginger during the appointed time, and the Fennel Seed and Mint at their appointed times. You'll need a 24-hour grocery store or a local grocer with insomnia, naturally.

Can't manage any of that? Don't worry. Victorian-era magicians gave us all the erroneous idea that if we don't have the perfect tools, the perfect timing, the perfect ritual, the perfect colors, and so on, one's magic was doomed to failure. Witches follow these rules, instead:

1. Whenever you need it.
2. Whatever you've got.
3. However you can.

So, get to brewing.

Want a mnemonic?

Three Blessings to Digestion: Ginger, a root; Fennel, a seed; Mint, a leaf.

I would give it to my own children because they have no allergies and are of strong constitution. Lots of children these days have various congenital infirmities, allergies, dietary restrictions, weak constitutions, etc., so parents must make their own decisions.