By Kanqing, China
In the Autumn of 2014, during my visit to my younger brother, I learned that my sister-in-law was suffering from a serious gynecological disease. Later, my brother and sister-in-law went out to do business. One day after having breakfast, I remembered that my cousin once told me Nettle had a good effect on diminishing inflammation, and that she often used it to treat appendicitis. Then I thought: “Since Nettle can reduce inflammation, why not go and pick some and see whether it can help with my sister-in-law’s disease?” Several days later when my brother and sister-in-law came back, I told my sister-in-law about this and decocted some nettles for her. Before they left, I boiled several more catties (a Chinese unit of weight equal to 500 grams) of nettles so that she could take them to where they did business to drink. After more than two months, my sister-in-law returned to our hometown. Upon seeing me, she asked me, “Sister, what do nettles you decocted for me look like?” Then she picked up one whose leaves had all fallen, observing and smelling it carefully. Then she said with hesitation, “Sister, this doesn’t look like nettle.” “That’s impossible,” I replied with surprise. “I’ve consulted a neighbor, and she also said it was nettle.” Then my brother and sister-in-law asked me to take them to the mountain where I picked nettles. After we arrived there, my brother broke off one, observed and said, “It’s not nettle; we call it Yabao here because there’s a bud borne on its root, which usually grows one inch long below the ground.” “Yeah,” I said. “When I pulled them up, I also noticed that there were buds on their roots. I boiled them together.” “See!” my brother pointed at the rows of Yabao and said. “None of us has taken them seriously. Who would think that they are good medicine!” At this time, my sister-in-law said with a smile, “Sister, I must thank you. This herb is really of great efficacy! I’ve suffered from the illness for many years, during which time I’ve taken a lot of medicines every year, but none of them worked. Afraid that it would deteriorate into cancer, I went to the hospital for a check several times each year. I’ve never imagined that it is actually cured by this herb.” Hearing this, I also felt happy for my sister-in-law.
Two days later, after having lunch, I picked up a small rag to wipe the bed. “Ouch!” I suddenly felt a searing pain and saw a pair of small scissors sticking into the base of my little finger. I immediately found a band-aid to wrap it up. By the evening, the whole finger became black and purple and was swollen as big as my forefinger. I couldn’t bend it, and felt heart-piercing pain. I worried a lot and thought: “What should I do now? My wound takes a long period of time to heal. At usual times, even I pricked myself with a small thorn, the redness would remain for several days. Considering the condition of the wound this time, even if I get an infusion, it will take ten days or a fortnight for the wound to heal.” At nightfall, my brother and sister-in-law returned. Seeing my finger swollen like this, they were very anxious. My sister-in-law said, “I heard that ginkgo leaves have marvelous medicinal properties, but I’ve never tried that. I wonder whether it could help with our sister’s cut.” “There is no harm in trying,” responded my brother immediately. “Let’s go and pick some for our sister. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll take her to the hospital tomorrow.” Hearing this, I murmured in my heart, “My finger has already been so swollen that it has turned into black now; what kind of magic leaf can cure it in one night?” Soon, they returned and applied the leaf they had picked up on my finger.
At dawn the next day, the moment I opened my eyes, I eagerly turned on the light to check my finger. When I removed the leaf from my finger, I cried out excitedly, “Qu Jing (my sister-in-law), come and see! The wound has healed over!” “Really?” my sister-in-law immediately came over from the kitchen. “See, there is no more blood stasis and the swelling has subsided. Only the cut still remains red. The leaf is really amazing!” Hearing my words, my brother also came over; he picked up a leaf shaped like a maple leaf, saying, “This kind of tree can be seen everywhere in both north and south China, and is usually regarded as the scenic tree. Yet nobody has ever noticed it has such a great use! Its effect on improving blood circulation and removing stagnation is truly marvelous.”
I excitedly looked at my finger, and remembered a passage of God’s words, “In regard to the sources of food for the lives of mankind’s physical bodies, God has made very precise, very accurate and very suitable preparations, so that people’s lives are rich and plentiful and not lacking in anything. This is something people can feel and see. Additionally, among all things, whether it is animals, plants, or all kinds of grass, God also created some plants that are necessary to resolve harm or illness to the human body. What do you do, for instance, if you get burned? Can you wash it with water? Can you just find a piece of cloth somewhere and wrap it up? It might fill up with pus or get infected that way. What do you do, for instance, if you get scalded accidentally by a flame or by hot water? Can you flush it with water? For instance, if you get a fever, catch a cold, suffer an injury from physical work, a stomach ailment from eating the wrong thing, or develop certain diseases due to living habits or emotional issues, such as vascular diseases, psychological conditions or diseases of the internal organs—there are corresponding plants to cure all of these. There are plants that improve blood circulation to remove stagnation, relieve pain, stanch bleeding, provide anesthesia, help people recover normal skin, eliminate blood stasis in the body, and eliminate toxins from the body. In short, they can all be used in daily life. They are of use to people and have been prepared by God for the human body in case of need. Some of these were allowed by God to be inadvertently discovered by man…. God worked in secret. When man had not yet come into this world, before coming into touch with this mankind, God had already created all of this. Everything He did was for the sake of mankind, for the sake of their survival, and for the consideration of mankind’s existence, so that mankind can live in this rich and plentiful material world God prepared for them, and so that they can live happily.”
Pondering God’s words, I remembered that over the years of my life, there were several times that I inadvertently discovered some herbal plants which unexpectedly cured my illnesses. When I was thirteen years old, I took part in a drought-relief activity. Having been immersed in water for a whole afternoon, my legs became feeble at night, and I couldn’t stand as if I had lost my bones. From that time forth, on rainy days, my knees would be so painful that I could hardly walk. When the pain was at its worst, even acupuncture couldn’t make me feel better. I thought I would surely be paralyzed in bed when old. When I was nineteen, my aunt saw me always massage my legs, and then gave me a medicated plaster made from herbs which only cost about 10 cents. Two days later, I felt an unbearable itch on my knees. So I took off the plaster, seeing that there were closely-packed red bumps about the size of the millet on my knees. I had never expected that my legs healed over since then. My aunt said to me, “Such a cheap plaster can cure your illness. How magic the herbal medicine is!”
At the moment, I looked down at my finger and thought about how my sister-in-law’s disease was healed, and then pondered God’s words, feeling deeply touched in my heart. I came to understand that the herbal plants that could help free people from diseases were prepared for us humans by God. For the existence of the whole mankind, God has had every detail thought of and everything prepared. I, for the first time, appreciated God’s concern and care for us mankind. God’s words say, “When you are able to truly appreciate God’s thoughts and attitude toward mankind, when you can truly understand God’s emotions and concern toward each creature, you will be able to understand the devotion and the love spent on every single one of the people created by the Creator.” Every created being who lives in this world, be it the believer or the unbeliever, is enjoying all these things prepared for us mankind by God. God’s thoughts and attitude toward us, the efforts He has made and the price He has paid, as well as His devoted care and pity for human beings are all the true expressions of His special affection for us mankind. In this special affection, I beheld God’s almightiness and wisdom, and even more beheld God’s immense love for mankind.
In our life, there are many herbal medicines which can help relieve us from the suffering of illnesses without leaving us any side effect. For example, Chinese Quince Fruit can be used in the treatment of sore pain and swelling of waist and knee joints, vomiting and diarrhea, muscle spasms, beriberi, and edema. Ramulus mori can dispel wind and dampness, and is effective in treating the sore pain and numbness of shoulder joints. Honeysuckle, one of the precious Chinese herbal medicines, has the effect of clearing away heat and toxins, subduing inflammation, and protecting the liver and promoting bile flow. Sedum sarmentosum can clear heat and toxins, diminish inflammation, increase the flow of urine, and detoxicate snake venom. Orchidaceae, which usually grows on the shady and humid rock wall or in the loose and damp earth, is hailed as the king of all herbs and has a good effect on curing breast cancer; the herbal tea made from it can prevent stomach and intestines diseases and eliminate fetal toxicity; it can also cool the blood, dispel wind and dampness, and cure snake bite. We can see that God’s considerations for our existence are very thoughtful, which reflects God’s true affection for us mankind. This love makes us feel warm, this love allows us to appreciate the Creator’s concern for us mankind, and this love requires no repayment. Regardless of whether we human beings can apprehend His motherly heart, God just expends Himself silently for us, so that we can escape the suffering of diseases and live happily. This special affection from the Creator to us mankind is truly so precious!
