Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Witch Hazel

A cold wind whips along the avenue, scattering dead leaves and stirring up trouble. Dark clouds drift across a pale moon. And, all that once bloomed is done for the season.  

Or, is it? A bit of odd magic is brewing... from one strange creature, just getting started.

Witch Hazel is a peculiar shrub, flowering in the dead of winter. It begins with brilliant autumn foliage during late fall. Come January, crooked, twisted branches burst forth with spidery, yellow blooms.


A good spell was cast upon this odd fellow, back in the Middle Ages. Witch Hazel limbs are used to divine - to find underground water - where conventional technology cannot.

While it can't be explained, other than to acknowledge that it's true,* diviners find water with amazing accuracy, where random drilling has little success.

American Witch Hazel provides lively color in the dead of winter, when nothing normal should be blooming. Plant it in a shady spot, keeping in mind that any self-respecting shade trees will have given up the ghost when this bewitched little bush hits its stride. Hardy to USDA zone 3.

Witch's Brew: Tannins and volatile oils in Witch Hazel make an effective natural astringent for treating eczema.

The Eyes Have It:
One of the magic ingredients in Preparation H is witch hazel, and while we won't get into that, it's used because it tightens up the skin, reduces puffiness.. Therefore it is just about the cheapest, most effective, eye cream a gal could ever use...

* Hey! I'm not making this stuff up! Journal of Scientific Exploration, Stanford University, March 1995. Researchers observed two thousand divining cases prior to well-digging. The success rate of diviners in Sri Lankha was 96 percent. They predicted water depth with "amazing accuracy." Nearly all cases occurred on lands where random drilling for water had little to no success.

3 comments:

TLN said...

I was attending the University of Washington when my dad moved to Omak, Washington. My parents drilled to 360 feet with no water (the neighbor had water at 75 feet.) My dad was going to try another well so I told him I would check with the UW geology department that sent me to the mining department regarding water in the area. Guess what they told me. Have you tried a water witch, they have more success than we do!

Marguerite said...

You've just reminded me I should check my witch hazel for flowers! It's in a far corner of our property and I sometimes forget it's there. maybe grab a few blooms to throw on my tired eyes while I'm at it..

Anonymous said...

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