12/03/2013

olio iperico


One of my favorite people, (Francesco's nonna Nancy, the 90-year old woman who lives in Sicily, Skypes, knows how to use a navigator and still dances even if a single bone in her hip is no longer hers), makes a particular kind of oil. The oil is called olio iperico in italian. Iperico is johannesört in Swedish, mäkikuismaa in Finnish and St John's Wort in English. Apparently. I had never heard of it.

Until I fell like a kid and bruised my knees completely with skin that was scratched and bleeding. This I already told in 2011

Nonna Nancy has taught me all kinds of things about plants, vegetables, herbs, fruits and cooking and I was suppose to travel to Sicily at Iperico season to make the oil with her. I didn't have time last summer and the oil (olive oil, iperico flowers) has to anyway be in the sun for several months so I was not able to make it.

She had anyway done it for me and I got yesterday 2 jars filled with it. So a cure for several years!

The oil was among others used instead of plaster in agent war times (and I have the proof that it really works as linked from 2011!), it is sold as the most effective "cure" for wrinkels in the cosmetics market today and it is suggested as the best cure for psoriasis. And voilà, we got to the reason why I really, really wanted to make it!

I want to point out here that St John's Wort is not to play with when it is eaten and an injection of it can kill! I also want to point out that the product I have is an oil with only the flower part of the wort!

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