Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: Palm Potion - Healing in the Hollow of My Hand
I don’t have a Russian inhalator. Wish I did; when I was working in Siberia years ago, those things would cure my bronchitis nearly instantly, always within three days of daily visits to the infirmary at the pansionat, where phlegm was loosened with a front and back heating pad, following by 15 minutes of ingalatsiya evkaliptom with a hand-held vaporizer for mouth inhalation not available in the USA. But I do have access to hot showers, a heating pads -- and a bottle of eucalyptus oil and a pair of hands that remember Siberia. When the airways clog and the breath turns ragged, I rub a drop of eucalyptus oil into my palm, cup it near my mouth, and inhale—gently, through parted lips. No nose. No force. Just vapor and memory. And I moderate the amount by the distance between my hand and my mouth. This is my portable apothecary : Eucalyptus for breath : Diluted, never raw. A forest in my fist. Chamomile for calm : Dabbed on temples, it hushes the nervous system. Frankincense for...