To Bee

On {{{8-8-8}}} at a farewell hula party for some dear friends moving to Hawaii we met a super interesting fellow. Turns out he is a local beekeeper. Greg asked him what he thought was happening to our honey bees. To our surprised he informed us that the fiasco is due to a pesticide called "Gaucho", created by Bayer (yes, Bayer aspirin). In America this information is slowly entering the mainstream news, unlike Europe where the pesticide has already been banned. I so wish America could be visionary like so many other countries. Read more at this link

Aspirin was created in a lab during the 1800's when the active ingredient in white willow bark was discovered as being salicin. History tells us that the Egyptians and Greeks utilized the analgesic white willow for inflammation and pain relief. Typically the tea of willow leaves or chewing of the willow bark were standard remedies. In todays modern pharmacopeia of botanical origin we have white willow available as an extract. Check with your natural practitioner before using an herbal remedy to make sure it does not conflict with other conditions or medications.

In journals of Aromatherapy we have quite a few essential oils listed as analgesics. Even dentists routinely recommend clove for tooth aches.

So, you see, there are many botanical options to pain relief where we can coexist with our valuable pollinator, the honey bee.

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Image: Bee on textured tile background ©Roxana Villa & Greg Spalenka