Nature – our greatest pharmacy

RECENTLY, amidst the weeds growing up in the fenced dog run we built for five of our canine rescues ("The Famous Five"), there was a small forest of pawpaw plants, clumped together.

This was odd, since nowhere else in the field in which the run is built is there any sign of pawpaw trees.

They had grown substantially before someone came to weed-whack the run. I asked him to leave the pawpaw plants – about eight of them.

Some days later, Dr Gordon (veterinarian) came to take blood from the dogs, to test for tick fever and heartworm. Through these tests it was discovered that all of the dogs have very low platelets – a sign of tick fever.

Instantly my mind made a connection between the pawpaw plants (known for their numerous medicinal properties) and the dogs’ low platelets. It's widely known that pawpaw leaf extract has the capacity to raise low platelet counts to normal in cases of dengue fever.

When my sister’s dog, Cora, had tick fever, in addition to relevant medication, the vet prescribed a certain dosage of water with boiled pawpaw leaf as part of the treatment for raising of her platelet level.

Some days later, while chatting with someone, I mentioned the profusion of pawpaw plants in the dog run and the dogs’ low platelets. I told her that it was as if nature knew, before we did, that the dogs had that condition and had responded by providing an antidote.

“The urine and faeces of the dogs informed the earth about their condition,” my friend said. She then advised that if I sucked or licked a seed before planting it, that plant would grow with nutritional properties that are a response to information it received via my saliva.

Given that premise, I would then imagine that, if true, if I swished some of my saliva in water that I was giving to plants in a home garden, they would respond by growing in a manner suited to what my body requires, or plants providing something I need might sprout nearby.

Some may find that sounds like hogwash, but nature has an intelligence that is beyond human comprehension. I am no herbal expert, yet it is accurate of me to say that nature provides all that we need, nutritionally and medicinally.

On a Facebook page called "David Attenborough Fans" I came on a post featuring a photo of a three-pronged leaf with dead black ants on it and a sprout emanating from each ant’s body. The following caption explained the scenario: "One of the most famous fungi in the world is the 'zombie ant fungus' aka
 Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. It takes over the mind of an ant, causing it to climb up a branch and cling to the underside of a leaf before mummification. Once locked in place, the mushroom-like fruiting body of the cordyceps sprouts from the ant and eventually releases its spores."

I found it fascinating that the fungus actually takes over the mind of the ant and makes it climb up to where the fungus can achieve what it needs to, while feeding off the nutrients in its host’s body.

To begin with, many would not think of an ant as having "a mind." For this mind to be so altered that the creature is "made" to do what the fungus wants is amazing. Nature enables certain processes in order to complete life cycles in mind-blowing ways.

It has been found that secondary metabolism of that fungus produces active antibacterial agents which protect the fungus-host ecosystem during reproduction.

Amazingly, that secondary metabolic process led to the discovery of natural "chemical" aspects which are used in traditional Chinese and Eastern medicinal concoctions, offering health benefits for humans. It is purported that this fungus is helpful as an anti-fatigue, anti-aging, anti-cancer (and more) remedy.

When our dogs go into the garden, they sniff around and select certain types of grass to eat. Shortly after doing so, they may (or may not) throw up. Sources claim that dogs eat grass because they want to vomit and clear an upset stomach or simply to improve digestion, help with intestinal worms or provide themselves with fibre – quite like the way we are advised to regularly eat "greens."

If our senses were intricately tuned to mature we would go into our gardens and know exactly what to eat, boil to drink or use as a poultice to heal ourselves.

But in our modern era, we simply weed-whack away our greatest pharmacy.