"Whoa⦠hold on. Sara, why don't you start at the beginning and explain this thing to me please?" I asked, deciding that there was nothing better than hearing something first-hand.
"Ok," began Sara, "as you obviously know, I also have problems with my period as well as generally being way too stressed out."
Shelley and I nodded, identifying with that..
"Well⦠I have been thrashing around for a while now, looking for some kind of solution to my problems. I have been through all the normal SRI's like Valium etc etc and none have really worked for me, and the pain killers that are strong enough to help the pain are also pretty much illegal (or should be)" she continued. "I heard about this guy in Cape Town who had spent a lot of time with the Bushmen in the Namibian desert, living with them and learning their language and culture, and how he had just set up in practice as a herbalist with the knowledge that he had gained from their usage of natural plants. I decided that there was nothing for me to lose and I made an appointment to see him. He examined me and gave me all kinds of advice on my diet and life-style, then he gave me this collection of dried herbs that he told me to make a tea from. I tried them out yesterday, and they really relaxed me, so while I haven't had the chance to try them out on pain, they definitely work for stress."
All this sounded really good to me and I thought quietly that if this stuff worked for stress then I might find myself becoming a regular patient of this guy. Anyway, we discussed this whole thing back and forth for a while before deciding to put it to the test.
Shelley went off to the kitchen to make a tea from the herbs that Sara gave her while we sat outside and soaked up the sun.