Consejos de Tía - Home remedies better than any over-the-counter drugs

I learned from my Tía who migrated
from Cuba, not just the language and
culture but even more basic than that:
how to cure the common sore throat or
headache, or just about any pain or
ailment you might have.

One of the first cures from my Tía that I
remember is with a common household
item found in the kitchen cabinet. I
remember when I was ten I was on
Miami Beach with my great aunts and
uncles from Cuba. They would pull out
the white Volkswagen station wagon
with black interior and pile us up inside.
We would head over the bridge to
Miami Beach and find a spot (same
spot every time) under the large
cabana. Once the car was unloaded
and the towels were laid down my
cousins and I would run to the water.

Well, one day we were out there from 8
in the morning to 6. We were
SHISHKABOBED! Even though they
brought us in under the cabana for
lunch and forced us to wait an hour so
we didn't get a cramp in the water we
still caught way too much sun. Piling
into the white Volkswagen station
wagon was bad enough! By the time
we got back home, we took our showers
and could barely walk. When it was
time to go to bed our backs were on
FIRE. We could feel every wrinkle in
the bedsheets.

That's when my aunt brought out the
vinegar! She patted us all down and
shockingly enough it worked. It took the
sting out.

I never doubted my Tía again! Even
when she used a popular herb most
people sprinkle on food to make a tea:
orégano. She said that in Cuba it was
used for tea when for soothing sore
throats and upset stomachs.

In her favorite small pot used only for
cooking up these magical teas, she would
bring water to a boil, then add the
orégano. She would keep a watchful eye
until the color turned light caramel. Then
came a few pinches of sugar. As I child I
thought the magic was in the sprinkles of
sugar! She would strain the orégano
flakes out but she would be sure to leave
a few behind. It was boiling hot but she
insisted that that was the only way that it
worked. So I would keep sipping it until I
could take the heat and then drink it all
up. I knew I would feel better real soon!

One day I remember my aunt came from
Miami to visit us in Long Island. In our
back yard there was this plant which I
never paid any mind to. When she saw it
she was so happy because she said that
that very plant grew in Cuba. It was called
mastuerso. Shortly after my grandmother
was diagnosed as having kidney stones
my aunt asked us to gather up as many of
the mastuerso plant as we could find so
she could use them to help her. She
used it to make a tea in much the same
way she boiled the orégano tea.

Just recently my Tía called. I was going
through some “baby daddy drama”.
After telling her the whole story, I even
told her that I couldn’t sleep at night and
that I was getting headaches. I said, “Tía
no tienes algun remedio para este dolor
de cabeza?” She said to me, “¡Claro!
¡Eso es facil! Vísteta tan pronto que
puedas y coja un taxi downtown. Cuando
llegues entra a la corte y demándalo por
child support!” As quickly as she said it
and I just imagined it- all of a sudden-all
the headache and even the heartache
magically vanished and I was CURED!