Miz Otter

Tour		"Oh! Hello!! I’m sorry. Didn’t see you standing there! I get so busy with these tinctures and balms this time of year I just don’t hear the door sometimes. C’mon in! Y’all have a seat! Make you some tea? "So, you must be the new couple I’ve heard about. Glad you stopped by. I’m Miz Otter, the village herbalist. I know you’ve been around for a while, but that’s how the village is. "PUFF! GET OFF OF THOSE BOOKS! "Cats! Where was I? Oh, yes, the village. Nice place, friendly, honest, hard-working folk, but you can settle in, raise a family and die here and you’ll still be “the new people,” leastwise until somebody newer moves in."
	"What can I do you for today? Oh, I understand completely – something for your nerves. I get a lot of that this time of year, what with the holidays coming on faster than a dumb dog chasing a mean skunk. I’ve got just the thing for you! Several of ‘em, actually. We’ll try a couple and see what works best for you. Everybody’s an individual and every herb has it’s own charms, so you have to find just the right match. "*Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)* is a good place to start. It’s gentle, safe and even good for little ones and pets. Makes a tasty tea, too. Depending on what you’re doing, you can drink up to six cups a day of chamomile tea. Chamomile is also a mild anti-inflammatory, so if you’re doing a lot of physical stuff, like shopping and decorating, it’ll also help soothe those aches and pains. If you don’t like tea, you can take a 500 milligram capsule three to four times a day. "*Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)* is a great herb for unjangling your nerves. It’s best known as a skin-healing, anti-acne herb, and if you’re prone to stress-induced pimples, it’ll help that too. It will make you feel calmer but without making you drowsy or groggy. Drink up to three cups a day of goto kola tea. It’s not quite as tasty as chamomile, but with a pinch of cinnamon, it’s not bad at all. You can also mix ½ teaspoon of extract in juice and drink that three times a day or take a 250-milligram capsule every four to five hours. "*Skullcap (Sculitaria laterifolia)* is the next one on our list. Don’t confuse it with Baikal Skullcap (Sculitaria baicalensis), which is a related and also useful herb, but doesn’t work the same way. Skullcap is a mild sedative and anti-anxiety herb that can make you a little drowsy. Because it does, you might want to take smaller doses, spread out throughout your day so you don’t slow down too much. About a half a cup of skullcap tea every two to three hours or a 200-milligram capsule every four hours will do the trick without leaving you yawning. "The real Grandmama of stress-busting herbs is *Valerian (Valeriana officinalis). Valerian is best known for its use in treating insomnia, so I’d advise only taking it around bedtime. In addition to being a very effective sedative Valerian is also a mild muscle-relaxant. Drink a cup of valerian tea about 20 minutes before you go to bed and you’ll be able to shut off that To-Do list in your head and sleep like a hibernating bear. Oh, by the by, a good batch of Valerian that’s fresh and strong smells AWFUL. Like old, unwashed gym socks. Don’t let that fool you. It’s good stuff, and it doesn’t taste nearly as bad as it smells, though a bit of cinnamon and honey certainly wouldn’t hurt. Or, you can take a 400-milligram capsule instead, if you just can’t handle that aroma. "If you have pets that are picking up your stress* and getting fussy, you can share these teas with them. As a general rule for pet-safe herbs, a dog 50 pounds or more can take half the dose you do, a dog less than 50 pounds should get a quarter of your dose. You can always adjust a little, but that’s a good place to start. Cats, by and large, have their own stress-management methods and probably don’t need any herbs. Some herbs don’t react the same way in cats as they do other critters. Valerian, for example, has the opposite effect on cats and if you don’t want your feline friends running laps around your ceiling beams, keep them out of it. "Well, I can see you’re itching to go get busy again, so I won’t keep you. Have to get these tinctures decanted anyway, so you have a good day and c’mon back if you need anything else. If you have any youngin’s, bring them too. I’ll be here." Editorial Note: These articles are meant to increase knowledge of the use of plants in treating various conditions. They are not intended to, nor can they, replace the advice and treatment of a licensed medical provider. A licensed practitioner of medicine should always be consulted for an accurate diagnosis and for supervision of the use of any herbal treatment. Pug Manor urges all visitors to seek the best medical advice available to receive the best, most informed treatment. Pug Manor is not responsible for any unsupervised use of any herb or alternative treatment for any condition by any visitor to our site.

Miz Otter's House 11/03	Miz Otter, as she is known to the inhabitants of the small forest village she serves, was born in a riverbank burrow as Evangelina Otter quite a few years ago (she refuses to specify exactly HOW many, only that it was “oh, a little before that flood.”). She has never liked her full name and as a young otter miss was known as Evy. It’s a nickname that she carried into adulthood, though these days, it’s used only by a few close friends. To most of the village, she is simply “Miz Otter.” She was married, after a properly lengthy courtship, to Franklin Otter, a fisher otter respected in the village for his honesty and kindness. Sadly, Mr. Otter was lost to her in an unfortunate fishing accident several years ago. She prefers not to discuss it, as it still brings a tear after all this time. They had one kit, Arthur, who now lives with his own wife and kits in a pond on the other side of the woods.
She is beloved by her friends and neighbors, but also just a little feared. Her paws are gentle with every ill or injured creature and she will spare nothing if she can help. At the same time, if her treatments are not followed or her advice ignored, her tongue can be as sharp as her claws. She rarely becomes annoyed, but anyone who has been on the receiving end of a lecture rarely forgets the experience, and she never snips at little ones, only, in her words, “them what are old enough to know better.” Even those villagers who have had their ears burned still respect her and would be a little lost, without her comforting presence in her little house, by the river on the edge of the village. Editor's Note: If you'd like to drop Miz Otter a line with questions or comments, you can find her at MizOtter@aol.com. When Puff lets her use the computer, that is. ;)
Kyla, aka Miz Otter, has been an herbalist for a dozen years now. Born in Indiana “some time ago,” she has a BS in Journalism from Butler University. When not playing among the plants, she can be found in Ohio, writing and editing for a national credit card bank, and playing with her three dogs, four cats, two parakeets and Lifemate. She is also an involved member of Ohio Pug Rescue and assists with transports and fundraisers.