| Description |
Traditional treatment methods and folk remedies are used in Turkey for treating diseases, besides modern medicine. Applications within traditional treatment methods are mostly related to food and drinks.
Folk remedies are prepared from the roots, leaves, flowers and seeds of various plants including nettle, hibiscus, nigella, harmal, and camomile. Besides folk remedies, food eaten to maintain a healthy body and to treat diseases are a crucial part of traditional treatment methods. For example, colloquially, dead nettle is recommended to be eaten at least once in a year for healing. It is believed that trotter or calf bone which is boiled for hours is healing for broken bones. In making of these soups, garlic, which is essential in folk remedy is widely used.
According to the data gathered from the field research I’ve carried out in various areas and with various groups in Turkey and my obser-vations from this field research, communities have a shared and strong belief that some meals have healing effects in puerperal period. In this special period, folk remedy which encourages the use of specific food as treatment is used. Current practices in folk remedy are transferred from generation to generation by midwives and mothers. In this article, I want to explore the foods which are believed to have remedial proper-ties during puerperal period and also are described as a prominent part of themselves by culture bearers. |
