There was a knock on the door tonight. It was an Asian girl accompanied by her father. She explained, as best she could, that they would like to take some cuttings from my Vitex tree. My Vitex sits next to the street and usually people passing by think it is Marijuana or something.
As she was explaining why they would like cuttings, her mother struggled to get out of the car and she was wearing a knee brace. I could see her lower leg and ankle was terribly swollen. They would like to take the cuttings, dry them, and make some kind of poultice for the Mother's knee. I got them a pair of pruners and a bag to put their cuttings in. As they worked, they tried to describe the many healing powers of the Vitex tree. They were Vietnamese and new to the neighborhood. The Mother stands long hours every day working in a restaurant. I showed her my scar from my total knee replacement and she knew I could relate to what she was going through.
After they left, I did a search on the internet. The Vitex is grown in Asian countries and Vietnam and used for a variety of medical uses. I couldn't find out much, except how to make a tea using the Vitex.
I never gave the tree much thought, except that I planted it for my bees. Through it, I have made some new acquaintances. They probably could use a break and a friend.
