#81 | ASEAN Hive Community Photography Challenge | Everything Is Blue | Blue Sorcery

This week’s community challenge is very interesting and unique. A color is not something you just say, like red, orange, or yellow, because colors can influence our mood or perception. It can affect our mood, emotions, and behavior.

For this photography challenge, a certain color is the topic. This color always represents calmness and peace. It can also be associated with youth and childhood, as it was used as an identity for males during the early years of school. One of the three primary colors is blue.

When I read the challenge, I began to think about what story I should present. As I began to look in our house, the color blue was everywhere, from the inside of our rooms up to the sky, even corners and equipment. I was most struck by a blue sachet leaning against the cabinet.

This blue powder is called Aniel—yes, the same name as the guardian angel Aniel. This is used on white clothes that turn yellow over time. A bit of trivia: did you know that there was never a color white to begin with? The natural color of cotton is off-white or dirty white, depending on the quality thus it undergo bleaching or dyeing with a mixture of blue to create a white color.

But what I am going to show is not about laundry bluing but it’s about traditional medicine. What you see above is a mixture of aniel and vinegar mixed together. Are you now curious? This mixture was used to treat the symptoms of mumps. Mumps is a viral infection that affects a gland on the side of the face. These glands are called parotid glands and are responsible for making saliva. This airborne virus spreads from an infected person by coughing or sneezing and causes the parotid glands to become swollen, tender, and painful.

As I was a kid, I also observed this, as it is very common among my playmates to see their cheeks painted blue. This mixture creates an anesthetic and relaxing sensation once applied to the affected area. As of this time, there is no cure for mumps, but the infection should pass within a week or two.
Here is the procedure for making a mixture to create a cure for mumps. Please take note that this is one of the traditional medicines; no medical research has been done to prove its effectiveness. It is advised to consult a healthcare professional for proper medical assistance. This is very easy and straightforward.

Ingredients:
1.Vinegar
2.Sachet of Aniel

Procedure:
1.Pour the vinegar into a container. Estimate and control the amount of vinegar to pour as needed.
2.Dilute the Aniel into the vinegar.
3.Mix the two ingredients until it becomes gooey.
4.Apply the mixture to the affected area. This will be a bit messy depending how you apply it.

Warning: Aniel is a toxic substance. Be extra careful and keep out of the reach of children. Be careful when applying to kids, as they are prone to touching their faces. They may have no record of kids being intoxicated by this mixture, but still, parental guidance is advised.

Incidentally, the smile of this beautiful lady is as blue as the sky. Looking at her smile calms my mind and makes my day special.

As a kid who grew up using traditional medicine, I can attest to the effectiveness of this mixture. I really don’t understand the science behind it, but it really helps ease the pain of being sick. We just follow what our parents tell us, and it still keeps me wondering what sorcery they do to cure and treat us.

Lastly, although I am not certain of its long-term effects, since Halloween is coming, this might be a good costume idea. What are your thoughts on this, everyone?