Biaggio Blace D'Anna

biaggio

• General Notes
  • The Spanish Influenza of 1918
    Added by Charmaine on 2 May 2007
    The Spanish Influenza of 1918 killed thousands world wide. The D'Anna family had not been in California long when it hit the West coast. Many Italian neighbors were getting sick, and many died. Uncle Mel passed on the history that Biaggio went out to the yard and picked a certain weed, instructed Joesphina to boil it and make a strong tea for all the family to drink each day. They did this and none of them got the 1918 flu. He remembered the name of the herb/weed to be MARVA but I can find no reference to this herb anywhere. The name is not as important as a knowledge of common herbs saved a family from the killer flu. Uncle Mel showed Melody the weed and she sent me one in the mail. I was just pulling weeds and it made me remember this piece of family history. Aunt Teddie also recalled watching her mother boil giant pots of the herbal Marva tea, "with those big green shiny leaves in it" and making them all drink it. I don't know how often thay drank it, but none of the family got the flu. This herbal cure from the old country got us to the point in life we are all enjoying today.