The Old Irish Remedy of Walking in the Dew

On early spring and summer mornings in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, a writer's Irish grandmother had a standing prescription for whatever ailed you. Shoes off. Go to the backyard. Walk the grass back and forth until you've said ten Hail Marys — slowly. No shortcuts.

The little lawn outside was neat but otherwise unremarkable, the request easy to dismiss. But the boy did come back inside feeling better than he went out, somehow. “It’s the best thing in all the world for you,” she told him. She never explained why.

"Dew Walking"

It turns out she was onto something. Dew walking — stepping barefoot through wet morning grass — is an old Irish folk remedy that modern research is beginning to take seriously. The soles of the feet are among the most nerve-dense surfaces on the body, and cold, wet grass triggers a cascade of sensory signals that appear to shift the nervous system from a reactive state toward a calmer, more restorative one. And, a growing body of research on "earthing" — direct skin contact with moist ground — has found associations with reduced inflammation, better sleep, and lower stress markers.

And the prayers? Ten Hail Marys said slowly is about five minutes of rhythmic, paced breathing while walking back and forth. That back-and-forth pattern, it turns out, mirrors techniques used in nervous system therapy.

All you need is a patch of clean dewy grass and bare feet — a backyard, a park, a strip of lawn between sidewalk and street. Go out within an hour of sunrise, before the sun burns the moisture off. Walk slowly. Stay as long as it takes to feel the cold move up through your feet and into the rest of you.

Prayers are nice but not required

OK, you don't have to say the Hail Marys. But say something slowly, or think something slowly, or nothing at all. The point is the grass, the morning, and five minutes before the cares of the day take over.

Related article: “Live Near a Park or Forest”

Photo: elements.envato.com

😊 Please share this charming old remedy with family or friends who might appreciate it – thanks!