Hello There!

thistle,bee

I've not abandoned the stillroom ... I've been as busy as this little bee lately!
I'll be back soon to share some great herbal treats for the lazy days of summer.
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Herbal Words of Wisdom

Teeming in the countryside, the world over, are medicinal herbs and edible plants; it shows disbelief in the power of God to pass them by.  ~ Common Herbs for Natural Health, Juliette de Bairacli Levy

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Arnica for Aches and Pains

Arnica is a great pain-reliever for when you have an aching back from working too long bent over in the herb garden!

To banish an aching back or soothe a bruise, I make a very simple arnica oil by infusing dried arnica flowers in olive or grapeseed oil.
 
I use the simplest method I know:
place a cup of dried arnica flowers in a pint jar
cover with olive oil
stir well
add more oil to cover the herb by at least an inch (the flowers will soak up some of the oil so keep adding as needed)
cover
set the jar in a sunny window
shake daily for 2 weeks
strain and use!

Notes:  Arnica should not be used on broken skin or wounds nor taken internally.  External use on unbroken skin only! 
Also, I like to add a few drops of lavender and/or rosemary essential oil to make the oil smell nicer and for the added relaxing benefits these oils provide. 


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Delightful Dandelion

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Dandelion- a plant that is a delight to the herbalist but the dread of those in pursuit of a weed-free lawn.  

Dandelion is  famous for those perky yellow flowers, the source of the famed Dandelion wine.
Dandelion
Did you know that dandelion has a host of other benefits as well?

Here are just a few that come to mind:

great tonic herb containing calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin A & C
digestive bitter
stimulates the liver
diuretic
ground dried roots can be used as a coffee substitute

A few dandelion leaves in the salad bowl or soup pot makes a healthy and tasty addition to your diet. 

So, instead of complaining of weeds in the yard, we should be thankful to have dandelion growing in such abundance! 

Please use caution when harvesting dandelion in places where chemical pesticides and such  may have been used.  For safety's sake it may be best to sow your own seeds, even if the neighbors do think you are crazy! 

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(dandelion flowers are tasty too!)
Dandelion tea anyone? 

Herbal Blessings,

Catherine
Jenny Matlock For more posts featuring the Letter D, visit Jenny Matlock today!
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Eyebright Infusion for Bright Eyes

I’ve been spending way too much time sitting in front of a computer screen this week and my eyes are telling the tale all too well. It is time for me to brew up a batch of Eyebright infusion to give my eyes some rest and refreshment. This is as simple as brewing a cup of  herb tea, but I will post the directions for you anyway.

Eyebright Infusion to Brighten Tired Eyes

2 tablespoons Eyebright herb, dried
1 1/2 cups water

Place herb in a glass or ceramic container (a canning jar works for me).
Bring water to a boil and pour over herb.
Steep 15 minutes.
Strain into a clean container.
Refrigerate until nice and cold.
Dip a clean cloth into the infusion and place over closed eyes. This is a great time to take a short power nap!

To make my Bright Eyes treatment even better, I think I will use Chamomile tea bags instead of a cloth. My eyes feel better just thinking about it!

Be certain to store any leftover infusion in the refrigerator.

A repost from The Renegade Farmer today ... because I am in need of this helpful herb remedy, and thought some of you might be as well. 
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Nettle & Honey Allergy Relief

Allergy season is upon us. 
I have a simple herbal tonic that I make every year to help prevent and alleviate the misery of sneezing, itchy eyes, and so forth that plagues members of my family.

First I make a nettle infused vinegar and then mix that with local honey to make
Nettle Vinegar & Honey Allergy Tonic.


You will need the following:
apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s, but any good quality acv will do)
dried nettles (You can use them fresh, which some say work best if they are available. I don’t have that option, and dried has always worked well for me.)
local honey (honey produced in your area will contain small amounts of pollen to the flowers growing near you … probably the ones making you sneeze!)
a clean canning jar with a lid ( I use a wide-mouth quart size, but you could start with a pint. Also, I use a plastic lid for vinegars … if you don’t have plastic lids, then put a piece of plastic wrap between the jar and the metal lid.)

To make nettle vinegar:
add about 1 cup of nettle to your jar, I just toss in a handful or so (less if using a pint jar)
add enough vinegar to cover nettle by 2-3 inches (you will need to add more as the nettle soaks it up), stir and wait until the nettle settles, adding more vinegar if necessary
Cover the jar with a lid and set it in a sunny spot for 2 weeks or more. Shake jar a few times a day.
Once your nettle vinegar has infused, strain it through a coffee filter or piece of cheesecloth into a clean jar and it is ready to use.

If you don’t have weeks to wait for the vinegar to infuse, you can make it more quickly by heating the vinegar/nettle mixture over a very, very low heat for a few hours. Do not boil or even simmer, just heat it enough to be quite warm, a double boiler is a good way to do this, or if your crockpot doesn’t get too hot (mine does even on low), use that. Let cool before straining.

You can use the vinegar as is, or make it even more effective by adding local honey.

Add an equal amount of local honey to the nettle vinegar, stir well, cover, and you have Nettle Vinegar and Honey Allergy Tonic

It is a simple herbal remedy that gives great results for my family.

I take a tablespoon or so two or three times a day mixed in a small amount of water. 

A simpler route is to make a quart of nettle tea and sip on that throughout the day; but the honey and acv are very helpful for allergies, and do improve the flavor quite a bit. Nettle tea is not the most palatable of herbal infusions in my opinion. 

Nettle vinegar can also be used in salad dressings and most anywhere you would use apple cider vinegar.  It makes a lovely hair rinse when diluted with water, too.  More reasons to make up a large batch while you're at it!

Note: As always with any herbal information, this is for your educational benefit only, etc., etc. ... Please consult your physician regarding any serious health matters.


How do you treat allergies? Please share your own herbal remedies!

Blessings,
Catherine
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Remember Mom

with a gift of rosemary this Mother's Day, more on Rosemary for Remembrance at The Renegade Farmer! 

Happy Mother's Day!

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Catnip Tea Anyone?

(photo source: Wikipedia)

CatnipNepeta cataria, the beloved herb of felines, also makes a soothing, if not particularly tasty, tea for humans.  Adding lemon balm and honey will make it more palatable. 

Catnip is said to be calming, as well as helpful in lowering fevers, relieving the pain of teething and toothache, and a restorative digestive aid for issues such as indigestion, diarrhea, and colic. 

From Back to Eden, by Jethro Kloss- "If every mother had catnip herb on the shelf, it would save her many a sleepless night and her child much suffering." 

Catnip is easy to grow if you can get it established before a cat discovers and destroys it.  This advice from days past does seem to work-

If you set it, the cats will eat it.
If you sow it, the cats won't know it. 

I'm sowing catnip seeds today, and we'll just see how long it takes the cats to discover it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to harvest enough for a pot of tea, and perhaps a catnip mouse or two, before they pounce on it!  (I do have dried catnip in the herb pantry, just in case the cats beat me to it!)

Catnip tea anyone? 


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First Aid from the Herb Garden

Two great herbs to grow for minor first-aid applications are-

yarrow
and
mullein.

Yarrow is excellent for stopping bleeding and healing cuts, and mullein makes a handy bandage if your children are prone to use all your band-aids on a weekly basis, as mine are.  (Note to self: hide a box of band-aids somewhere they won't find it!)

Today I cut my finger while washing my new "mini-chopper".   This may be the first and last time I use this time saver, as the time spent treating my wound was more than I would have spent chopping onions and celery the old-fashioned way!  Anyway, it wasn't such a bad cut, just an inconvenient one that needed the bleeding stopped and a bandage; and thankfully I had exactly what I needed growing right outside my back door. 

Whenever I need an herb with styptic action, yarrow is my herb of choice.  Almost like magic, yarrow will stop bleeding of minor cuts and wounds and help the wound to heal.  I have a small potted yarrow growing in my backyard, though it grows wild in most areas quite happily.  When camping or hiking I keep an eye out for yarrow just in case someone should need it.  I dry yarrow also to keep on hand for when running out to the herb patch isn't convenient. 

Mullein makes a soft, absorbent bandage, which is only one of its varied uses.  It also grows wild and weedy in my area, though here at home it grows in containers. 

And finally, to hold my bandage in place, I picked a lavender stem and used it to tie the mullein leaf in place; the soothing scent was an added bonus. 

Herbal first-aid to the rescue!

* Please note:  If you have serious wounds, please, please seek medical care!  Herbs are wonderful helpers for many situations, but anything serious should be handled by a professional. 
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