Herbal Recipes

Remember! Before you use any herbal preparation for any purpose, research it thoroughly. I am attempting to stay away from herbs I do not know or have not researched myself in the following offerings, but do not take my word for absolute truth -- do your own checking!

For...

Anxiety, nervous tension, depression

Rosemary tea (infusion) served hot and sweetened with honey lifts the spirits after illness.

Chamomile tea made from a teaspoon of the dried flowers steeped in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes is relaxing. A pinch of lavender will increase its effectiveness. Alternately, you may add catnip leaves.

Lemon balm is best drunk as a cool or cold infusion (make as usual and chill with ice). Take it at bedtime as an anti-depressant.

A simple massage oil made from essential oils diluted in vegetable oils (like olive or almond) also relieves depression. Use lemon balm, jasmine, orange or rose.

To relieve anxiety make a tea of skillcap and valerian, one teaspoon of each steeped in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Drink up to three times a day when suffering from anxiety symptoms.

For insomnia, traditional folk medicine claims that eating a large leaf of lettuce half an hour before bedtime will encourage sleep.

Also for insomnia, make a lavender herbal pillow and place it under your own pillow. (I use this one to much effect myself! -scarab1)

A few drops of tincture of passion-flower in a cup of warm water can be soothing.

Common colds

Home remedy advocates feed a cold and starve a fever.

Most recipes are best used at the first sign of cold symptoms.

Elder flower and yarrow tea made as a standard infusion - one teaspoon of each - sweetened with honey before bedtime and during the day at two to three hour intervals is helpful. Peppermint added to this tea will lend its decongestant properties.

For catarrh relief try the juice of half a lemon squeezed into a cup of warm water. Alternately, a fenugreek decoction made from a teaspoon of crushed seeds. Strain and sweeten with honey.

Crush six garlic cloves into a teaspoon of petroleum jelly and heat in a glass or enamel pan until the jelly melts. Pour into and store in a sterilized jar and allow it to cool. Rub the ointment on chest and back to alleviate congestion.

For coughs, ain infusion of angelica or marshmallow may give relief.

A tea of 2 parts boneset to 1 part each of elder flower and peppermint will ease some of the symptoms and attendant infections of the flu

Headaches

Headaches caused by stress and tension may be relieved by skullcap, valerian and passion-flower. Make a tea with one teaspoon of each of these herbs and follow the standard infusion recipe. Mix them or try them alone.

Lemon balm, feverfew, meadowsweet and rosemary infused as a tea may help relieve migraines, depending upon the root cause. Feverfrew is cited the most often as the best choice to relieve this sort of headache.

Relaxing in a bath with lavender added as an infusion - or as essential oils - can help relax away a tension headache. You may also wish to add chamomile, skullcap, thyme, valerian or wormwood, as well.

Massaging diluted essential oils such as peppermint or rosemary onto one's temples can help.

A dab of lavender oil at the base of the nostrils can be used at the first sign of a migraine attack.

Hair Care

Use rosemary tea as a hair rinses. As an infused vinegar it conditions and treats dandruff. (Massage it thoroughly into the scalp 20 minutes before washing.) It is especially good for dark hair.

For light colored hair use a rinse of chamomile infusion.

A quick treatment for dry hair is to rub a couple of drops of rosemary or sandalwood essential oil on your brush or comb before brushing or combing your hair.

Other good oils for the scalp are cedarwood, peppermint, frankincense, myrrh and vetivert.

Perfumed ointments

The ancient Egyptians were masters of perfumed ointments and used them extensively. Lilies, broom, cinnamon, sweet flag, frankincense and myrrh were some of the scents favored.

Ancient peoples used animal fats as bases for their ointments, but we can use the vegetable oil and beeswax-based salves/ointments recipe on the preparations page, choosing fragrant herbs or resins as your base infused herbal oil. You may also use essential oils in small quantities as your 'herb' or to add additional scent.

To use a perfumed ointment, smear it on your pulse points to release the fragrance.

This is one area where you may want to pay specific attention to the aromatherapy applications of the herbs/scents you try. What better way to medicate yourself than with a wonderful scent? And don't let it stop you from using the ointments for just whimsical or pure self enjoyment purposes, either.

Skin Conditions

Skin conditions are often external manifestations of internal problems and the root causes should be thoroughly examined before treatment is pursued. Eczema and psoriasis are exressions of internal disharmony within the body.

Eczema has a variety of causes from allergies to stress. It is characterized by inflammation of the skin causing itching and redness. Depending upon the source of the problem, it can be contagious.

Augmenting ones diet with a multivitamin and mineral supplements can help. According to sources which include Native American medicine, evening primrose oil taken in capsules or applied externally can help. However, do not use this option if you have epilepsy.

Burdock ointment applied externally is one possible treatment. Squeeze the sap of a fresh root into petroleum jelly and use on the irritated area several times a day.

Aloe vera gel will also help in external healing of problem areas.

Compresses or ointments of burdock, chickweed, comfrey and marigold may be effective, also.

To assist in healing the skin by cleansing the blood, try a tea of red clover, borage, burdock root and nettle.

Psoriasis are often caused by the same things as eczema. It expresses itself as bright pink or red plaques covered with silvery scaling and is not contagious.

Sunlight and fresh, unpolluted sea water may be of some help in relief, but are not a cure.

Try a tea of burdock, cleavers, sasparilla and yellow dock with perhaps some red clover or dandelion. Nettle tea alone might help, as well.

Externally, comfrey and chickweed ointments will soften and nourish the skin.

Yarrow in the bath water twice weekly may also help.

Menopause

In ancient cultures menopause was not a time of devaluing the woman, but an important threshold where a woman gained liberation and new freedoms. Aged wise women were as important as wise men, and the transition of a woman from mother and childbearer to an independent person in her own right was a prestigious advancement in status.

Today's society, however, has added stigma to the loss of the ability to produce babies and the fading bloom of youth embodied by whitening of the hair and wrinklesin the skin. Women are pressured socially and mentally from within and without, and rather than being a time of emancipation it has become one of depression and stress as they deal with their changing bodies and others' changing attitudes toward them. Often women see themselves as less in worth at this time, and the "change of life" becomes more difficult without a proper attitude to bolster ones self with.

How a woman approaches this time can set the tone of the entire remainder of her life. It is an inevitability as certain as the changing of the seasons, for we are linked to nature as creatures of Mother Earth, and struggling against our nature does not allow one to enjoy life to its fullest. The breaking of the link between a woman and the moon cycles should not be looked upon or feared, for there are deeper and more exciting mysteries awaiting the female who turns her face now toward the new phase of the crone which awaits her.

However, this does not mean you have to helplessly submit yourself to the harsher realities of menopause: you can work with it naturally and emerge a stronger, healthier person than ever before. And so, below is some advice on how to cope with your body's changes.

For hot flashes, tea made with sage and blackcurrant leaf can help.

Black cohosh and blue cohosh are held by Native Americans as good herbal teas or tinctures to reduce hot flashes. Make an infusion of equal parts black cohosh, blue cohosh, wild yam, sasparilla roots, cramp bark, red raspberry leave and dandelion, as these herbs will help support progesterone and estrogen levels.

Selenium and vitamin C will also help with night sweats and hot flashes.

For hormonal balance try a tea of agnus cactus, false unicorn root, wild yam, St. John's wort, Chinese angelica and motherwort.

Another balancing tea can be made from two pats chasteberry and wild yam, one part each of black cohosh, goldenseal, life root, oats and mothewort.

Evening primrose oil (two capsules three times a day) is a good hormone balancer, as well.

See herbs under Anxiety and Depression for help with these common menopausal symptoms.

An infusion of lemon balm, lime blossom, motherwort and passion flower is adviseable. If there is an involvement of high blood pressure or heart problems, add hawthorne berries (which will also assist with calming palpitations).

For skin complaints see the section on Psoriasis above; for constipation, see below.

Vitamin E daily in 400 to 1600 IUs can alleviate many symptoms, especially hot flashes. Begin cautiously and slowly with a regimen if you have high blood pressure.

Constipation

A high fiber diet including fruits and vegetables, whole wheat breads, nuts and cereals -- and avoiding refined foods like white breads, cakes and candies -- will help you steer clear of this problem. It can also be triggered by stress and some medications, though.

Try water and lemon juice first thing in the morning at least a half hour before breakfast. It is a simple and often effective treatment.

A decoction of licorice, fennel, dandelion root, yellow dock root, and burdock may work if simple diet changes fail.

Acidophilus as a dietary supplement will help to keep the intestines clean and healthy and aid in the the absorption of nutrients in food.

Cystitis

Cystitis is caused by inflammation in the bladder and/or urethra and is characterized by urgent and frequent urination accompanied by pain or a burning sensation.

Eliminating sugars and artificial additives from ones diet will be beneficial to keeping this affliction at bay. Drinking plenty of water keeps your system flushed and is a must, but you can also add a Vitamin C supplement (it's a diuretic and helps your immune system).

One of the simplest and easiest remedies is to dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda in water twice daily and accompany it with plenty of water throughout the day. Those with heart problems should not use this method!!

An infusion of buchu, cornsilk, couchgrass and marshmallow leaves taken as a cupful every two hours until the problem abates in severity, and then thrice a day for up to a week will help. A hot tea of yarrow may also alleviate the problem.

Traditional folk and home remedies advocate eating live yogurt. Drinking cranberry juice (make certain it's 100% juice with little or no additives) is another option, as is adding garlic to your food or warm drinks.

More to come in the future...

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