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Archive for the ‘Herbs’ Category
Calendula, also known in the herbal world as “Mother of The Skin” is a flowering herb that seems to do well in just about all soil conditions. This wonderful plant not only adds beauty to the garden but offers medicinal and culinary benefits as well, and is most recognized for its effectiveness in treating skin problems such as wounds, burns, insect bites, shingles, eczema, and skin ulcers to name a few.
We grow and harvest Calendula every year, making infused oils and use the actual pedals of the plant in our goat milk soap bars. Calendula is very healthy for the skin and very mild. We recommend our Unscented or Calendula Oranges soaps bars for those who have extremely sensitive skin.
Harvesting Calendula is simple and can be a lot of fun, especially when the entire family gets involved. After picking the flowers we set them in drying racks out of direct sun light and moisture until they are completely dried. After they have dried we hand pick each pedal to use in our soaps, and store the rest in glass jars to use as needed.
Goat’s milk in general is extremely healthy for the skin, and when adding natural ingredients such as pure essential oils and actual pedals of the plant straight from the garden you couldn’t ask for a more healthier and natural soap bar.
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Less than a century ago gardening was a necessity for many, and the use of herbs was common medical practice. We have become so dependent for whats convenient, and for instant results that we seem to have skipped a generation on basic homesteading principles, such as growing your own food or treating common illness with natural remedies. I find it amazing the amount of young adults that I know who have never planted a garden, and would not know how to grow and harvest their own food if they needed or wanted to. I also find it amazing how quick doctors are willing to fill out prescriptions for every aliment under the sun, when there are so many natural remedies that have been practiced for thousands of years with proven track records having no harmful side effects!
However I am encouraged of the recent movement of consumers fighting back, demanding the right to know what is in their food, products, and medicine, and to see many taking the steps educating themselves and households of such subtle dangers.
If you want to learn more about edible and medicinal plants, I would like to share a great website that I have stumbled upon, and that is www.learningherbs.com. The website is packed full of valuable information that offers amazing products as well. One of the products that I particularly think is great that will help the entire family learn more on edible and medicinal plants is the board game Wildcraft.
This game not only teaches teamwork, but over 25 medicinal and edible plants used in most first aid applications as well. This makes a perfect gift that the entire family will enjoy and benefit from!
The flowering herb yarrow as been used for centuries to stop bleeding which is most likely how it ideveloped its nickname “nosebleed”, today we are still seeing this wonderful herb being used whether its to attract beneficial insects into the garden, or use to fight off a common cold. Yarrow has also become quite popular in the herbal cosmetic industry as well. Here are some beneficial uses this herb offers for your skin.
Oily Skin
For oily skin you can benefit by making a facial steam by taking a table spoon of yarrow in a bowl filled half way with boiling water. Simply lean over the bowl with your head covered with a towel to keep the steam trapped. Be sure to keep your face 12-18 inches from the water. Once you have finished steaming, splash off with some cool water and pat dry. You can also add other stimulating, healing and soothing herbs for more added benefits such as, Rosemary, Sage, Mint, Comfrey, Thyme, Lavender and Chamomile.
Yarrow & Chamomile Lotion
To make a yarrow and chamomile lotion is very simple and very therapeutic. Place 1 tablespoon of dried yarrow flowers and leaves and 1 tablespoon of dried chamomile flowers in a bowl and add 2 cups of boiling water. Leave it in a warm place for about a half hour. Then before straining you should stir it up once more, and then strain. Now you can pour it into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator.
Natural Insect Repellent
You can also make a natural insect repellent my making a tincture using yarrow. Very simple, just cut up a bunch of yarrow flowers, stem, leaves, and place in glass jar. Fill the jar with vodka and seal and let it sit for a few weeks in a sunny warm spot. That’s it! Once it has turned a darkish color you can strain and pour it into a spray bottle, and now you have a natural insect repellent.
These are just a few of the many wonderful benefits to use this amazing herb for. By doing a simple Google search you will find several yarrow recipes for natural skin care. If you have this herb growing in your garden this might be a fun experiment for you this summer. Well have fun! Hope you have found this info useful.
Rosemary officinalis is native to the Mediterranean regions which would limit our growing season here in the Northeast, unless we invited this wonderful plant into our homes for the winter. Rosemary is famous for its many uses in the kitchen, but also has gained great recognition in the skin care industry as well. These are the two biggest reasons we wanted to have this herb easily available to us all year round. We can cut fresh rosemary in the middle of February for spicing up a delicious meal, and also have available for making new batches of soap, such as our shampoo bar, in which one of the ingredients is rosemary, for it stimulates circulation and increases the blood supply to the skin, which is why it is commonly found in shampoos.
Rosemary is one among many herbs such as basil, oregano, sage, lavender and many others that do well in containers placed in windows, that receive plenty of sun; typically a window that receives southern exposure. Be sure to have your plant in a container that has drainage, and minimally in a 4-6 inch pot using potting soil, rather that soil from your garden. Potting soil will have fertilizer and all the nutrients the plant should need to get through the winter. If however your plant looks pale you should fertilize with a diluted house plant fertilizer once every two weeks. Also make sure not to over water, letting the plant dry out between watering.
It is no mystery that the cosmetic and skin care industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. What is the very first thing you see when you walk into any department store? Right smack in the middle of the front entrance is typically where you will find every skin care brand imaginable, all promising to make you look young and feel great, at very costly prices. The funny thing to me is that one of the very best all-purposed skin care ingredients can be grown right in your own back yard, at a very low cost.
Calendula officinalis has been named by herbalist as the “mother of the skin.” This plant is from the marigold family and can be easily grown throughout North America and Europe. Calendula has a track record for over 1,000 year as having many medicinal properties. When shopping for natural skin care, make sure to look for calendula creams or soaps and salves that have this wonderful herb as an ingredient. Not only does Calendula offer medicinal and culinary properties, but is most recognized for its effectiveness in treating skin problems, such as wounds, burns, insect bites, eczema, shingles and skin ulcers to name a few. This wonderful herb can be taken both internally and externally. Calendula is used in salads, and to spice up meats and salads and can be made in to a tea, and externally Calendula is used in lotions, creams, handmade soaps, and refined oils.
Lavender is one of the most recognized herbs, known distinctly for its aromatherapy; however this wonderful plant offers more than just a pleasant scent. It is known to be the “go to herb” for treating anything from the shoulders on up. Lavender oil is commonly used for treating headaches and muscle cramps, but also contains many benefits when used in natural skin care products as well.
Lavender is known to have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-toxic, cytophylactic; which encourages growth of new skin cells, and vulnerary effects on the skin. Lavender oil consists of high levels of linalool which is what gives it the ability to effectively promote skin healing. These healing properties prevent tissue degeneration and stops bleeding in wounds.
Considering all the amazing benefits Lavender oil has on the skin, it is no wonder this oil is used in so many skin care products such as natural shampoo’s, handmade soaps, and lotions. Not only do you receive the wonderful aromatherapy from such a product, which plays an important therapeutic role for the nervous system and treating insomnia and headaches, but any one suffering from skin problems such as eczema to acne can greatly benefit from this amazing oil in their skin care products.
The Geranium plant is more than just a pretty flower; it offers numerous medicinal values, through the process of steam distillation from the stem and leaves, producing Geranium oil. Geranium oil is known to have anti-bacterial and anti-septic properties and is one of the many essential oils that have been recently reported for effectively fighting off Super germs. Pelargonium graveolens is the most effective species for offering medicinal value.
Geranium oil has found its way into the natural skin care industry; offering many skin care benefits. It works great for eliminating body odor; popular ingredient in natural deodorants. Geranium oil helps regulate sebum production, it also can speed the healing of wounds, and cuts,and is also used to treat acne, dermatitis, eczema, burns, ulcers, tonsillitis and much more. This oil is very effective on dry skin; it balances the skin and sedates any inflamed tissue caused by shingles or burns.
You may or may not recall me mentioning oregano having antibacterial properties in a previous post about Super Germs. Since then I have been hearing a lot good things about oregano, and have done some research. I have learned that not only is oregano known to have antibacterial properties, but antifungal properties as well. It is the oil that is extracted by either cold pressing and steam distillation from the leaf of the plant that is used, and should not be mistaken by the common household Oregano (Oregano marjoram) but the (Oregano vulgare). Oregano vulgare is a species of wild Oregano that grows in remote mountainous areas of the Mediterranean, such as Greece.
Oil of Oregano can be taken topically and internally, and is most often mixed with other oils such as olive oil, because full dosages of the oil can be irritating both externally and internally. Many have successfully used this oil to treat cold sores, athletes’ foot, toenail infections and much more. It has been noticed that Oil of Oregano is the most effective natural antibiotic available today. When shopping for natural skin care products that have antibacterial properties look for ingredients such as Oil of Oregano and Tea Tree oil. These oils have a solid track record in fighting off germs and they are 100% natural.
We had just recently received a pamphlet in the mail from our good friends at Heritage Essential Oils on how to fight Super Germs. I had never heard of the term Super Germ before, and was very curious to read on. Super Germs are simply germs that have become resistant to the overuse of antibiotics, making them far less effective, if not effective at all. One example of a Super Germ is (MRSA). This staph infection has become resistant to the antibiotics methicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin, and oxacillin. Also pseudomonas aeruginose which contributes to 57% of the death rate in pneumonia cases and E.coli are other forms of bacteria that have grown a resistance. As I continued to read on, I learned of some interesting statistics that I feel are important to share and also learned of some the wonderful natural essential oils that are available to us, allowing us to fight off these Super Germs and live a healthy lifestyle.
One of the interesting statistics I have just learned of is that the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. today is hospital-acquired infections. Prior to that is heart disease, cancer and strokes. The amounts of these deaths are more than the amount of people who die each year of breast cancer, Aids, and automobile accidents combined. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDS); from 1999 to 2000 over 135,000 estimated hospitalizations occurred with people diagnosed with (MRSA) killing about 12,000 annually.
So how do we protect ourselves from these Super Germs? Well more and more research is leading towards natural treatments such as the use of essential oils. These oils have amazing therapeutic benefits when inhaled, ingested or applied topically. The main reason researchers have found that make these oils so effective, is due to the complexity of the chemical constituents found in the oils. There are a hundred or more components in these oils making it very difficult for the Super Germs to build a resistance.
I have mentioned the essential oil Tee Tree being used in handmade soaps in a previous post, as a great alternative rather than using antibacterial soaps that contain Triclosan in them. Well here is a list of many other natural oils that are effective to fighting off these Super Germs with Tea Tree being top on the list.
1. Tea Tree
2. Geranium
3. Thyme
4. Oregano
5. Cinnamon Bark & Clove
6. Mountain Savory
7. Basil
8. Lemon myrtle
9. Peppermint & Spearmint
10. Lavender
11. Lemongrass
12. Eucalyptus
I hope you have found this information as useful as I have, and that it encourages you to become more informed and do some research of your own. I have always had a green thumb and enjoyed gardening and have worked landscape construction most of my life; it was not until just a couple of years ago that I was fascinated with the concept of plants I am very familiar with offering so much more than just aesthetics. This has compelled me to research the medical and culinary values the plants have to offer us. I am extremely thankful for modern medicine, but entirely fascinated with what nature freely provides to us as well.
Tea Tree oil is not only recognized in skin care products, but has a medicinal history as well. Native Australians have been benefiting from Tea Tree’s antiseptic and anti-fungal properties for quite some time now. It was not used as common practice until the 1920-30’s when researcher Arthur Penfold had begun to publish his research on Tea Tree’s antimicrobial activities. Tea Tree was traditionally used by inhaling the oils from crushed leaves to treat colds and coughs. Wounds were also treated by sprinkling the leaves on the wound itself. During World War II Tea Tree oil was mandatory in all Australian armed forces first aid kits, and in London there are hospitals that use soaps that have Tea Tree oil in them for hygiene of both staff and patients.
I began to research Tea Tree oil when a friend had told me that for years they had suffered from severe athlete’s foot, and had tried many different medications and nothing seemed to get rid of it completely. This friend then began to share with me that they had recently read that Tea Tree in know to effectively treat skin infections such as acne, Poison Ivy- Oak, wounds, cuts, burns and also has anti fungal properties that could treat athletes foot. Well my friend continued to share with me that since they were using a goats milk lotion that has Tea Tree in it they have noticed a tremendous difference and believe they are on the road to full recovery.
I think this is amazing and love hearing of testimonies of natural remedies. When I heard of this news I immediately begun to read up on this oil and also learned that this oil is being used to treat staff infections such as (MRSA). Tea Tree’s antibacterial properties make handmade soaps made with Tea Tree oil a great alternative than using antibacterial soaps that have Triclosal in them. Although Tea Tree has been proven to be an effective antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory you should always check with your health care provider before using any new form of treatment even if it is a natural remedy. Tea Tree has been know to have some side affects, some people might be allergic to the cineole in the tea tree oil, it is recommended not to use tea tree oil if you are breast feeding and or are pregnant, and like lavender there have been a small amount of links to temporary breast enlargement among young boys, medically know as prepubertal gynecomastia. The good news is that this is very rare and goes away after use of the oils.