the Witchen Kitchen Beginner Herbal

tammy January 13th, 2009

Dear readers, I simply can NOT get motivated to go out into the cold and dig any roots!  So alas, I am postponing that article once again.  Instead, I thought I would share with you how I made this lovely herbal eye pillow in less than an hour today.

I am making these to use with my massage clients.  They are divine laid over the eyes just as they are, but they can also be heated or cooled to make a hot or cold pack.  Just pop them in the freezer for a couple of hours, or sprinkle some water on them and microwave them for about a minute or two.  Very nice to sooth a headache or a muscle ache. And they are super easy to make and fast.  I literally spent less than an hour doing this, from start to finish.

Warning: I do not measure anything, so if you need exact measurements these are not the instructions for you!

First gather the materials.  You will need some fabric, some dried herbs, and some flax seed or rice, plus your usual sewing tools and thread.  The flax or rice will help to hold the heat or cold if you use it as a hot or cold pack, and give it some weight to help hold it in place on the body. The herbs should be something that smells nice.  You can choose something relaxing like lavender buds or rose petals, or something more energetic like peppermint or rosemary, or any kind of pleasant combination you can think of!  You want to choose a fairly sturdy fabric that will not pull apart at the seams or let the herbs or the flax/rice poke through with use over time.

I have a big box of fabric scraps that I have saved over the years from various sewing projects.  I chose a nice thick flannel for the main pillow.  This will hold up for a long time, and can be wet for the microwave without leaving water spots on the fabric.  Because I am wanting to reuse mine with multiple clients, I also made a removable cover that can be washed between clients. For the cover I chose a more elegant silky fabric.  I chose to fill my pillow with lavender buds and flax as these were what I had on hand at the moment.

Next, make the pillow. Make two layers of fabric, wrong side out, and then eyeball about how big you want the finished pillow to be.  Add just a little more all around to allow for the seam.  Cut the fabric to the desired size.  This does not have to be exact!  Just think of the average face and about how big it should be to cover the eyes comfortably.

Sew the two layers together, but leave one side open so you can fill it with the herbs and flax. Flip it right side out before filling.

Fill with your herbs and flax or rice.  I did one scoop of flax, then one scoop of lavender, then one scoop of flax… and so on until it was full.

Finally, tuck the raw edges of the open end inside and sew it up.  I used the sewing machine because it was faster, but if you don’t want your stitches to show you could do it with a needle and thread and hide them.

If desired, make a removable cover. For this you want to make a little envelope for the pillow that can be taken off and washed when necessary.

To cut the fabric, you can use your finished pillow as a guide.  I laid mine on the fabric and wrapped it up to see how big it needed to be (allowing for the seams… don’t forget the seams!).  It’s okay if the finished cover is a little big, but not okay if it is too small, so err on the side of slightly larger than you think you will need.

After the fabric is cut to the desired size, hem the edges that will overlap and open to take the pillow in and out (see photos of finished cover above and hemming below).

Fold the fabric wrong side out with the hemmed edges overlapping by about an inch or so.  Sew the ends together.

Flip it right side out and you are done!  Then you will just need to tuck your pillow inside.

Viola! You have a beautiful new herbal eye pillow!  (And, I swear, it took me longer to put this blog post together than it did to make the pillow!)

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Herbal Remedies
• Comments(7)

tammy November 9th, 2008

A few weeks ago, I got the side of my finger caught between the tips of a pair of pliers that I happened to be squeezing together with all my might while working on something.  It hurt terribly and made an instant ugly bruise swell up.  Ooooh, it was throbbing, skin almost cut, a dark purple bruise.  What to do?  What to do?  Ouch!

Somewhere from the depths of my brain came the thought that Yarrow is good for bruises (I hadn’t really used it for this purpose before, just had read about it somewhere).  I happened to have some oil that I made this summer from fresh flowering tops of yarrow growing in the neighbor’s field, so I pulled it out and rubbed some over the injury – very, very carefully! did I mention how bad it hurt? 

Well, within seconds, the pain was diminished, so I kept rubbing the oil in a bit deeper.  A couple more seconds and the pain was completely, completely gone! And the bruise seemed less ugly too. For the rest of the day, everytime it would begin to hurt again, I rubbed some more in.  By the next morning I could barely see the bruise, and I had no more pain, so no more need for repeat applications.

Okay, so everything I’ve read about Yarrow being a good bruise remedy and its ability to move stagnant blood was proven true first hand.  But I kept thinking about that surprising pain relief I had experienced.  As someone who must sit at a desk all day for her day job, and who tends to do hard physical work outside of the job, I can get quite stiff and sore very often.  Plus, as a massage therapist in training, I know that chronic pain is an extremely widespread problem.  Something that can bring this kind of pain relief is very exciting to me, to say the least.

It has a sort of numbing, anesthetic quality, but not in a way that completey removes all sensation.  You can still feel touch, just not the slightest bit of pain. 

Now, I use Goldenrod oil regularly for deeply sore muscles, and in addition to the way that helps heal strained muscles, it also has a similar pain relieving effect as does the Yarrow, but not nearly as strong. 

Hmmmmmm, went my little brain… maybe they could complement each other.  I decided to mix the two oils together, and wow, am I ever glad I did.

This is the muscle pain reliever that beats EVERY single thing I’ve ever used for this problem.  In my estimation, it’s at least ten times more effective than the Goldenrod alone, and about a hundred times more effective than most other remedies I’ve used. 

And the best thing is, it’s not just a pain reliever that addresses surface symptoms.  It also really helps the muscles to repair.  I hurt my shoulder lifting and carrying something that was too heavy for me a few months ago, and then dutifully sat at my desk job week in and week out, with the injured shoulder unnaturally strained forward clicking a mouse all day, every day.  Needless to say, what could have been a fairly minor injury turned into a major problem after a couple of months.  

After ignoring the very painful and spasming muscles over many weeks (the spasms would come and go at first), hoping it would go away on its own, I finally decided to see a chiropractor when it kept yelling louder and louder and was getting worse each day.  His treatments and prescribed exercises are helping me to realign my muscles and posture to prevent further injury, but what is really helping to speed the healing is my Goldenrod & Yarrow oil. 

I didn’t use it the first week I was seeing the chiropractor, and I was having a LOT of pain between appointments.  After I started rubbing out the spasms a couple times a day with the oil, I noticed that after just a few days of regular use, I needed to apply it less and less frequently.  The muscles are pain free AND they are healing quickly. 

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve also had the opportunity to use it on several massage clients needing relief from severe spasms, and have gotten similar awesome results for them as well.  It doesn’t necessarily dissolve the spasm — you still need to work it out manually in most cases (though with less effort than you might otherwise need).  But it does remove all the pain and gets the blood flowing and the healing started immediately. (Caution to therapists: Be careful not to work too deeply if using this oil, as your client won’t be able to sense pain and tell you if you are going too deep.)

Oh how blessed I feel to have discovered this combo!

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
• Comments(5)

tammy September 22nd, 2008

There is a huge Poke (Phytolacca americana) bush in our field that I have honored all summer and allowed to grow as big as it wants to be.  I’ve been focusing on this plant this year, learning all I can about it.

From my vantage point, it has a tough, stoic, decidedly male, personality, sort of dark and a little dangerous, infinitely mysterious and intriguing.  It also has many medicinal gifts stored in its starchy roots, vibrant leaves, and bright berry juice.  It vibrates life energy. It has more than enough to share and generously gives to those in need of its help.  Every part of it smells earthy, ancient and wise.  Its strength is sure.  Its root is solid and hefty and firmly embedded.  It branches are flexible and bendable but very difficult to break.  It has a touch femininity in its sweet white flowers and delicately scalloped pink base from which the berries emerge, but even these are manly in their firmness. It is a plant friend that you can go to for quick, effective help with serious problems.  But be careful. It’s power is dangerous when not respected.

I’ve used poke medicinally in a lot of different circumstances by now, and I’ve never failed to be amazed at how quickly and effectively it works.  This plant gets things done!  I’ll be writing a series of articles over the next month or two on the different ways I have used Poke.

I want to start by telling you all about my poke leaf salve.

Poke is very effective for relieving the itching and inflammation of psoriasis.  Before I knew to use Poke for psoriasis last winter, I made a salve for this condition from burdock root, comfrey leaf, red clover blossoms, and calendula.  It worked well to sooth the psoriasis, but I thought the effect wasn’t very much different from daily moisturizing. A few months after making it, I learned of Poke’s use for psoriasis, so, I reheated the salve and added a few droppers-ful of poke root tincture, as that was the only form of Poke I had in the  house at the time.

The new salve that resulted was just brimming with magic!  Wonderfully soothing, and with a little extra something that gets right to the psoriasis and promotes a deep healing.  The Poke eliminates the inflammation and itching and thins the thick skin plaque, and the other ingredients do their wonderful work to eliminate the flakes, heal the tissues, and promote soft new baby skin to grow. Poke has an effect on inflamed skin that is very similar to that of a cortisone cream.

Can Poke help to really heal a patch of psoriasis, and not just eliminate symptoms?  Maybe so…  I am very bad at being consistent about using my wonderful salve, so I haven’t really given it a good chance yet.  I tend to only apply it for a few days at a time when I have a flare-up that makes my psoriasis feel itchy and aggravating.  The salve will calm it down after the first day of using it, and after a couple more days, it will *almost* completely heal so it looks like I don’t even have psoriasis at all.  But then, since it is not bothering me, I’ll start forgetting to use the salve.  I won’t remember again until the next flare-up, and then I’ll start the whole routine all over again.  I think if I could just discipline myself to keep using it for a while longer, this one patch on my knee that I’ve had since my early twenties would be history.

My magical winter creation is nearly gone now, so I’m making a new batch right now using the leaf.  I’ve been researching a bit over at Henriettes Herbal, and the leaf salve is reported by at least one of the 19th century herbalists to be excellent for these types of skin conditions.  I hope it will be just as potent as the root tincture was!  Lard is recommended as a menstrum, but I have not been able to find any good quality lard or other animal fat I can render around here, so I’ll be using extra virgin olive oil.  (If you think lard is gross to use for a salve base, read this and this.  As soon as I can find some, I’m going to try it!)

I’m using all the same herbs again for this batch since they worked so well together before, and the same ratios — about 1 handful of each dry herb, give or take a little, and about 1/3 to 1/2 that amount of the Poke. (The Poke is fresh, so it looks like  lot, but if it were dried, it would be a lot less than a handful here).

Yesterday, I harvested the tender young leaves from branches that had berries just beginning to ripen.  (I also harvested a bunch of ripe berries — more on those soon). I let the leaves wilt over night, and just started my oil infusing this morning.  I poured olive oil over all the herbs, and stirred and poked to get out air, then covered with a little more oil.  I’m using a hot infusion method, letting them steep in the crock pot on low heat for a day or two. After I strain it, I’ll add some beeswax and turn it into salve.

As soon as I’ve had a chance to use it, I’ll post an update here.  More soon!

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
• Comments(7)

tammy July 24th, 2008

Today is happy birthday to me! I’m celebrating with friends and family later this weekend, but today I treated myself to a spa right here in my Witchen Kitchen.

First, I whipped up some amazing, skin softening lotion. Remember that diaper rash balm I made and wrote about a few weeks ago? Well, I began using that on my elbows and feet not long after I made it, and I was so impressed with it that I soon started using it as an all over moisturizer after every bath.

It is miraculous in the way it softens my skin and makes it so fresh and dewy. At the risk of sounding like a gimmicky commercial, I have to say that my skin literally looks years younger and is exceptionally soft and smooth since I’ve been using it. We’ve also used it to heal bug bites and scrapes, as well as the original diaper rash. It is good for just about any minor skin irritation.

I’m no longer calling it diaper rash balm. It is now Mimi’s Magic Balm.

The balm was made of infused oils of yarrow, plantain, and cottonwood buds (balm of Gilead). I soon ran out of that initial batch I had made for Jelani’s bottom, so I made fresh batches of the three oils separately last week, using fresh yarrow picked from a neighbor’s field, plantain from my yard, and dried cottonwood buds I had ordered from Mountain Rose Herbs.

This morning, I mixed about a 1/4 cup of each infused oil along with about 1/2 – 3/4 ounce grated beeswax, and melted them together over a double boiler, then poured into a jar to set. As the mixture cooled, it firmed up nicely into a salve/ balm.

I also wanted to try making a lighter lotion out of these three herbal oils. Here’s what I did. I put a few tablespoons of the still warm, liquid balm into a pouring cup. Into a bowl I put about an equal amount of a strong infusion of chamomile, warmed also. Then I started whisking the chamomile infusion as I slowly dripped the oil into the bowl. By the time I had dripped and whisked in all the oil, it had emulsified into a lotion.

I, of course, tried it out right away. It is amazingly light and absorbs quickly with no greasy feeling at all, yet it feels just as nourishing and softening as the heavier balm. Seems a much better consistency for every day moisturizing, though I’ll continue to use the original balm for problem areas like heels and elbows, as well as for first aid for minor skin abrasions.

Okay, lotion ready, on with the spa treatment. Next I mixed up one of the best facial masks I’ve ever used. A nice hunk of kombu seaweed, ground to a powder using a coffee grinder to yield about a tablespoon, plus a tablespoon of cosmetic clay, and enough plain yogurt mixed in to make a nice paste.

Then I drew a nice warm bath, pouring in some rose petal vinegar to soften and balance the skin, and eased down into the delicious warmth for a nice long soak. I patted the seaweed mask all over my face and neck and put a couple cucumber slices over my eyes.

Lay head back. Go to daydreamland for almost an hour. Then rinse face to reveal radiant, baby soft skin, and nearly invisible pores. Wash, dry off, and apply Magic Lotion liberally to entire birthday suit.

Ahhh… what a nice day!

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
• Comments(3)

tammy June 22nd, 2008

My new little grandson, barely 2 weeks old, has had his first minor diaper rash. ‘Cause he likes to poop in the middle of the night while he’s sleeping and nobody knows about it until the next morning! Here is a simple herbal balm I made that cleared it right up.

I used raw, organic coconut oil as the base, and infused some dried Balm of Gilead (poplar buds), dried yarrow, and fresh chopped plantain from the yard. Yarrow is known to be quite anti-bacterial and good for skin ailments. Plantain draws out infection or toxins and helps heals skin beautifully, and Balm of Gilead is well known as a skin healer and soother. the coconut oil itself is also anti-microbial and very nourishing to the skin. There are many, many other herbs adn oils that could have been used here, but these were the ones I had on hand and that came to mind when I started mixing.

Since I needed this balm immediately and didn’t want to wait weeks for it to infuse, I decided for the first time to use a heat infusion method. I followed Frances’ suggestion to use a crock pot set on low for a couple days.

I put the coconut oil in a small jar and immersed it in the warm water in the crock pot to melt it, then added the herbs, stirred it well, put the top on, and sat it back down in the warm water bath (along with a couple other infusing oils so as to get maximum use from having the crock pot on for so long). I let it infuse for two days, opening the cap to wipe away moisture condensation (from water in the fresh plantain) and to stir it occasionally.

When it had taken on a nice green color and I deemed it done, I strained the oil through a mesh strainer first, then strained it again through a clean cloth to get all the tiny little herb particles out.

Coconut oil will stay solid at room temperature, about 76 degrees or less. In our air conditioned homes, this makes a perfect salve. If it were going to be stored in a warmer place, I would have melted some beeswax into the mixture to keep it solid at higher temps too.

While it was still warm and liquid, I put it in a squeeze bottle to keep fingers out of the mixture to avoid introducing bacteria so it will last longer. I have no idea what the shelf life is. Since there are no preservatives, we will keep a close eye on it for spoilage.

My daughter took the filled bottle with her before I took a pic, but here is an empty one.  I picked up a bunch of these at the discount store for about $. 50 a piece.

This balm has a lovely light coconut scent and feels really nice on the skin. In addition to diaper rash, it could be used for many other purposes. It could be really great for moisturizing elbows and feet, or soothing any minor skin abrasion.

I bought the dried herbs and raw coconut oil at Mountain Rose Herbs.

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
• Comments(7)

tammy June 15th, 2008

For the blog party on staying cool in the summer, hosted at Alchemille’s Garden

I spell “cool in the summer” a-i-r c-o-n-d-i-t…. oh, wait… that’s not herbal, hehe

As you probably know, there are literally hundreds of ways to use herbs and plants and food to stay cool in the summer. My favorite is just taking a lazy walk in the cool shade of big leafy trees, especially near a stream or a lake or a river or the ocean. Or better yet, taking a dip in that water or sitting and digging my toes into the cool mud or sand alongside it. Just getting close to the heartbeat of Mother Earth, where the growth is lush and the water runs free is enough all by itself.

I also like to add herbs and plants to almost every other thing I do in the course of living. I wanted to share one cooling thing I’ve been using lately that is so easy and simple. It’s a lovely rose petal toner that takes maybe 5 minutes to make, plus a couple weeks to sit before using.

I made herbal gifts for the holidays last December and had lots of dried rose petals left over. I wanted to use them before they lost their potency, so was wracking my brain for what would use up a lot of them all at once.

I decided to infuse them in witch hazel, which I also had plenty of. I just put the fragrant rose petals in a jar, poured witch hazel over them, and let them sit for a couple of weeks. The result is a heavenly scented, pink, cooling toner.

I use it on a cotton ball to cleanse my face and neck after my shower each day. I have to say that my skin has never been so soft and clear as it has since I began using this. Works better than any expensive facial product I’ve ever purchased.

I also put it in a spray bottle to spritz all over when ever I want to cool off a little. It’s nice spritzed right in the face (be careful not to get in eyes) and on the neck, arms, belly… where ever you need it. Freshens and cools instantly. And it smells soooooo good!

It’s now time to make some more with all the fresh blossoms that are blooming all over. I’m sure a fresh infusion wil be just as lovely!

• Blog party , Cosmetics, Body Care
• Comments(6)

tammy April 13th, 2008

This morning my hands smell like wet spring dirt mixed with sunshine and a bit of sugar… ahhhhh!  It’s the lovely, sharp fragrance of dandelion sap.  I’ve been outside popping flowers from their springy stems all morning.  Before I began, I thanked the plant for all the help its roots and leaves gave me this past winter and asked if I could use its flower medicine (of course!).  Then I hooked my first two fingers just below the bud, pulled gently, and POP, off they snap.  I went all around the yard doing this, and gathered a quart of them to make dandelion flower oil. 

Dandelion is such an incredibly nourishing and healing herb, it is hard to figure out where to start listing its uses.  I’ve used the root and leaves extensively for things like indigestion and acid reflux, water retention, and just plain nourishment.  But I’ve not yet used the flowers specifically.  I’m making this oil to try it out as a breast massage oil, muscle tension reliever, and skin beautifier.  Here’s what a few of my favorite herbalists have to say about Dandelion flowers:

“Dandelion flowers steeped in olive oil are a wonderful moisturizer and a great tension relieving massage oil.  These beautiful golden blossoms possess the ability to help release emotions held in the muscles.”  -Gail Faith Edwards, Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs

“Make a dandelion flower oil and use wiz your Wise Woman touch to ease the pain and help heal those wiz stiff necks, arthritic joints, sinus headaches, back tension, and weepy, swollen skin sores.” - Susun Weed, Healing Wise (Wise Woman Herbal Series)

“The Dandelion is a plant of the sun and has been associated with the sun since very ancient times.  It’s color, disklike shape, and raylike florets resemble the sun in miniature, and the rising and setting of the sun influence the opening and closing of the flowers.” - Maida Silverman, A City Herbal

Since I carry almost all my emotional tension in the muscles of my back, shoulders, and neck I am quite anxious to see if Dandelion flower oil will be able to help me relieve some of that.  I also am attracted to the symbolism and historical lore of this plant.  In addition to being associated with the sun, the name of Dandelion means ”tooth of the lion” and its flower head has been compared to a lion’s mane.  As my sun sign is Leo the lion, I do feel a certain kinship there!

I first learned to make herbal oils by the simplers method: fill the jar with fresh herb, cover completely with olive oil, cap tightly, let sit for 6 weeks or more in a cool dark place.  I’m still following that for most of my herbal oils, however, I’m now reconsidering the “cool, dark” part of it in some cases.  I think some plants, especially those that contain sunshine medicine, like Dandelion, may be more potent if left to brew in the healing rays of the sun.  I’ve heard this over and over from different herbalists regarding St. John’s Wort (that fabulous red color of good SJW oil comes from brewing in the sunshine).  I’ve also discovered that pine oil brews best in the sunshine — the warmth helps pull out all those lovely aromatic resins into the oil much better.

So, since a big part of the medicine I am trying to capture with Dandelion is its living sunshine, I think I’ll sit this one in the window to brew.  I’ll let you know how it turns out!

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Earth Spirituality , Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
• Comments(5)

tammy February 11th, 2008

I’ve discovered yet another healthy use for vinegar — nourishing my skin in the bathtub. Yep, I’ve been taking vinegar baths lately. Sounds a little gross and stinky, doesn’t it? That’s what I thought too, until I tried it.

Soaking in a deep bath with about 1/2 cup of my lavender infused vinegar is so far doing a remarkable job of keeping away that winter scaly dry skin that I usually get.

It smells slightly vinegary when I first pour it in, but that quickly dissipates leaving only a light lavender fragrance. Then after my soak, I get out of the tub feeling squeeky clean, not oily like I would with bath oil, yet my skin is soft and smooth. It is neither oily nor dry, just balanced.

It works quite differently from the way lotions and oils work. Those add oil and moisture to the skin and/or seal it off to keep moisture in. Vinegar on the other hand, as far as I understand it, works by restoring a proper pH to the skin surface. Dry skin is a bit alkaline, where healthy skin is a bit more acidic, so the acidity of vinegar restores that natural, slightly acid pH. I believe that it also helps to slough off dead skin cells, leaving only smooth, healthy skin behind.

I’ve tried plain apple cider vinegar (acv) and my lavender infused vinegar. I have found that the plain acv is slightly irritating — dryer patches sting a little when I first get into the tub — though it does give good results for allying the dry skin.

Much nicer for me, though, is the lavendar vinegar. It is not irritating at all while bathing, and it smells nicer. Plus, the well known relaxing qualities of lavender can be very soothing just before bedtime. I also think lavender adds its own skin healing properties, and my skin feels just a tad better with this than it does with the plain acv.

Sometimes I still need a light moisturizer, and sometimes I don’t. Everybody’s skin is different and this can vary from day to day. I find I need less moisturizer when I am also well hydrated from the inside. Drink plenty, eat nourishing foods, and don’t forget your nourishing herbal infusions and teas!

Oh, and here is another benefit of vinegar baths — you’ll never have to scrub your tub again! It leaves the tub squeaky clean, not a trace of residue.

Did I mention that I also use lavender infused vinegar to clean all the surfaces in my home? Read about that here. I also use it as a fabric softener. I hear it is also great as a hair rinse, but I haven’t tried that yet.

So, get some dried lavender buds, put them in a jar and pour vinegar over them (1 or 2 large handfuls, per 1/2 gallon jar is the amount I use). Cap and let sit for a couple of days. Strain the lavender buds out and there you have your infused vinegar. So easy!

You can get lavender at Mountain Rose Herbs, or at your local health food store that sells bulk herbs. Pick up the vinegar at any grocery store.

• Cosmetics, Body Care
• Comments(2)

tammy January 6th, 2008

Boy am I glad to be done with all the holiday hoopla!  No matter how I plan, it always gets away from me before its over, leaving us all exhausted and dazed.  I was fine until I took a moment to relax — around the 31st or so – then the exhaustion hit me and I’ve been recuperating since.

I was thinking during this down time how much things have changed for me over the last few years.  Instead of grabbing the bottle of Advil for those tight sore muscles all through my shoulders and down my spine, I instead took relaxing herbal baths, massaged with golden rod oil, used my own homemade herbal pack as a heating pad, drank hot teas and infusions of anti-inflammatory herbs, and overall just made it a truly nurturing experience. Where the Advil may have relieved my muscle pain temporarily, it would have also irritated my stomach and left it aching, making my food hard to digest for a while, and the pain would have likely come back with a vengeance after a few hours.  How much better to get to the source of the pain and nourish it back to relaxation.

Same thing with the cold I just had, the one that finally got me after several weeks of fighting it off.   I want to go into more detail on that nurturing process, so more on that in my next post.

Other things I’ve been doing while enjoying my relaxing free time are reading novels and in between experimenting with a couple of different oil infusions and trying to devise my own recipe for a breast massage cream. 

I decided to reread the Earth’s Children series of novels by Jean Auel.  I just finished Clan of the Cave Bear and The Valley of the Horses, and I absolutely can’t wait to get back to the library and pick up the third in the series, The Mammoth Hunters.  These novels are the ultimate wise woman experience!  All the books in the series are huge, three or four inch thick books, but even so they just don’t last long enough for me.  I’m excited that I still have three more to go before I’ll get to the end of them.  They leave me feeling so inspired in my chosen path of the wise woman way!

Since it is now winter, I don’t have any fresh flowers to make oil infusions with, so instead I’ve been experimenting with making oils from dried red clover and calendula blossoms.  Later, when I can get fresh flowers, I’m going to make another fresh flower oil from each and compare them. 

The red clover has been calling my name lately.  I’ve been craving infusions of the blossoms, and have been putting them in a bundle to soak in my bath water, and now I want to capture its essence in an oil or cream so I can use it for breast massage. 

Breast massage, I’ve learned, is an important part of keeping the breasts healthy, especialy as we move into the wise years.  It makes those monthly self exams for lumps a more pleasant experience and it promotes circulation in the tissues and lymph glands, where a big percentage of cancers can form as women age.  And red clover can dissolve growths magically –  I’ve seen it with my own eyes!  Click here to read how I got rid of a little growth almost overnight with a poultice of red clover flowers. 

But even with no lumps, Red Clover is known to be very nourishing to breast tissues.  I’ve decided to pair it with the Calendula because it is just plain good for skin.  I don’t yet understand exactly how Calendula works, but I do know how my skin loves it.  So, I’m trying to formulate an oil blend or cream using these two flowers that I can use for breast massage.  I’ll let you know when I come up with a recipe that works well for me.

So, more on that cold I told you about next… 

Happy new calendar year to all.  May you have all the desires of your heart in 2008!

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Herbal Remedies , Wise Woman Wisdom
• Comments(0)

tammy December 13th, 2007

I’m handcrafting all my holiday gifts this year. For the guys on my list (if any of my family is reading this, shhhhh…. don’t tell!) I’m making a luxurious soothing herbal aftershave. It’s so easy to make, but boy is it great for his skin!

My hubby hates to shave because every time he does his face gets extremely irritated. We have paid lots of money for some of those commercial aftershave lotions, but this recipe is pretty inexpensive and so much more soothing.

Here’s what you do.

Step 1 – Gather the herbs and materials

• Get some either fresh or dried sage and lavender blossoms/ leaves. You can use other herbs, too, but I chose these because together they smell rather “manly” and they are fairly easy to get. There are many other herbs that also smell manly or are soothing to skin, so feel free to substitute here. A good one to add is calendula blossoms — very good for skin. If you have the herbs you need growing in your garden that’s great! Just pick a few large handfuls of each. Otherwise, you can likely get what you need at any health food store that sells dried bulk herbs, or you can order them from Mountain Rose Herbs. For dried herbs you need less than fresh, maybe about a cup of each (or more for a stronger scent, it doesn’t have to be exact).
• Buy a couple of bottles of witch hazel extract from your local drug store (or order from Mountain Rose Herbs). This is a gentle toner for the skin. If your man’s skin is less sensitive and you want a more “bracing” after shave, you can substitute rubbing alcohol for the witch hazel.
• Buy some aloe vera gel. I ordered mine from Mountain Rose Herbs, but I believe you can also buy this at most health food stores as well.
• Make sure you have a little apple cider vinegar on hand (probably already in your kitchen cupboard)

Step 2 – Infuse the herbs in the witch hazel (or rubbing alcohol)

• Put the herbs in a quart size jar (canning jars work great for this). You can use a bigger or smaller jar, just adjust the amount of herb you add accordingly. None of it has to be exact.
• Pour witch hazel over to cover.
• Add 2 Tbs vinegar (this helps with the extraction of the herbal essence).
• Stir and then pour more witch hazel to cover again.
• Cap and let sit for 1-2 weeks, shaking the jar whenever you think about it.

Step 3 – Put it all together

• After it has extracted for a week or two, strain the herb out of your witch hazel.
• Add an equal amount of aloe vera gel, then stir or shake. The amount of aloe can be adjusted, using more or less, for varying degrees of moisturizing quality. For mostly toning, you would use more herbal infused witch hazel and only a little aloe, say 2 cups of witch hazel to 1/2 cup aloe. For more moisture, you could use, say, 2 cups of aloe to 1 cup of witch hazel. Or any combination in between! But half and half is a good place to start.
• Pour into bottles. You could recycle old cologne bottles for this, or you can buy those plastic travel bottles from any discount store. You can also order a variety of different sized bottles in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Make sure whatever bottle you use is very clean. Pour boiling water over and in them and let dry thoroughly before filling to make sure they are sterile. Also, to prevent germs getting into the mixture after your man begins to use it, it is best to use either a pump type bottle, a spray bottle, or one with a flip type lid — this prevents germs from being introduced by hands making contact with it every day. The alcohol in the witch hazel acts as a preservative, and if you are careful of the type of bottle you use to prevent germs, it should be good until he uses it all up. This recipe makes about 2 quarts, which is a lot.  If making for just one person, I would half or quarter the recipe to be sure it stays fresh until he uses it all, then you can make up another batch.

Infusing the herbs adds a lot of subtle soothing and nourishing essence to the aftershave, but in a pinch you could skip the herbal infusion and just mix the witch hazel and aloe, which makes an even easier alternative that he will also appreciate for its soothing aftershave properties.

That’s all there is to it. That was easy!!

• Cosmetics, Body Care
• Comments(0)