Seasonal Allergies

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As many of you do, I have seasonal allergies. Spring and Fall are actually my favorite seasons. The weather is just right for anything outdoors: camping, fishing, yard work, gardening, even good choring weather.

Unless--you have seasonal allergies! You know, stuffy nose, that creates a breeding ground for bacteria so you end up with a sinus infection. These things lead to just being so tired!

I have discovered some other things, not so limiting, that do help. 

1.  Cover your hair--Our fore parents covered their hair to keep it clean and to not have to wash it so often. Not a bad idea. But seriously, pollen gets in your hair and sticks to it and all the products in it. Then when you are sleeping, all that wallowing around in the arms of Morpheus, loosens up that pollen and you breathe it in. 

2.   Rinse your sinuses--Invest in a good sinus rinse device that you are comfortable with. I use the Neil-Med pictured below. I use the saline packets along with Alkolol. 

I rinse my sinuses at least twice daily during Spring and Fall. 

3.   Invest in a good diffuser--I use The Breeze, which can be purchased here. 

4.   Use the above noted diffuser. Mine runs almost 24/7! My personal base essential oil is eucalyptus. Other essential oils I add together or alone are peppermint, rosemary, spearmint, and/or lemon. 

Get Ready For Summer Fun--NATURALLY!

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Photo by Todd DeSantis on Unsplash

Summer is just around the corner and that means FUN IN THE SUN!!!

That also means, bumps, bug bites, sprains, scratches, sunburns, and all sorts of owies! Just goes with the territory.

So, I thought I would let you know my recommendations for an all-natural first-aid kit. 

Miracle Skin Salve from Beeyoutiful is awesome at promoting healing and restoration of all those little scratches and bug bites. It works for sunburn, chapped lips or skin, minor burns (if in doubt, please seek medical attention), cuts & abrasions, and so much more.

Ow! Ease I love this for sprains, strains, bruises, and so much more.

Activated Charcoal--

• Capsules--These are an easy way to swallow the charcoal for tummy upsets or for possible ingestion of poisons. Please call the Poison Control Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 before administering an antidote.
  This is also easy transportation for charcoal used externally. Just open a capsule to make a poultice for stings and rashes. There is an informative book, Charcoal Remedies, here. 
• You can also buy activated charcoal in larger sizes 10 ounces and one pound.

Shoo those pesky insects away!!!

• Jungle Fierce
• Bug Me Not

Essential Oils--

• Peppermint is a medicine chest of its own! It helps with tummy issues, headaches, motion sickness, nausea, and when mixed with a little water and spritzed on the body, it helps the cooling down process. 
• Lavender will help that over-excited child fall asleep, calm someone down after an injury, sooth the itching of bug bites. (Please remember to properly dilute in a carrier oil before applying to the skin. Beeyoutiful has this already diluted, in a roller ball.)
• Relieve It is a blend of essential oils that is the best thing going for instant, long-lasting relief of itching from insect bites. I have found it also works well for that itch that comes along as other owies are healing up. 
• Tea Tree Oil is a natural disinfectant. Keep it handy not only for cleaning wounds (never "neat" only properly diluted.) and for using to clean up around the campsite, boat, etc. 
• Chamomile is a soother, sleep aid safe for use on even small children (when diluted), aids digestion, good for skin care, relieves pain, reduces anger, helps depression. 
• Rose Geranium is a tick repellant. I apply it to pants hems, shirt hems, and sleeve hems. Just one drop in each place. It doesn't take much. This also gives the added benefit of aromatherapy of calming.
• You can obtain the Lavender, Tea Tree Oil and Chamomile essential oils, already diluted, in rollerballs here.
  

Don't forget plenty of fresh water and the aloe gel of your choice.

You simply must stay hydrated in the heat of summer. 

Aloe gel is a cooling (keep it in the ice chest) for those that are overheated or have gotten a touch of sunburn. 

Disclaimers: Nothing I have written here should be considered medical advice. Always, always consult your healthcare provider. 

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Photo by Andrew Ruiz on Unsplash

Elderberry Syrup

• Please note: This post contains affiliate links.

I recently heard about all the benefits of Elderberry Syrup. My thoughts were, "Yeah. Natural IS the way to go, but only Slippery Elm heals what ails you. Its the best cure all out there." Well, my thinking has changed.

I started here and here.

Then my eldest daughter had a virus that is hard to get shed of. She talked with her Health Care Provider about anti-viral herbs. After careful research she was sent to this website. Low and behold, Elderberry is the very first one listed.

I have been a follower of Dr. Christopher and his Herbal Legacy for many years now. So off to that website I went. Elder and Elderberries are AMAZING.

You may think this is a short an not very informative blog. I can hear you now, 'If this is her come back blog post--I'm gone."

Let me explain--I am all about education and education is hard won. Research you do yourself is more readily retained. Click each of the links I have provided and do some more.

You can purchase a kit to make your own Elderberry Syrup by clicking the here:

3 of 4 quarts of Elderberry Syrup made from Beeyoutiful's kit
 and 1 quart of Elderberry tincture making from the left
over Elderberry Pulp and 100 proof Vodka.

Hashtags- #elderberry  #naturalmedicine  #herbs  #holistic  #crunchy  #healing  #health

Make an Herbal WHAT?!?

Ever get to researching on using an herbal remedy and everything you can find assumes you already know what a decoction is versus a tea?

Well, I am going to help clear that up, at least some of it. Here is a list of common ways to use herbs and how to make and use them.

Understand that different methods bring out different constituents of the plants. Do your research and know what you want to draw out of the plant. mineral salts? bitters? vitamins? volatiles?

I hope its helpful to you.

1. Cold Compress--Make an infusion or decoction (see below) let it cool off completely. Soak a cloth, preferably 100% cotton such as muslin in it. Wring it out and apply to the affected area. When the cloth becomes warm from absorbing body heat, remove and replace with another.
2. Cold Extract--In an enameled pot (make sure the enamel is intact) or glass container place 1-2 ounces of herb to each pint of water. Let this stand for 12 hours, strain and the drink is ready. Follow directions for taking an infusion (below).
3. Decoction--This method extracts mainly the mineral salts and bitters. Again, use a non metal pot (glass or enamel) The general rule for measurements is half an ounce of plant parts per cup of water. If using green (fresh) plant parts place in cold water, bring to boil, boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let steep 3 minutes. Hard plant parts should boil about 10 minutes and steep 5-10 minutes. Strain before drinking. 
4. Essence-Research and locate a reputable supplier of food grade essential oils. Dissolve an ounce of food grade essential oil in a pint (2 cups) of 50%/100 proof alcohol. (Personally I use cheap vodka).
5. Fomentation--Make an infusion or decoction by the above directions. Soak a cotton cloth in the hot liquid, wring out the excess and apply to the affected area. Fomentations are used similar to a poultice but are less active in effect.
6. Infusion--This is a beverage made in a way that the herbs are not exposed to heat at length. This minimizes the loss of volatile oils. Usual amounts are ½-1 ounce of herb to a pint of water. Place the herbs in a glass jar, boil water in a non-metal container and pour about a pint of boiling water over the herbs. Cover and let steep 10 minutes. Tighten the lid and place in refrigerator. For drinking, strain just before. Sometimes you can add a touch of natural sweetener (not processed sugar). Generally, an infusion should be taken lukewarm to cool, the exceptions would be when trying to induce a sweat, or break up a cold or congestion-in those instances take it hot. 
7. Juice--Chop fresh plant parts (the parts that have the constituents you need) and press to squeeze the juice out. Add a small amount of water and press again. You can purchase presses to do this with or use a juicer-I do not recommend using any electric or battery operated equipment as they heat as they are being used. The heat will cause the constituents you are trying to get-to be ruined. This is the method to use to extract the water-souble vitamins, minerals, etc. from the plant. Juice only what you are going to drink immediately. The vitamin quality declines rapidly and fermentation can set in.
8. Poultice--Bruise or crush the plant parts to mush and heat. If using dried herbs or fresh that need it, add a hot, moist binder to help hold the poultice in place such as flour, corn meal, etc. Apply directly to the skin except in the case of using irritants such as mustard or cayenne. In those instances, keep a hot, moist cotton cloth between the skin and the poultice. You can apply the poultice to piece of cotton cloth, lay it on affected area and wrap it. Keep it hot and moist by placing a cotton cloth that has been dipped in hot water and wrung out over it.
9. Ointment--There are different ways to make an ointment. In years past it was recommended to add some form of benzoin as a preservative, but due to sensitization issues, that can be short lived or permanent, it is no longer recommended. 
1. Determine the herb or mixture to be used. Mix it, in powdered form, one part herb(s) to one part lard, bear fat, coconut oil, etc. (some use petroleum jelly but as it is a by product of the crude oil industry, I personally do not recommend its use)
2. Determine the herb or mixture to be used. Boil these in pure clean water until the compounds needed have been released into the water. Strain. Add the water to olive oil, coconut oil, or another oil of your preference. Simmer gently until all water is evaporated. Add beeswax until the consistency is as you wish. 
10. Powder--Obtain the dried herb(s) you need and use a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder (not used for coffee and cleaned well between uses) to grind the dried herbs into a powder. The powder can be encapsulated in veggie caps, sprinkled on food or stirred into a beverage. 
11. Syrup--Again there is more than one way to make this:
1. Make a syrup of raw sugar and water (light, medium or heavy as needed). The water for the syrup should be a tea, infusion or decoction of the herb(s).
2. Obtain organic, local honey, pure organic syrup, agave, etc and boil the herb(s) in that. Strain.
12. Tincture--Obtain 50% grain alcohol which is 100 proof (moonshine can be bought in most states at the local liquor store but Vodka will do. I do not use Everclear as it is 190 proof so must be diluted). Place herb(s) in a glass jar (preferably brown). Lightly pack a quart jar with the herbs. Cover with alcohol. The majority of tinctures will need to be placed in a dark place for 14 days, a very, very few will need to be placed in a warm place or sunny window. Shake twice a day. At the end of 14 days, strain. Tinctures will keep for a long time, if  properly capped.

This is a basic description of some of the ways to use herbs. I hope you find it helpful. Please feel free to leave comments and please do share this posting.

Catnip--Not Just For Cats!

Catnip

This is first of at least seven harvests of catnip that will be coming in from behind my boyfriend's Mom's chicken house. Isn't it beautiful?

Catnip is also known as catmint, catnep, catrup, catswort, & field balm. In my experience, there may be ten more things it is called by different people in different areas of the world.

When my oldest child (born in 1986) was a couple weeks old, Mama took me to meet an older lady, really, I think Mama was going to buy a roll (not a bolt) of cloth from her son. At any rate this lady was looking at Virgillia and said, "That youngin's a gonna have the colic. You got some catnip? Can tell by looking in her eyes."

I did not have any catnip growing so she had her great grand daughter go get me some, a lot. It was a paper grocery sack plum full! She told me, 'Now that ain't a gonna be enough, but it'll get you started on saving your sanity. Make a gallon at the time and I reckon that you'll a be going through a that every day. It'll be starting in about two weeks."

Well, she was right. Colic set in. I made catnip tea by the gallon every day for the baby and another half gallon for my nerves! The doctor gave me Mylicon drops for her, the older nurse winked and said, "Don't stop making that tea." 

It helped. It kept me calm. It calmed her for varying time periods. Someone at church recommended onion tea when the catnip ran out and I couldn't find anymore. It helped too.

Years later another friend, Hilda, told me to give my son, Franklin some catnip. He was five weeks old and had not broken out in that baby acne yet. She said the catnip would break him out, (all my others had had it at 4 weeks) and that if they did not get it by six weeks, they would die-so the old women said. Well, i did not give him any, he never broke out in baby acne and he died just a few minutes shy of being 80 days old. (I don't believe that is why. He was sent here for a mission and he did accomplish that. That's another story for another post.)

Back to catnip, it is currently included in many commercials teas that are sold for "calming" or "sleeping".  It can bought in bulk from many sources. As anyone that has ever planted just a sprig or two will know, it is very prolific and virile!

It has a mild minty flavor. It does drive some cats crazy. Others will just look at it, sniff and walk off.

Scientific Name-Nepeta cataria

The medicinal part is the herb.

Through the centuries it has been used for many reasons. New research suggests it is useful for other things also.

Some of the uses through the ages:

1. Anodyne-soothes or relieves pain
2. Antispasmodic-relieves or checks spasms or cramps
3. Aromatic-agreeable odor and stimulating qualities
4. Carmanitive-expels gas from the intestine
5. Diaphoretic-promotes perspiration
6. Anti-diarrheal
7. To help Chronic Bronchitis   
8. Planting around the garden to repel aphids and squash bugs.

New Discoveries:

1. Attractant-irididial has been shown to attract lacewings which eat aphids and mites.
2. Nepetalactone when extracted from catnip is said to be as good as DEET as a mosquito, roach & termite repellent.

Anytime you give an herbal tea as medicine, do not add sweetener of any kind. In the case of catnip, it is sweet on its own. If you have a patient that flat refuses to take it without sweetener, use a small amount of local, organic, un-processed honey that the the bees have not had access to GMO plants. Do not boil catnip. Bring water to a boil. Cool slightly-about 3 minutes. Pour over catnip in a non-metal & non-plastic container. Let steep.

Catnip tea can be given for upset stomach, colic, spasms, flatulency and excess acid in the stomach. 

Catnip can be taken as a tea, tincture, in capsules, juiced, as a poultice or smoked.

Please refer to my page on how to prepare herbs for use.

Resources:

The Herb Book by John Lust

Wikipedia

Please click here to read Medical Disclaimer for this blog.