4 Things You Can Make With St. John’s Wort

1. Make An Infusion.  Take 30 grams of dried herb or 75 grams of fresh herb and add to 500 ml of boiled water.  This is just like making a cup of tea.  Let the  infusion steep for fifteen minutes.  Strain and drink.  Drink this tea to calm your nervous system and anxiety.  CAUTION:  Some people become sensitive to sunlight after drinking the tea for extended periods of time.

2.  Make a herbal wash.  Much the same as the above infusion but left to cool and applied topically.  Use the infusion to bathe wounds, skin sores and bruises.

3.  Make a tincture.  Fill a clean glass jar with St. John’s Wort flowers.  Add vodka to the top of the jar.  Store in a cool, dark place for six weeks.  Strain and fill into amber tincture bottles to soothe depression and anxiety.  A standard daily dose of tincture is 5ml three times a day.  When trying a new tincture for the first time go slowly.  Take a week to reach the three doses a day.  Again, this may cause sensitivity to sunlight.  Listen to your body!

4.  Make an Infused Oil.  Fill a clean glass jar with St. John’s Wort flowers.  Add cold pressed virgin olive oil to the top of the jar.  Set jar in a sunny window for four  to six weeks.  Strain and pour into a bottle with a flip top.  Apply to burns and muscle or joint inflammations including tennis elbow and sciatica.

Do not replace orthodox medicine with herbs without consulting your practioner.

St. John’s Wort – Hypericum perforatum

Happy St. Jean Baptiste Day!

St. John’s Wort/ Hypericum perforatum   The flower of Light.

The name Hypericum comes from the Greek word “huper eikon” meaning “over an apparition”.  It was believed at one time to protect against evil spirits.  With the onset of Christianity, St. John’s Wort was dedicated to St. John the Baptist and Midsummer’s Day became St. John’s Day.  The red pigment that comes from the flowers represented the blood of St. John the Baptist.

It is the flowers of this plant that are used in preparations. Pick at high summer in flower.  I wear gloves when harvesting this plant.

St. John’s Wort has many actions, including expectorant (loosening and removal of phlegm from the respitory tract), analgesic (relieves pain), anti-inflammatory (reduces inflamation), sedative (soothing and calming) and a restorative tonic for the nervous system.

St. John’s Wort is one of the ingredients in Two Herbal Mamas Healing Salve.  I carry this with me everywhere I go.  I use this for anything that hurts, an irritation, bites, burns, sore bellies, hang nails, the list could go on and on….

Thank you Sir John for all your help!!!

5 Things You Can Do with Rose Water

Now that you have home made rose water …

1. Rose water makes a great facial toner. After cleansing your face, spray and wipe clean with a cosmetic pad.

2. For those of you who like to iron, spritz pillow cases and sheets with rose water before pressing.

3. The rose is known as the flower of love. Wrap this up as a gift and give to someone you care about.

4. Roses are cooling. Keep a small bottle of rose water in your car or purse for hot days to cool you off.

5. Add some  rose water to a tepid, cool bath to cool you down.

Enjoy and thank you sweet rose for all your help!!!

How to Make Your Own Rose Water

You will need a clean jar (we use mason jars), distilled water, witch hazel and rose petals. We use petals from the wild Rugosa Rosa or Apothecary rose petals. It’s the old fashioned rose petals you must use, not hybrid roses.

This is the rose water we make that is used in our Rosemary Face Cream and Rosemary Body Lotion.

Be sure to refer to our Herbalist’s Golden Rules to know when is the correct time of day to do your picking.

Fill your glass jar two thirds full with witch hazel (available at your pharmacy). Fill the last third with distilled water. Pick your rose petals daily and continue to add them to your solution until it is full. Keep this jar away from bright light. After the jar is full, store in a cool dark place for six weeks. Strain the solution into a clean spritz bottle and voila!!!

5 Things You Can Do with Your Rose Water

1. This makes a great facial toner. After cleansing your face, spray and wipe clean with a cosmetic pad.

2. For those of you who like to iron, spritz pillow cases and sheets before pressing.

3. The rose is known as the flower of love. Wrap this up as a gift and give to someone you care about.

4. Roses are cooling. Keep a small bottle in your car or purse for hot days to cool you off.

5. Add some of this to a tepid, cool bath to cool you down.

Thanks for stabbing so may times as I pruned you this spring Happy to know I had some healing salve to save my unprotected arms, what was I thinking????

Thanks Miss rose for all of your love and class. But I must say I prefer you in your old world form.

6 Ways To Use Stinging Nettle

Have you ever wondered how to use Stinging Nettle?

Here are 6 suggestions:

• Pound bruised fresh nettle leaves with salt and apply three times daily will help those with external ulcers, boils, abscesses and infected splinters.
• Powdered nettle leaves applied to razor and glass cuts and nosebleeds will staunch bleeding.
• Make a hair rinse from infusing fresh plant material in a cup of hot water. Let steep and cool. Strain the infusion and add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. This will help balance over-oily scalps.
• Those with hemorrhoids will respond to the above infusion (minus vinegar) in a sitz bath form.
• As a tonic for adrenals and kidneys, try a cup of the infusion daily for six weeks and then three of four cups a week after that.
• In the spring, sautee leaves and eat like spinach, or add to rice or omelets.

Be Careful When Harvesting Nettles!!!!!

These plants are not called stinging nettles for nothing. They can really hurt. Be sure to wear your gardening gloves while harvesting. Nettles “sting” because of histamine and formic acid in the hairs that trigger the familiar allergic response.

Last night I harvested my nettle. Even with gloves on, she usually gets a piece of me. This time I asked her for permission first before harvesting. I know it sounds crazy but she was very nice and did not sting me!!! I thanked her for my bounty.

Always remember the Herbalist Golden Rules – 5 tips to help you harvest herbs.

Stinging Nettle – Urtica dioica

Harvest nettle stalk and leaves in the spring, just before it flowers. These aerial parts of the plant are gentle enough for a daily nourishing tonic. Stinging nettle actions are astringent (contracts organic tissue, reduces body secretions), diuretic (increases flow of urine, great for people with kidney problems and those who suffer from chronic urinary infections), tonic (restoring, nourishing and supportive for the entire body) styptic (stops bleeding) circulatory stimulant, promotes mils flow in new mothers, lowers blood sugar levels and prevents scurvy.

Stinging Nettle contain histamine, formic acid, serotonin, mucilage, ammonia, many minerals including silica, vitamins A,B and C and tannins.

Uro (Greek) means urine; di-oikos (Greek) means in two houses (male and female flowers are separate). Nettle fibers have been used like flax, for textiles in many parts of the world. During World War 1, Germany collected over two million kilograms which were used to make army uniforms.

Stinging Nettle References and Resources:

• Healing Wise, Susun Weed, Ash Tree Publishing 1989
• Herbs Partners in Life, Adele G. Dawson, Healing Arts Press, 1991
• The Complete Medicinal Herbal, Penelope Ody, Key Porter Books Ltd., 1993

“If they would eat nettles in March, and drink mugwort in May, So many fine maidens would not go to the clay.” Funeral song of a scottish mermaid.

Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale

I love dandelions, let me tell you why.

Dandelion leaves are the second plant we “mamas” harvest in spring. Early spring is the time to harvest these leaves (before the flowers appear). We will talk about harvesting the roots in the fall. The meaning of the latin name refers to Taraxos (Greek) means disorder, Achos (Greek) means remedy. The name dandelion was invented by a fifteenth century surgeon, who compared the shape of the leaves to a lion’s tooth, or “dens leonis”.

Dandelion has many beneficial properties and actions. The leaves contain bitter glycosides (active plant constituent containing one or more sugar groups), terpenoids (generally, highly aromatic plants), carotenoids (various yellow to red pigments that occur in plants), choline (part of the vitamin B complex essential to liver function), potassium salts, iron and other minerals, vitamins A,B,C and D. The leaves are an effective diuretic (encourages urine flow). Dandelion increases bile flow from the liver and aids in digestion.

The area we live in has FINALLY banned pesticide use on lawns. For years I would giggle on my way home, in the spring, as I passed our neighbours with their pristine, weed free lawns. Then you would come to our house which would be a sea of beautiful yellow flowers. Thank you for your beauty Mr. Dandelion and all your many herbal healing benefits. I salute you!!!!

6 things you can make with Dandelions

Dandelion recipes – taraxacum officinale (flower of survival)

1. The flowers make a dandy wine, fritters and seasoning.
2. The root can be steamed, broiled and roasted as a coffee substitue.
3. Steep one cup of blossoms in two cups of boiling water for two hours. Strain and use a refreshing face wash.
4. Add spring leaves (before flowers appear) to your salad as a cleansing remedy.
5. Apply white juice from dandelion stem daily to cure warts. (Haven’t tried this myself but have read this several times).
6. Saute the leaves in olive oil and garlic – Italian style!

6 things you can make with wild violets

Wild violet recipes – viola odorata

• Include violet leaves and flowers in your spring salads to aid digestion.
• Steep 2 cups of leaves and flowers in one litre of boiling water overnight and drink the next day. This infusion will ease a nagging cough and soothe internal mucous surfaces.
• Apply chopped leaves mixed with honey to boils and acne.
• Drink two or more cups of leaf infusion to ease monthly breast swelling and fibrocystic complaints.
• Use violet poultices in addition if there is pain or swelling in breast tissue.
• Violet is a really COOL plant. Drink it to cool you down and reduce fevers.

As you harvest, be sure to thank Miss Violet for all her help.

Happy Spring!

5 tips to help you harvest herbs

Herbalist Golden Rules

1. Correctly identify plant before picking. Many herbs are similar and it could be dangerous if you pick the wrong herb.
2. Do not pick herbs that are close to the road or in an area that uses pesticides.
3. Pick your plant material once dew has evaporated and before the hottest part of the day. Volatile oils will be at their prime.
4. Only pick in an area of abundance. Do not wipe out a patch of any herb.
5. Give thanks while picking your bounty.

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