Daisy and Echinacea: Healing the Heart and Body

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This faithful flower’s name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon daeges eage, “day’s eye” since it closes in the evening. The daisy has been used in one of the oldest love charms. To know if your true love is returned, take a daisy and intone “He loves me, he loves me not” until the last petal is plucked and the answer will be revealed. This flower is not just a boon for romance, however. It is also useful in herbal medicine for aches, bruises, wounds, inflammation, and soothing eye baths. As a flower remedy, it is quite good to help with exhaustion and is a highly regarded remedy in homeopathy. Echinacea is a member of the daisy family that has become wildly popular as a healer for colds and as a powerful immune booster, increasing your T-cell count and fighting off illnesses both minor and major. Echinacea is an herb of abundance, attracting more prosperity, but it can be used in magic workings to amplify the power.

Other Herbs for Medicinal Teas

You can use the basic recipe of steeping a palmful of herbs for 5 minutes in a cup (240ml) of boiling water and use these plants either fresh or dried:

    * Lemon balm is a true aid for insomnia, anxiety, and restlessness.

    * Licorice root is marvelous for stomach and mouth ulcers.

    * Marshmallow, both root and leaf, strengthens the gastrointestinal tract and your mucus membranes.

    * Milk thistle is excellent for your liver and kidneys.

    * Mullein leaves help sore throats, coughs, and chest congestion.

    * Nettle, either fresh or dried, prevents allergies.

    * Slippery elm bark will get rid of heartburn, a bad cough, and a sore throat.

    * St John’s Wort extract is good for depression, PMS, and hot flashes.

    * Thyme is trusted to help with colds and congestion and is an antispasmodic.

Love Your Linens and They’ll Love You Back: Secrets of Stain Removal

If you spill coffee or red wine on your couch, carpet, or tablecloth, pour plain table salt into the spill and it will soak the staining liquid right up. The salt turning purplish blue as it soaks up red wine is truly spellbinding! Vacuum it up and the stain will be gone.

Stained clothes, linens, and such should be soaked in cold water with either baking soda or white vinegar, and then washed in cold water only to avoid setting the stain.

There is no need to use bleach in your laundry; for white fabric, use a cup of Borax in your load.

Craft Your Own Cough Drops: Candied Herbs

• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup simple syrup
• 1 cup honey
• 2 cups dried herb (of your choice)
• 1 large sheet waxed paper

One of the byproducts of making herbal honeys, liqueurs, and oxymel is the candied herbs, which can also be made especially for snacks and for use in sweetcakes and cookies. To make a batch, stir the liquids together in a big pot and heat slowly, stirring every few minutes. Upon reaching boiling point, add the herbs until well mixed. Turn the heat down and slowly simmer until the liquid is very thick and sticky. Spoon the herbs out and place on wax paper to crystallize. Good herbs for this are hyssop, ginger root, lavender, lemon balm, fennel seed, mint, angelica stems, and thyme as well as small slivers of orange, lime, and lemon. The gift of homemade candy is a marvelous way to signal a crush.