Calm Emotion Potion

Why does every day seem like it is as long as a week nowadays? Unplugging from cable news and constant social media feeds will help, as will this time-tested aromatherapy healing potion. This remedy is an excellent way to recharge and refresh after a hectic week.

Gather together

    * a small ceramic or glass bowl

    * 2 drops bergamot essential oil

    * 2 drops vanilla essential oil

    * 1 drop amber essential oil

    * 2 drops lavender essential oil

    * 4 drops carrier (or base) oil, apricot or sesame, ideally

Timing: This tincture is most potent right after the sun sets, by the light of the moon.

Mix all the oils together in the bowl.

Take off your shoes so you can be more grounded. Walk outside, and stand on your veranda or by an open window. Now, close your eyes, lift your head to the moon, and recite aloud:

    Bright moon goddess, eternal and wise, give your strength to me now.

    As I breathe, you are alive in me for this night.

    Health to all, calm to me.

    So mote it be.

Gently rub one drop of Calm Emotion Potion on each pulse point: on both wrists, behind your ear lobes, on the base of your neck, and behind your knees. Close your eyes and breathe the sweetly serene scent in as you stand barefoot for 5 full minutes. If you need more time to restore yourself and regain your calm, continue your mindful breathing and contemplation. As the oil surrounds you with its warm scent, you will be filled with a quiet strength.

Recharging Weekend Wonder: Natural Remedy Potion

This natural remedy is an excellent way to refresh after a hectic week.

Gather together

• 2 drops rosemary essential oil
• 3 drops bergamot essential oil
• 2 drops jasmine essential oil
• 3 drops lavender essential oil
• 6 drops carrier oil
• a small ceramic or glass bowl

Timing: This tincture is most potent right after the sun sets, by the light of the waxing or full moon.

Blend the essential oils and carrier oil in the bowl. Take off your shoes so you can be more grounded. Walk outside, stand on your deck or by an open window. Now, close your eyes, lift your head to the moon, and recite aloud:

    Bright moon goddess, eternal and wise,

    Give your strength to me now.

    As I breathe, you are alive in me for this night.

    Health to all, calm to me.

    So mote it be.

Gently rub one drop of Natural Remedy Potion on each pulse point: both wrists, behind your ear lobes, on the base of your neck, and behind your knees. As the oil surrounds you with its warm scent, you will be filled with a quiet strength.

Cupboard Cure: A Ritual for Cleansing and Vitality

Salts from the sea have been used to decontaminate the body by way of ritual rubs since ancient times in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. From Cleopatra to Bathsheba, these natural salts have been used to exfoliate the skin and enhance circulation, vital to overall body health. While there are wonderful imported Dead Sea salts readily available at most bath and beauty stores, many witches prefer whipping up their own healing beauty magic. To create your own cupboard cure, combine the following:

• Three cups Epsom salts
• One tablespoon glycerin
• Four drops lemon essential oil
• Two drops jasmine oil
• Two drops vanilla
• One drop neroli oil (made from orange blossoms)

The beauty of this recipe is that you can change the essential oils to suit your mood. For example, if you are feeling romantic or preparing for a big date night, you could perform the same ritual using rose and amber oils.

To prepare for your body glow session, light a white candle, step out of your clothes and into your tub or shower, and hold the salts in the palms of both hands, praying:

    Aphrodite, in your wisdom, help me reflect your image;

    My body is a temple to thee, Goddess.

    Here, I worship today with my head and hands, heart and soul.

    Blessings to all, blessings to thee, blessed be me.

Use the salts with a new loofah sponge and scrub yourself vigorously during the waning moon or new moon at midnight.

Beyond Essential Oils: A to Z Oils for Candle Enchantments Pt. 4

Rose oil is a favorite for its warmly perfumed scent. It is distilled from rose petals and used primarily as a fragrance. Originating in the Southern Andes, rose oil is great for nourishing and hydrating the skin and will envelope you in a delightful and elevating aroma. Rose essential oil is very useful in love spells as well as in energy management.

Rosemary oil, a woody and sweet-smelling oil, is a healer to use for flu, coughs, headaches, depression, muscular stress, arthritis, rheumatism, fatigue, and forgetfulness. Rosemary oil is stimulating and will perk you up if you do a head steam with it. You can also put a couple of drops in the bath to help aches, pains, and sniffles go away. It is unusual in that it can both relax you and stimulate your mind. Rosemary has a very cleansing energy and can imbue your home with coziness and contentment.

Sage oil has been around for a very long time. Gaining popularity in the Middle Ages, this spicy and uplifting oil contains natural antidepressants, as well as antibacterial and stress reduction properties. It is great for aromatherapy to reduce the user’s anxiety and clarify their conscience.

Spruce oil is alternatively referred to as Black Spruce. It’s a woodsy and rich oil that can promote mental clarity for its user. It is also very grounding for when you feel scattered. This has long been used as a medicinal by Native Americans, who value the positive effects it provides to mind, body, and spirit. Smelling the scent in a mist or diffuser can aid breathing, bring relaxation, and help you sleep. You can use it in purification rituals as it is used in Native American traditions.

Star Anise oil derives from the commonly used spice and is prized for the power to prevent misfortunes. Strongly and pleasantly scented, star anise essential oil increases psychic power. It can also be used in love spells and can bring back a lost love. It can change your fortune in many directions.

Tangerine oil has a very bright aroma that is wonderfully rejuvenating and stimulates mental clarity. It can also be used to both support the immune system and boost moods at the same time. Tangerine essential oil will bring a happy heart and a clear mind.

Tea Tree oil has been used by aborigines in Australia for centuries and is a powerful antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic. It has a fresh camphor smell and is used for space clearing and energy management. It can rid your home of negative energy swiftly and can be used to ward off malevolent spirits. Use tea tree essential oil to clear out and reset vibrations after an illness.

Thyme oil is an old-time curative highly valued and widely used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. It confers boldness and is also a restorative to anyone who has faced challenges or great loss. It is a favorite in greenwitchery and house magic as a protectant.

Valerian oil comes initially from Europe and Asia and engenders an overall feeling of relaxation in its user. It can be used to deter restlessness and promote a full night’s rest and is a great and nurturing aroma for girls and women. Valerian is also an anointing oil and is said to bring luck to your endeavors. It was especially popular during medieval times, when it was regarded as a major healing herb for many maladies.

Vanilla oil is obtained from the bean of the same name and has one of the most comforting, heartening and sweet scents of all. It is very useful for cheering yourself up, or for cheering up anyone else who needs it. It is excellent in house magic to create a cozy and safe sanctuary and very useful in spellwork for love and romance. It raises your personal energy level and is good for imbuing your home with positive, pleasant energy. Vanilla also helps with mental focus.

Western Red Cedar oil has a woody, strong and refreshing aroma and is powerful for grounding. It can also be used in nature spells and working with forest and plant deities and energies. This essential oil promotes longevity and helps you to retain youthful looks and energy. If you want to connect with Mother Earth, use Western Red Cedar oil.

Yarrow oil is good for both body and mind and can help with anxiety, tension headaches, muscle aches, and restoring overall mental wellness. It has a cooling effect on both emotions and muscles. A very pretty plant, flowering stalks of yarrow were bundled together and hung on front doors to ward off any evil, including people. The oil brings courage and will make you lucky in love, and it can also heal a broken heart or spirit.

Ylang-ylang oil benefits both the mind and body. This richly perfumed essential oil is a mood booster, anti-inflammatory, and aphrodisiac. Ylang-ylang instills confidence and overcomes shyness and is exceptional in sensual spells and love charms.

Personal Rituals for Renewal

Since the time of the ancients in the Mediterranean and in Mesopotamia, salts from the sea combined with soothing oils have been used to purify the body by way of gentle ritual rubs. From Bathsheba to Cleopatra, these natural salts have been used to smooth the skin and enhance circulation, which is vital to overall body health as the skin is the single largest organ. Salts from the Dead Sea have long been a popular export and are readily available at most health food stores. You can make your own salts, however, and not only control the quality and customize the scent, but save money, too. The definitive benefits that is far and above cost saving is that you can imbue the concoction with your intention, which is absolutely imperative when you are performing rites of self-healing. Cook up your own “kitchen cupboard cure."

Shekinah’s Salts

Shekinah translates as “She who dwells within” and is the Hebrew name for the female aspect of God. Legend has it that she co-created the world side by side with Yahweh, the god of Israel. The simple recipe for salts calls up the scents and primal memories of what the Edenic paradise must have been like. A real plus to this recipe is that you can change the essential oils to suit your needs and mood.

The ingredients for the recipe are as follows:

3 cups Epsom salts

1⁄2 cup sweet almond oil

1 tablespoon glycerin

4 drops ylang-ylang essential oil

1 drop jasmine essential oil

1 drop clary sage essential oil

Mix well and store in a colored and well-capped glass bottle. You can use these special Shekinah salts in your ritual rub. Prepare for what I call the body glow session by lighting citrus and rose-scented candles. Step out of your clothes and hold the salts in the palms of your hands and pray aloud:

Shekinah, your wisdom helps me reflect your image.
My body is a temple to you.
Here I worship today with heart and hands,
Body and soul.
I call on you for healing.
Shekinah, bring me breath and life.
Ancient One, I thank you
With heart and hands,
Body and soul.

Use these salts with a damp, clean washcloth or a new sponge and gently scrub your body during a waning moon at midnight. Rinse with warm water. (Women with sensitive skin should avoid this salt rub. Instead, blend the essential oils into a quarter cup of almond oil and massage the blend into your skin with the damp washcloth or sponge; then rinse. Use the salt scrub only on your body, never on your face.)

The Meaning of Flowers Part II

Several flower dictionaries were written and published in the Victorian era in an effort to preserve the lore handed down through the ages on the meaning of flowers and the properties associated with them. This is known as “floriography,” and many a hedgewitch contributed to this body of wisdom for flower magic and herbal healing. Should you wish to favor a friend, family member, or even a new flame with a bouquet, this floral index will guide your choices.

F, G

Fennel: Worthy of all praise

Fern, Flowering: Fascination

Fern: Sincerity

Ficoides, Ice Plant: Your looks freeze me

Fig: Argument

Fig, Marigold: Idleness

Fig Tree: Prolific

Flax: Fate, domestic industry, I feel your kindness

Flax-leaved Golden Locks: Tardiness

Fleur-de-lis: Flame

Fleur-de-Luce: Confidence in heaven

Flower-of-an-Hour: Delicate beauty

Fly Orchis: Error

Fly Trap: Deceit

Fools Parsley: Silliness

Forget-Me-Not: True love

Foxglove: Insincerity

Foxtail Grass: Sporting

French Honeysuckle: Rustic beauty

French Marigold: Jealousy

Frog Ophrys: Disgust

Fritillary, Checquered: Persecution

Fullers Teasel: Misanthropy, importunity

Fumitory: Spleen

Fuschia, Scarlet: Taste

Furze or Gorse: Enduring affection

Garden Anemone: Forsaken

Garden Chervil: Sincerity

Garden Marigold: Uneasiness

Garden Ranunculus: You are rich in attractions

Garden Sage: Esteem

Garland of Roses: Reward of virtue

Gentian: You are unjust

Germander Speedwell: Facility

Geranium, Dark: Melancholy

Geranium, Ivy: Bridal favor

Geranium, Nutmeg: An expected meeting

Geranium, Oak-leaved: True friendship

Geranium, Pencil-leaved: Ingenuity

Geranium, Rose or Pink: Preference

Geranium, Scarlet: Comforting

Geranium, Silver-leaved: Recall

Geranium, Wild: Steadfast piety

Gillyflower: Lasting beauty

Gladiolus: Strength of character

Glory Flower: Glorious beauty

Gloxinia: A proud spirit

Goats Rue: Reason

H, I, J

Hand Flower Tree: Warming

Harebell: Submission, grief

Hawkweed: Quick-sightedness

Hawthorne: Hope

Hazel: Reconciliation

Heartsease or Pansy: You occupy my thoughts

Heath: Solitude

Helenium: Tears

Heliotrope: Devotion

Hellebore: Scandal, calumny

Hemlock: You will be my death

Hemp: Fate

Henbane: Imperfection

Hepatica: Confidence

Hibiscus: Delicate beauty

Holly: Foresight

Holly Herb: Enchantment

Hollyhock: Fecundity

Honesty: Honesty, sincerity

Honey Flower: Love sweet and secret

Honeysuckle: Bonds of love, sweetness of disposition

Honeysuckle, Coral: The color of my fate

Honeysuckle, French: Rustic beauty

Hop: Injustice

Hornbeam: Ornament

Hortensia: You are cold

Houseleek: Vivacity, domestic economy

Houstonia: Content

Hoya: Sculpture

Humble Plant: Despotism

Hyacinth: Sport, game, play

Hyacinth, Blue: Constancy

Hyacinth, Purple: Sorrow

Hyacinth, White: Unobtrusiveness, loveliness

Hydrangea: A boaster, heartlessness

Hyssop: Cleanliness

Iceland Moss: Health

Ice Plant: Your looks freeze me

Imperial Montaque: Power

Indian Cress: Warlike trophy

Indian Pink, Double: Always lovely

Indian Plum: Privation

Iris: Message

Iris, German: Flame

Ivy: Friendship, fidelity

Ivy, Sprig of with tendrils: Assiduous to please

Jacobs Ladder: Come down

Japan Rose: Beauty is your only attraction

Jasmine, Cape: Transport of joy

Jasmine, Carolina: Separation

Jasmine, Indian: Attachment

Jasmine, Spanish: Sensuality

Jasmine, Yellow: Grace and elegance

Jasmine, White: Amiability

Jonquil: I desire a return of affection

Judas Tree: Unbelief, betrayal

Justicia: The perfection of female loveliness

Lemon Works for Everything

Instead of discarding lemon halves after you’ve used their juice for cooking or lemonade, save them to use as scrubbers for cleaning wood cutting boards without damaging them. You can also use fresh lemon juice mixed with baking soda to brighten white tiles, sinks, or tubs, or make natural wood polish for floors by mixing a little fresh lemon juice with olive oil. This citrus fruit is a natural lightening agent that you can use in place of bleach, which should be used sparingly, if at all. Throw discolored white socks, towels, or shirts in a stockpot with water and a few used lemons; simmer for a little while to lighten. If you hang them outside to dry, the combination of sunlight and your low-cost lemon whitener will refresh your laundry until it is practically gleaming!

Make cleaning a cheese grater a snap: Take a lemon cut in half and rub it on all the surfaces of a cheese grater. The lemon’s acid breaks down the fatty cheese residue on the grater. If cheese is really stuck, here’s an extra technique to try: set up a small plate with a layer of table salt on it, then dip the lemon in the salt. Like commercial scrubbing powder (but without all the chemicals), the salt will increase the friction on your grater; together with the lemon, it will effectively remove most stuck-on food.

Takes tarnish off your metal jewelry: Use two tablespoons of lemon juice concentrate to three cups water, then rub jewelry well with a soft cloth. The acidity of the concentrated lemon juice will work to remove tarnish.

Add lemon to food to reduce bacteria: Since bacteria require an alkaline environment to stay alive, add lemon juice or fruit to produce, meat, or even water to slow down microbial growth.

Sanitize your cutting board: Want to deep clean your cutting board without running it through a dishwasher? Putting a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher is just not a good idea, but especially after preparing meat, a natural antibacterial treatment is in order. Rub a cut lemon on your cutting board and let it sit with the lemon juice on it overnight, then rinse it well in the morning. Bacteria will be banished, and your cutting board will have a lemon-fresh aroma.

Restore wooden furniture’s natural shine: Combine equal parts of olive oil and lemon juice with a little mayonnaise and stir well. This mixture will both remove previous polish buildup on wood furniture due to the acidity of the citrus and will also condition the wood.

Keep rice from sticking together: Set up your rice pot; while the water is heating, put a teaspoon of lemon juice into the pot and your cooked rice will come out in nice separate grains. Other types of citrus fruit can also be used depending on what type of dish will be served with your grain. Believe it or not, citrus juice also enhances the whiteness of the rice itself.

Degrease pots & pans and stovetop or grill: Cut a lemon in half and dip it in salt as described above for cleaning a cheese grater. When you scrub a copper-bottomed pot with it, tarnish will be removed so quickly you’ll swear it’s magic. It works wonderfully well to clean the stovetop and barbecue grill, too, as well as stainless steel pots and pans.

Natural weed killer: Don’t give in to the marketing of chemical herbicides; besides exposing you and your family to dangerous toxins, they are bad for the planet as well. Combine one part white vinegar with four parts lemon juice in a spray bottle, then give it a good shake and spray your plantings, whether in indoor pots or your garden.

Salt is Magic!

Some people swear by scouring pots, pans, and cooking surfaces with salt. It absorbs oil and grease, making it great for the stovetop, which can have cooking splatters that can be tough to remove. Sprinkle it on and scrub away with a sponge or enamel-safe scrubber.

Baking Soda Fresh

Baking soda is wonderful deodorizer around the house and can be used to freshen and launder clothing as well as to freshen furniture or carpets. It can also be used as an eco-friendly oven cleaner. Since the oven is where you cook your food, it’s better to skip oven cleaner chemicals, which leave a residue that could be quite unhealthy. Make a paste by adding water, or equal parts water and vinegar, to one cup of baking soda. Coat the inside of the oven and leave overnight. In the morning, turn the oven on low heat for an hour, then let cool. Use a spray bottle of water and vinegar to soften the hardened paste, then use elbow grease to scrub it off. When you are baking that batch of cookies for your loved ones, you can rest assured no fumes are getting into the yummy treats!

Natural Cleaning with Vinegar

If I could only use one item to clean my home with, it would be vinegar. A natural disinfectant that only costs pennies, vinegar deals with dirt, smells, stains, grease, and mold—especially in the shower. I’ve cleaned my whole house with just a spray bottle of vinegar and a little liquid soap. To make it smell really clean and good, add a few drops of calming lavender oil (also a natural disinfectant), easily found at a reasonable cost at your local health food stores. Just remember, you’re not making gallons, you’re making a small bottle. Because they contain no preservatives, DIY cleaning mixes don’t last very long, so use regularly for a clean green home and then fill your spray bottle anew!

Tea Tree Clean

Instead of toxic, chemical-laden wipes you get at the store, make your own to have handy for spills as well as for scheduled cleanings. Mix one cup of white vinegar, half a cup of lemon juice, and eight drops of tea tree oil. Soak clean washcloths or paper towels in the mixture and store them in a sealable bag; they can last a month for on-the-go spills.

No Chemicals Laundry Detergent

Want to get away from the chemicals, foaming agents, and synthetic fragrances found in most laundry detergents? Using a box grater to grate a bar of pure natural soap into a powder. Freeze the soap for super-fast grating, and then mix the grated powder with one cup of Borax, one cup of washing soda, and a few drops of lemon juice (optional) for cold and warm water loads. Use one to two tablespoons per load.

Do-It-Yourself Herbal Homekeeping: Soda Scrub

To make your own all-natural cleaning scrub, try this simple scrubbing paste recipe: mix a half cup of baking soda with liquid castile soap until it’s the consistency of frosting. Scrub whatever surface needs cleaning, then rinse with water. Do bear in mind that baking soda is slightly abrasive so fragile fabrics and surfaces may not fare well, including glass, mirrors, or antique and rare woods. You can do a little test on an area that is not noticeable, and if no issues arise, then scrub a dub to your heart’s content.

Floral Floor Cleansing

I haven’t used store-bought cleansers since the year 2004, when a health challenge awakened me to the importance of ridding my environment of any toxins or potentially harmful chemicals. I think it is a very good idea for all of us to consider as our health is precious. I know this made a difference for me and my loved ones. And the smell of a home freshly cleaned with lemons and scentful natural oils feels wonderful.

Gather the following:

• 1 quart of white vinegar
• ⅓ cup of lemon juice
• 8 drops lavender oil
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 3 sage leaves
• 3 mint stems with leaves
• 1 cup hot water
• a new mop

In a medium glass mixing bowl, pour the cup of boiling hot water, then add the mint, eight drops of lavender oil, sage leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Stir once and let steep covered for a half hour. After it has finished steeping, stir in the one-third cup of lemon juice.

Take a clean bucket and fill with two gallons of warm water and a quart of white vinegar. Using a kitchen sieve, strain the herbal mix into the bucket and give it a stir with a wooden spoon. If your floor is a delicate or antique and rare wood, leave out the lemon, but otherwise, this is a suitable albeit magical floor wash for any purpose. Take your brand-new mop and dip it into the bucket, wring it out, and clean the floor very thoroughly.

Simple Remedies for Common Maladies

Valerie Worwood’s The Fragrant Pharmacy is one of my bibles for learning about essential oils. Since I discovered essential oils and aromatherapy, I’ve been developing my own recipes. Often, I’ll amend a recipe to just one or two oils that I have on hand.

Itchy Skin and Feet

Either use a few drops of undiluted tea tree oil on the affected area, or massage with a drop of tea tree oil in a teaspoon of vegetable oil if there are issues with sensitive skin.

Cuts

Stanch an open wound with lavender oil on a cotton ball. Bandage a cut with a drop of lavender oil on the gauze, changing the dressing morning and night, and leave the wound uncovered as much as possible from the third day onward.

Bruises

Add two drops of lavender oil and two drops of rosemary oil to a bowl of hot water and the same to a bowl of cold water. Alternately apply to the bruised area a washcloth soaked in the hot infusion and one soaked in the cold infusion.

Burns

Leave the area where the burn is under running cold water for fifteen minutes, then apply two drops of neat (undiluted) lavender oil to the burn. Cover the area with a gauze compress soaked in cold water and three drops of lavender oil.

Boils

Add three drops of lavender oil and three drops of tea tree oil to a small bowl of hot water and bathe the area twice a day.

Chest Coughs

Prepare a bowl of boiling water for steam inhalation with one drop of rosemary, two drops of peppermint, and one drop of eucalyptus, draping a towel over your head to create a tent for the steam. Make massage oil for chest and back with one drop of lavender, three drops of rosemary, four drops of eucalyptus, and one drop of thyme in a level tablespoon of a vegetable base oil.

Dry Hacking Cough

Make a honey and lemon hot toddy, adding one drop of eucalyptus essential oil. Massage chest and back with two drops each of eucalyptus and thyme in a level tablespoon of a vegetable base oil. For a head steam, add either two drops of lavender or two drops of eucalyptus to the hot water.

Cold Sores

Apply tea tree oil directly to the sore morning and night.

Colds

Make a bowl of hot water for inhalation with one drop each of thyme, lavender, and eucalyptus oils. For a hot bath, add two drops each of thyme, lavender, and tea tree oil. Soak in the bath, relaxing your muscles and breathing deeply.

Upset Stomach

Always be sure to drink a lot of water when you are afflicted with a digestive malady, being careful not to chug it. If the cause is related to what food you ate, make a drink with a teaspoon of honey and a drop of peppermint oil in warm water. If you think you have a virus or nervous tummy, make a drink with warm water, a teaspoon of honey, and a drop of eucalyptus oil.

Headache

For a general headache, massage temples with a drop of either lavender or peppermint oil, or both together. You can also use rosemary or clove oil, but you will need to experiment, as some essentials will work better for you than others. If the headache is related to an upset tummy, mix a drop of peppermint oil with a teaspoon of honey dissolved in a cup of warm water and sip slowly.

Toothache

Place one drop of clove oil on a cotton swab and apply directly to the tooth and the surrounding gum. If you have a decayed tooth waiting to be treated, apply a paste made of goldenseal powder and water to the affected area. It tastes bitter but will prevent an infection from setting in until you can see a dentist.

Cures from Your Kitchen

Many remedies can be made from what you have in the kitchen, from spices as well as other plants. Here are a few simple tried and tested recipes:

Nutmeg Milk

Grated nutmeg soothes diarrhea and upset tummies. Use a nutmeg grater to grate a small amount (about ⅛ teaspoon) into warmed milk (cow, soy, rice, or oat milk).

Cayenne Infusion

Use this pepper as a remedy for colds, coughs, sore throats, heartburn, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins, or as a digestive stimulant and to improve circulation. Make an infusion by adding ½ teaspoon cayenne powder to one cup boiled water. Dilute with two cups of hot water to make a more pleasant and palatable infusion. Add lemon and honey to taste. (Be careful; it will be spicy! If you don’t enjoy hot spicy flavors, consider supplementing powdered cayenne in capsules.)

Easy Turmeric Detox

This spice is a natural antioxidant, antiseptic, and antibacterial. Turmeric is also detoxifying for the liver and curative for acne and common colds. It is a popular herb for decreasing inflammation at a system level in your body; this can soothe soreness in joints in a way that is deeper than mere symptomatic relief. Make a turmeric tea by adding a teaspoon of the powder to four cups of boiling water. Simmer over low heat until it dissolves, then add milk and honey to taste.

Cabbage Juice Curative

This commonplace vegetable is a fantastic antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Cabbage can be used for stomach ulcers, arthritis, and swollen joints, or as a liver tonic. To create a cabbage tonic, dilute one part cabbage juice with two parts water. For swollen joints and arthritic pain, lightly crush a few green outer cabbage leaves with a rolling pin, then lay them over the afflicted area with the inner side of the leaf on your skin, secured with a bandage. Some prefer to boil the leaves, let them cool, and then apply. Going to bed with a cabbage bandage on is also good, giving the leaf time to work its magic.

Lemon Water

Use this citrus fruit for colds and infections. Add the fresh-squeezed juice to hot water with honey to taste. For a fast sore-throat curative, use unsweetened lemon juice with warm water as an antiseptic gargle.

Luxuriating in Lavender

Lavender is hard not to grow; once your seedlings and young plants have been established, they will bush out and produce loads of scented stalks, flowers, and seeds. This bounty will become your source for teas, tinctures, bath salts, and infusions. For tea, the rule of thumb is one teaspoon dried lavender flowers to one cup boiling water to aid tummy trouble, headache, aches, and insomnia and even help calm the mind. You can easily amp up the therapeutic power of your brew by adding any of these excellent herbs: dried yarrow, St. John’s Wort, or chamomile.

Here is a simple and streamlined way to infuse lavender:

Pour a heaping tablespoon of lavender blossoms into a bowl of hot water, then drape a towel over your head and breathe in the aromatic fumes to deal with respiratory issues, coughs, colds, headaches, stuffy sinuses, and nervous tension. You will come away feeling renewed, and your kitchen will smell like the heavens above. Afterwards, you can use the water in your morning bath, to wash your face or hands, or to freshen your sink garbage disposal; grinding up the flowers refreshes that hardworking kitchen appliance.

Baking Soda Basics

Baking soda is great in a bath if your skin is irritated, especially if the cause is poison oak or ivy, as the soda will help dry up wet blisters as well as greatly reducing the itch. Applying a baking soda and water paste to the site of a bee sting or other insect bite will neutralize the pain and itch. Just remove the actual stinger first, and then smooth on the baking soda paste for instant relief.

A headache can be treated with a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a cup of warm water with ¼ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Last but not least, whiten your teeth and freshen your breath by brushing with baking soda and water.

Aloe Vera Juice and Gel

As a topical application, aloe vera gel is great for all kinds of burns, including sunburn. It has been shown to have therapeutic value in the healing of skin lesions caused by psoriasis. The juice is a great general tonic as it is recommended as an aid to digestion, a stimulus for intestinal health, and a gentle colon cleanse. Aloe vera is one of the few vegetarian sources of vitamin B12 and contains nineteen amino acids, twenty minerals, and twelve vitamins, all of which have a beneficial effect on general health. Drinking four to eight ounces daily diluted in juice or taken neat is recommended, but even just a couple of times a week will be beneficial.

A Tincture in Time Saves Nine

Herbal tinctures, which are concentrated extracts of the herbs, are more expensive but last longer and provide a higher dose of the herb. We keep a tincture of echinacea and goldenseal in the house year-round. At the first sign of a cold or cough, a few drops go into herbal teas and hot lemon and honey toddies. A hot toddy is traditionally made with hot water, lemon, sugar or honey, and liquor such as brandy, but it doesn’t have to be alcoholic to be medicinal. Fresh ginger and garlic are great for adding to home remedies, particularly for colds; just chop finely or grate and add to teas and toddies.