Stress Reducing Herbs

To drink:

• chamomile
• lemon balm
• lavender
• fennel (especially good for anxious stomach)
• catnip
• passionflower

Aromatherapy:

• lavender
• rose
• apple
• bergamot
• marjoram
• peach
• orange
• violet
• jasmine
• sandalwood
• ylang-ylang

Bug Bites

Here in my desert zone, we are approaching the time of year when outdoor activity is greatly limited.  In many parts of the world, however, outdoor play is just beginning as school ends and summer comes around.  So too are the stings and bug bites.  What to do?  Try some of these fixes:

• aloe - can be soothing and help with the itch or sting
• echinacea tincture- to heal and help prevent infection
• chickweed ointment- very soothing and healing
• witch hazel- relieves itching, inflammation
• comfrey salve-promotes healing
• lavender oil- combine about a teaspoon of lavender essential oil with a tablespoon of vegetable oil or sweet almond oil.  Have this on hand(preferably in an amber bottle or glass container) to dabon bites and stings.  Keep away from eyes. 
• baking soda- helps relieve stings

Note, with serious bug bites or stings that may be poisonous or that cause allergic reaction, seek medical attention. 

Tea Tree anyone?

Tea Tee oil is one of the best essential oils to have on hand.  Please note, essential oils are extremely strong and should be used with caution.  Essential oils should always be slightly diluted and not applied directly to skin.  Keeping that precaution in mind, tea tree oil can be one of your best secrets.  It is anti-viral, anti-fungal, and antiseptic.  Because of all these good things, tea tree oil is good to have on hand for use with athlete’s foot and other fungus, acne, and as a natural cleaning product!

 

Lovely Lavender

I love lavender!  The look, the scent, the taste.  Lavender is a beautiful plant that can be found in several varieties.  French lavender and Mexican lavender are two of the most common.  Not only are the flowers beautiful with their long purple blossoms, but the healing and pleasing properties of lavender have long been respected.  I make my own skin care products and I would be lost without my lavender.  It is naturally skin healing and beautifying.  It smells wonderful and so has many uses for relaxation, stress relief and mood enhancing.  Lavender is a natural antiseptic so it is a nice addition to home made cleaning products as well and will make your house smell clean and beautiful at the same time!  Lavender in a sachet can keep the musty, dusty odor off of clothes and towels too.  Lavender flowers can be picked and steeped as a nice tea also (dried lavender flowers are sold at some tea shops and health stores).  Lavender is used this way to boost the immune system to prevent colds, flu, and viruses as well as create relaxation.  My son loves lavender tea and has since he was young.  It is pleasant tasting, immediately letting you escape wherever you may be to enter the imaginary fantasy world of a field of delicate purple flowers wispy in the breeze.  Very nice!  Sip to your soul satisfaction. 

 

“Earth laughs in flowers.”     Ralph Waldo Emerson  

 

Dandelions and Springtime

Yes, I know.  People will go to great lengths with their weed killer, spades, and bare hands to rid their lawns of this dreaded weed.  However, children love them.  The bright yellow color.  The cool way they go to seed and allow for wishes and dreams.  Maybe the kids are right.  Many an herbalist can go on and on about the value of this maligned plant.  Herbalists use dandelion for all sorts of treatments including breast cysts, jaundice, liver congestion, anger and for general detoxification.  The greens can be found in health food stores and tossed in a salad.  The root can be steeped as a tea or powdered into capsules.  Some people actually enjoy the dandelion root as a coffee substitute.  So if you’ve sprayed and abused your dandelions, let them go.  But if you have healthy clean plants or a well stocked health store, enjoy!  This weed might be good for you.  While you’re at it, pick one that has gone fluffy and make that wish.  What dream do you want to come true?

 

Aloe for Sun Health

I know where my Grandma lives, it was forty degrees the other day.  I live in the desert and we are already feeling like summer!  Wherever you live, keep safe in the sun.  Should your skin become overexposed, always have some aloe vera gel on hand.  It is a fantastic first aid for many kinds of burns.  Slather it on and let its cooling action mend mistreated skin. 

Curious about Herbs? 

Talk to me. 

Herbs are too plentiful and complex to fit in just one page.  I have read countless books on herbs and each of them has something vital and unique to share.  For that reason, the information here will be brief unless you ask for a specific herb or information.  For information about my herbal practice or an herbal consultation, visit my website at www.willowawakenings.com or e-mail me at sarahmarie@willowawakenings.com.