herbalremedy

Dandelion

2012-05-13T12:19:00.000+02:00

Dandelion ( Teraxacum officinale) is a small plant with lovely yellow flowers. Grows everywhere.

It is very good for liver, bile, kidneys and the whole organism. Dandelion purifies blood, lowers blood cholesterol, eliminates toxins.

Helps with metabolic disorder, rheumatism, chronic spleen diseases, digestion. It's good against blood thickening, reduces kidney stones and gallstones. It is also good for dermatitis, vericose veins, obesity, constipation, anemia and cellulite.

The whole plant is used for healing.

LEAVES

Leaves can be eaten raw as a salad, or cooked ( in water, just for a few minutes) and seasoned with some lemon juice and olive oil .The whole plant can also be used for a salad.

The best time for picking leaves is early in the spring, before blooming, while they are young and gentle. For therapeutic purposes it's not important if the leaves are young or old, but younger have better taste.

You can also make tea from fresh or dried leaves.

STEMS

You can eat rowe stems in case of chronic liver diseases, diabetes, rash, stomach problems, methabolism, rheumatism, spleen.

Gather the stems while the plant is in bloom. Pick it together with the flower, wash it, remove the flower and eat the stem. For chronic liver diseases eat 5-6 fresh stems a day. In case of diabetes, eat to 10 stems a day.

ROOTS

Roots are gathered in spring and in the autumn. They can be used fresh or dried for tea. Roots purify blood, help digestion, work against blood thickening.

Two ways of making the tea from dandelion roots

1. In ¼ l of cold water put 1 teaspoon of roots and leave it during the night. Next day warm it till it boiles and then strain . Drink the half, sip by sip, half an hour before breakfast. Drink the rest, sip by sip half an hour after the breakfast.

2. Two tablespoons of roots cook in ½ l of water for 10 minutes. Than leave it at least for an hour, strain it and drink one cup before every meal.

Lavender

2011-12-22T16:55:00.000+01:00

What a lovely plant! I just love it's wonderful colour and smell.

Lavender is a great decoration for your home or in the garden. It is also a very useful plant. It attracts butterflys, bumblebees and other bugs so it is good to have it in a garden.

It is a very interesting spice. Parasites and insect repellent. And of course an excellent remedy for many diseases and conditions.

As a remedy, lavander is used for : tea, oil, tincture, vinegar, herbal bags, cream and essential oil.

Tea

It is made from flowers ( fresh or dry ) and has interesting, intense smell and taste of lavender. I like to add honey in my lavender tea. It has taste like a candy. Reminds me on a hot summer days.

Lavender tea is good for:

relaxing,

calming nerves,

insomnia,

headache,

digestion ( it enhances digestion and helps with flatulence ),

liver,

cold and infection of respiratory system.

To make tea, boil one cup ( 2 dl ) of water and pour it over one teaspoon of lavender flowers. Cover and leave for 2 or 5 minutes ( for fresh flowers leave less than 2 min ). Strain and drink few cups a day. For stomach problems and flatulence it is better to drink unsweeten tea.

Tincture

Tincture is good for rheumatic pain in the muscles and joints, for insect bites, skin itching. Rub the painful areas with the tincture. For insect bites just apply the tincture or make a compress.

Making the tincture

You can make it just from flowers or flowers with little bit of stems.

Put the flowers ( fresh or dry ) into glass jar and pour alcohol over it. Close the lid and leave it in a sunny place for 2 weeks. Shake the jar from time to time.

After 2 weeks, strain the tincture and pour it in a dark glass bottle. Keep it in a dark, dry and cool place.

Lavender oil

Good for relaxing muscles, neck pain, skin ( helps to regenerate the skin ), arthritic and rheumatic pain. For skin problems apply the oil on the skin, rub it gently. In other cases massage the painful areas with oil for some time.

Making the oil

Take the fresh flowers and put them in a glass jar. Pour over extra virgin olive oil so that it covers the flowers. Close the jar with a lid and leave it in a sunny place or near some heat source for 14 days. Shake it from time to time. Strain the oil and keep it in a dark glass bottle, in a cool, dry and dark place.

Drying and keeping lavender

Pick the lavender by cutting their stems, useing a knife or a scissors.

For tea, it is best to cut short stems, below the flowers. They will dry faster than long stems.

To preserve more curative properties, crush the dry lavender before making the tea. Or if you want to make tea only from flowers, pull them off from the stems.

After picking, place the lavender on a clean cloth or a paper, in thin layer, or make a little bouquet ( in that case, cut longer stems ) and hang it upside down.

You can dry it outside ( in the shade ), or inside ( away from sun or heat source ).

Keep the dry lavender in a cool, dry and dark place. Best in a paper bag or a glass jar.

Lime / linden

2011-09-27T11:45:00.000+02:00

These are lime flowers. They smell fantastic.

Use

Lime is used for:

- curing cold, flu and respiratory system,

- lowering high temperature by enhancing sweating,

- sore throat,

- calming cough,

- purifying blood,

- enhanceing urine and stool,

- soothing nerves,

- insomnia, etc.

Tea

To make the tea, put one teaspoon of crushed dry lime flowers ( with or without small leaves) in one cup ( 2dl ) of boiled water and cover.

Strain it after 10-15 min. You can add honey.

Large amounts of lime tea can induce heart problems, so be careful.

Picking and drying

Lime blossoms from June to July (depends of the type of lime).

Best time to pick it is in the beginning of blossoming, before the flowers change their colour.

Curative parts of lime are it's flowers with little leaves attached to them ( little leaves aren't used if they have rust ). Big leaves also have some curative properties but aren't used so often.

After picking, place the flowers on the clean cloth or paper, in thin layer.

You can dry it outside ( in the shade ), or inside ( away from sun or some heat source ).

Put the dry lime in a paper bag or a glass container and store it in a dry place. It is better to crush dry lime just before use.

Saving some sun for the winter

2011-06-23T12:26:00.002+02:00

They are gorgeous! So gentile and soft on the skin.

When to pick it?

Any time from May to August is good for gathering lovely camomile and drying it for next year.

Camomile loves the sun, so best time to pick it is when the sun is high in the sky. Then it has most curative properties, which we wont to preserve and smells the best.

How?

Pick only flowers of camomile, useing your hands. Don't pick those with lices. Look for them on the bootom of flowers, or on the stems. If you see some other bugs, that are running away as soon as you picke it, don't worry they will leave (unless there's too many of them).

Drying

You can dry it outside or inside, just keep it away from the sun.

Put your camomile on a clean paper or a cloth. Make sure that flowers have enough space between them, so that they can dry faster. If you don't have much room put them together but in a thin layer.

It is better to dry herbs faster to preserve more curative stuff.

Where to put dry camomile?

Use a paper bag or a glass jar to put camomile in.

Leave it in a dark and dry place.

Positive effects of coffee

2011-02-24T19:48:00.001+01:00

Coffee is always good reason to get together with friends and have fun. If you are drinking it alone it can be a form of meditation. With someone or alone it is nice to sit somewhere and slowly drink warm cup of coffee, specially if you eat chocolate or some cake with it.

About coffee tree

Coffee tree is a small evergreen tree (2-3 m), that growes in Africa and South America. Fruits of coffee tree are green in the beginning and red when they are ripe. Each fruit has two seeds (coffee beans), from which the coffee is made.

Positive effects of coffee

This positive effects are from coffee made from coffee beans, not instant or coffee without caffeine.

Also don't drink to much, one or two cups a day are enough.

Positive effects of coffee are:

- increases the depth and frequency of breathing (which improves the supply of oxygen to the blood and tissues),

- increases the blood pressure,

- improves intestinal muscular contraction,

- enhances the intellect, imagination and the ability of verbal expression,

- works positive in case of alcohol or drug poisoning,

- strengthens the heart,

- increases muscle resistance towards the fatigue,

- caffeine works as an analgesic.

Caution

People with: high blood pressure, heart problems, gout, gastritis or gastroduodenal ulcer, pain in joints and muscles should be careful with drinking coffee.

Coffee dehydrates the body, so remember to drink more water.

Large amounts of coffee can induce chronic intoxication. Symptoms of intoxication are: insomnia, night mares, hand tremor, respiratory problems, lose of appetite, losing weight, tachycardia.

All of this symptoms disappear when we stop drinking too much coffee.

Common Juniper

2011-02-07T19:38:00.002+01:00

Description

Common Juniper (Juniperus communis) is a nice evergreen bush that can grow into tree. You can recognize it by its spiky leaves, green and dark blue berries. They are green in the beginning, when they mature green turns into dark blue. That happens every two years, because Juniper blooms in the spring but its berries became ripe next year in the autumn.

Use

Only dark blue Juniper berries are used (usually dry) for healing, as a spice or for making alcoholic drinks.

In some countries Juniper berries are used for making beer, wine, aromatic vinegar, for giving aroma to gin and other alcoholic drinks.

In the kitchen it is used as a spice for meat and fish. Also for making jam and compote.

Drying

Juniper berries are dried in the sun or artificial heat.

Healing

Common Juniper is used for digestion, respiratory system, gout, rheumatism, sciatica, disinfection of urinary tract and respiratory system.

When not to use it ?

It shouldn't be used in case of acute urinary infection.

Pregnant women mustn't use Juniper because it can induce labours.

Juniper shouldn't be used in big amounts because it can be damagin to the kidneys.

TEA

Tea is made from blue Juniper berries. It is good for digestive and respiratory problems.

To make tea, crush 1 teaspoon of dry berries, pour over them 1 cup of boiled water, cover. Strain after 5-10 min.

Drink 1-2 cups for problems with stomach and intestine.

For respiratory diseases add little bit of honey in a warm tea and drink it right away.

Tea can also be made from young spring sprouts, it is full of vitamins.

Tincture

Tincture is good for digestive problems, rheumatism, gout and sciatica.

It is made from 20g of dark blue Juniper berries and 5dl of alcohol (about 40%). Put the berries in the jar and pour alcohol over . Close it and leave in warm place for 1 week. Shake it from time to time. Strain and pour into bottle.

You can drink it in small amounts for digestive problems. For rheumatism, gout and sciatica rub it on the painful places.

Walking on a cold day

2011-01-31T19:29:00.001+01:00

It is good to be outside, on the fresh air, even if it is cold like now, in the midle of winter. It is important to experience all kinds of weather conditions, to feel the wind or sun on our skin, to breath fresh air.

Sometimes it is hard to leave a warm home and go out in the cold, but it is better to freeze a little than to be bored.

Walking makes me feel good, tired but relaxed. Helps to clear the mind of annoying thoughts and to fill it with positive. Sometimes when walking I feel that I can do anything I want.

It is nice to smell snow in the air and to feel cold on your cheeks.

I took some nice photos of herbs in my walks this days.

HIP

HAZEL FLOWERS

PRIMROSE

Nice cup of tea

2011-01-28T19:33:00.000+01:00

It is completely natural to eat more during winter, also to eat stronger food. I like to eat and drink something nice to keep me warm and happy when it is cold and depressive outside, like: hot toast with butter, chocolate (always good), hot potatoes, little bit of brandy or wine, nice warm tea and lots of other stuff.

Nice tea, for me, is one that has good taste, smell and colour. The one you can drink even if you are not ill, like: hip tea, lime tea, camomile and mixture of camomile, yarrow and nettle.

Hip tea

Hip tea needs a little bit of honey (1 teaspoon) and lemon juice (1 slice) to enhances the taste.

To make hip tea pour 1 cup of boiled water on 1 teaspoon of dry hips, cover and strain after 10-15 minutes.

It is better to add honey and lemon in warm, not hot tea, because they don't stand high temperatures.

If you want more aromatic version of hip tea, add clove and cinnamon to it. This is a very nice tea from which the whole house smells like cinnamon cookies.

There are two ways of preparing this tea.

1. Pour 1 cup of boiled water over 1 teaspoon of hips, 1-2 cloves and some cinnamon. Cover and strain after 10-15 minutes. Add honey and lemon juice in a warm tea.

2. Put 1 teaspoon of hips, 1-2 cloves and some cinnamon in 1 cup of cold water. Put it on the fire, as soon as it boiles remove from fire and add half of sliced lemon. Cover and strain after 15 min or more. Sweeten it with honey.

Lime tea

Lime tea smells like honey and reminds me on the time when lime tree is blooming and that wonderful smell is spreading everywhere.

Lime tea also likes a little bit of honey (1 teaspoon). To prepare this tea boil 1 cup of water and pour it over 1 teaspoon of lime flowers, cover it. Strain the tea after 10 minutes.

Yarrow and blackberry cream

2011-01-24T19:18:00.000+01:00

Yarrow and blackberry cream is used for curing hemorrhoids, applied externally. It is made from yarrow (Achillea millefolium) flowers and blackberry (Rubus fructicosus) leaves, about 15g of each herb. Herbs need to be fresh and chopped.

Making the cream

Heat pigs fat (about 90 g) to a temperature of frying steaks. Use a big pan, much bigger than the amount of fat, because fat is very hot and can foam. Caution is necessary.

Add herbs part by part, stir few times with a wooden spoon and fry herbs a bit. Remove it from fire and cover.

Next day heat it to melt the fat, strain it with a strainer or/ and cloth. Squeeze the herbs a bit, pour it into small containers or jars, cover when it cools down.

Label it

Write the name of the cream and year of making on the jars, so you wouldn't forget what is in it. This happens to us sometimes, we keep similar containers in the same spot and later we forget what cream is in which container so the sniffing party begins. Same is with oils. In eather case it is best to write something on.

Keep it in the fridge or other cool place, it can last for a year or more. The amounts can be reduced, according to your needs.

For more about making herbal creams and why is better to use pigs fat than artificial creams look at this posts.

Drinking camomile tea is also good for healing hemorrhoids internally, it heals and do not couses diarrhoea.

Making natural herbal cream

2011-01-21T19:38:00.000+01:00

Description

Natural herbal cream is cream made from fresh herbs and pigs fat. You can make it yourself, it is easy.

Before, I wasn't very happy to use cream made from pigs fat. Then I read in book from Dr.Theiss that pigs fat is good for skin because it is natural and skin absorbs it well, also it transforms well the healing substances from herbs through skin.

Use

They can be used for dry skin or some concrete problem. That dependes of herb from which the cream is made. We have written about creams like: marigold, camomile, comfrey, agrimony. There you can find recepies how to make each cream. You can reduce the amount of herbs and fat in recepies, accordingly to your needs.

Making herbal cream

First find fresh herbs (try to find herbs that are away from any pollution, like: traffic roads, industry, polluted waters, pesticides, artificial fertilizers). Then chop them into small pieces. Heat the fat in a big pan (use big pan because the fat foams). Be careful while you are doing this, don't touch the fat because it burns like hell.

Heat it to the temperature of frying stakes. Divide herbs into few parts, then carefuly add one part, stir, add another until you spend it all. Fry it very shortly.

Remove the pan from heat, cover it and leave somewhere to cool. Next day warm it a bit, just to make fat liquid.

Strain it through cloth and strainer. Squeeze the herbs. Pour it into small containers, small glass jars, etc.

Write the name of herb and the year of making it on the container and keep it in refrigerator or somewhere where it is cool. It can last for a year.

Macerated oils

2011-01-17T20:02:00.001+01:00

What are macerated oils?

They are oils in which herbs have realised their good ingrediens, with help of sun or some other heat source.

Use

Can be used for some concrete problem, for dry or damaged skin, or for a massage.

We have already written about some oils, like: camomile, hyperici, yarrow, marjoram.Colour and smell of oil dependes of herb from witch it is made.

Hyperici oil has wonderful red colour and smell's like St. John's Wort and olive oil. We often use it for relaxing massage, or for back pain.

Camomile oil has yellow-green colour and smell's like camomile.

Making macerated oil

To make oil you need fresh flowers (some use dry) and good oil, cold pressed and not refined (cold pressed oil is remedy by itself), like: olive, almond, sunflower, etc.

Put the flowers in a glass jar, don't press them. Then pour oil over so that it covers the flowers. Close the jar with lid and then find place where it is sunny most of the day. If it is not warm outside, keep it inside near some heat source.

Shake the jar from time to time. Leave it for 14 days or more and then strain.

Strain it with the help of strainer or cloth or both. Squeeze the herbs so that you get most of the oil out.

Storing the oil

Pour oil in dark glass bottles and keep it away from light and heat. If you don't have dark bottles, use plain. It is always good to recycle, so when you buy something leave the bottle, jar, etc. and use it again.

Remember to write name of oil and year of making on the bottle.

Corn

2011-01-13T20:28:00.005+01:00

Corn is very tasty and healthy food. It is also used for healing. In that case it should be organic, also old varietys of corn are better (for eating too).

Tea can be made from corn silk or grains.

Corn silk

Corn silk is used as a diuretic (enhances urination), for stones in urinary organs, water around heart, edema, kidney inflammation, bladder inflammation, gout, rheumatism, colic and lossing weight.

Silk blooms from July to August, it is picked before pollination.

When you are drying the silk, it needs to be completely dry also shouldn't be stored for a long time. Otherwise it will lose it's diuretic properties and will couse diarrhoea.

Making the tea

Pour 1 cup of boiled water over 1 teaspoon of dry silk. Cover and strain after 2 minutes.

Drink one tablespoon of tea every 2 to 3 hours.

Grains

Grains are diuretic, they purify whole organism, are used for diseases coused by poor working of urinary tract and inflammation of bladder.

If you add honey to the tea it will be good for catarrh, cold, hoarseness.

Natural skin products

2011-01-07T20:14:00.000+01:00

Skin during winter

Winter is not very good for our skin. Low temparatures, cold winds, staying in heated spaces, using warmer water, it all dries the skin.

Useing soaps and shower gels also doesn' t help. When it is cold I like to use hot water for showering, washing hands, etc. That feels good but it is not good for my skin.

Moisturizing creams

I'm not against moisturizing creams, body milks, etc. but I have never been their fan. They have nice packages and smells but I feel that my skin can't breath. I only use hand cream and sometimes moisturizing face cream.

Also they are made from all kinds of chemicals, which are not good for us or the nature. We should all think more about that.

Natural moisturizers

Excellent products for dry, damaged or normal skin that only needs nourishment are not refined, cold pressed oiles, like: extra virgin olive oil, almond oil, rose hip seed oil from Andes, jojoba oil,etc. and natural creams like marigold cream (made of fresh marigold and pigs fat).

Pigs fat, alone, is also good for dry skin and so are other creams made from it and herbs, like: camomile cream, agrimony cream, comfrey cream.

Marigold cream

I mostly use it for my hands. Sometimes for damaged lips or dry face skin. It can be used for the whole body. Not only for dry skin but also for lot of skin problems and diseases. To see more about it and to learn how to make your own cream read my post Excellent herbal remedy for skin.

If your hands are really damaged apply the cream few times a day. Small amount of cream is necessary, only to make your skin moist. Also you can combine this cream with hand cream.

Extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is very nourishing and good for skin. I like it because it is available and you can also eat it.

When you apply the oil don't overdo it, so you don't feel oily. Small amount is enough, unless you have really dry skin, bigger skin problems or diseases or if you feel confortable to put a lot of oil.

I also think that we shouldn't oil our skin every day, few times a week is enough. Of course it dependes on your needs or likings.

Natural oil allowes skin to breathe better than artificial products but skin still can't breathe normaly as when it is completely free from anything.

Macerated oils

Macerated oils are oils made from some oil like olive oil and various herbs.They are all good for dry skin but they also have other curative properties. They are Camomile oil, Hyperici oil (St. John's Wort oil), Yarrow oil, Marjoram oil, etc.

St.John's Wort tea

2011-01-03T20:16:00.000+01:00

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) tea is used for calming nerves and healing damaged nerves (in limbs, etc.). It is a very strong tea and can be used for different nervous diseases and conditions.

St. John's Wort tea is especially recommended for depression as a natural antidepressive (for light to moderately severe depressions). In Germany it is often prescribed by doctors instead of synthetic antidepresives.

It is also recommended for speach disorder, sleepwalk, restless sleep, bed wetting, irregular menstruation and hysteria.

Making St. John's Wort tea

Tea is made by puting 1 teaspoon of dry herb (stems, leaves and flowers) in a cup of boiled water, stir and cover. After 2 minutes strain it ( half a minute if you are useing fresh herb).

Caution

It is not recommended to be exposed to the sun for a long time (sunbathe, sun-lamp), because spots or redness can apear as a side effect of an ingredient of St. John's Wort that reacts to long sun exposure.

Do not mix heavy medication with it. Do not stop taking your medication at once if it is necessary for you to use them.

This doesn't mean that it is dangerous, but coution is always necessary with all remedies, in this case because of St. John's Wort effect on nervous system.

Hyperici oil is a very useful and good remedy made from St. John's Wort, applied externally.

Making herbal tea

2010-12-28T20:17:00.001+01:00

Even though making tea is easy and everybody knows it I wanted to write something about it because there are some rules which maybe important but they don't need to be strictly followed.

Proper way to make tea

Proper way to make a tea would be to heat the water (in tea pot, some other pot, etc.) until it boiles. Meanwhile put the herbs in something made from china or glass. When the water boiles, pour it over the herbs, stir with a spoon and cover. Water can be heated in metal pots, but tea shouldn't be made in it. I don't know way.

This is good but doing so you'll have a lot of dishes to wash and that can be irritating if you often make tea.

My way of making tea

I put water to boil in a small metal pot. When it boiles I remove it from fire, add herbs in it, stir it and cover with small plate. I don't wash my tea making equipment every time I make tea, I just rinse it with water and leave it for next time.

Sometimes I think that I should make tea in ceramic pot, but I never do.

Cover and strain

How ever you make your tea, it is important to cover it.

I strain my tea after 2 min if the herb is dry and if it's fresh after 30 seconds. That is a recepie from Maria Treben. Some people leave it for 5, 10 or 15 minutes. That is also good. Hip tea and lime have better taste if they are strained after 10-15 min.

Latin names of herbs

2010-12-21T19:21:00.000+01:00

To know latin name of the herb helps in finding the herb you are looking for. Herbs have many different names so that sometimes can be confusing to find the right herb, buy it or read about it.

For example you are looking for birdweed and can't find it because in the book you are looking in birdweed isn't mentioned or it is mentioned as one of the names of Common Knotgrass. But if you are looking for birdweed (Polygonum aviculare) this will narrow down your search and help you find just the herb you are looking for.

It is not necessary to learn this names by heart, just compare them on packages, books or web. That way you can be sure you are reading about or buying the right herb.

If you are not familiar with latin names they are the ones after the name of the herb in brackets for example:

Camomile (Matricaria chamomilla),

Nettle (Urtica dioica),

Marigold (Calendula officinalis),

Mistletoe (Viscum album),

St.John's Wort (Hypericium perforatum),

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

Making tincture

2010-12-17T19:38:00.000+01:00

About ingrediens

Making the tincture is really easy. All you need is a little bit of alcohol and herbs. Making it can actually be fun, specially if you drink some of that alcohol (ha-ha).

Alcohol should be about 40%. It can be made from grain or fruit. I use alcohol made from plums, called šljivovica or rakija. Taste is fenomenal with the lovely burning sensation.

Finding herbs

Finding fresh herbs can be a little bit harder. Some of them like rosemary, thyme, marigold, etc. can be bought fresh. A lot of people have them in their garden or in pots. But some less known herbs you need to find it yourself. There are lot's of informations in the books or on the internet about herbs. My advice is to study them if you want to pick herbs. Study their characteristics and photos or ask someone who knows them, see my post Rules for gathering herbs.

When I begin with gathering herbs they all looked a like, I was afraid that I will make mistake and pick the wrong one, after a while I've learned to differentiate. It is not mistake to picke the wrong herb, but it is a mistake to use it. Always check twice if you are not sure.

My mom thought me how to picke them and what they look like. She learned almost everything from books.

This is the beauty of working with herbs, you can do it yourself. All you need is some patience and a bit of courage.

Making tincture

To make the tincture first cut herbs into smaller pieces, then put them in a glass jar or bottle (or something else). I prefer jars because it is easier to put herbs in it and to get them out.

You need plain jar one that has maybe left from mayonnaise or jam (that is recycleing on the spot). It is only important that the jar has a good lid.

While you are puting herbs in a jar don't press them. Then pour alcohol over so that it covers the herbs. Close the lid and put the jar on the place where it is sunny most of the day, or near some heat source. Shake it from time to time. Strain it after 14 days or more (see for each herb).

Tincture can be strained with the strainer or the strainer and some cloth (like linen). Squeeze herbs with hands to get all the alcohol out. Pour the liquid in to bottles. Ideal would be dark glass bottles, if you don't have them plain will do or even plastic (it is better to avoid plastic). I use dark bottles that have left from bought tinctures.

Final touch

Final touch is to write names of the tinctures on the bottles or put some labels on it. This is important because it will be easier to see the difference, so you don't need to open each bottle and smell it to find the one you need. I know this from personal experience.

It is best to keep the tinctures in a dark place.

Useing the tinctures

Some tinctures are only used externally for compress or massage and some can also be used for drinking, usually disolved in water or tea.

See my posts about tinctures of Marigold, Comfrey, Shepherd's purse, St. John's Wort, Common Speedwell, Walnut, Nettle and remedy for rheumatism.

Common Wood Sorrel

2010-12-14T19:37:00.000+01:00

Description

Common Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) has light green leaves and white flowers. Grows in deciduous and coniferous forests.

Tea

Common Wood Sorrel is only used fresh. As a tea it helps with: heartburn, liver and digestive disorders, hepatitis B, kidney inflammation, skin rash and worms.

In case of heartburn, liver and digestive disorders drink 2 cups of cooled tea a day.

In case of hepatitis B, kidney inflammation, skin rash and worms drink 2 cups of tea a day.

Making Common Wood Sorrel tea

Pour ½ l of boiled water on 1 tablespoon of fresh leaves, stir and cover. Strain after 30 seconds.

Fresh juice

Folk medicine recommends fresh Common Wood Sorrel juice for early stages of stomach cancer, cancerous internal and external ulcers and swellings. Wash the leaves and squeeze them or put in a juicer.

Drink every hour 3-5 drops of fresh juice diluted in water or herbal tea. For cancerous external ulcers apply juice directly on ulcers.

Fresh juice also helps with Parkinson's disease, in that case drink every hour 3-5 drops of fresh juice diluted in yarrow tea (Achillea millefolium). For the exteral use massage the spine.

Follow the rules for dosages and dilutions strictly.

Marigold tincture

2010-12-13T19:12:00.000+01:00

Marigold (Calendula officinalis) tincture is very good for: wounds, contusions, hematoma, strained muscles, purulent and cancerous ulcers, wounds from long-lying, swellings and acnes.

Tincture needs to be diluted with boiled water and then put on affected area in form of a compress.

Making tincture

To make marigold tincture put handful of marigold flowers in a glass jar. Pour alcohol (40%) over it, close it and leave in the sun or near heat source for 14 days. Shake it from time to time. Strain and pour in dark bottles or keep it in a dark place.

Common mallow

2010-12-10T19:47:00.004+01:00

Common mallow tea helps with inflammations of the mucus membranes, like: gastritis, inflammation of the bladder mucus, stomach and intestinal canal, oral cavity, gastric ulcer, intestinal ulcer (duodenal ulcer).

It is also recommended for pulmonary and bronchial catarrh, cough, hoarseness, throat inflammation, tonsillitis, dry mouth, pulmonary emphysema, malignant diseases of the throat.

Tea is made from leaves, stems and flowers (it is best to use fresh herb, but dry is also good).

Put 1 teaspoon of herbs in 1 cup of cold water. Leave during the night. In the morning warm it a bit and strain.

In case of malignant diseases of the throat drink 4 cups of tea, sip by sip during the day. Make another 6-8 cups of tea and use it for gargling. Tea used for drinking and gargling can be made and warmed together and put in aThermos bottle. During the night put warm compress on the affected area. Take dregs of tea warm it with little bit of water, add barley flour, mix it together. Put it on a linen cloth and while it's still warm on a the affected area.

Common mallow can be used externally for dry eyes (bath and compress with warm common mallow tea), face allergies (washing with warm tea), for curing wounds and ulcers on the swollen hands and feet when they are consequence of the broken or inflammed veins (bath for hands and feet), broken ankle (bath for feet).

Bath for hands and feet

Put 2 handfuls of common mallow in 5 l of cold water, leave over night. Next day heat it together. Temperature should be hot but not to hot, one thet you can stand.

Bath should last for 20 min, and it can be used again for 2 more times (warm it before use).

For swollen sore feet with wounds with bath for feet use also fresh plantain (Plantago lanceolata) leaves. Wash the plantain and still wet leaves put on the wound.

Small flowered willow – herb

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Small flowered willow – herb (Epilobium parviflorum) is used for diseases and inflammations of the prostate, inflammation and pain in the bladder and kidneys, prostate and bladder cancer.

It is recommended to drink 2 cups of small flowered willow – herb a day, in the morning on empty stomach and in the evening half an hour before diner. Longer time is necessary if the condition is serious.

To make tea pour 1 cup of boiled water over one teaspoon of tea, stir and cover. After 2 minutes strain it.

Nettle tincture

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Nettle tincture is used for better hair growth. It is said that hair grows ticker, softer, without dandruff and with a nice glow. Tincture is massaged into the skin of the head, everyday or often.

Tincture is made from nettle (Urtica dioica) roots put in a glass jar and covered with alcohol (about 40%). Jar is left in a warm place for 14 place, then strained with a strainer or a cloth. Squeeze the roots a bit when straining.

It is made in the spring or automn when the roots are dug out, cleaned and chopped before puting in alcohol.

Shepherd's purse tincture

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Take fresh leaves, stems and flowers of shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa – pastoris), cut them into small pieces and put in a glass jar or a bottle. Pour alcohol (about 40%) over to cover the herbs. Close it and leave on the sun or near heat source for 14 days. Shake it from time to time. Strain it and pour into dark bottles.

Shepherd's purse tincture is used for atrophy of limbs and the muscles, weakness of the anal sphincter muscle, desended uterus, inguinal hernia.

Use tincture for external massage of painful areas, and drink 4 cups of lady's mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) tea a day.

In case of weakness of the anal sphincter muscle with the massage and lady's mantle tea, also drink 3 times a day 10 drops of tincture in lady's mantle tea.

It is important to make tincture from fresh herb.

Fresh marigold

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Fresh marigold (Calendula officinalis) is used for moles and warts. As a juice or a paste made by squeezing fresh marigold (stems, leaves, flower) and put on troubled area.

Another way is to put fresh leaves or flowers or both on the area and wrap it with a bandage or something and leave it over night.

Fresh plantain leaves for wounds

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Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is very good for curing all kinds of wounds (even old), scratches, cutes, wasp stings.

Picke fresh plantain leaves, wash them (if you can), crush and put on the wound. If it is necessary wound can be wraped with bandage, so that the leaves don't fall off.

You can also see post Plantain for blisters.