Home Apothecary for Beginners: Part 3 of 3

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When just starting out with herbs, one often confusing factor– in my experience– is finding the correct information about the uses for herbs, or their properties. I’ve found so much conflicting information online, so would highly recommend getting a comprehensive herbal guide. If you want a magical herbal, Scott Cunningham is a good author to start with, and while his work is older, it’s still used by Pagans because it is one of, if not the, best. Another good one for both magical and mundane, is Llewellyn’s Herbal Almanac. Other than than, look for a good herbal that gives the information you need. If you’ll be gathering herbs yourself, you’ll need a guide that gives easy identification, as well as proper gathering and storage techniques. If you’re going to be doing a specific type of herbalism– let’s say just working with herbs for oils– look for a tailored text for that. I haven’t found onego to guide for herbs, and since I work with a variety of herbs in a plethora of ways– I have an entire seven-foot-tall bookshelf, that’s more than half dedicated to herbs.

Lavender

Lavender is a calming herb. It’s widely used for its ability to calm nerves, to reduce stress, and to ease sleep. It’s also a highly potent antiseptic and antibacterial. Lavender aides wound healing—almost too quickly in some people—and is a pain reliever. Lavender essential oil shouldn’t be used on punctures, deep wounds, or on serious infections, but using the whole herb in a drawing soak is helpful in small amounts. Lavender soothes acne and irritated skin, but it’s also an excellent cleaner for household use. In addition, it’s a highly effective insect repellent. A spray made from Lavender can deter a variety of biting insects. Lavender sachets will help deter moths in clothes, as well as deter other critters from ants to weevils.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a digestive aide, a stress reliever, an aide to headache, and a memory enhancer. It promotes healthy hair and is a valuable treatment for dry scalp and dandruff. It’s also reported to settle the stomach and promote circulation. Like Lavender, Rosemary is antiseptic—both topically and for household use. Rosemary is a great cold fighter and aide in helping the body overcome infection. It has anti-inflammatory properties, is an astringent, and helps draw infection.

Peppermint is well known to help abdominal pain, digestion and nausea. It’s a pain reliever, giving us the familiar menthol of topical muscle liniment. It’s a tonic for stomach cramps and can be used to encourage appetite. It’s a mild stimulant but also has powerful antiseptic properties—topically, internally, and for household use. A weak peppermint tea can be used to help wood floors shine. Like Lavender, peppermint is also an insect repellent. Sachets of peppermint, placed around baked goods, inside flour storage, and around stored pasta will deter moths and weevils.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm, sometimes just called balm, is an all-heal and is often used to treat a variety of ailments. It aides in skin irritation and healing, was used in the past as a circulatory aide and as a stimulant for cardiac ailments. Lemon balm is an excellent remedy for colds. It’s an expectorant, a fever reducer, and fights flu. When in doubt, Lemon balm can help. It’s generally safe for most chronic conditions, like high blood pressure and heart disease—but, as with all herbs, use caution and ask your physician. Lemon Balm, like rosemary, will help your body deal with an infection. It’s also a relaxant and a mild sedative.

Sage contains thujone, a powerful antiseptic and topical analgesic. Along with menthol, thujone is the main ingredient in many liniments—as a result, sage helps ease arthritic pain, rheumatism, and other joint disorders. Sage helps memory problems, is an aide to restoring mental clarity, and is well known for cleansing negative energy (though white or ceremonial sage is the best known for this). Taking a few fresh sage leaves, chewing them, and applying to a fresh wound will help staunch bleeding. Sage is one of the best for relieving mouth sores and infections. It’s a good gargle for sore throat relief and rinse for bleeding gums. Sage is also an effective fever reducer, helps reduce chills, and can be added to treatments for lung health. Sage, like many of my other top herbs, doubles as an antiseptic for the body and for your home. Adding sage tea to your bathroom cleaner will help disinfect as well as add sparkle.

Thyme helps treat wounds, helps stave off and heal infection, and is a strong antiseptic. Thyme helps ease bruises. When added to a cold treatment, thyme helps relieve the painful spasms from intense coughing and alleviates overall cold symptoms. Thyme, like oregano, is very helpful in fighting serious bacterial infection, and like other herbs in this list, is an excellent antiseptic for yourself and your home. Use sparingly since it is strong, and the odor can be overpowering to cleaning solutions.

Calendula improves infections and irritations of the skin. It’s particularly useful for people with immune issues and slow-wound healing. While calendula doesn’t reduce inflammation, it does relieve pain. It’s good as an eyewash for conjunctivitis, and helps reduce scarring for minor cuts—and major surgery.

Chamomile has been used to ease colic in babies. It’s known for it’s pain relief, and has been used for everything from earache to toothache. It’s a sedative, is non addictive, and is said to help ease troubled sleep. Chamomile is a good astringent, helpful for skin irritation and acne relief. It’s an antispasmodic, an aide for diarrhea (especially in children), a digestive aide (with ginger especially), a diuretic, and relieves heartburn.

NOT to be taken internally—except by under the supervision of a qualified practitioner—patchouli is widely used for its topical preparations. It’s a powerful insect repellent, helping to keep away fleas and biting insects. It’s an antifungal and antibacterial. It helps to reduce infection and to soothe skin ailments, particularly psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema.

Red Roses

Rose syrups were prescribed for many ailments, from mouth sores to depression to sore throat relief to the treatment of coughs. Rose petals, steeped in vinegar and applied to the head via steeped cloths is a treatment for headache and fatigue. Rose derivatives are being tested against harmful microbes and treatments following radiation therapy. The scent of rose—and rose petals in tea—are said to aid concentration, relieve stress, and can help promote positive dreaming. Rose is an aid to irritated skin and helps reduce scarring. Red rose is also helpful for painful menstruation and other ‘womanly complaints’ from fibroids to ovarian cysts. Rose is often an ingredient in many popular herbal tea blends for such issues.

Hibiscus is high in Vitamin C and is actually proven successful in lowering high blood pressure as effectively as several pharmaceutical HBP medicines. Hibiscus is a mild stimulant and a diuretic. It has some ability to suppress appetite and is useful as a detoxifier. Hibiscus is also helpful for painful menstruation.

A caution about using ginger. Do NOT use ginger if you are pregnant. It has been linked to promoting menstruation and can cause miscarriage in the first trimester especially. It is sometimes prescribed to ease morning sickness, but it should NOT be used for this complaint.

Ginger is most known as an aide to stomach complaint and is often prescribed from minor stomach upset, to serious nausea and motion sickness. It helps settle nausea and stimulate the appetite in patients undergoing chemotherapy. It’s an anti-inflammatory for arthritis and joint complaints. It’s a wonder at breaking up colds and respiratory congestion, as well as shortening the duration of sinusitis.

2013-02-16 08:00:30

Source: http://www.green-and-growing.com/2012/07/home-apothecary-for-beginners-part-3-of.html