Still alive....well some of us are....

Some people bring back souvenirs when they visit new places.....me? Well, I came back with some nasturtium and violet in slurpee cups! Yep I am very resourceful! LOL AND check out the great big bag of FREE Wool! Ahhhhhhh.....things that make me go Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

I have been very remiss in my studies of late, although I have been trying to keep up with a bit of reading here and there. After a very long trip came home to find most of my baby seedlings had not survived the cold change in the weather. :-(

BUT and there is a very big but here, nature and the faeries have fixed this little problem by self planting as per usual in the vegie patch. I noticed that though some of the seedlings I planted did not make it and all of my baby Tansy plants were gone.......the garden is full of a gazillion little Tansy babies AND basil and even some sneaky coriander. So I guess I will make do! I mean even IF the tansy did not self seed, I have enough growing here to last me a lifetime.

I have not had time to complete my herbal ally writing task, though I do know what I have to write.  I have been truly blessed with hearing her song! So hopefully I can fit it in soon!

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Herbal hugs,  xoxoxox

WE have seedlings! Yay!

Just to let you all know that my little sprouts are definitely Tansy! Yay! There are at 10 wee plants in that first lot now AND my other newer batch has 8 teensy tiny little plants! Seriously they are so tiny you could be forgiven for missing them and I won't take another picture as it would be hard to see them! LOL! Excitement much? I have been jotting my excitement down in my journal. :-) My seed raising pages are in an autumn theme as its Autumn here now!

Today I wrote myself a to do list as I have so many things on my mind that I was getting boggled. In the process of me "doing" so much we did not get any homeschooling in today. The boys however had fun playing video games and playing in the kitchen with food colouring, bi-carb soda and vinegar! We found an old stamp book that was mine when I was a kid so they are now wondering if any of the "ancient" stamps are worth anything! LOL

I think I was being a bit unrealistic for one day and proved it when I had visitors (twice) and only got a few things done........

I started some garlic oil - which I plan to try leaving in the sun and on the window sill. (please don't look at the dirty window-how embarrassment!)

I also mixed up some Yarrow, Elder flowers and Chamomile and made some vinegar and a small tincture too! The tincture looks kind of green and the vinegar yellowish. Not that it shows the colours well in the picture! Interesting! Pretty murky as my chamomile was quite ground!

I dried a batch of my basil on very low heat in the oven,  as I have loads of it right now......

Was going to also make a vinegar with the fresh leaves and flowers but I did not have a small enough jar so will do that another day.

I have tried out my Tansy vinegar and I have been drinking it in water at night. It still has a distinct claming effect, like the infusion and tea and tastes quite nice. Now I am back to my to do list! Yikes I think it might take me a week! LOL...My girlfriend nearly fainted when she read it and saw it did not contain any of my normal daily chores!

Have a lovely day! Hugs and smoochies xoxoxox

Licorice, garlic, mullein, golden seal....too many choices!!!!

Well my earache cure did not work! More than likely because the child stopped drinking his tea after the first batch and only told me later that he had in fact tipped it out. Great! So as one can imagine last night was a doozy of a night. Not only with him but with his brother as well, who must have eaten something ick as he was throwing up!

So, I ended up doing a bit of hands on healing until he went to sleep. For some reason I kept getting the word Licorice in my head. So this morning I did a bit of research and lo and behold it is recommended for ear aches. Mind you, so are a lot of other things, but for some reason I think Licorice is what will work with him.

I had also been thinking on garlic a lot but was a bit worried about it burning his ear (we usually use it raw). So anyway I went off to the local health food store and picked up some licorice root and was about to buy some echinacea to try and boost his immunity a bit when I asked the fellow who worked there about ear drops. He of course had no idea but luckily for me there was a naturopath on hand who did. Not only did she find me some ear drops (Garlic and Mullein with a little yarrow thrown in) all made up and ready to go but she also suggested a natural antibiotic tablet instead of the echinacea which contained golden seal (another one I had been wondering about).  Looks like a lot more study time for me!

So hopefully, this will get him back on track! Amazingly the garlic drops helped immediately! His ear had been feeling very full and blocked and it cleared it a little. The look on his face was priceless! (seriously I had to catch him first, he did not want them in his ear!) I left him happily munching on a bag of soft licorice, a yummy back up plan!

OpShop (thrift store) score.......

Yesterday afternoon I stopped at an opshop really quickly to see if I could pick up an old pot for dying in. While they did not have any pots I did find a couple of old books.......

and would you believe it? Both of them gave Tansy a mention. Not having time to sit and be fussy, I bought them both for $4.50.  Now while the information was not anything I did not already know, I did so love the pictures.......

 

One of the books has all drawn pictures and the other has photo's or pressed plants as pictures........

And while my other herbal books are STILL not here, I guess I shall have some fun getting to know these two! Old recipes, old medicines, beautiful pictures! My only gripe, someoneripped pieces of pages out of one them!

Ear aches......what to do? (Advice appreciated)

So today my youngest has an earache! Of course in usual child fashion, he did not tell his mama until it got really bad. Why? Because last time he had an ear infection, he was not allowed to go in the ocean for a month.

This month he wants to get up close and personal with the ocean, therefore, he refrained from mentioning it till it really hurt!!! Silly boy! So here I sat concerned and wondering, will we have to make that trip to the doctor? (an extreme rarity in our house!)

Last year he had a really bad infection which ended up being treated with 2 lots of antibiotics and ear drops. The doctor seemed to think that the sand at the beach had aggravated the already stressed drum and banned him from the beach and swimming pools for a long time.

One thing I do not like to mess around with is ears. I have had children with burst ear drums and it is not pleasant. I do however not like the thought of having to give them anti-biotics if I can get out of it. 

I know I have not gone into my explanation of how things work for me healing wise but in short, I can basically feel in my own ear what he is feeling, to a certain extent. I feel like there is fluid build up and pressure pushing outwards. Giving me the urge to reach my fingers into the ear and pull something out! Water in his ear? Bulging ear drum?

Anyways, last night I sat and thought "what shall I give him?"

I could feel the fluid build up in  my ear and immediately thought of a soothing oil. However, I thought I would consult the books and Yarrow was one I had not tried before. It said if you put some mashed yarrow in the ear drum it will help. I called him and handed him a small mashed portion which he immediately placed in his ear with some cotton wool to keep it firm and warm.  He noted after a while that it did not really make any difference and later discarded it in favour of some ear drops. (We have also tried garlic cloves previously but if the ear is already quite sore it tends to burn so I opted not to use that this time).

I also in my own fashion thought to make some soothing tea. 2 teaspoons chamomile, 1 teaspoon of  yarrow, 1 teaspoon elder flowers, a few fresh torn leaves of lemon balm and 3 teaspoons of honey wondering the whole time if he would actually drink it!

He actually quite liked it. He drank one small glass hot and then took the rest of the pot up to his room in a sippy cup! LOL! I was hoping this mixture would make him sweat out any germs during the night and soothe away any pain. He did sleep but woke in the morning and said it still hurts, but he is keen to try drinking the tea mix as he felt better when he drank it. 

So I will see how it goes today and whether or not it helps. He has been taking paracetemol as well for pain.

Anyway, any advice from those of you with more herbal experience would be much appreciated. I am going mostly on instinct rather than knowledge. :-)

Sacred Plant Medicine - divine messages..

While I was not able to find much in the way of "Tansy" reading this week at the library, I did pick up this book called Sacred Plant Medicine (The wisdom in native American Herbalism) by Stephen Harrod Buhner. It has been accompanying me on beach trips this week and is quite an interesting read. (It has surely been a week of multi-tasking!) Books I need to read often have a way of falling into my hands, and this book was no exception. I did not seek it out or think to read it, it just somehow ended up in my huge pile of books that made it home with me.

I am about half way through the book and was surprised when the author started talking about herbal allies and more so the relationships between people and herbal or plant spirits. He talks of the plants calling or singing to a person when you need that particular plant medicine.

This particularly rings a chord with me as I had  absolutely NO background in herbs or knowledge of their uses before a few short years back when I began feeling the urge to administer them to people who were sick and somehow knowing which ones I needed. At the time I was very open to "listening" to these urges and not quite knowing how to explain it away, put it down to instinct. (OR I would find myself running for my herbal bible and trying to validate my claims scientifically because I really could not just say "Oh I just know now could I?" )

Probably all a bit strange and out there to the average person, but true none the less. I have found myself almost blurting out very small parts of my experiences several times only to shy away for fear of scaring everyone off with my strangeness.  I won't go into it now as it will take a long writing to explain, I will promise to write an explanation later as yesterday I had  a message through my Earth Magic cards......(a small section of  my reading)....

"You are in a place now where you can take risks with your feelings, and even more important, take risks with the truth of who you are- the truth you know in your heart and soul. You no longer need to be subjected to your conditional fears of letting others know who you really are.

Yes others may judge, evaluate, criticize, and perhaps even put you down. These are very real possibilities. Yet by trusting that you have the strength to deal with these reactions- rather than responding adaptively and always playing it safe - you can more confidently allow yourself to be vulnerable. Always holding back from expressing your truth can create an illusion of safety, but armed with your trust and your faith, you can choose to be vulnerable and share your authentic self with the world."

So there you go my lovelies! I shall be "outing" myself with pure trust in the fact that if you are still reading this, you may even be interested in getting to know the "real' me, the one that holds back for fear of being comitted or something! Are you ready?

Hugs and smoochies xoxox (yes hugs are a very big part of who I am!)

Got Flu?

With all this crazy changing weather, its not unusual to find a few people coming down with the dreaded lurgy...aka the flu!

Now if you are very norty like moi, you will drink copious amounts of hot coffee (in my case, double strength). Now this is not really good for you, but coffee is good for flu and does help if you drink it straight away.

A much gentler and better remedy however, is this.....

Take equal amounts (about 1 teaspoon each) of dried herbs....

Yarrow
Elder Flower
Peppermint

Steep in hot water, then add honey and drink. This remedy works best if you take it straight away when you feel the symptoms coming on. If you already have the flu, you can still drink it but will need to drink it often and at night add some Cayenne pepper to make you sweat it out. Yarrow tends to have that effect anyway so don't be too concerned if you can't stand the Cayenne.

Whenever I get sick, I tend to follow my instincts and add whatever I feel my body needs. Recently I felt the flu coming on and had a very sore throat. I made a mix of Yarrow, Chamomile and honey. Drank about two cups before bed and woke up fine the next day. All symptoms gone.

Now of course chicken soup and the good old fashioned honey and lemon works too! It just takes a little longer to take effect. I remember my grandma feeding me very hot lemon and honey water just before bed when I was a child. It does make you sweat out the germs and the honey of course has many healing benefits.

The problem with flu is that it tends to dehydrate you, even if you do not sweat. A good way to re-hydrate is to drink some of that Lemon Balm tea I posted about the other day. It is full of vitamin C and helps. However, any fluids help. Soup, juice or even water. The more you drink the quicker you get better.

Now having said that, I have just been informed my little man is feeling sick. Must go and make him some tea!

Have a great day all! Hugs and smoochies xoxoxx

Lemon Balm - (Melissa Officinalis)- Anti-viral - CURE ALL

When I first discovered Lemon Balm, I had no idea of its medicinal value. I had literally walked through the nursery picking up herbs and asking in my head...Yes or No! This one was a definite YES. I took it home, planted it and pretty much admired how easily it grew and enjoyed the wonderful aroma it emitted when the breeze passed by.

For two years it pretty much took care of itself and I only once had the urge to use it as a poultice for a cold sore. (Intuitively at the time). I often thought about drying some and using it like potpourri as the smell is just divine. I remember sitting by it outside and feeling really happy when enjoying the aroma as it floated by. Not unusual though! I always feel happy when my garden is blooming and I have a chance to just "sit" out there!



So, as I mentioned before, quite a few people I know both personally and in the blogsphere, have all been suffering from anxiety, depression or other related ailments. And lately this wonder herb has been on my mind a lot for some reason. OK, its been a bit more than on my mind. It actually got to the point where I suffered a bit too much anxiety myself this week. Not sure why or where it came from but after almost allowing myself to have a full blown panic attack last night, I decided it was about time I addressed this post. So I finally took the time out to research it a little more and came up with some rather interesting results. There are so many things it is useful for, that this post might go on forever. So I will give it to you it basic point form.

• Helps with digestion.
• Strong Anti-depressant (Can also assist with dyspepsia that is associated with anxiety)
  
• Calms nerves (butterfly's in the tummy)
• Breathe freshener (hehe! could not resist throwing that one in! Personally I prefer Fennel!)
• Contains vitamins A, B and C
  

A little exert, from the book " How I can use Herbs in my daily life?" by Isabella Shippard.......

Lemon Balm has featured for: Flatulence, colic, poor digestion, vomiting, headaches, migraines, to ease griping pains, ulcers, nervous upset, nervous heart disorders, mood swings, gout, Arthritis, loss of bladder control, vertigo, herpes, fevers, diabetes, bronchial catarrh, influenza, coughs, colds, female complaints and uterine pain, menstrual irregularity and infertility, insomnia, senility, reducing high temperatures, Alzheimer's disease, palpitations and heart disease, shingles, high blood pressure, candida, cancer, and to help stimulate the spleen, thyroid *, pancreas, kidneys, liver and gall bladder.

(* Lemon Balm may interfere with thyroid treatment...DO NOT take this herb if you are taking any thyroid hormones!)

Externally, leaves can be used for insect bites, cuts, boils, shingles, cold sores, to stop bleeding, and sun spots.

Lemon Balm is recommended as a calming tea for the nervous system and is safe for all ages, it is even used to soothe crying babies.



DOSE: For Tea, steep 1 heaped teaspoon of chopped fresh leaves to 1 cup of boiling water, in a covered container (important as we don't want the volatile oils to escape). Drink 2-3 cups daily!

(Okay, as I had not tried this before, I took the liberty of steeping some this morning myself! I found it quite weak and would probably make it a little stronger for myself. It tastes very mildly of lemon so pleasant to drink! You can add honey to sweeten but I did not find it needed any sweetening at all. I had a slight headache which has cleared nicely! I intend to take it for a week and see how it goes. I have enlisted another guinea pig to try it out too, one who happens to be suffering from depression/anxiety and who is not taking any other meds. We will call this person Lucy for future reference. If you also decide to give it a go, please let me know your results as well. This one is new to me so I would love to hear if it works on a larger scale. Keeping in mind you need to take it for at least two weeks to get full benefits.)


You can serve this tea chilled and mixed with apple juice to stressed children or teenagers. (The apple is mainly for taste). You can also give them the normal tea. Its is quite safe.

For depression you can mix equal amounts of lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon grass, and a slice of lemon. (Sniff deeply the vapour rising from the tea and then drink) OR you can just drink the lemon balm tea several times a day.

Obviously, if the tea does not agree with you. Don't drink it. And if you are taking any medications, please consult your doctor first.

Herbal Lore

A few years ago now, something strange happened to me. I was feeling extremely despondent, lethargic and pretty much run down. (I know, I know..large family and all..its going to happen occasionally). But anyway, I became quite frustrated with myself.

I was standing at the kitchen sink one day and pretty much reached meltdown stage. I raged in my head and even despaired, "What the hell is wrong with me?" Immediately, the word "Potassium" popped into my head. I was a little shocked to say the least. Firstly, as it was not a word that I would think about anyway. Secondly, I wondered where on earth it had come from. And thirdly, (Karisma hangs head in shame) I had no idea what it was.

Now it was not the first time something like this had happened to me, but it was the first time it related to myself and the first time I got such a specific answer. So anyway, I googled Potassium and found that I could get it in Bananas or Potatoes. But I would have to eat an awful lot of them to help me at all. So I visited the local health store and purchased some pills. Amazingly, it helped and after a few months I had the urge to stop taking them and I was fine.

I found that I was able to "ask" for others as well and learned quite a bit about herbs in the process. I would sometimes doubt myself as certain websites would say one thing and others the opposite. I began to research more and more and even started growing a lot of my own herbs at home. I began using more and more fresh herbs rather than the store bought ones and drying the excess ones as well for later use. Mostly herbs I would use in the kitchen but also medicinal herbs. I bought many books to compare notes and managed to find one very special book that goes into far much more detail and covers many many more herbs and foods which are vital in healing.

Of course I kept this pretty much to myself. It sounds a little crazy right? But crazy or not, I have learned over the past few years, that if I do not listen to myself and trust in my instinct, things go wrong. So crazy or not, these days I do exactly that.

There are three herbs that I would recommend everyone either grow in your own garden or keep dry on hand. And they are Yarrow, Chamomile and Lemon Balm. For various reasons, all three of these herbs have popped up on a regular basis and have worked amazingly well. Yarrow was one that I had never heard of before that came into my head for someone else. I researched it extensively as I was very dubious. Now I am so happy that I did.

So why am I telling you this? Well, because this week I have been very drawn to my Lemon Balm. It has for some reason, grown very big and strong this year and seems to be reaching out to me as I walk past it. I had learned a bit about its properties before but had forgotten about it. It was one of the herbs I initially planted for some unknown reason when choosing my original herb garden. I knew we needed it, but not why!

I have been pondering on several people in particular and quite a lot of people in general that all seem to be suffering from the same ailment these days. Not so much asking how to help them as they have not asked me to, but wondering why its happening and what could be done about it as a whole. So rather than offer these herbal remedies up to anyone in particular. I figured I would just post some of what I have learned about each herb once a week and let you all make the decision whether to try it or not for yourselves. Starting with remedies that I have tried and that have worked for me.

I will also aim to add links to sites I have found accurate and useful and tell you where to buy that book I mentioned. Thus far it is the best book with far much more information on herbs than any other I have come across and I have bought or borrowed many from the library over the past few years. Anyway I will try and post about Lemon Balm later today. Im off for a bike ride this morning!

Hugs and smoochies xxoxox