Simple Home Remedies ~ Elderberry Honey

This herbal home remedy or tonic is one that I make frequently, especially during cold and flu season.
Elderberry Honey is so simple to make, all you need are 3 ingredients:

Elderberries-1 cup fresh, or 1/2 cup dried (I used dried)
Water- 3 cups
Honey- 1 cup

Place elderberries and water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 30-45 minutes. Strain warm juice into a quart jar. Pour in honey and stir well. Done!

Store the Elderberry Honey in the refrigerator where it should stay fresh for 2-3 months.

I take one tablespoonful daily as a tonic to help build immunity and keep colds at bay before and during cold and flu season.
When a cold or flu does sneak up on me, I take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.

As a bonus, Elderberry Honey tastes great!  I sometimes add a spoonful to my cup of tea in place of plain honey just because I enjoy it.  

* I'm not a doctor, please use your own common sense when using herbs or other home remedies, etc., etc.!!! 


I buy my elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs, my favorite place for buying all things herbal. They also sell Elder Berry Syrup if you'd rather not make it yourself.

The Wonders of Water

Water is the most healing of all remedies and the best of all cosmetics. ~Arab proverb

 I  have to agree, water is indeed a wonderful remedy and cosmetic.
Around our home, a bath is the first order of business when someone isn't feeling well.

A lovely warm bath filled with lavender-scented water is soothing to both body and senses.

Bubble baths are fun, too. Unscented bubble bath dressed up with rose, lavender, and bergamot essential oils is fabulous.

Or how about a nice sea-salt soak for tired muscles? I often toss in a few pieces of dried seaweed to create my own little ocean.

For colds or sniffles, a steamy bath with a few drops of Rosemary, Eucalyptus, and Peppermint essential oils is very helpful. You can also just fill a large bowl with boiling water and put a drop or two of each oil in it; then lean over the bowl, cover your head with a towel and inhale the steam.

Water, plain or with a bit of lemon juice, is my drink of choice. I drink many cups of water a day... and a few cups of herb tea, of course!

Water, a blessing often overlooked.

Arnica for Aches and Pains

Arnica is a great pain-reliever for when you have an aching back from working too long bent over in the herb garden!

To banish an aching back or soothe a bruise, I make a very simple arnica oil by infusing dried arnica flowers in olive or grapeseed oil.
 
I use the simplest method I know:
place a cup of dried arnica flowers in a pint jar
cover with olive oil
stir well
add more oil to cover the herb by at least an inch (the flowers will soak up some of the oil so keep adding as needed)
cover
set the jar in a sunny window
shake daily for 2 weeks
strain and use!

Notes:  Arnica should not be used on broken skin or wounds nor taken internally.  External use on unbroken skin only! 
Also, I like to add a few drops of lavender and/or rosemary essential oil to make the oil smell nicer and for the added relaxing benefits these oils provide. 

Eyebright Infusion for Bright Eyes

I’ve been spending way too much time sitting in front of a computer screen this week and my eyes are telling the tale all too well. It is time for me to brew up a batch of Eyebright infusion to give my eyes some rest and refreshment. This is as simple as brewing a cup of  herb tea, but I will post the directions for you anyway.

Eyebright Infusion to Brighten Tired Eyes

2 tablespoons Eyebright herb, dried
1 1/2 cups water

Place herb in a glass or ceramic container (a canning jar works for me).
Bring water to a boil and pour over herb.
Steep 15 minutes.
Strain into a clean container.
Refrigerate until nice and cold.
Dip a clean cloth into the infusion and place over closed eyes. This is a great time to take a short power nap!

To make my Bright Eyes treatment even better, I think I will use Chamomile tea bags instead of a cloth. My eyes feel better just thinking about it!

Be certain to store any leftover infusion in the refrigerator.

A repost from The Renegade Farmer today ... because I am in need of this helpful herb remedy, and thought some of you might be as well. 

Nettle & Honey Allergy Relief

Allergy season is upon us. 
I have a simple herbal tonic that I make every year to help prevent and alleviate the misery of sneezing, itchy eyes, and so forth that plagues members of my family.

First I make a nettle infused vinegar and then mix that with local honey to make
Nettle Vinegar & Honey Allergy Tonic.


You will need the following:
apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s, but any good quality acv will do)
dried nettles (You can use them fresh, which some say work best if they are available. I don’t have that option, and dried has always worked well for me.)
local honey (honey produced in your area will contain small amounts of pollen to the flowers growing near you … probably the ones making you sneeze!)
a clean canning jar with a lid ( I use a wide-mouth quart size, but you could start with a pint. Also, I use a plastic lid for vinegars … if you don’t have plastic lids, then put a piece of plastic wrap between the jar and the metal lid.)

To make nettle vinegar:
add about 1 cup of nettle to your jar, I just toss in a handful or so (less if using a pint jar)
add enough vinegar to cover nettle by 2-3 inches (you will need to add more as the nettle soaks it up), stir and wait until the nettle settles, adding more vinegar if necessary
Cover the jar with a lid and set it in a sunny spot for 2 weeks or more. Shake jar a few times a day.
Once your nettle vinegar has infused, strain it through a coffee filter or piece of cheesecloth into a clean jar and it is ready to use.

If you don’t have weeks to wait for the vinegar to infuse, you can make it more quickly by heating the vinegar/nettle mixture over a very, very low heat for a few hours. Do not boil or even simmer, just heat it enough to be quite warm, a double boiler is a good way to do this, or if your crockpot doesn’t get too hot (mine does even on low), use that. Let cool before straining.

You can use the vinegar as is, or make it even more effective by adding local honey.

Add an equal amount of local honey to the nettle vinegar, stir well, cover, and you have Nettle Vinegar and Honey Allergy Tonic! 

It is a simple herbal remedy that gives great results for my family.

I take a tablespoon or so two or three times a day mixed in a small amount of water. 

A simpler route is to make a quart of nettle tea and sip on that throughout the day; but the honey and acv are very helpful for allergies, and do improve the flavor quite a bit. Nettle tea is not the most palatable of herbal infusions in my opinion. 

Nettle vinegar can also be used in salad dressings and most anywhere you would use apple cider vinegar.  It makes a lovely hair rinse when diluted with water, too.  More reasons to make up a large batch while you're at it!

Note: As always with any herbal information, this is for your educational benefit only, etc., etc. ... Please consult your physician regarding any serious health matters.


How do you treat allergies? Please share your own herbal remedies!

Blessings,
Catherine

First Aid from the Herb Garden

Two great herbs to grow for minor first-aid applications are-

yarrow
and
mullein.

Yarrow is excellent for stopping bleeding and healing cuts, and mullein makes a handy bandage if your children are prone to use all your band-aids on a weekly basis, as mine are.  (Note to self: hide a box of band-aids somewhere they won't find it!)

Today I cut my finger while washing my new "mini-chopper".   This may be the first and last time I use this time saver, as the time spent treating my wound was more than I would have spent chopping onions and celery the old-fashioned way!  Anyway, it wasn't such a bad cut, just an inconvenient one that needed the bleeding stopped and a bandage; and thankfully I had exactly what I needed growing right outside my back door. 

Whenever I need an herb with styptic action, yarrow is my herb of choice.  Almost like magic, yarrow will stop bleeding of minor cuts and wounds and help the wound to heal.  I have a small potted yarrow growing in my backyard, though it grows wild in most areas quite happily.  When camping or hiking I keep an eye out for yarrow just in case someone should need it.  I dry yarrow also to keep on hand for when running out to the herb patch isn't convenient. 

Mullein makes a soft, absorbent bandage, which is only one of its varied uses.  It also grows wild and weedy in my area, though here at home it grows in containers. 

And finally, to hold my bandage in place, I picked a lavender stem and used it to tie the mullein leaf in place; the soothing scent was an added bonus. 

Herbal first-aid to the rescue!

* Please note:  If you have serious wounds, please, please seek medical care!  Herbs are wonderful helpers for many situations, but anything serious should be handled by a professional. 

Creating Herb Infused Oils

Herb Infused Oils

Creating your own herb infused oils is easy to do and only takes a few items.

You will need herbs, a good quality oil like olive or almond, and a jar or other covered container (preferably glass).

There are many herbs that can be used to create herbal oils for skincare, healing wounds, soothing bumps and bruises, and so forth. 
Calendula makes an excellent oil for the skin, and is what is pictured above. 
I also make Comfrey oil and Arnica oil for easing bumps, bruises, and muscle aches and pains. 

If you are just getting started making herbal oils, dried herbs are less tricky to work with and what I use most often.

I make my herbal oils using  what is known as the simpler’s method, which is really quite simple!

Place the desired amount of herb into a jar. (Use a jar that will be filled almost to the top when the oil is added, too much air space can sometimes cause a problem with spoilage.) 

My jar of preference is a wide-mouth pint canning jar with a plastic lid. 

Cover the herbs completely with oil adding enough to cover by about an inch or so.

Cover your jar with a lid.

Place it in a sunny spot to infuse for 2 weeks.  I like to sit mine on the kitchen windowsill so I can enjoy watching the process.

Shake your jar several times a day to stir things up a bit and help the herbs infuse.

After 2 weeks, strain the oil through a piece of cheesecloth or muslin fabric into a clean container.

If you want an extra strong infusion, add more herbs and let it sit for another 2 weeks and then strain again.

Now you have a beautiful herbal oil to use!

If you’d like a nice fragrance, you can add a few drops of an essential oil to the jar. 
I like to use lavender essential oil when making skin care products. 
It smells wonderful and is good for the skin, as well.

I hope this will encourage you to create herbal oils for your own use.

Blessings,
Catherine