Herbal Things

This is my kitty, "Jasmine". I usually call her Jazzy though because she thinks shes all that! Everytime I go to the garden she waits for me by the door, knowing I'm going to bring her a special treat! She's crazy over catnip and will actually attack my pocket if I don't get it out fast enough for her! Catnip isn't just for kitties though, it has many other uses such as described below.
I love herbs and I've always seen them as being "magical". I guess because of the mystery that has surrounded them in our modern times. Centuries ago, of course, they were not mysterious at all! They were the only medicinal ingredients known to man. I have an Aunt that lives in the Ozarks who is a "certified" herbalist and she can take you for a walk into the woods and point at every living, growing thing and tell you exactly what is, what it is used for and what it shouldn't be used for! Her wisdom for plants and herbs is immense. I just love to tinker with them and I try to use them in place of commercial preparations whenever I can. I am going to name a few of my favorite herbs and tell how I like to use them. If you have any favorites also, I'd love to hear about how you like to use them too.

A Few Good Herbs!
~bee balm~ (also known as bergamot) this has a pretty flower especially attractive to hummingbirds. It makes a good citrusy flavored tea. The flowers are pretty dried and used in potpourri and craft projects.
~catnip~ Makes a very soothing tea for upset stomachs and diarrhea. Favorite of course to cats! It's strongly fragrant, so don't use too much in your tea or you won't like the smell! ~camomile~ Very soothing to the stomach, it also has a cleansing effect on open wounds. The oil can be extracted from the flowers and made into a rub for swollen and painful joints. It's a pretty herb used a lot in crafts. It has an appley scent and taste. ~lavender~ I love this one! It's medicinal uses are almost too numerous to mention, good for digestion, insomnia, nerves, nausea and headaches especially! Make little pillows filled with it for sachets or to sniff to ease a headache caused by a stressful day. It is so beautiful when dried and you can do so much with it. I like to add the flowers, lightly crushed, to homemade paper. It looks pretty and scents it also! ~lemon balm~ Smells sooo good! It's soothing as a tea when you have an upset stomach. Works for headaches and stressful days too. It is also nice combined with lavendar in sachets. ~comfrey~ This one used to be called "knitbone" by some of my Arkansas ancestors. It was beleived to actually heal a broken bone! I can vouch for it's astringent and emmollient qualities. I used to get an awful itchy, painful rash on my fingers, I never discovered why, but after using it a few times it never came back! My dad would make a "mash" using the leaves and honey. It was a nasty looking poultice but it always worked wonders overnight! ~rosemary~ This herb makes a nice refreshing toner for skin, especially oily skin in the summertime. A good mouthwash and used as a salve it's helpful for exzema and bruises on the skin. I have seen a lot of precautions against taking very much of it internally, so I don't suggest it unless you are skilled at what you are doing of course. ~thyme~ There are several varieties of this herb. My favorite is the creeping thyme, because it is so pretty and delicate looking and works well in wreaths. A good one for insomnia and headaches. Garden thyme is another variety with a more astringent quality, making it good for a skin toner and a wash for cuts and scrapes. Also used as a mouthrinse.

The Mints Specifically spearmint and peppermint. I love the distinctive flavors of these two. Pick a spearmint leaf and gently chew it, instant refreshment! Teas made with these mints are instant releivers from menstrual cramps. Both are excellant for nausea, headaches, insomnia, aiding the digestive system after a heavy meal and so many other things. Peppermint is good in the bath or as a salve for dry, itchy skin disorders.
~How To Make An Herbal Tea~

Use no more than a teaspoon of fresh herbs to about 6oz. of water. Use more herbs if they are dried. Do not use metal containers, it will affect the taste! Pour boiling water over herbs and let steep 5 or 10 minutes. If they steep longer, it may be too strong, depends on our taste.Using a teapot or regular pot with a lid on it keeps the steam from escaping, and that contains a lot of the good stuff you want from the herb!

Herb graphics and teaset by

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