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A simple, green, (and foraged) drink for spring cleansing!

March 12, 2012 By 7 Comments

IMG 5813 A simple, green, (and foraged) drink for spring cleansing!

It’s early Spring, and while walking the other day, I found one of my favorite early-spring greens … Clivers!

This plant has lots of names – clivers, cleavers, goosegrass, sticky weed, sticky willy … as the name suggests, it’s sticky.  It’s so sticky, that I’m told kids in the UK like to throw it at each other, and laugh hysterically as it’s stuck to each others clothes?  Hmm.  Do kids today still do this?  Unknown.

Anyway, aside from the obvious amusement of sticking this plant to your friends, it’s one of my absolute favorites for an internal spring cleanse.

Clivers is easy to identify, is traditionally used as a lymphatic cleanser and diruetic, and is a super simple spring cleanse remedy.

How easy?  Just put some clivers in room temperature water and let it sit overnight.  Then drink it.  That’s it.  EASY.

But before you get weirded out by the whole idea, let me explain…

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Hyper-local herbalist: making daisy salve step #1

July 4, 2011 By 15 Comments

 

IMG 3156 Hyper local herbalist: making daisy salve step #1

This is part 1 of a 2 part project.  Find Step #2 here.

If you’re like me, you’re probably into the local food movement.  Eating produce that is in season, finding producers who are nearby rather than having your food shipped halfway around the world.  I’m not perfect, but I try to notice where my food comes from.

But what about beauty and health products? Do you have any idea where or how those are made? I certainly don’t.

I try to use ‘natural’ products.  But even that can mean having a natural product shipped to you from South America or some other far off location.

Today we’re going to do some beginner’s foraging … and start making a super useful product from it: healing salve for bruises and sprains.

In natural health shops, you’ll probably see Arnica creams and salves for healing bruises.  Arnica is brilliant.  But it doesn’t grow in England.

What do we have growing abundantly in England that works just as well?  Daisies.

IMG 3148 300x200 Hyper local herbalist: making daisy salve step #1Daisies are everywhere. And although they’ve fallen out of fashion in the herbal medicine world, daisies were used for centuries as bruise healers.

We’re going to make a daisy salve for bruises.  Salves are one of the easiest herbal remedy preparations to make because it’s just oil and beeswax – no fancy ingredients or equipment.  But this week we’re just going to collect the daisies and start infusing the oil.

If you have kids, this would be a great project to do together.  They’ll enjoy collecting the daisies, and once you have the finished salve, I’m guessing they’re the ones who would use the salve most often for bruises!

If you’re taking part in Vintage Summer Camp, making this oil will get you the foraging badge.

Note: As always, use common sense with this project.  If you or your kids are allergic to the daisy family, this isn’t the project for you!  Always test any of your homemade projects on a small patch of your inner arm and wait 24 hours to see if you have any reaction before proceeding, just in case!

 

You need:

Daisies (just the flower heads)

Oil (I used sweet almond oil, but olive oil or sunflower oil will work well too)

A jar with a lid,  a size that can hold the daisies

 

Method

Collect some daisies!   Ideally two big handfuls, but don’t stress out about it.

IMG 3151 300x200 Hyper local herbalist: making daisy salve step #1

A very small handful of daisies

Back at home, get a clean jar that’s about the same size as your amount of daisies.  Ideally you want the daisies and oil to fill the jar, but again, don’t stress out about this.  Just use whatever jar you have.

IMG 3153 300x200 Hyper local herbalist: making daisy salve step #1

A heaping handful of daisies

Don’t wash the daisies first!!  Any moisture in the jar might lead to mold growing (not good!), so they need to be really dry.  Put the daisies in the jar.  IMG 3156 300x200 Hyper local herbalist: making daisy salve step #1Push down the daisies.  Then pour on enough oil to cover them by about 1/2″ inch.  Cover the jar and leave it in a sunny window for 2 weeks.  It’s really important that the oil covers ALL of the daisies, because if some are exposed to air, they again might grow mold (still not good!).  In this picture below I need to add even more oil to cover the daisies.

IMG 3161 300x200 Hyper local herbalist: making daisy salve step #1

Daisy oil infusing on the windowsill

That’s it!  After 2 weeks, strain out the daisies.  If you’re feeling ambitious and there are more daisies in bloom, you can go collect more daisies and put them into the same oil and infuse for another 2 weeks.  This makes a double-strong oil.  But don’t stress about it.  In an upcoming post I’ll show you how to do the express infusion version over a double boiler in case you don’t want to wait two weeks to finish the project!

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Once you’ve made Daisy Infused Oil, check out the English Daisy Salve recipe here to finish the project!

GirlScouts 2899346014 b24312d224 o 1 Hyper local herbalist: making daisy salve step #1This project will earn you the foraging badge at Vintage Summer Camp.  Summer camp runs until the end of August, come join us!

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10 key herbs to fight the seasonal flu

February 11, 2010 By 2 Comments

IMG 3634 10 key herbs to fight the seasonal flu

Everyone seems to be talking about the flu this year.  With my growing interest in herbal kitchen remedies, I wanted to find some herbs that could be used to help with flu symptoms.   You might want to consider some of these herbs to stock your kitchen apothecary (in addition to your favorite over-the-counter meds, of course!):

  1. Echinacea - start taking this as soon as you feel under-the-weather.  Echinacea stimulates the immune system to help your body fight off the flu.  Take small amounts frequently throughout the day (I take 1ml of tincture in water every 2 hours during the first few days of a cold/flu, then reduce the amount).
  2. Thyme - Thyme is a great remedy for respiratory problems.  I like making a thyme tea (infusion) with fresh or dried thyme leaves, and a little honey and lemon.  Thyme is antiviral and an expectorant.
  3. Licorice / Liquorice – This sweet, soothing root is an expectorant, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral.  Great for respiratory infections.  May raise blood pressure, so do not use if you have high blood pressure!  Nice to add to teas for a sweet flavor.
  4. Garlic - The kitchen-remedy wonder food!  Garlic is antibiotic and antiviral.  Best to eat raw (I know it’s hard, but you can do it!).  Try chopping it up in food, or take with a spoonful of honey or oil.  Also use freely in cooking. Or make some garlic tea by putting garlic, honey and lemon in hot water.
  5. Elderflower & Peppermint tea – Both elderberries and elderflowers are helpful in fighting the flu.  The berries help inhibit the flu virus, while the flowers induce sweating during fevers.  Peppermint is soothing and relaxing, and helps clear congestion.  Can also add Yarrow to this tea blend.
  6. Skullcap - A fantastic, stress-relieving herb that is nourishing to the body after an illness like flu.
  7. Yarrow – Yarrow is anti-inflammatory and sweat inducing, which can help reduce fevers.
  8. Boneset – Traditional use for treating flu.  Induces sweating, reduces fever, and eases body aches.  Apparently also stimulates the immune system.
  9. Astragalus - This Chinese herb can be used long-term to support the immune system. You may want to consider taking it daily during cold/flu season.
  10. Eucalyptus & Pine or lavender & tea tree inhalation – Just put a few drops of the essential oils in a bowl of just-boiled water, lean over it, and cover your head with a towel to contain the steam.  Breath for 5-10 minutes.

You can take most of these herbs in your favorite preparation – infusion/tea, tincture, or pill.  Remember, I’m not a doctor, just someone interested in traditional remedies for common ailments, so check with a doctor or herbalist before trying these.

What other herbal and kitchen remedies do you use for the flu?

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8 simple home remedies for the flu

February 9, 2010 By 2 Comments

SickInBed GEastman Flickr 300x240 8 simple home remedies for the flu

Are you tired of hearing about the flu yet?  I am!  This season we got a double-dose of flu media attention between the seasonal flu and the dreaded H1N1 swine flu.

Unfortunately, given the pervasiveness of the flu this year, there’s a good chance that you or someone you know will catch it at some point.   And it can’t hurt to be prepared! I like to keep some items on hand at all times, just in case I get sick (because I hate running out to do shopping when I’m feeling run-down.)  I always keep some ‘comfort foods’ in the pantry, things that mom gave me when I was sick as a kid (like jello, ramen noodles, boullion cubes and saltine crackers.  OK I know those aren’t organic, sustainable, chemical-free foods,  but they work for me on a psychological level!!).

I also try to keep a supply of homemade chicken soup and chicken broth frozen in individual serving containers in the freezer.  And of course I have a typical medicine cabinet filled with things from the drugstore, but which I try to use as a last resort after my natural remedies.

We can’t cure the flu, only alleviate the symptoms.  So the best medicine is prevention – wash your hands a lot!  (And get some yummy scented hand-lotion to keep them soft and make all this hand-washing less of a chore.)

If you do catch the flu, there are a number of kitchen remedies that can help your body recover.  Many of these remedies are made from common ingredients that you can keep in your pantry year-round.

8 home remedies for the flu

  1. Rest - Ok, this is not technically a kitchen remedy, but warrants being repeated.  If you feel yourself coming down with something, take a day or two to rest and recover.   Give your body the chance to devote all of its energy to your immune system.  Rest seriously works wonders for fending off ailments, especially if done for the first few days of the illness.
  2. Honey, Lemon and Ginger tea. Add a dash of cayenne pepper if you really want to warm your body and sweat it out.
  3. If you have respiratory symptoms with the flu, drink sage or thyme tea.  Make it yourself by putting either a small handful of fresh herb, or 1 tsp of dried leaves (from your spice rack!) to steep in boiling water.  Strain, sweeten with honey, add a squeeze of lemon, and drink frequently.  Sage and thyme are great for respiratory congestion, sage also helps a sore throat.
  4. Herbal Steams – Pour boiling water in a big mixing bowl.  Add a handful of fresh or dried herbs, or some essential oils.  Try sage, thyme, eucalyptus, pine or even tea tree oil.  Lean over the bowl, cover your head with a towel to trap the steam, and breathe for 5-10 minutes.  You shouldn’t steam if you have asthma.
  5. Make Yarrow, Peppermint and Elder tea.
  6. Make Sage Honey.  This is best if done in advance, since the honey gets stronger with time.  Put some chopped fresh sage leaves in a jar and cover with honey.  Take a spoonful every couple of hours to soothe a sore throat.
  7. Drink lots of homemade broths and other nourishing foods.  Broths are excellent during a cold or flu because they are full of nutrients, are warm and soothing, and also provide fluids.  You can also incorporate some astragalus root into the broth, which boosts the immune system.
  8. Eat more garlic and onions.  You might want to add a few cloves of garlic to the broth (above).  Garlic and onions are nature’s antibiotic, and give a big boost to your immune system.  Incorporate them into as much of your food as possible during the flu season.  You can add garlic to your broth or tea, or make a garlic honey (same process as sage honey above).  Just eat as much as you can, as soon as you start feeling run-down.

Remember, I’m not a doctor, just someone who is interested in traditional remedies for better health! Check with your doctor or a qualified herbalist before trying any new remedies on yourself, family or friends.

What other kitchen remedies do you use when you have the flu??

 

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Stop buying expensive tea bags and make your own herbal tea!

February 5, 2010 By 5 Comments

statelibraryqueensland 3961714900 300x207 Stop buying expensive tea bags and make your own herbal tea!Since moving to London, I’ve had tea on the brain.  Browsing through all the fancy tea shops is almost as fun for me as a trip to Sephora*.

In addition to the lovely proper teas, they have a great assortment of herbal teas: peppermint, nettle, raspberry leaf, liquorice. Yum!  Unfortunately herbal tea is a bit of a misnomer.  There’s no tea in these, just herbs.  The proper name for them is herbal infusion.  Call it what you like, but I think we should all have more of them in our daily lives.

If you’re not a fan of herbal tea yet, you might want to give them another try.  They’re caffiene free of course, but more importantly, you get some herbal goodness with every cup.

But the problem with herbal tea bags is that quality herbal teas are expensive!  You can’t customize a pre-made tea bag for your own tastes.  And (if you care about organic/pesticides/or even getting what it says on the tin) you can’t tell what’s inside those little baggies.

I never realized how cheap and easy it is to make your own herbal teas that taste even better than the ones you buy!

Let’s start by making a thyme infusion.  Why thyme?  Well, simply because you probably have it in your spice rack!

Thyme is also tasty, easy to grow, very common, useful in cooking, and has traditional uses to soothe respiratory infections like colds/flus.

How to make Thyme Tea

Ingredients:

  • Thyme (dried or a handful of fresh)
  • A covered container for brewing & straining (I use a french press. You could also use a traditional tea pot, or even a separate container and kitchen strainer)
  • Hot water
  • Mug

How to make Thyme Tea, Instructions.

1) Put some herbs in your brewing container – about 1 tsp dried herbs per cup of water.  For fresh herbs, use more.  Generally this is pretty laissez-faire – try it, if it’s too strong, use less next time.

2) Pour over water that’s just off the boil.

3) Very important – COVER.  You need to cover your brewing container while the herbs are infusing.  This traps all of the volatile oils in the tea, rather than evaporating in the air.

4) Infuse around 5 minutes. (This depends on the herb … if you want medicinal benefits, you may need to steep it longer so look it up in a herb book.)

5) Strain and serve.  Put the left over soggy herbs in the compost.

Mmmm hot fresh herbal infusion.  How does it taste? Well, it tastes like thyme (no big surprise there).   OK, admittedly, it’s not my favorite infusion – but I love it when I have a cold and my throat starts feeling scratchy.  It’s especially good with some honey and a squeeze of fresh lemon!  If thyme’s not your thing, you can try this with almost any herb that you normally eat: sage (also great for cold/flu!), mint (helps digestion), chamomile (relaxing), nettle (wear gloves! very cleansing, the fresh is good in spring/autumn only).  One of my absolute favorites is fresh lemon verbena leaves which I have growing in a pot on my patio!  Once you start making infusions, you’ll see possibilities everywhere.

Have you made your own herbal infusion?  What’s your favorite kind of herbal tea that we could recreate at home?  Would love to hear your experiences.

* If you’re not obsessed with beauty products, Sephora is my favorite beauty store with zillions of products and testers of everything!  Unfortunately it doesn’t exist in the UK, which is saving my wallet quite a bit.

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