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Rosemary| rosmarinus officinalis

Rosemary for Health: how to use Rosemary for herbal healing

On October 19, 2012, in Cooking Herbs, Healing Herbs, by admin
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Rosemary for Herbal Healing

We all know Rosemary is a great herb for adding flavor and aroma to our favorite foods, but did you also know that Rosemary is a very useful herb to keep as part of your herbal medicine cabinet? That’s right -Rosemary is a great healing herb that has many qualities you may turn to in a time of ill health. It is also thought by many that a diet which includes regular use of Rosemary also helps prevent many health issues in the first place.

Rosemary description:

If you have never seen Rosemary growing, you may not know what it looks like in the wild, or even in your own garden. Most people are used to seeing Rosemary in its dried form, already broken off the plant, or a twig with several Rosemary leaves on it (this is typically how you would find it in the grocery store).

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Herbal tincture making tips: how to make herb tinctures

On October 6, 2012, in Healing Herbs, Tinctures, by admin
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Herbal Tinctures

Making an herbal tincture is an easy process once you have the proper set of instructions and some basic tools of the herbalists kitchen. Once you have learned the different methods of making an herbal tincture, you will be able to whip up a tincture to treat many conditions with many different herbs to choose from.

First decide what type of tincture you would like to make. This is going to involve not only choosing the herb you would like to use, but also choosing the wanted infusion method (hot or cold infusion), as well as the type of solvent or liquid to use for the tincture infusion process.

What kind of Herbal Tincture?

First choose what type of herbs you would like to make your tincture out of. Since there are literally thousands of herbs out there, you will have to do some homework and decide which herbs are right for your needs, and of course whether or not that herb is tincture friendly (makes a good tincture).

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Lavender Herb plant: worlds most useful herb – lavandula angustifolia

On July 24, 2012, in Healing Herbs, by admin
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 Lavender: lavandula angustifolia

Lavender is one of the most well-known, and most widely used herbs. Dating back over 2500 years, it has been mentioned all throughout history, and even in the bible, though by a different name (spikenard).

It is said that lavender – gets it’s name from the Latin word “lavare” – which means “to wash”. This would make sense, seeing that many varieties of lavender contain antiseptic properties that would make it a great addition to a household cleaning concoction. Plus, lavender smells great and even helps to repel many insects.

Medicinally, lavender has internal and external uses. This means it is a very versatile herb that you can get much benefit from, if you learn to use it. Over the years, lavender has been used for everything from stress, headaches, rheumatism, depression and muscle spasms. Many varieties of lavender are also great for aiding in the healing of burns and overexposure to the sun.

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Growing Basil for the Herb Garden

On July 23, 2012, in Cooking Herbs, Healing Herbs, by admin
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Growing Basil in the Herb Garden

Most all varieties of basil can be sown directly into the soil after the last spring frost date. The preferred method for many growers however,  is to start the seeds indoors around 6 weeks before that date and then transfer them outside after the frost has past. This not only provides bigger plants earlier, but it will also ensure that you have fresh basil to harvest a little earlier in the year as well.

Basil smells great inside the home especially lemon and other fragrant varieties. I recommend keeping a back-up container, planted indoors, so that you will always have it close by. Not only will this make cooking more fun, but basil is also said to ward-off mosquitoes.

Can you think of a tastier way of keeping those blood-suckers away?

Plant basil in full-sun…whenever possible, try to give it as much sun as you can. They will do alright in partial shade, but if you plant them in full-sun, you will be rewarded greatly. Of course this depends on your area. If you live in an extremely hot area, providing a little shade is not a bad idea, and may be beneficial.

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What is an herbal tincture?

On March 2, 2012, in Herbal Preparations, Tinctures, by admin
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An herbal tincture is a liquid extract of a particular herb, or combination of herbs, most commonly made in an alcohol such as 151 proof Rum, or a similar consumable commercial alcohol.

Another type of tincture is made with glycerin, instead of alcohol, and will be talked about later. For people who have problems with alcohol as an ingredient, please consider a glycerin tincture instead. Also, tinctures made with distilled water or white vinegar, may be used in some instances.

Herbal Tincture

Alcohol tinctures are preferred as many constituents in the herbs may not be water-soluble, and may not become infused into a water based tincture. Alcohol on the other hand will break down and collect many of the beneficial properties, and capture them for use.

By extracting the medical properties of the herbs into the alcohol, the user then has a convenient way to use their favorite herbal remedy, even while away from home.

Many herbal tinctures may be made and stored in brown glass bottles with droppers, so that you may carry them with you, and take a few drops of herbal remedy wherever you happen to be.

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Valeriana officinalis

Valeriana officinalis: common valerian (valerian root)

On February 14, 2012, in Healing Herbs, by admin
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Valeriana officinalis (v. officinalis):

Valeriana officinalis, or common valerian, is part of the valeriana genus of over 150 species of perennials. Valerian is a very nice looking plant, with dense clusters of small, white-pink flowers and grows up to 5 feet tall in zones 4-7, nearly world-wide.

The small flowers of the valerian plant are said to have a very strong scent, with a musty undertone that attracts cats (and possibly rats), due in part to a compound called “actinidine”, which is found in the essential oils of valeriana officinalis.

The flavor of all usable parts of valeriana officinalis is described as extremely bitter, requiring the use of a sweetener when taken by tea or infusion.

 Growing Valeriana officinalis/valerian root:

V. officinalis is an easy to grow plant, which requires only moderate attention through the growing season, and may even be grown in containers. It likes to be grown in full-sun, but partial shade will not hurt this herb much, and when planted in a nutrient-rich, well-drained soil, valeriana officinalis will thrive.

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How to make an herbal infusion

On February 13, 2012, in Healing Herbs, by admin
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Herbal infusions are a very common way to treat many conditions at home. As easy to make as an herbal tea, an infusion can be whipped up without much experience, or trouble.

An herbal infusion is a lot like making an herbal tea, with the exception that you steep an infusion longer than a tea, and may use it a little differently too.

Make an herbal infusion:

To make an herbal infusion, first measure out 1 teaspoon of dried herbs, or 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs and place them into your infuser ball or re-usable tea bag. You may also place them directly into your tea-pot for steeping, and filter the herbs out afterwards. Pour hot (almost boiling) water over the herbs, into your tea-pot or infusion pot. Cover and steep your herbs for 20 minutes to make an herbal infusion.

Herbal infusions should be made in small, 1 or 2 day batches, and used while still fresh. Most infusions will last for 3 days when put in the refrigerator, but you will have the best taste and results with a fresh made herbal infusion.

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How to make an herbal tea

On January 31, 2012, in Cooking Herbs, Healing Herbs, by admin
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Making herbal tea is both easy, and fun to do and with a little imagination, you can whip up an arsenal of favorite herbal tea recipes that will have you and all your friends loving your new glass tea-pot.

Herbal teas have been around for possibly as long as time, but certainly since 2737 B.C., it’s first known recorded use by Shennong, who is also known as the “Father of Chinese Medicine”.

Herbal teas can be used as a tasty and refreshing beverage, or medicinally, to help cure/treat many different conditions and symptoms. Over the last 5,000 years or so, there have been many different herbal teas developed for different herbal and medicinal needs.

If you want to start making herbal tea at home, you will need to pick up a few tools of the trade to get you going. If you don’t already have them laying around, you can pick up everything you need on the internet, or your local herb and health food store. Starwest Botanicals has a great line of herbs, botanicals, and accessories for making great tasting tea at home.

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damiana2

Damiana Herb Plant – Turnera diffusa, Mexican Damiana

On January 7, 2012, in Healing Herbs, Intoxicating Herbs, Mojo Herbs, Uncategorized, by admin
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Damiana is a fairly well known herb that goes by many other names. Turnera diffusa, turnera aphrodisia, Mexican damiana, Mexican holly, and damina are all known aliases for this small shrub, that grows naturally in the U.S. in S.W. Texas. Damiana is also found throughout parts of Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Damiana belongs to the family of plants called “Passifloraceae” which includes over 500 tropical species of trees, shrubs and “climbing plants”.

Damiana has been described as a small shrub, with little yellow flowers that bloom throughout the summer, before producing small fruits that many people say have a delicious “fig-like” taste.

The dried and fresh leaves of the damiana plant are used herbally/medically, for a long list of treatments. It is said, that damiana is a natural aphrodisiac, for both men and women, making it a great herb for lovers.

The effects of using Damiana are said to be relaxing to the body/mind, yet stimulating to the libido. A compound in Damiana called “damianin” is said to have very relaxing effect on the CNS (central nervous system).

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cannabis herb plant

Herbal healing and cannabis use as a natural herbal medicine

On December 28, 2011, in Healing Herbs, Intoxicating Herbs, Mojo Herbs, by admin
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Herbology, or herbalism, is a form of medicine based on the use of plants and plant extracts to heal and treat the human body. Herbalism goes by many names, including; herbal healing, herbology, folk medicine, phytotherapy, herblore, botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine and many other nicknames that all mean healing with herbs and plants that contain medically beneficial effects.

Many plants  produce natural compounds that they use to defend themselves from predators in the wild. Some of these compounds are known to have health benefits when used by people and animals in a medical fashion. These natural compounds are often used by us humans to treat illnesses and disease and have been for many years.

Some natural compounds produced by medical plants react with the human body by binding to molecules that act as (and asre known as) receptors, such as the CB1 and CB2 receptors found in the human brain and immune system, which are known as cannabinoid receptors. Cannabinoid receptors in the human body serve 2 main purposes. These are to react with the natural “endocannabinoids” produced by the human body, and to react with the “cannabinoids” produced by the cannabis/marijuana plant. Many plant compounds are thought to react with receptors in the human body in a similar fashion to cannabis and the cannabinoid receptors.

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