Herbal Home Remedies by Rosewillow

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Greetings & Bright Blessings,

I'm an avid gardener and herbalist. I am certified in Aromatherapy and love making all kinds of crafty concoctions in the kitchen. I also write a monthly article for the Heartland Newsletter called "RoseWillows Garden". I invite you to read any of my articles on herbs. I love being a green witch and sharing crafts that are economically friendly and useful to the home and hearth or the craft.

I thought I would start out by sharing just a couple of herbal home remedies.I also would love to read some of the herbal crafts or recipes that each of you do with the herbs that you grow.

Acne Cleanser

1/2C part rose water
1/2C part lime juice

Put some roses in some warm water (do not boil) until they fragrant the water. Put the rose water in a measuring cup. It's best to use only 1/2 cup and bottle the rest of the rose water. Then add the same measured amount of lime juice (You can get it in the vegetable section of your local grocer) and mix together and then bottle it.

Apply the liquid to a freshly cleansed face with cotton and allow it to dry for 30 minutes. Then rinse! If you have acne problems this remedy will help dry and heal your skin.

Deep Hair conditioner

Add 1 egg to 1/4 hanna and mix. Apply to hair and cover head for 30 minutes.

Sage & Lavender Wands

Sage & Lavender wands are super easy to grow and create for cleansing your sacred space. Simply snip off several stems from your sage & lavender plants. Don't worry, it wont hurt them. It's like pruning or in comparison to getting a hair cut. It's actually good for them to be cut back and promotes new growth. Their energy within the plants can concentrate on the new growth and make your plants healthier. Leave a token for your plants, especially if you are using it for magickal purposes and tell them thank you.

Then hang the sage & lavender to dry out naturally. After they are completely dry intertwine the two different plants stems as if you are braiding hair. Wrap a medium weight thread from the bottom to the top of the braided sage & lavender and tie it off at the bottom.

Cleanse & consecrate for magical purposes.

[Catt Brenton]

Great timing, this is when I start thinking about making Yule gifts. I collect pretty jars, bottles and baskets all year long to put up my gifts in. Here are a couple of herbal gifts I've made in the past.

VICTORIAN FACIAL SCRUB

1 cup dried rose petals
1 cup dried lavender
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped almonds
6 drops chamomile essential oil

Grind herbs, oatmeal and almonds in a blender or food processor until very fine. Stir in essential oil and pack in decorative four-ounce glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Attach the following instructions on a gift tag:

Rub a handful of the scrub gently into damp skin using small, circular motions. Allow it to dry on the skin for a minute or so, then rinse well.

HERBAL VINEGARS

Herbal vinegars are so easy to make and when placed in a fancy bottle are as decorative as they are tasty. You can use a single herb or a combination of herbs for a signature vinegar.

1 cup fresh herbs, such as tarragon, chives, basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, garlic or lavender
1 quart cider, white wine or red wine vinegar

Bruise herbs slightly and place in a glass or ceramic bowl; set aside. Bring vinegar to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over herbs. Cover and steep overnight. Strain mixture and discard herbs. Pour into sterilized bottles with fresh herb sprigs and cap or cork tightly. Makes four 8-ounce bottles.