First, let me say to all those of you who bought up all the available hand sanitizer – SHAME ON YOU! You are despicable human beings. You should immediately donate all your hoard to those who are most in need. Seriously!
Ok, so that’s out of my system (mostly). We all know that nothing beats proper handwashing with good ol’ soap and water, but hand sanitizer is good in a pinch. The CDC recommends hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. The recipe below was shared by PennHerb.com and Lisa Taormino. My only change was to add Thieves Oil instead of the other oils, but if you don’t have Thieves, use the below. The key is using alcohol that is at least 60% or higher. When I made this I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency and the ease of putting it all together. And I used a small squeeze bottle (much like a travel-size Purell bottle) instead of a spray bottle.
Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer
Lisa Taormino RN, BSN, ASN, BS
If you’re running into empty shelves when you go shopping for hand sanitizers, don’t panic, just make your own. When you know you won’t be able to access soap and water, whip up a batch ahead of time to spray hands and surfaces.
What you will need: Bowl, spoon, spray bottle container.
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup 60-99% rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol)
- 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
- 8 to 10 drops essential oil (optional)
Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon, Rosemary, and Tea tree are great options.
Nothing could be easier! Simply mix the ingredients together and then pour them into the bottle. Screw the lid onto the bottle and you’re ready to go!
Remember, washing your hands with soap and water is best, but this is great for while you’re away from running water.
I don’t know about you, but I am truly worried about this pandemic! I think even herbalists will worry. There is still so much that we don’t know about the virus and the symptoms. I was looking at the official information on the CDC website and the symptoms seem just like a cold or flu. So, how on earth are we supposed to tell the difference?
We aren’t. That’s not our job. Our job is to listen to authorities, to not cause more problems, and to practice common sense.
If you suspect you have Covid-19, and the symptoms aren’t too bad, stay home. Self-quarantine. Tell anyone you’ve been in contact with. For more information please visit the CDC official site. If you are unsure or have questions, call your doctor. Stay safe. Stay Home. WASH YOUR HANDS!
You got this…
In my yard, a beautiful weed has popped up, White Snakeroot. It got abundant white flower clusters all over and looks just gorgeous! Curious, I began to research it to see if I should harvest.
White Snakeroot, of the Asteraceae family, is native to the Eastern and Central regions of North America. Its properties include: diaphoretic, diuretic, feberfuge, stimulent, tonic. Topically it was used by Native Americans as a remedy for snake bite (hence the name).
But what I also found out, this plant is responsible for the Milk Sickness that killed countless early settlers – perhaps including Abraham Lincoln’s mother! When the cows eat this, the tremetol contained in the plant gets into the milk and in high enough doses it’s toxic. It causes “staggers” in cows and can kill them too.
Apparently this is not as much as issue these days because of the volumes of milk, any tremetol in the milk is diluted to a safe level.
So, for my purposes this goes into my Not Usefull Weeds Category and I won’t harvest it. But I won’t stop looking at how gorgeous it is!
Grey Field Speedwell (Veronica polita)
Speedwell, Image by PollyDot from Pixabay 
Grey Field Speedwell Photo by Kathy McCabe
This is an amazing little herb that is part of the plantain family. It can be used for rheumatism, coughs, and as an expectorant. Its good for skin conditions and can combine freely with plantain in wound/rash healing. It is rich in vitamins, tannins and the glycoside aucubin which has anti-inflammatory, diuretic and liver protective actions.
Grey Field Speedwell is full of vitamins and tannins. The speedwell (Veronica) species are used as a diuretic, for wound healing, rheumatism, diaphoretic (sweat inducing), diuretic, antioxidant, antimicrobial.
Modern studies are delving into the vast properties of the over 200 species of the Veronica plants – particularly for more glycoside properties as well as antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, also for use in food preservation and pharmacological industries.
It has a somewhat sweet flavor and can be eaten raw, tossed in salads and cooked with other greens.
Harvest and dry for teas after the growing season or infuse in oil with plantain for a skin healing salve.
Use the young leaves and stems in salads or with other greens.
Feverfew (tanaceum parthenium)
Although there has been extensive research about the benefits of feverfew for migraines, I thought I’d share my own – real world – observations.
Feverfew is a gorgeous little shrub that is closely related to chamomile and tansy. It can grow to about 3 feet in height and readily reseeds. It is a perennial and features a white daisy-like flower with what seems (to me) a popped-out sort of rounded button center.
Nicolas Culpeper once touted feverfew as a women’s herb, saying that it is a great strengthener of the womb., Culpeper wrote The English Physitian – also known as Culpeper’s Complete Herbal – in 1652, and much more is known about this herb now.
Feverfew is mainly known for its headache reducing and migraine prevention properties. Taken daily it can lessen the frequency of migraines, as well as taken at the first sign of the migraine can help to stop it. For tension headaches I have found a tea/infusion made of feverfew with chamomile to be very useful. Tincture:10-15 drops daily for long-term prevention; Tincture: 5-10 drops with chamomile tincture (20 drops) is my go-to for headaches and for when a migraine hits. For an infusion: 1 part dried chamomile, ½ part dried feverfew, infuse (steep) with freshly boiled water, and cover the mug, for 10-15 minutes. Sweeten with honey, or sugar or stevia as desired. Drink up to three times daily for tension headaches.
An infusion of feverfew with willow bark may help reduce fevers and you can use feverfew in conjunction with St. Johns wort and comfrey in an infusion to help ease inflamed joints.
Creating a tincture using the folk method is extremely easy but I think the following article is highly beneficial. This is from The Herbal Academy: (https://theherbalacademy.com/how-to-make-a-tincture/)
Cautions: Avoid feverfew if you are taking blood thinners, or if you are pregnant. Use caution when eating fresh leaves as they have been known to cause mouth sores.
How to Make a Tincture
1. Remove the fresh or dried herbs off of the stalks. If using freshly dug roots, wash and scrub them of dirt.
2. Chop fresh herbs and grind dried herbs to increase the surface area for the maceration. Place herbs into a clean, dry jar with a wide mouth.
3. Pour high proof alcohol (vodka or brandy) over the herbs until the alcohol level is an inch above the top of the herbs. Dry herbs may absorb the liquid, so check and add alcohol as needed.
4. Cover tightly with a lid and place the jar in a dark cupboard and allow to soak or macerate for 4-6 weeks.
5. During this time period, give the jar a shake every 2-3 days. Keep an eye on the alcohol level to ensure all your herbs are still covered.
6. Once macerating is complete, layer cheesecloth a few times over top of a clean bowl and secure with rubber band if possible.
7. Strain the mixture through the cheesecloth and with clean hands, gather the cloth up and squeeze strongly so every bit of possible liquid is drained from the herbs.
8. Allow material to settle overnight and strain again, or decant, through a smaller filter such as filter paper or a thin wire screen.
9. Use a funnel to transfer into labeled, amber bottles and store out of the light.
An alcohol based tincture will last many years. Using a standard sized dropper bottle, adult dosages are typically 30 to 60 drops in a little water, taken three times a day. However, drop size can be variable depending on the viscosity of the preparation and the dropper size, so if you prefer more precision in your dosage you can consult a reputable publication like Medical Herbalism by David Hoffman.
Learning how to make a tincture is just one of the first things beginners learn in herbalism. If you are interested in studying herbalism, start your journey in the Online Introductory Herbal Course or the Online Intermediate Herbal Course. Learn more about herbs and how to use them as medicine and as food!
REFERENCES
Cech, Richo. (2000) Making Plant Medicine. Williams, OR: Horizon Herbs
Gladstar, Rosemary. (2012) Medicinal Herbs: A Beginners Guide. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.
Herbal Academy of New England. (2013) Herbal First Aid, Herbal Academy of New England’s Medicine Making Handbook
Another great find in my yard – Yellow Wood Sorrell (Oxalis stricta). Also known as Yellow Wood Sorrell or Creeping Yellow Sorrell, or Sour Grass
This is another weed that is edible and good for you. Yellow wood sorrel has a slightly sour-lemony taste that promotes saliva production which can be good for the gums and good for your digestive tract. The sour taste promotes bile production which is necessary for healthy functioning digestion. It is a mild fever reducer and an awesome thirst quencher. Every aerial part is edible, leaves, flowers, and pods – which resemble tiny okra!
It is rich in Vitamin C and was used historically to treat scurvy, fevers, mouth sores, nausea, sore throats, and urinary infections. Its actions include febrifuge, diuretic, astringent, catalytic.
It’s a cheerful plant (in my opinion) and plays well with other useful weeds such as purple dead nettle and chickweed.
You can add yellow wood sorrel to soups, sauces, eat it raw in salads, or dry it and use it as a slightly lemon tasting seasoning. Cooled or chilled yellow wood sorrel tea sweetened with honey is a delight.
One caution: Yellow Wood Sorrel produces Oxalic acid which can cause problems when taken in large quantities as it inhibits calcium absorption, and if taken in moderate amounts it shouldn’t cause problems for people suffering from gout, rheumatism, or kidney stones.
Those little pods also perform a spectacular show by ejecting the seeds when ripe in what is called explosive dehiscence (made me laugh!).
Harvest by simply pulling it out by the roots, then cut off the roots, wash and enjoy.
Wood sorrel tea
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon fresh wood sorrel leaves, flowers, and/or seed pods
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Boil water, pour over fresh wood sorrel, and let steep for up to a half-hour. Strain, sweeten to taste, and enjoy! Recipe by https://www.wildedible.com/wild-food-guide/wood-sorrel#wood-sorrel-tea
Chickweed is a creeping weed that features a ten-pointed white star-like flower and deep green small leaves in clusters. It’s low to the ground and enjoys hanging with purple dead nettle and yellow wood sorrel.
Chickweed may be considered a weed, but it is especially useful and edible with many benefits. It is a wonder for skin conditions, eases itching considerably, you can use it as a poultice directly on the skin or in an infusion and wrap the affected area with a compress soaked in the infusion. Create an infused oil by steeping chickweed (all aerial parts) in olive oil – I prefer grapeseed oil for its neutral odor – for a few hours in the oven on the lowest setting or a couple of weeks in a mason jar in your sunniest window. Strain and use as an oil or go a step further and create a salve with beeswax. Apply as needed. It can be particularly useful for psoriasis, lesions, acne, eczema, insect bites, and rashes.
As good as chickweed is for your skin – its also good for the inside of our bodies. Its rich in Vitamins A, D, B complex and C. Its packed with potassium, copper, iron, zinc, and calcium. Medicinally, chickweed is an anti-inflammatory when applied topically, a mild laxative (when taken in larger amounts) and is soothing to the digestive track when taken internally.
A great source of vitamins and minerals in salads, or even a pesto made from the herb with garlic and olive oil.
I prefer using dried herbs in tinctures, but alcohol really brings out the properties of fresh chickweed. If you want to tincture or create a salve, allow the chickweed to wilt for a couple days to bring out much of the moisture content to prevent spoilage.
So the next time you come across chickweed don’t throw it away – – Bring it to me!!! 😊
Chickweed Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh chickweed (washed and roots removed)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- juice from 1 lime
- lime zest (if desired)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (toasted)
Instructions
- Place everything for this chickweed pesto recipe (except the olive oil) into a blender or food processor. Blend until it turns into a puree, but on the chunky side.
- Slowly add the olive oil.
- Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
- Serve on crackers or crostini.
Notes
This chickweed pesto recipe will keep overnight but may separate a bit. Stir well before serving. Recipe from https://www.diynatural.com/chickweed-pesto/#wprm-recipe-container-27504
Consultation
Consultations Available
If you're interested in a consultation for your particular issue, please fill out our intake form and make an appointment on our Schedule Page.
Questions?
Social Media
