Herbal Remedies

Here are a few concoctions that I make for my medicine cabinet. If you are going to follow any of these, please make sure that you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Everyone is different and common sense must prevail. These are some of the things that have worked for me but I use them as a prevention rather than an ultimate cure. That's what your GP is for.
You won't find most of the ingredients growing wild but you will certainly find some of them. Things like Lavender, Chamomile and Calendula, I have growing in my garden. Rose hips and Elderberries are all over the place in the wilds so you wont run out of them as long as you pick and make your potions whilst they are in season. Aloe Vera, I have two plants in my house and they continue to grow even though I nip bits off to extract the juice. You can take cuttings just the same as any other plant and grow new ones.
It's easy enough to mix your potions and stock your medicine cupboard at the same time as you are cooking with them.
Some of these potions are probably just placebo's but they have the desired effect on me so I don't care. If I can trigger my mind into healing me by using the odd herb, well that's all good by me.


For the lip balms I save empty lip salve tubes. My niece buys cherry flavour and all sorts of sweet versions so I get them from her once she has eaten the contents.

Aloe Vera Lip Salve
1 tsp Aloe Vera gel
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp Vaseline

Put the ingredients in a container and warm them until they melt. Stir them all together and then put into the empty container to set. Sometimes they stick to the side but generally not.

Chamomile and Honey Lip Balm
4 tbsp of Almond oil
1 tbsp beeswax
1 tsp honey
5 drops of chamomile essential oil
10 drops of neroli essential oil

Warm the almond oil and beeswax until it melts, add the honey and stir it in. Add the chamomile and neroli and stir well. Leave to cool but go back and stir it now again otherwise it splits.
Before it sets completely, fill one of your lip salve tubes to pop in your handbag and the rest of it goes into an old hand or face cream jar. I use my empty Atrixo tubs.

Calendula For Itchy or Tired Eyes
This one came from my early days of hay fever suffering. The district nurse used to come round every morning before school and give me injections and tablets before I was allowed out of the house. My Auntie Em used to simply put her Calendula mix on my eyes and rub my head :)

250ml of boiling water
2 tablespoons of dried calendula
If you don't have any calendula growing in your garden you can just use calendula tea

Let it cool a bit and whilst still warm dip a cotton ball in the tea. squeeze it out a little and plonk it over your eyes. (eyes closed of course)

Elderberry Cordial
Great for fighting off colds and it keeps for ever.Well, a long long time anyway.

1. Put your Elderberries in a pan with enough water to just cover them.
2. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. When its ready, strain it through muslin. You don't have to be as finicky as when you make apple jelly so squeeze squeeze squeeze and get all the juice out. Waste not want not.
4. For each pint of juice you get, add a pound sugar and 6 or 7 cloves.
5. Put it back into the pan and boil for 10 minutes.
6. Once it has cooled pour the mixture into bottles and store ready for when you feel a cold coming on

Rose hip Syrup
This is another cold and flu recipe. My recipe is a bit adhoc because I have never weighed the ingredients but here's how I do it. It all depends on how many hips I collect.

1. Chop all the rose hips in half. (if you want to pop them in the food processor go ahead but don't turn them to mush and make sure that you get all the hairs out of the blender when you have finished or you will be finding the damn things in your pastry for weeks after.)
2. Put them in a pan, bring slowly to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. As I mentioned I don't have measurements. Basically if the rose hips come halfway up the pan I add water to 3/4 of the way up the pan.
3. When they break down and start to turn mushy, strain the juice into a bowl and put to one side.
4. Put the rose hips back into the pan, pour on just enough boiling water to cover them
5. Strain them again and then add the juice to the first lot that you strained and pour into a clean pan
6. Boil gently until it reduces to a syrup. It's down to personal choice how syrupy you want it.
7. If you want it sweet, add a handful of sugar whilst you are boiling it or add a spoonful of honey and stir that in
8. And that's it. Bottle it and store away

Candied Ginger
I thought I would add this one because I am making candied citrus peel this weekend and I will do the Ginger remedy whilst I am at it. Other than being good to suck on when you feel sick, it does actually taste nice.

1. Take one finger of ginger root, peel and then slice into pieces around 2" long 1/4" wide and the same thickness as orange peel.
2. Put 4 cups of water in a pan and bring to the boil
3. Add 2 cups of sugar and stir in until it has dissolved, boil for another 5 minutes or so and then add the ginger
4. Turn the heat right down until you have bubbles, just breaking the surface. Give it a final stir and then leave it for around an hour and a half to two hours
5. The liquid needs to reduce right down to the point that you worry that if you leave it any longer you will need a new pan. Be brave little one. be brave. hee hee
6. Turn your oven onto max, put a baking tray in and heat it up for 10 minutes
7. Tip the contents of the pan into a sieve and drain.
8. Get a bowl of sugar, drop the ginger into it and coat with sugar.
9. Next, spread the ginger pieces out onto your baking tray, turn the oven off and close the door.
10. Leave the ginger in the oven until they are dry but keep checking every so often to make sure that they don't cook. You just want to dry them out.
11. When they are ready, leave them to cool thoroughly and then put them in a sealed jar ready for use.

Bicarbonate of Soda

First of all I had better say that Bicarb is also called Baking Soda but don't confuse it with Baking Powder because that just wont work. It doesn't have enough bicarb in it. You need Soda. As a general rule the supermarkets only sell the small tubs which isn't much use to people like us. Try to find your local Asian supermarket or Cash and Carry and buy from there. Asian markets are generally less expensive though.

I will stay away from the usual toothpaste and cleaning recipes and hopefully give you a few new uses for this wonderful stuff that I have picked up over the years.
Alrighty then here we go with a few good Bicarb uses.

Water softener
Half a cup straight into the bath before you run the water. This is also good to help prevent nappy rash. If you want to have a relaxing soak and detox at the same time add half a cup of coarse salt to the bath as well.

Bath Bombs
3 parts bicarb
1 part citric acid powder
2 drops of base oil such as almond oil
2 or 3 drops of essential oil

Mix the bicarb and citric powders together.
Mix the oils together
Add the oils to the powder a little at a time until the mix gets crumbly (like a pastry mix  before you add the water)
Form the mix into balls and put them into an egg box. Close the box and stick some sellotape on to keep it closed. If you don't close the box you will end up with 'bath bomb leakage' and it will all stick together. Leave it for a couple of days until it is completely dry. In the past I have used those plastic balls that you get from those crane machine things in the amusement arcades, or Kinder egg containers. They work better than egg boxes. If you want to add colour to the bombs, for gods sake don't use turmeric unless you want a horrible LA Tan for a few days.
You can add fresh herbs or Lavender flowers if you don't mind them floating in your bath with you.

Dry Skin
Mix bicarb and olive oil in a bowl until it turns into a paste. Try and get it to the same consistency as a thick yoghurt and then massage it gently into your dry spots for a few seconds. Don't try to rub it in, you just need to let it lay on the surface. Leave it for five minutes and then rinse it off with warm water. You will be surprised how well it works
It also works well to soften your hands. Half fill your washing up bowl with hot water and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of bicarb. Soak your hands (or feet for 15/20 minutes, pat them dry and apply hand cream whilst they are still damp.

Deodorant
Yep, dust your sweaty armpits with bicarb and those coffee smelling pits will be fumigated in no time at all.

Skin Rash
It works the same way as crushed Aspirin on the bikini line girls but we are aiming for a solution rather than a paste this time. Mix half a teaspoon of bicarb in a glass of water and dab it on with a cotton wipe

Removing Splinters
Mix with water to form a thickish paste, apply to the area where the splinter is and cover with a plaster for a couple of hours. It draws the splinter out and fights infection at the same time

Warts
Put a few drops of vinegar onto the wart before sprinkling bicarb over. Leave it on whilst you watch Corrie and then wipe it off. Repeat until the wart has gone.

Sherbert Fountain
Remember those?

2oz icing Sugar
3/4 teaspoon bicarb
3/4 teaspoon of citric acid powder
Mix it all together thoroughly and you have your very own Sherbert Dip


Magic Trick For the Kids
Okay I can't actually remember the quantities for this one so you will need to experiment first. Pour a little bit of vinegar into a plastic bottle (Evian size bottle)
Put a couple of tablespoons of bicarb into the balloon.
When you are ready to perform the trick, pull the end of the balloon over the neck of the bottle and let the bicarb drop into the bottle. You may want to cover the bottle with the palms of your hands so that the kids cant see the bicarb falling into the vinegar.
Give the bottle a little shake and utter the immortal word "Abracadabra" and watch the balloon inflate
Don't forget to hold the neck of the bottle firmly or you will have fizzy stuff everywhere.

Have Fun

Tea Tips

1. Compost - Throw your used tea bags and tea leaves into your compost bin to help break down the other stuff in there.
2. Treat Minor Burns - Cool wet tea bags applied to the skin helps to ease the pain and remove the sting from minor burns such as when you catch yourself with the iron, sun burn, etc
3. Hair Conditioner - To give a natural shine to dry hair, use a litre of warm, unsweetened tea as a final rinse after your regular shampoo
4. Dry Poison Ivy Rash - Dry a weepy poison ivy rash with strongly brewed tea. Simply dip a cotton ball into the tea, dab it on the affected area, and let it air-dry. Repeat as needed
5. Cleaner - Freshly brewed tea is great for cleaning wood furniture and floors. Just boil a couple of tea bags in a litre of water and let it cool. Dip a soft cloth in the tea, wring out the excess, and use it to wipe away dirt and grime. Buff dry with a clean, soft cloth
6. Mouth Wash — Tea and tealeaves are naturally antimicrobial and are shown to improve microflora in the oral cavity. That means that they kill off germs that cause bad breath and plaque. Also, they contain fluoride, which helps maintain enamel. (White and green teas are best for fighting bacteria, while Oolong is best for fluoride.) You can use unused brewed tea or a brew made with used leaves to rinse after brushing. It’s OK to use a naturally flavored tea (like Earl Grey), but be sure not to add any cream or sugar!
7. Mild Antiseptic — In Japan, people traditionally used houjicha-soaked cloths as baby wipes. It is said to keep babies’ skin not only clean, but soft. Some people also apply moist tealeaves to their minor cuts to prevent infection. I would not recommend using a flavored or scented tea for this purpose unless you know what is in it and what it will do
8. Tea Bath - Tea leaves can make a wonderfully refreshing bath. They contain an enormous amount of nutrients, but only a small percent of these nutrients are removed by the first infusion. A portion of the remaining nutrients can be absorbed into your skin. Just add a few used teabags (or a few teaspoons of used tea leaves in a thin cotton bag) to the water as you draw your bath. Regular, scented or flavoured teas can be used
9. Eye Treatment - Using teabags (or loose-leaf tea in thin cotton bags) as an eye treatment (like you would use slices of cucumber) provides antioxidants to delicate skin and helps it to recover from environmental and biological factors like pollution and stress
10. Foot Odour - This is the least savoury of the health and beauty uses, but apparently it really works. Used tea leaves can be brewed into a strong tea, which can be used to soak the feet. Yay for antimicrobial properties
11. Odour Eater - Place a teabag or cotton bag full of dry leaves in your trash bin, fridge, bathroom, gym shoes or wherever else there’s an unpleasant odour or excess moisture
12. Wooden Cutting Boards - Spread wet (unscented, unflavoured) tea leaves over the cutting board to remove strong smells such as garlic. Let them sit for a few minutes, rub them into the wood and rinse them off with warm water. If necessary, repeat the process, but this usually works on the first try
13. Potpourri - Fill a large saucepan with water. Add cloves, cinnamon and used tea leaves (in the winter) or citrus rinds and used tea leaves (in the summer). Flavorred, scented or regular tea leaves work well. Just be sure the scents don’t clash. Simmer on low and check on it every hour or so — don’t leave it unattended. Add water or make a new mix as needed
14. Cat Litter - Tea leaves serve a dual purpose with cat litter. They deodorize and they’re antimicrobial. Just scatter into the cat box
15. Mirrors - For streak-free, shiny mirrors without an ammonia smell or weird chemicals involved, clean your mirrors with tea leaves. Put damp tea leaves onto a soft cotton cloth, wipe them onto your mirrors, leave them there for a minute and wipe them off with the cloth. Buff the mirrors a bit with the cloth if you’d like, then look yourself in the eye and congratulate yourself on a job well done
16. Rust Prevention - The tannin in tea binds to iron, creating a thin, rust-protective coating. Black tea is highest in tannins, so it’s best for this use. You can use it for steel knives, iron pots and even that Modernist steel sculpture looming in the foyer. Just wipe on, leave for a minute, and wipe off. Repeat as needed. (The more wear the item gets, the more often you need to repeat

Egg Shells

Treat Skin Irritations
Dissolve an eggshell in a small jar of apple cider vinegar (takes about two days) and use the mixture to treat minor skin irritations and itchy skin.

Tonic
Powder the eggshell to a fine powder and take 1/4 tea spoon a day for 400 mgs of calcium.Oh and don’t forget you need to add some lemon juice to the mixture.

Eco-friendly Household Abrasive
Shake crushed eggshells and a little soapy water to scour hard-to-clean items like thermoses and vases. Crushed eggshells can also be used as a nontoxic abrasive on pots and pans.

Grow Moss on your plant pots and stuff
 Mix existing moss with powdered milk and egg shells, grind it all up and paint it wherever you want the moss to take hold. Apparently moss loves calcium so the egg shells and milk activate it.

Feed Your Plants
Dry the egg shells, grind them to powder and store in tins or jars.
When planting calcium loving plants, add some of your egg shell powder to the hole around the roots.

Kind thanks to RecycleThis.co.uk and their commenter's for the tips above

How to Make Eggshell Sidewalk Chalk
This chalk is for drawing on sidewalks only, not for chalkboards.
You will need:

• The shells of 6 eggs
• 1 tsp very hot water from the tap
• 1 tsp flour

Wash the eggshells well, so they don't have any egg left in them. Dry them and grind them with a rock on the sidewalk or other concrete surface. Make sure the rock you're using for grinding is clean so you don't get dirt ground in with the eggshells. Grind the eggshells into a fine powder. You'll need one soup spoonful of this powder to make a stick of chalk. When you have enough powder to make a stick of chalk, sift or pick out any little bits of eggshell that are still not ground up and throw them away. Scoop the powder into a cup or paper towel and bring it into the house for the next part.
Stir the flour and hot water together in a small dish to make a paste. Put the soupspoonful of eggshell powder into the paste and mix well. It may help to mash it with the back of the spoon. Add a few drops of food colouring if you want coloured chalk.
Shape this mixture into a chalk stick. Then roll it up in a strip of paper towel and set aside to dry. (Drying takes about three days.) Then just peel the paper off one end and you're ready for some sidewalk art.
For really big sticks of chalk, try making 3 times this recipe, and stuff the mixture into an old toilet paper tube. When it's dry, you can peel away the cardboard as you use it

Thanks to MakeStuff.com for this one

In The Bathroom

Sick of cleaning up after hubby Ladies? Paint some clear nail varnish on the bottom of his shaving foam can to stop the rust rings.

Supermarket own brand 1 Litre bottles of cola are excellent loo cleaners. Tip the whole bottle in and leave for a couple of hours before flushing.

Remove Lime scale from around the taps with vinegar. Pour some into a polythene bag and put the bag over the end of the tap so that it is submerged in the vinegar. Use a rubber band to hold it in place.

Use car polish on your tiles after cleaning them. The water runs straight off and doesn't leave marks

Removing Grease From The Stove

Don't you hate wiping off the acky, horrible grease from your cooker?
Don't do it.
Sprinkle washing powder over the mess and leave it for an hour whilst you go shopping. When you come back, it will have soaked into the powder and is easy to remove with kitchen towel.

Dog Hair

Being the owner of two Border collies and going through vaccum cleaners like they are going out of fashion was a nightmare for me. Until I discovered this handy little tip for removing dog hair from carpets and furniture.
All you need is a pair of Marigolds. It's so quick and easy and you will be surprised how much dog hair used to remain on your carpet even after a good hoovering.
Simply put the gloves on and wipe your hand across the carpet or furniture and al the hair gathers into a pile that you can pick up and bag. I can do a whole room in 10 minutes flat.
But don't throw it in the bin when you have finished. Put it into your compost bin along with shredded paper.