Tutorial: How to Make Elderberry Elixir

Every fall, I try to make sure that I make an extra large batch of Elderberry Elixir. Elderberry is a highly medicinal plant and is a go-to herb for many people throughout the cold and flu season. If you’d like to read more about the benefits of Elderberry, you can do that here, here and here.

I’ve made lots of different remedies with Elderberry over the years, but the one I love most is also the easiest: Elderberry Elixir. Following is a quick tutorial on how to make Elderberry Elixir.

Here is what you will need:

Elderberries
Raw Honey
alcohol (brandy or vodka)
clean glass jar with tight fitting lid
stirring spoon or chopstick

Fill your jar 1/3 of the way with dried berries.

Next, fill your jar 1/3 way with honey.

Then fill the rest of the way with alcohol. I didn’t have brandy on hand, which would have been my first choice, so I used vodka.

Use your chopstick or stirrer to release any air bubbles. Add more alcohol to top off if needed.

Place the lid on tightly and label. Keep in a dark, cool place, give your mixture a shake every now and then and your elixir will be ready to strain in 4-6 weeks!

You can add other herbs to this elixir, such as rosehips, cinnamon, ginger, or cloves, if you like. The options are endless!

What is your favorite Elderberry recipe?

September 15, 2015

5 Benefits of Plantain

One of the best herbs for wound healing, Plantain is anti-inflammatory, astringent and anti-microbial.
Plantain is a great expectorant, making it an excellent remedy for coughs and bronchitis.
Because Plantain is not only astringent, but also demulcent, it is a very effective remedy for sinus issues.
Plantain has the remarkable ability to draw slivers, venom, pus and infection from open woulds and heal them from the inside out.
Plantain is also beneficial for any type of inflammatory gut conditions due to its anti-inflammatory, demulcent and astringent qualities.

September 8, 2015

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Evening Primrose Honey

It is harvest time here in the Pacific Northwest for Evening Primrose! I have it blooming all over my garden this year.

I like to harvest various parts of Evening Primrose for the medicinal effects. The flowers, leaves and roots can all be used for medicine making. To add to the variety, different medicine making mediums can be used, depending on the results you are seeking.

I’ve written about the various health benefits of evening primrose here. You can also find out about the different mediums for making herbal medicine here.

My favorite way to make a remedy from Evening Primrose is to make a flower honey. It’s simple, quick and TASTY! Here’s an easy to follow tutorial:

Ingredients:

clean glass jar
raw local honey
freshly picked and wilted Evening Primrose blossoms

Harvest the blossoms of Evening Primrose and let them wilt for 6-24 hours. This allows some of the moisture to evaporate as well as any critters hiding in the petals to leave…

Place in a clean glass jar leaving some headspace.

Pour honey over the petals until the honey covers the herb by about an inch.

Using a chopstick, or similar, make sure the honey covers the flowers completely and there are no air pockets.

Place the lid tightly on the jar and let sit in a dark, col place for a couple of weeks. The flowers may float to the top. If that happens, don’t worry. I like to turn the jar upside down every so often to help make sure all the blossoms are fully coated with honey.

After a couple of weeks, you can start using your Evening Primrose infused honey! I love to use a bit in my tea, or just take it right off the spoon whenever I feel like I may be coming down with a respiratory issue. It’s a great way to soothe yourself to sleep if you’re having trouble dropping off too!

Have you ever made an infused honey? What is your favorite way to use it?

August 26, 2015

Aromatherapy 101 Series – Part 1

With the proliferation of essential oil companies, and especially MLM companies, aromatherapy has become a booming business these days. As a natural health care practitioner, I am excited to see this effective, natural modality becoming so popular.

However, there is a down side as well. With so many people selling, purchasing and using essential oils so casually, education has gone by the wayside and unfortunately there are a large percentage of essential oil users who have only a sales representative’s marketing materials to guide them.

Unfortunately, more and more avoidable injuries and reactions are occurring on a regular basis with this new surge of essential oil enthusiasts. However, with a little bit more information and education, this can be largely averted and the genuine efficacy of aromatherapy can be truly uncovered.

Learn about how to use aromatherapy safely and effectively in my guest post at Hybrid Rasta Mama today.

Head over to read the rest of this post on Hybrid Rasta Mama.

Craft a Natural Home Medicine Kit

~ DIY Facial Spa ~

Steam, Cleanse and Moisturize Your Face all in One Step

August 17, 2015

5 Benefits of Evening Primrose

1. As well as the seed oil, other parts of Evening Primrose are also used medicinally – namely, the leaves, flowers and roots.

2. Evening Primrose is anti-inflammatory, astringent, sedative and anti-spasmodic.

3. Poultices of this herb can be used topically for eczema and other itchy skin disorders.

4. Evening Primrose has been traditionally used for respiratory issues such as whooping cough and asthma as well as digestive disorders.

5. The flowers of Evening Primrose have been used for the treatment of insomnia, in treating anxiety and sleeplessness.

Have you used Evening Primrose herb?

July 27, 2015

Extreme Fatigue? Natural Solutions to Get Your Life Back!

Insomnia.

Adrenal Fatigue.

Chronic Fatigue.

Crashing Fatigue in menopause.

Have you used any of these words to describe how you feel on a regular basis?

When you wake up in the morning do you feel unrefreshed, as if you hadn’t slept at all?

Do you find yourself needing to use stimulants like caffeine, just to make it through the day?…

As a mother of 3 children, who practiced exclusive, extended breast-feeding, ran her own business and went back to school, all at the same time (along with a couple of international household moves), I can tell you that I have experienced plenty of fatigue myself! I can also tell you that there is a way out!…

Learn about natural solutions to extreme fatigue in my guest post at Hybrid Rasta Mama today.

Head over to read the rest of this post on Hybrid Rasta Mama.

Craft a Natural Home Medicine Kit

Homeopathic Emergency Kit

~ DIY Facial Spa ~

Steam, Cleanse and Moisturize Your Face all in One Step

July 14, 2015

How to Make St John’s Wort Oil

St John’s Wort is blooming all over the Cascade Range valleys right now and it’s the perfect time to harvest some of this medicinal powerhouse herb!

I harvest fresh St John’s Wort blossoms every year and make infused oil and tincture for use throughout the next year. My last post described a few of the medicinal uses of St John’s Wort.

Making infused medicinal oils is deceptively simple and amazingly useful. Here is a short and sweet tutorial of how to make St John’s Wort infused oil:

Ingredients:

clean glass jar
organic olive oil
freshly picked and wilted St John’s Wort blossoms

Harvest the blossoms (or flowering tops) of St John’s Wort and let them wilt for 6-24 hours. This allows some of the moisture to evaporate as well as any critters hiding in the petals to leave…

Place in a clean glass jar leaving some headspace. Pour olive oil over the petals until the oil covers the herb about an inch.

Place the lid on the jar tightly and set in a protected area in the sun, or a sunny windowsill for about 4 weeks. Open the lid every day or two and wipe out any condensation that forms.

Your oil will quickly turn blood red from the medicinal constituents of the herb infusing into the oil. After a month, you can strain out the herb and use the medicinal oil that is the result!

I love using St John’s Wort infused oil straight as a massage oil, or sunburn remedy. But I also like to use it in blends to make healing salves of all kinds, as well as in lotion and moisturizer recipes.

Have you ever infused St John’s Wort in oil? What is your favorite way to use it?

June 29, 2015

5 Benefits of St John’s Wort

1. St John’s Wort is anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and especially anti-viral. In fact, it has been used successfully for shingles, cold sores and other herpes manifestations.

2. St John’s Wort is a powerful nerve regenerator and can be used for healing injuries, especially in nerve-rich areas like fingers, toes and spinal areas.

3. St John’s Wort is sometimes called “Sunshine in a bottle” for it’s ability to ease symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

4. The herbal infused oil of St John’s Wort is useful for the prevention and healing of sunburn.

5. St. John’s Wort has a sedative and pain reducing effect, which makes it useful for neuralgia, especially facial neuralgia after dental extractions and toothache, anxiety and tension, as well as traumatic shock.

June 23, 2015

DIY Facial Spa ~ Steam, Cleanse and Moisturize Your Face all in One Step

As a tried and true do-it-yourselfer, I am always looking for exceptional skin care treatments that provide excellent results, are inexpensive, and simple enough to do at home.

When my company, Herbs of Grace, was manufacturing skin care products, I spent years researching and developing various facial creams, lotions, elixirs and serums, that provided great results and customer satisfaction. But the treatment that stands out ahead of all the rest, as far as quality of results and simplicity, is The Oil Cleansing Method. It’s fast. It’s easy. And, it makes my skin glow! As a busy work at home Mom of 3 children (2 of whom homeschool) the Oil Cleansing Method fits the bill!

Learn all about the Oil Cleansing Method and how to create your own oil blends in my guest post at Hybrid Rasta Mama today.

Head over to read the rest of this post on Hybrid Rasta Mama.