Bunkers and I have been making some herbal things! He’s been enjoying helping me in the kitchen and I have been enjoying not only feeling productive but also learning more about herbs!
I have been studying and using herbs for over five years and I still feel like such a novice. It’s my goal for the second half of this year to really study and learn and retain things. Part of that for me is to MAKE. If I make something I am more likely to use it and remember what it is for!
I made some tinctures for the first time last year and those were so easy! I wish I had started making those earlier. I was freaked out by it, though. David Hoffman’s excellent book really spells everything out, though, and with his book I felt confident in making them myself.
So, yesterday we made up some calendula oil to steep and today we made some herbal lozenges! I followed this basically:
I really enjoy John’s videos! I have been watching them for about five years, too, and he and his family make some very easy to follow recipes for herbal medicinals. You can find more videos by him here and here. And other fabulous people, too! Like one of my absolute favs, Rosemary Gladstar!
Next up I really want to make some plantain slave! Mommypotamus has a great recipe and tutorial here. I am usually prone to bug bites so I want to see how well it works. I have been using doTerra’s TerraShield blend as a bug spray and it works fabulously! I haven’t had a bite yet this year when I have used it!
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I have also been researching several different burn cream recipes and that is my next venture once the calendula oil has steeped enough. I want to have that on hand for sun burns and minor burns. I’m taking bits and bobs from all the recipes I have found online and want to make up my own recipe with all the information.
I would love to have an herbal ‘first aid kit’ of sorts established by the end of this year. So often the herbal remedy for any given thing requires several weeks prep (steeping in oil or tincutre form, for example) and so having it all ready would be fabulous!
Anyone making anything herbal?
Brightest blessings,
Christina
Misty Mountain Family 
Awesome! I use a few drops of citronella eo in a carrier oil as bug repellant. It works great, but I still end up getting chigger bites. They’re the worst but apparently sulfur is the only thing that really repels them but who wants to smell like eggs! Joe went to herbalism school and is full of amazing information. When we lived in California, we’d harvest wild herbs all the time. I’d dry them out and usually do nothing with them, but it’s fun to listen to him tell me about different uses, even if I haven’t retained much.
Ugh chiggers ARE the worst! I wonder if the doTerra blend would work on them. It’s worked so well so far I just can’t believe. Usually I look like a freak leper by now each summer!
That is so cool he went to herbalism school! Where did he go? I want to do some online thing!