How to Make Herbal Tinctures from Dried Herbs I have several tincture recipes posted (including my two favorites: Chamomile Tincture and Digestion Tincture ) but I realized that a post with general instructions on how to make a tincture from any herbs would be helpful. A tincture is a concentrated liquid form of an herb that is easy to make and easy to take. Tinctures preserve and concentrate the properties of the herb, making them more effective and longer lasting. Alcohol based tinctures have a shelf life of several years and are easy to use when needed! If you’ve ever bought tinctures from the store, I’d encourage you to try making your own, as they are very inexpensive to make and can be made in minutes. Tincture Making Supplies: I make most tinctures in an alcohol base as this makes them the most long lasting, but tinctures can also be made with glycerine, vinegar or even with honey to make a syrup! To make a tincture, you will need the following supplies: How to Make a Tincture: First, pick which herbs you plan to use.
Lavender Detox Bath | Red Silk Essentials Setting aside alone time to de-stress and unwind can be challenging. But allowing our bodies (and minds!) time to rest and rid themselves of toxins is essential to staying healthy. One of the easiest and most relaxing ways is through a detox bath. For this recipe you will need baking soda, Epson salt and Lavender essential oil. Directions: Combine 1 cup of Epson salt, 1 cup of baking soda and 10 drops of Lavender essential oil.
How to Make Magnesium Oil to Improve Sleep and Reduce Stress I’ve written before about how I use magnesium daily and why I feel it is such a vital part of overall wellness . Many people are deficient in this vital mineral that the body uses for hundreds of reactions. Every cell in the body needs magnesium in some way, and it is vital for bone, tooth, muscle and joint health as well as for optimal sleep and stress reduction. Deficiency of magnesium is widespread because many of us have lifestyle factors that actively deplete magnesium such as lack of sleep, excess stress, or alcohol/caffeine/sugar consumption. On top of that, many natural sources of magnesium are becoming depleted (such as the soil due to over-farming and high pesticide use) and water filtration systems remove much of the naturally occurring magnesium in water. I take magnesium internally and use it on my skin daily in the form of magnesium oil . What you need: What to do: Boil the distilled water. Stir well until completely dissolved. To Use: Spray on arms, legs and stomach daily.
All Natural Herbal Hair Color Recipes Since I posted by recipes for homemade shampoo and DIY dry shampoo I’ve gotten a few emails asking about natural/herbal options for hair color. I’ve experimented with natural hair lightening in the past, but hadn’t tried dark or red shades. Many wasted herbs and a bunch of randomly colored streaks on the underside of my hair later, I figured out some good dark and red options as well! I started with sandy blonde hair, so I used the lightening herbs on most of my head, and I’m the blondest I’ve been since childhood (with some interesting red/brown streaks underneath). These are natural colors and as such will create natural hues on your hair. Also, I haven’t tried these on dyed/chemically treated hair, so I don’t know how it reacts with those types of hair! Herbs for Light Hair I’ve tried several basic herbal variations including: Pure, strong Chamomile Tea (brewed with 1/2 cup herbs per 2 cups water) and sprayed or poured on hair and left on for several hours. Ingredients: Ingredients:
21 Things You Should Know About Using Essential Oils Lord help me, people. I’ve spent the last two days trying to write a concise, easy guide to essential oils and their safety, and it ended up being just an enormous dump of information that no would want to ingest in a single blog post. Therefore, you’re getting the quickest, easiest 21 facts you need to keep in mind. These things include safety measures, essential oil facts, therapeutic uses, and more. However, at the end of this post, I am going to give extensive references to those of you who would like to learn more about the fascinating world of essential oils, as well as a list of my top 7 recommended essential oils for any household to have. Essential oils are not really oils. Most essential oils should never be used undiluted on the skin. Not all essential oils are created equally, nor does more expensive necessarily mean “better.” “What essential oils do you recommend I buy?” It’s a tough one to answer, because what EOs you buy depends on what you’re going to use them for.
Quick Slippers, Felted Feet. I paused for a day from my steel scarf and my newest cardigan and my current socks... to knit some new slippers. The ones I have been wearing are too big and fall off and slip around (aren't slippers supposed to slip?), and seeing as they were store bought (gasp) I knew I could do better by my feet. I had some Classic Wool left over from my Inukshuk project, and knew it would felt well. I found lots of felted patterns, but most have a high "boot" style, with the ankle covered and my feet get too hot in that style. These are more ballet slipper style, but needed a bit of elastic to make sure they stay on (and don't slip off). Slippers: Yarn: 2 balls of Patons Classic Wool (or any feltable worsted weight wool), Worked with 2 str ands held together: in this case, dark grey and light grey. Sew the heel flap to the sides (the 10 st cast off) and sew closed the toe opening (cast on sts). Felt in the washing machine (approx one cycle through the hot wash, but check halfway to make sure).
Growing Herbs, Planting Herbs, How to Grow Herbs The best tips for growing herbs indoors, outdoors, and in container herb gardens. Learn how to plant and care for herbs when home gardening. Plant a kitchen herb garden to supply fresh herbs to spice up your meals. Design Your Own Vegetable Garden Layout Using our Free "Vegetable Garden Planner" Software! Why Grow an Herb Garden? The practice of planting herbs has been undertaken on every continent for hundreds of years. Herbs are prized for their scents, medicinal properties, and seasoning qualities in gardening, aromatherapy, arts and crafts, home remedies, and cooking. Planting a small sized kitchen herb garden supplies a wide range of flavorful, therapeutic, and fragrant herbs. Download Free Garden Planning Worksheets, Garden Diary, Zone Chart, Or Planting Guide Common Types of Herb Gardens Visiting herb gardens is the best way to decide on which plants to select and where to place your garden. Indoor Herb Gardening Many herbs can be successfully grown indoors in a container herb garden.
Reduce Depression & Inflammation with Patchouli Oil - Dr. Axe Patchouli oil comes from a species of plant with the genus Pogostemon. From the labiatae family, it includes lavender, mint and sage. This bushy herb has rigid stems, reaching two or three feet in height, and produces small, pale pink flowers. The plant is native to tropical regions of Asia, and is now extensively cultivated in China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mauritius, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The components of patchouli oil include alpha patchoulene, beta patchoulene, alpha guaiene, alpha bulnesene, caryophyllene, norpatchoulenol, patchouli alcohol, seychellene and pogostol. Extraction of patchouli essential oil is by steam distillation of the leaves; the cell walls must be broken with steam scalding, light fermentation or drying the leaves. The strong scent of patchouli oil has been used for centuries in perfumes; more recently it’s been used in incense, insect repellents and alternative medicines. Patchouli Oil Benefits 12 Patchouli Oil Uses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
The Pioneer Woman's Sweet Potato Casserole or is it a Dessert Crisp? You be the judge... It's no secret that I love sweet potatoes. I've seen this casserole recipe in various cookbooks, but it was the Pioneer Woman's blog that finally convinced me to try this recipe. I zeroed in on this sweet potato casserole for two reasons-- it looked simple, and I had lots of pecans (do you say PEE-CANS or PE-KAHNS?). I wondered if my family would miss my Candied Yams (with melted marshmallows on half to appease the grownup kids) , but this year, I wanted to be different. P-Dub always does a great tutorial, but once again-- let me show you how I did it: Technically, these are Garnet Yams. In the meantime, let's make the topping. One cup of pecans, and 1 cup of brown sugar... Chop the pecans-- fine, but not too fine (hence, I didn't use the food processor). You need 3/4 of a stick of butter, and 1/2 cup of flour. Roast these babies at 375F for 30-35 minutes, or until fork tender. These are roasted perfectly. Cut them in half and scoop out the "meat". You need two eggs, whisked. Ingredients
The Lazy Lady’s Guide to DIY: Hanging Herb Garden in Ladyguides on Persephone Magazine. At some point near the middle of March, I always decide that I’m “done” with winter. The sweaters and jackets get pushed to the back of the closet, the flip flops come out, and I inevitably freeze my butt off for several weeks until the weather catches up with my warm-weather state of mind. Likewise, my cravings for fresh herbs and veggies are always a little ahead of the season. Growing your own herbs is a great way to save money and avoid buying too much at a time and letting most of it go to waste. What you’ll need: Tin containers with snap-on plastic lids (tea, cocoa, and coffee cans are a good bet), coat hangers, pliers, scissors, herbs (I bought basil, rosemary, dill, and cilantro for about $2.50 each), masking tape, coffee filters, a nail, a hammer, X-acto knife, scrap fabric or paper, and glue or spray adhesive. After you’ve emptied and cleaned your cans, remove the bottom of the can with a can opener. Slide the bottom inside the can, holding it up from inside. Happy growing!
What is Frankincense Good For? 8 Surprising Uses Essential oils have been used for thousands of years for their therapeutic and healing properties as part of the practice of aromatherapy. They’re sourced from leaves, stems or roots of plants that are known for their health properties. So then, what is frankincense essential oil? Frankincense, sometimes referred to as olibanum, is a common type of essential oil used in aromatherapy that can offer a variety of health benefits, including helping relieve chronic stress and anxiety, reducing pain and inflammation, and boosting immunity. What Is Frankincense Essential Oil? Frankincense oil is from the genus Boswellia and sourced from the resin of the Boswellia carterii, Boswellia ferreana or Boswellia serrata trees that’s commonly grown in Somalia and regions of Pakistan. The word frankincense comes from the term “franc encens,” which means quality incense in old French. 10 Benefits of Frankincense Oil 1. When inhaled, frankincense oil been shown to reduce heart rate and high blood pressure.
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN PRODUCTS LIST If you copy and paste our list on your website or in PDF format, please acknowledge where you got the information from by giving the Israel of God Research Committee credit. The Print Friendly Version is now available for printing in PDF Format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 and above. Thank you for your patience. Next Group Top of Page Previous Group Next Group Previous Group Next Group Previous Group Next Group Previous Group Next Group Top of Page Previous Group Next Group Previous Group Next Group Previous Group Next Group Notes: cRc - Chicago Rabbinical Council OK - Organized Kashruth OU - Orthodox Union UMK - United Mehadrin Kosher **We are no longer researching restaurants. Next Group
Edible Flowers, How to choose Edible Flowers, Eatable Flowers, Edible Flower Chart, List of Edible Flowers, Incredible Edible Flowers Edible flowers are the new rage in haute cuisine Photo of edible flowers picked in Linda's garden in July (lavender, thyme, dill, cilantro, day lily, squash blossom, Nasturtiums, chives, and basil). After falling out of favor for many years, cooking and garnishing with flowers is back in vogue once again. Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times, and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indian cultures. Edible flowers were especially popularin the Victorian era during Queen Victoria's reign. Today, many restaurant chefs and innovative home cooks garnish their entrees with flower blossoms for a touch of elegance. One very important thing that you need to remember is that not every flower is edible. In fact, sampling some flowers can make you very, very sick. You also should NEVER use pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that produces blossoms you plan to eat. Never harvest flowers growing by the roadside. How To Choose Edible Flowers - Edible Flower Chart: Directions:
Little Luxuries: How to Make the Perfect Bath Bomb What’s hotter than a bath? A bath with bombs! To soak away a stressful day, all you have to do is toss a bath bomb into your tub. It will set off a fizzy reaction that releases super-relaxing essential oils. 1. 8 oz. of baking soda 4 oz. of citric acid 4 oz. of corn starch 4 oz. of Epsom salts (make sure these are fine grained) ¾ tsp. of water 2 tsp. essential oil 1 tsp oil (we like almond or coconut oil) A few drops of food coloring Round, plastic, snap together dome molds Whisk Bowl and cup for mixing Fluffy towel Note: One of the best parts of making your own bath bombs is getting to choose the essential oils! 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. If you don't have time to DIY, you can purchase lucious bath bombs directly from Amazon. Check out some of our all-time favorite bath bombs from Etsy: Photo: BahariBlossom | Etsy Photo: STINKBathBombs | Etsy Photo: LongLeafSoaps | Etsy Photo: ScentsofSerendipity | Etsy Photo: theblacksheepsoapco | Etsy Photo: WhippedUpWonderful | Etsy Photo: SerisSoaps | Etsy