Herbal Household Remedies

basil, catnip, chervil, parsley

• Cold basil tea is good for all kinds of eye problems, both as internal tea and as eye wash. To make the tea, use fresh basil leaves and unground seed: Bring 2 pints of water to a boil, add 15 basil seeds. Cover, reduce heat, and let simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Remove from head and add 1-1/2 handfuls of fresh or half-dried basil, steep for another 25 minutes. Drink 2 cups per day as needed, and gargle with this tea too. When lukewarm and strained, the tea can also be used to bathe the eyes.
• A strong catnip tea can be used as eyewash as it relieves inflammation and swelling. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add 5 tsp. of cut fresh catnip leaves. Reduce to low heat and let simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Let steep for 50 more minutes. Strain and refrigerate for example in a clean fruit jar. Use as eye wash several times a day. An eye cup would come in handy to do this.
  You can also soak a clean towel in a warm solution of the tea, then cover the eyes with it for 30 minutes.
• Or steep equal parts of chopped chervil and parsley leaves in boiling water, let them cool to body temperature, and then apply the liquid to the eye with an eye cup to fight conjunctivitis. It acts as an eye disinfectant and reduces the burning sensation. While boiling the chervil, stay in the room as the steam from the boiling herb water will already give relive.

corncob, parsley, pumpkin or squash, turmeric (curcuma)

• Corncob tea can be used to treat abdominal swelling, gout in general and edema in wrists and ankles. After removing (or eating) the corn from 2-3 fresh cobs, cover with enough water to cover the cobs by 2 inches. On low heat, cook for an hour, strain, cool. Drink 2-3 cups a day until the problems subside, then reduce to only one cup per day. Keep refrigerated what you do not use right away.
• Parsley tea is a well know remedy for edema, but also treats kidney inflammation and kidney stones as well as issues with urination, be it painful urination or even the inability to urinate at all. In 1 qt. of boiling water, removed from heat, steep one cup of freshly and corasely chopped parsley for 40 minutes. Strain before drinking, and drink a cup of the warm tea four times a day with meals.
• The seeds of pumpkin and squash can be used to treat edema and gout, kidneystones and issues with urination. Crush a handful of seeds and add them to a quart of boiling water, turn heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for an additional half hour, then strain. Until the desired relief is obtained, drink several cups of the tea each day, as needed.
• Turmeric, one of the main ingredients of curry, has anti-inflammatory properties. Half a tsp in juice taken both morning and night inhibits edema and can relief arthritic pains too.

sage, pineapple, rosemary

The following solutions help against eczema, psoriasis, jock itch, diaper or poison ivy rashes, and similar skin conditions.

Any kind of intense itching can be relieved and cured by bathing the affected area in a solution of sage. Steep a handful of freshly cut and slightly crushed sage leaves in 1 pint of water for an hour, then strain. Bath the affected parts. While still wet, sprinkle whole wheat flour (not white) over the entire area. Relief is said to come within 10 minutes.

You can also bath the affected areas in a solution of pineapple rind and rosemary. Simmer for 35 minutes the cut rind of one pineapple and 1 tbsp dried rosemary in a quart of boiling water, uncovered.  Wash the affected skin frequently with this solution.