Hyperactivity

 catnip, chamomile  No Responses »
Mar 232009
 

catnip, chamomile

  • A cup of hot tea brewed from catnip willensure a good night’s sleep for everyone who suffers from nervousness or hyperactivity, although I would not give it to children. To brew catnip tea, at a teaspoon of fresh or dried catnip to 1.5 cups of water that boiled and was taken from the stove.  Let steep for about 20 minutes.  You can add honey if you wish.
  • You can also brew a nice chamomile tea to help yourself calm down.  Add 2 tsp of fresh or dried flower in 1 pint of water for about 40 minutes and drink 1-2 cups per day.  For a lasting effect, do this for 2 weeks.

Traditional uses for common herbs

 catnip, dandelion, plantain, sweet violet, yarrow  No Responses »
Jul 022008
 

Via: Reading Eagle Newspaper

Although herbs have been used for centuries to treat ailments and promote good health, it is absolutely essential that you never ingest or otherwise use a plant unless you are 100 percent sure what it is, and that it is safe to use.

Yarrow, which grows wild in Berks County, traditionally has been used to staunch bleeding, to treat bowel ailments and as an anti-inflammatory. Pennsylvania Germans used yarrow as a “sweating tonic” to reduce fever.

Sweet violet, a very common plant that grows wild and blooms in early spring, is reputed to soothe sore throats and lessen coughs, promote sound sleep and treat fibrous cysts, lumps, infections and growths in the breast and female reproductive systems. Violet leaves are high in vitamins A and C.

Dandelion leaves, with which many people wage battle every spring, has been used as a diuretic, to improve circulation in lower legs and feet, to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels and stimulate metabolism.

Dandelion root is said to be excellent for the liver, as well as to decrease acne and eczema, and regulate hormone balance.

Plantain grows readily in yards not treated with chemicals; you may find some in yours if you look. This broad-leafed plant can treat mosquito or bee stings, increase healthy cell growth or sooth muscle tears. Plantain is used in Europe to for upper respiratory problems.

Catnip is not only beneficial to cats, but can be used to treat nervous tension; gastric reflux and ulcers; colds, flu and intestinal viruses in children; and fever. It also can be used as a mosquito repellent.

The common elder plant may be found growing in gullies along roads. Tiny, white, fragrant flowers give way to berries, both of which traditionally have been used as a cold/flu remedy and to treat measles and chicken pox. Flowers can be used in facial preparations and are said to remove age spots and freckles.

Weighing up the alternative

 basil, carrot, catnip, chamomile, General, marjoram, mustard plaster  No Responses »
Jun 232008
 

Via: Otago Daily Times Online

Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst
Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine
Review by Ted Nye

Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst explore the merits of alternative medicines.

If responsibility for the production of this book could be laid at the door of any one person, it would probably be HRH the Prince of Wales – the writers virtually say as much.

It would appear that HRH is sympathetic to the claims of Complementary/Alternative Medicine (CAM) but, quite reasonably, says that as millions of pounds are spent annually on the product it would be good to know if people were getting value for money.

The writers rise to the challenge in this careful review of the many claims made for CAM, either in the forms of diagnostic gadgetry or physical procedures, such as acupuncture and chiropractic, or medicinals, such as homoeopathy or herbal remedies.

The authors point out that the claims of any method of treatment can, and should, be tested using rigorously designed trials, placebo-controlled and double-blinded so that neither patient nor therapist know which treatment is being used until the completion of the trial.

New, mainstream, pharmaceuticals must go through the process before being approved by the drug regulating agencies.

Promoters of snake-oil for almost any common condition you could name bypass the process.

However, the claims of homoeopathy, based on an early inspiration by a German physician named Hahnemann in the late 18th century, have been tested.

Complete Review

Fever

 catnip, ginger, marjoram, mustard, mustard plaster, oregano  No Responses »
Apr 112008
 

catnip, ginger, marjoram, mustard, oregano

Warm or slightly coolish tea from marjoram and organo, a tsp each added to a pint of water that just stopped boiling, and let stew for half an hour and strained, helps with fever and relieves cramps too.

Grandma’s Old Time Mustard Plaster still helps for a variety of disorders, just like it used to do, fever among them. Mash leaves and stems of fresh mustard plant into a pulp.  Coat the surface of the skin with petroleum jelly (Crisco lard or Vaseline) before applying the pulp to prevent serious blisters or raising welts on the skin.  Bind into place with gauze and adhesive tape and keep on for several hours or overnight for best results.

Ginger tea breaks high fever:  Grate enough ginger to equal about 2 level tbsps, the add them to 2 cups of boiling water and cover.  Let steep for 30 minutes, drink 1 cup while still warm every 2.5 hrs.

Catnip tea reduces fever and the misery that comes with hayfever and nausea:  Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil, add a tsp of freshly cut or dried catnip after removing the water from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Drink lukewarm, and you can add honey to taste.

Eye Problems

 basil, catnip, chervil, parsley  No Responses »
Mar 242008
 

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.

Dizziness

 catnip  No Responses »
Feb 262008
 

Catnip tea is very good for overcoming dizziness of any kind, and besides helps you to sleep better if you drink it as a night cap. The following tea also reduces fever and the misery that comes with hay fever and nausea:

Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil, add a tsp of freshly cut or dried catnip after removing the water from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Drink lukewarm, and you can add honey to taste.

Conjunctivitis

 basil, catnip, chervil, parsley  2 Responses »
Feb 032008
 

basil, catnip, chervil, parsley

  • Cold basil tea is good for all kinds of eye problems, both as eye wash and internal tea. To make the tea, it is best to use fresh basil leaves and unground seed: Bring 2 pints of water to a boil, add 15 basil seeds. Cover and reduce heat, simmer the seeds slowly for 45 minutes. Remove from heat, add 1-1/2 handfuls of fresh or half-dried basil leaves and steep for another 25 minutes or so. Drink or gargle with this tea, 2 cups per day as needed. When lukewarm and strained, the tea can be used to bathe the eyes.
  • A strong catnip tea can also be used as an eyewash to relieve inflammation and swelling. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add 5 tsp. of cut fresh catnip leaves. Reduce to low heat, let simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and let steep for 50 more minutes. Strain and refrigerate, for example in a clean fruit jar. Use as eye wash with an eye cup several times a day. You can also soak a clean towel in a warm solution of the tea and cover the eyes with it for half an hour.
  • Equal parts of chopped chervil and parsley leaves steeped in boiling water, cooled to body temperature and applied to the eye with an eye cup also helps to fight conjunctivitis. It acts as an eye disinfectant and reduces the burning sensation. The person with the eye infection should be in the room where the chervil is steeped since the medicinal qualities of chervil are closely connected to its smell and quickly lost after subjecting it to heat.

Anxiety

 catnip, Valerian  No Responses »
Feb 022008
 

catnip, Valerian

  • Catnip tea helps with insomnia, a common symptom of anxiety, if you drink it as a night cap, and it assists with relaxing in stressful times. The following tea also fights dizziness, and reduces fever as well as the misery that comes with hay fever and nausea:  Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil, add a tsp of freshly cut or dried catnip after removing the water from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Drink lukewarm, and you can add honey to taste.
  • Valerian root is well known for its sedative qualities.  To fight anxiety, a tea from Valerian root may help:  Steep 1.5 tbsp of dried Valerian root in 1 pint of boiling water for half an hour.  Drink 1-2 cups daily.  This tea can also be used to treat hysteria, high blood pressure, backaches and migraines.