Thursday 19 November 2009

A herb garden in Tenerife

Last week I stayed at the lovely Hacienda Cristoforo in Tenerife. Among its many wonders I discovered a medicinal herb garden. Only 10 months old, it was all growing up vigorously, enjoying all that fabulous sunshine! The herbs are used in various medicinal preparations, as well as for the sweat lodge, or temazcal, they have on site.


I was especially excited to meet Tulsi (pictured right), aka Holy Basil or Ocimum Sanctum, a herb that I've written about before. It really is a special herb, and a delicious tea (I have it dried at home). Apparently it can also be used in eczema creams.

Another herb I saw for the first time live and kicking was Stevia, aka Sweetleaf or Stevia Rebaudiana. I've (not very successfully) tried to use this in its dried form as a replacement for sugar in a cordial. Eating even a tiny piece of a leaf is enough to experience its intense sweetness. Apparently it is 300 times sweeter than sugar.

Towards the end of my stay I was made aware of the Eliant Campaign (European Alliance of Initiatives for Applied Anthroposophy - thank goodness they have an acronym). In brief, this campaign is aiming to collect 1 million signatures in support of protecting anthropop. in all of its applied forms - education, agriculture, medicine - especially in light of potential European legislation that could limit it's practice. I believe this is important so I've added my name to the list. And now a campaign for short, readable names for all things anthropoosooppoooop....! ;-)


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Wednesday 14 October 2009

Rose-hip harvest and missed opportunities

The flowers are gone, petals all fallen away... who would notice the humble dog rose at this time of year? But as you get closer you find the most magnificent spray of red across the stark, thorny branches: it is the rose-hip season!

Rose-hips are said to have 1700-2000 mg of Vitamin C per 100g of the dried fruit (compared to oranges which have around 53mg/100g and kiwis which have around 98mg/100g). Reading up in Richard Mabey's Food for Free, I found that in post-Second World War Britain a national effort was made to pick rose-hips and make syrup to help counteract a national deficienty in Vitamin C. In 1941, 120,000 kg of rose-hips were harvested. And in the following three years the harvest averaged 457,000 kg.

I was intrigued by a mention of "the redoubtable county herb committees" who apparently organised much of this effort. On further investigation (online) I found another mention of them: "In World War Two the 'County Herb Committees' collected from the wild 750 tons of dried medicinal herbs, a vast amount of rose-hips for vitamin c supplement, nettles for camouflage dye and seaweed for agar jelly. The collection of rose-hips by school children continued well into the 1960s." How wonderful (I'd love to know more if anyone has any stories etc.)!

Why did we stop? What a fantastic free resource we have on our doorstep waiting to be made into delicious and nutritious syrups and teas! Or did we become complacent... a packet of Vitamin C tablets off the shelf, an imported kiwi or orange from the supermarket. Its just so much easier. :-(

Other than having to remove the odd thorn afterwards, I can thoroughly recommend an autumn walk and some rose-hip harvesting. The hips were so abundant, we could have picked all day and still found more of the little red beads. As it was I brought back a modest tub for potion making...

There are recipes for rose-hip syrup all over the internet, if you're looking for inspiration. I used a hand-out I had from Sarah Head and modified the recipe a bit. After simmering, mashing, simmering some more, and finally straining off the liquid... I added honey and sherry. Very yummy I must say! 

The rest of the rose-hips are laid on some kitchen towel on a tray in the airing cupboard. I'm a newbie at rose-hip drying, but from what I've read I need to remove the seeds before they dry fully (just about when they start to shrivel). I just love rose-hip tea - in fact I like it best mixed with hibiscus and then a dash of elderberry tincture. A real winter warmer, and a great boost for the body during the colder months.

If you haven't picked rose-hips yet this year you're still in time. :-)

Sources:

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Saturday 10 October 2009

Amiya Natural Beauty launches selling herbal shampoos

You may have followed my tales of shampoo-making on Apotheblogary over the last few years: a journey to make a range of natural, herbal shampoos that are also really effective. Well, I'm happy to announce that I'm finally "there"! :-)

Last month I launched a website for my business, Amiya Natural Beauty, selling all four of my herbal shampoos (I've written all about them on the Amiya blog). It's been quite a long journey and a big learning curve: from understanding legal requirements through to labelling and packaging (not to mention perfecting the shampoo itself). With this experience in hand, I'm now working on some new products which will be coming very soon! You can find out more on the Amiya website, and I would very much value your custom should you decide to become one of my first customers! :-)

And now I'm off for an autumn walk and some rosehip picking with my dad! :-)

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Tuesday 29 September 2009

A new herb garden is born!

Here are some pictures from the new herb garden - everything is settling in well and it looks lovely. What went in... lemon verbena, lemon and common thyme, roman and german chamomile, calendula (as if you could miss it!), lemon balm, rosemary, sage, mint, peppermint, oregano, chives, yarrow, flat leaf parsley, hyssop ... I think that's it! The comfrey and white horehound we're having to grow from seed as I wasn't able to get any plants. The yarrow is achillea cassis, which I think means it has cherry red flowers!



I look forward to lots of nice herby cooking and teas when visiting. :-)

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Sunday 6 September 2009

Planning a herb garden

My poor neglected blog! You'll (hopefully) be glad to know that I haven't got any less "herb-y" in my blog absence, I've just been really busy with other things.

One of the herbal things I'm working on at the moment is planning a small herb garden for my mum, who is turning her whole garden over to growing fruit and vegetables. I've been using a really helpful book called "Growing 101 herbs that heal" by Tammi Hartung, which takes you right through the steps of planning a herb garden (and which, funnily enough, was given to me as a gift years and years ago by none other than my mum!)

Now she's a busy lady so the focus of this garden is on herbs for cooking and for teas - no potion making (unless I'm visiting and just happen to have a bottle of apple cider vinegar stashed in my bag ;-). I've suggested some of the teas that could be made up on the plan below. As Christine has a tendency towards respiratory complaints such as bronchitis and coughs, I've included a couple of herbs specifically for this: white horehound and hyssop. These are not herbs I've used before so I look forward to meeting them.

Here is the rough plan I've drawn up (click on it to view larger):


Next week I'll be off to the Herb Centre at Banbury to go herb shopping - how lovely! I shall give some progress updates and photos from the garden once its planted.

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Wednesday 24 June 2009

Herbal hair loss shampoo for use post-pregnancy

On Saturday I attended an advanced hair care course run by Aromantic, learning how to make natural therapeutic products for treating hair loss, dandruff, itchy or sensitive scalp, and more! Needless to say I've come back with lots of samplers, and even more ideas for new products. :-) 

The first challenge for this new knowledge is a friend who is losing hair post-pregnancy. I wanted to make her a shampoo to help prevent hair loss and stimulate hair growth, however some of the classic herbs for this purpose - rosemary and sage in particular - are not advisable for use during pregnancy or breast feeding. The shampoo I've made contains the following herbs/ active ingredients:

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) if you search for horsetail on Google, most of the results will tell you about how to get rid of it as an unwanted weed. As a (wanted) herb, it is generally used for urinary problems. It is a natural source of silicic acid which is essential for the hair, nails and skin. It is said to work well combined with nettle as it opens the pores of the scalp to allow the mineral in the nettles to penetrate. I made a decoction of horsetail for the shampoo.

Nettle (Urtica dioica) is high in minerals. In hair care it can help with dandruff, hair loss, and general hair condition. It's a fantastic ingredient and I've used in in other recipes such as my nettle and rosemary shampoo. Apparently a tea of nettle can also help prevent hair loss. I made an infusion of nettle for the shampoo.

Bio-energiser (Propylene Glycol, Aqua, Pelvetia Canaliculata, Laminaria Digitata) according to Aromantic's website this is "a natural remedy for temporary hair loss... a red-brown liquid made from two brown algae (Pheophycaes) found in the Brehat archipelago in Brittany, France and extracted by a hydroglycolic solvent. Activity tests have shown that when used in Hair Care products (twice a day for two months) it increases the number of hairs by 10% while increasing hair growth by 27%"

Pro-Vitamin B (also known as panthenol) is a popular ingredient in hair care products for strengthening and moisturising the hair.

I've also used a small amount of lavender essential oil to give it a pleasant aroma as well as being a good general ingredient for a hair loss shampoo. If it wasn't for use during breast feeding I would also have added rosemary essential oil (and probably rosemary in the infusion).

Sources: Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Herbs for Shampoos & Conditioners (Aromantic)
Photo: Flickr 'bornin1945' photostream


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Sunday 31 May 2009

Sage vinegar and tea

I'm having a bit of a sage fest this weekend (she says, sipping her sage, lemon and honey tea). Why sage (or salvia officinalis)? Well there have been a few coughs and sore throats around of late, not to mention the start of the hayfever season (although I'm a bit late with that as it should be taken ahead of the season). 

Fortunately the sage in my garden has really bushed up recently, meaning that I could harvest some for tea and also for making vinegar...


...I learnt about making herbal vinegars at one of Sarah Head's workshops last November. I made up a batch of sage vinegar then - stashing it away in the warm of my airing cupboard to brew for a couple of months - thinking it may come in use during the winter. Recently my mum got a bit of a stubborn cough/ cold on the chest. She's been taking the sage vinegar with honey and warm water, by gargling and then drinking it. Although reluctant at first it seems she's quite warming to it - plus it does seem to have helped in clearing away her symptoms.

Pleased with this I made up a new batch yesterday. With the weather so gloriously sunny its been sitting in the garden soaking up the sunshine - I like the idea of it soaking up the sun's energy rather than just getting heat from my hot water pipes.

Although, as I mentioned its a bit late for this hayfever season I am finding the sage, lemon and honey tea quite soothing as I get a bit of a prickly throat.

So basically, sage rocks! :-) I even use it in one of my herbal shampoos - sage and yarrow shampoo - as it is helpful for oily hair.

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Wednesday 22 April 2009

Living without pain (and showing off doing head stands)!

This post is stretching the bounds of Apotheblogary a bit... but I never expected to see my dad on YouTube so I just had to include this clip of him talking about the positive results of alternative treatment - called "Proprioception" - he's recently received from Simon King, author of Live Without Pain:



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Monday 13 April 2009

Digging at Springfield Sanctuary

On Saturday I paid my first visit to Springfield Sanctuary. It's a beautiful place with natural springs and herbs a-plenty! This wasn't one of Sarah's workshops - although I hope to return there for one later in the year - but rather a day for digging and doing some spring clearing along with a few other people. Here is the new herb bed (she says proudly ;-)

I brought back some herbs to go in my back garden as well: angelica, lady's mantle, motherwort, feverfew, lemon balm and mint. A few familiar faces there, and a good chance to learn about some new herbs that I'm less familiar with (and which I'll blog about soon).

It also got me to thinking that I'd like to formulate a herb gardeners hand cream - any suggestions from my fellow herbal bloggers for ingredients would be most welcome! :)

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Kiwi and Papaya face mask

A couple of days ago I made the Kiwi and Papaya face mask that was featured on BBC's Grow Your Own Drugs recently. The only thing I changed is that instead of using vegetable gelatine such as you might find in a supermarket, I used xantham gum which I had in the cupboard (I have THAT kind of cupboard!).

It's a bit of a faff to make (papaya flying everywhere - I ended up blending it before trying to strain it through the sieve), but it smells lovely, and of course you get to eat the leftovers. :-) It made about enough for 4 face masks, so I've used one portion and frozen the rest in an ice cube tray to use later.

How is it supposed to work? Papaya contains proteolytic plant enzymes which help to remove dead skin cells. Apparently these are most potent when the fruit is green and unripe which, as you can see from the picture, isn't what I used! Kiwi is also supposed to be full of good things such as vitamins and organic acids to nourish and cleanse the skin

I only occasionally do a face mask and it always feels like a treat, especially if its homemade. The kiwi and papaya mask was pleasant and refreshing, but I didn't feel it had any particularly marked effect. I'll enjoy using up the batch that I've made, but won't be making it again (mostly because of mentioned faffy-ness).

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Friday 10 April 2009

Apotheblogary Slideshow!

I've just been uploading Apotheblogary pictures to Slideshare, here's the slideshow (including the scary white coat ;-) 


I'll keep adding new pictures to Flickr so the slideshow will grow over time!

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Wednesday 8 April 2009

US regulation HR875 and how it will impact farmers markets, CSAs and local food

I just came across this story about the proposed US regulation 875 on Alchemille's blog:

Alchemille's Secret Garden: Please Read This...

An excerpt from one of the articles: 
"Rather, than promoting true accountability and proper farming techniques that minimize the risk of introducing pathogens into the food supply, it simply will create greater barriers for our already struggling small farms and farmers markets. HR 875. mandates that anyone who produces food of any kind - meat, milk, fruit, vegetables et cetera - and transports that food for sale be subject to warrantless government inspections of their farms and food production records. These random inspections can be conducted at the whim of federal agents without regard to farmers rights or property rights. Further, the law would allow federal agents to confiscate records, product as they see fit as part of the inspection process... The penalty for denying federal agents unlimited, random access to a farm’s fields, properties, products and records is up to $1,000,000. The penalty for not registering is up to$1,000,000.... Remember, this law would affect every farmer or food producer who must transport his goods to sell them - in effect, every single farmer. That means that an orchard that sells fresh fruit at a roadside stand would be affected; a farmer who delivers CSA boxes would be affected, even a home gardener who brings excess harvest to a farmers market’s community booth would have to register or be subject to $1,000,000 fines and that garden plot would be subject to inspection by federal agents. Ridiculous, isn’t it? But it’s true."

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Monday 30 March 2009

An A-Z of emulsifiers (the good, the bad and the ugly)

"Are you a chemist?" is a question I get asked from time-to-time. But - as any chemists who happen across my site will know - I'm definitely no chemist! I have started to learn a bit more about the ingredients that go into my products though, including the odd latin name here and there. At the recent demo I did, I was aware that some of the ingredients I use are a step or two away from the kitchen table, as Debs at Herbal Haven commented afterwards...
"...using a mix of items you’d find in the average herbaholic’s cupboard and items that you won’t currently find there, such as Cetyl Alcohol, VE Emulsifier and MF Emulsifier. I’d always steered clear of those types of things thinking they were very hard to work with, worried about the paraben’s the products contained and preferred to use beeswax, tinctures and things like benzoin oil as preservatives, but Elizabeth showed us that it was easy, that there are plenty of the ’scientific’ products that are paraben free, and that it isn’t as hard as we thought."
Through the process of learning to make my own products its been wonderful to learn that I can make products that are sophisticated enough to sit on a shop shelf, while still retaining some of the naturalness and simplicity of the kitchen table. And after all, making these products is so much liking cooking for me - a way of nourishing the body from the outside in! :) Funnily enough I recently had comments that my shampoos look "good enough to drink" and the cream looks "good enough to eat" - I don't recommend doing that with either, but I think it is testimony to their lovely, natural ingredients, appearance and feel.

All of this got me to thinking about the range of ingredients that do get used in cosmetics and I started by looking at emulsifiers - from the most natural and good, through the bad, to the really quite ugly which are unfortunately used by some of our major cosmetics companies. To get in the mood I tried my hand at mayonnaise making today. Egg yolk is a natural emulsifier we're very familiar with, and gets its emulsifying qualities from lecithin, which can also be extracted from soy beans. Well the mayonnaise went really well, right up until it separated! LOL! Practice and all that... fortunately I seem to do better with cream and lotions. 

I'll keep adding to this list, so let me know of emulsifiers I'm missing, or any additional information:
  • Beeswax can be used as a gentle emulsifier in salves. I use a mixture of 15% beeswax, 80% vegetable oil, 5% tincture.
  • Beheneth 10 (Emulsifan CB) is a water-into-oil emulsifier. I can't seem to find out all that much about this other than that there are no hazard warnings for it in the Cosmetic Database, and that it seems to be quite often used in natural cosmetics.
  • Cetearyl Glycoside (a.k.a. Vegetal) is derived from vegetable sources in a very ecologically friendly fashion, and is supposed to be ideal for making light creams and lotions because it doesn't block the pores. It's got good natural credentials but in my experience it's very hard to work with as the cream separates very easily.
  • Glyceryl Monostearate (a.k.a Base Emulsifier) from stearic and palmitic acid is used quite widely in both the food and cosmetic industry. It does seem to have some warnings attached to it in the Cosmetic Safety Database such as "recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions" and "human irritant - strong evidence", but these appear to be more about using the appropriate amount than avoiding it completely.
  • Cetyl stearyl alcohol, ceteareth-20 (a.k.a Emulsifying Wax B.P.) I have often see herbalists used this emulsifier to make a simple cream as a base to administer herbal infusions or tinctures.. It is readily available to buy, e.g. - from Neal's Yard and is used at a concentration of around 3-6% total product volume. Note: cetyl alcohol on its own is used as a stabiliser in creams, only with the addition of Ceteareth-20 does it become an emulsifier.
  • Lecithin occurs naturally and can be derived from animal or vegetable origins, and is used as a dietary supplement to help build cell membranes. Sometimes used in its liquid form in recipes for homemade creams, but apparently makes quite a sticky cream and is hard to get a constant consistency.
  • Polysorbate 20 (a.k.a. Emulsifan) is used for emulsifying essential oils and water, e.g. - for making perfumes or insect repellant sprays. It has been certified as safe for use in cosmetics at a recommended amount of ?
  • Sodium Borate (a.k.a Borax) is a cheap emulsifier used in combination with beeswax as an emulsifier. However, it is classified by the Cosmetic Safety Database as a "moderate hazard", can cause irritation, and is banned for use on children's skin in some countries. I find it pops up in a lot of old-fashioned recipes, but one to be avoided if possible I think.
  • Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate & Glyceryl Stearate (a.k.a MF & VE emulsifiers) are used mostly in the food industry - you could say they're good enough to eat. :-) MF is the fat-loving one, and VE is the water-loving one! These are my current favourites as they are very reliable and produce a lovely smooth cream.
  • Triethanolamine (a.k.a TEA). Used in products from Lush, Body Shop, Neutrogena and Avon. Concerns about this emulsifier include "limited evidence of carcinogenity" and "human immune and respiratory toxicant - strong evidence" according to the Cosmetic Safety Database. I think that classifies in the "ugly" category. :-(

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Wednesday 25 March 2009

Cream & Salve making Demo for Mercian Herb Group

I'm a bit late posting this on the blog... I did a demo a couple of weeks ago for Mercian Herb Group, making a St. John's Wort & Calendula Cream and an Arnica Salve. Debs of Herbal Haven did a nice write up on her blog. It was really fun to share what I love doing with other like-minded herbies. :-) Here are a few pictures from the session! I'll definitely be a regular at this group and am looking forward to their session on herbal household products next month.






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Sunday 15 March 2009

My favourite cold remedy: Echinacea & Ginseng tinctures

I haven't suffered any colds this winter (touch wood!) but if I feel like I might just get one/ my body is a bit run down I take a dose of Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) and Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) tinctures. This was recommended by a friend a few years back and I've found it very effective. I usually take 5ml of each in some juice, and perhaps repeat later in the day if I feel its needed. It's important to get the highest possible quality tinctures you can - I bought mine from Herbs Hands Healing. You can tell if the Echinacea is good quality because if it is then it will have a peculiar tingling/ fizzing sensation in the mouth.

Of course, if I do get a cold, it's a sure sign that my body needs some real rest and TLC, and its also an opportunity to rest and reflect if I choose to take it. :-)

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Tuesday 10 March 2009

Enjoying 'Grow your own drugs' on BBC2

I just caught up on the first two episodes of 'Grow your own drugs' on BBC2. Very enjoyable! And it's great to see something in the mainstream reminding everyone that we can be much more self-reliant in making our own home remedies.

Before I was half way through watching, it had me reaching for my herbal and cosmetic recipe books, just itching to get experimenting. I've been so focussed on perfecting a couple of herbal products recently (the shampoos) that it hasn't left much space for playing around and trying new things.

The recipes from the programme that I fancy making are the hops and lavender pillow for sleep (although I generally sleep quite well, I'm curious about it!), and the kiwi and papaya face mask. More to follow... :-) 

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Tuesday 24 February 2009

Making herby fabric conditioner

Just making some herbal fabric conditioner, thanks to a suggestion from Debs at Herbal Haven. Nice and simple:- I've used dried rose petals and lavender, and filled up the jar with white vinegar. In fact, I used ascetic acid diluted 1:7 with water to make the white vinegar, which is less fish and chip shop smelly. I'll leave it to brew for... a few weeks (?) before trying it. I've used white vinegar with essential oils before, which was Ok but took a lot of oil to get any scent on the clothes.
Making herbal fabric conditioner
Update: I've had a chance to try this one out and I'm not that impressed with it. Although it smells good before going in the wash none of the scent is left afterwards. The clothes do come out soft, but I find this is the case anyway using Eco Balls (as I have been since January). A downer is that it makes a mess of the washing machine draw too (the colour from the rose petals). Last week I attended a Mercian Herb Group meeting where Debs gave us lots of new ideas to try out, including a fabric softener recipe - so more on that soon! :-)

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Wednesday 18 February 2009

Herbal shampoos

It's been a (wonderfully) busy start to the year. Every so often I remembered my blog but didn't have time to write... and not for a lack of things to write about. I made a variety of potions in January including a wicked and very girley chocolate lip balm, a calendula ointment for cracked skin, and some perfume. But mostly I've been focussing on shampoo, and now feel that I have a lovely range of herbal shampoos.

Herbal shampoos

Rose and Chamomile shampoo (normal to dry hair) - this is made with an infusion of rose petals and chamomile flowers - these provide some of the qualities of the shampoo, as well as colour, and some of the scent (which is then boosted with essential oils of rosewood, geranium and ylang ylang). Both rose and chamomile have soothing, cooling and healing qualities. 

Rosemary and Nettle shampoo (normal or thin hair) - this is made with an infusion of rosemary and nettles, giving it a dark green colour. Both rosemary and nettle are often used in haircare formulations to counteract hair loss and dandruff, and is said to stimulate the scalp. Essential oils of rosemary, sage and lavender give it a lovely herby smell and complement the overall purpose of the shampoo.

Sage and Yarrow shampoo (normal or oily hair) - this is my most recent formulation and I'm really pleased with it. The sage and yarrow infusion gives is a yellow/greenish colour and the qualities. Yarrow and sage together bring strengthening, drying and healing properties to the shampoo. The essential oils of lemon and cypress give it an enlivening smell and are also suitable for oily hair. This formulation uses a slightly different basic recipe than the previous two shampoos, with less olive oil, again making it more suited to oily hair.

The final shampoo in the range is, quite simply, a Mild Calendula Shampoo (sensitive or baby hair) made with a decoction of calendula petals and a little lavender essential oil, and a very gentle basic formulation.

I really feel so pleased with these shampoos and its now time to get them laboratory tested, and design some labels - wow! Progress. :-) And as always, I'm grateful to Kolbjorn/ Aromantic for sharing his knowledge of how to make my own natural cosmetics.


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Spring is coming! Yay!

I always think snowdrops look so brave, they really get the spring party going. And then the crocusses get in on the act... and before we know it the whole dance floor will be teaming. :)))



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Wednesday 28 January 2009

Industry news: Charles brings his herbal medicines to the high street

I just came across this article about the Prince of Wales launching some herbal remedies under his Duchy Originals brand in the UK:
The Prince of Wales attracted praise and ridicule yesterday for launching a range of herbal medicine in high street shops. Marketed under his Duchy Originals brand, the tinctures are made from plant extracts and said to relieve ailments such as colds, low moods, anxiety and indigestion.

Boots started selling the products this week and Waitrose will soon stock the range, which the Prince hopes will popularise the spread of complementary medicine. Duchy Originals said the products – priced at £10 each – provide "alternative and natural ways of treating common ailments".
The article takes the usual angle of the British press on Prince Charles: ridicule. But from my perspective it seems like a positive thing that he is using his position and influence to promote natural remedies.


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Sunday 4 January 2009

Getting ready for the hayfever season

I've been recommended a new tea for hayfever: sage and thyme. I'm drinking it now and it's reasonably tasty, helped a lot by the addition of lemon and honey. Now is the time to start drinking it in preparation for the season - 3 times a day for the next 6 months and I might go off it a bit. I'll also be drinking nettle and elderflower, another hayfever tea.
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Making natural baby products

The Christmas season saw the arrival of my best friend's first baby, the beautiful young Catherine, who I had the joy of meeting last week. It was also an opportunity to make some new lotions and potions, and to give Catherine a natural and nourishing welcome to the world. I chose three recipes from Aromantic's Recipes for Baby Products: a baby oil, a baby lotion, and a nappy rash cream. In this post, I write about some of the ingredients that went into these products, and which make them so lovely.

Baby oil:
  • Peach kernel oil - a good oil for sensitive skin
  • Rosehip oil - also good for sensitive skin, a lighter, 'drier' oil than peach kernel oil so a good blend
Baby lotion:
  • Rice bran oil - a gentle, softening oil suitable for sensitive skin
  • Evening primrose oil - a soft oil good for sensitive skin, a 'dry' oil so easily absorbed
  • Chamomile CO2 extract - good for any kind of skin irritation due to it's anti-inflammatory properties (but gives the lotion a slightly yellow/green-ish tinge!)
Nappy rash cream:
  • Calendula oil - used for its healing and tissue-regenerating properties
  • Shea butter - protects and moisturises the skin and helps it to heal
  • Zinc oxide - used to help calm irritated skin
And here is a picture of the finished products, including my first printed labels! :-) And, yes, if you have sharp eyesight, I did call the nappy rash cream "baby bottom bliss" in a moment of labelling madness! LOL

I loved making these new products and I hope they will be effective for my new young friend - as always, I'll add any feedback in the comments!


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