MyHerbCorner

Posts Tagged ‘vinegar’

I got a question about ‘what to do for oily hair?”
Since I have no such problem I can only give the report of what I learned from other people.
The first thing is to look at the cause of oily hair which can be poor diet, environmental pollution, wrong (harsh) shampoo, stress…

Is the diet fine than look at the shampoo.
Most shampoos are to harsh and you have to try out to find the right one for your hair.
Of course you can also make your own with soap wort or the way I showed here.
Some people are making their own shampoo by making a strong herbal infusion (4 tbsp dried herb to 1 cup of water) and mix it with baby shampoo (1:1) which is very mild.
This is a good way to bring herbs ability to nourish and strengthen the hair into the scalp.
But as I said for good healthy hair eat a well balanced diet and drink nettle infusion which is rich in minerals and nourishes your hair from inside out.

You don’t need to wash oily hair every day.
Some people use corn flower to massage it into the hair and then brush it out so the hair isn’t oily (the starch binds oil)

Some people give half to one teaspoon of soda to their hair rinse which is alkaline and gets rid of the oil.

To normalize the hair constitution and to strengthen the hair you can give a splash of vinegar into the last rinse. For oily hair make a herb vinegar out of sage or peppermint which are highly efficient in this case.

Yarrow tincture is said to have a drying effect to oily hair. Give a splash of tincture to a cup of warm water and rinse the washed hair with it. Massage it into the scalp.

If you have success with other herbal treatments my friend and I sure would like to hear from you.
Please make a comment.

My ear ache is gone due many different applications.
As you may have read in the previous post I applied warm echinacea tincture which gave me a quick pain relief.

Later that day it was sore again and I applied a chamomile poultice (made a tea and strained. I drunk the tea and gave the infused flowers into a handkerchief to press against my sore ear area)
I didn’t want to apply another tincture so quickly. Only in the evening I dropped the second application of echinacea tincture into my ear.

After thinking were the source of this painful earache might be I thought about my tonsils which are over sized since I am a child.

Because my right side of the head was sore I made a hot mustard foot bath.
That sure sounds strange but a hot mustard foot bath is drawing all the blood away from the sinus and upper part of the head to the feet. Then the effected area is supplied with clean blood. So the body can help it self by taking away the bad bacterias which caused me so much trouble.
When I gave a spoon full of powdered mustard into a big bowl with hot water I sure enjoyed the funny feeling. It started to tingle in my sinus and I could feel the change. It was as if mucus was drawn away from forehead and sinus.
It was fascinating to feel this change and relief but mustard wasn’t enough.

To get rid of the tonsillitis I gargled with a cup of warm water in which I gave a spoon of rosemary vinegar (why rosemary vinegar? Because it was just in the bath room as natural antibacterial cleanser ;- )
I gargled and to my surprise blood and ‘yellow stuff’ came out. Yuck! A week ago I was not even thinking to treat my tonsils! What a big mistake!

So now after a good nights sleep I feel much better and keep up the rosemary vinegar gargle since it brought great results. There is no need for any ear drops but I keep up to take echinacea internally to aid the healing process.
This two days I learned a lot due my intuition (and laziness if you think about the rosemary vinegar)

My Austrian friend sent me this lovely picture of her dog ‘Fleur’ running through a field of dandelions (oops, this isn’t Fleur but her similar looking sister Felice ;- )
In the back I recognized some blooming fruit trees and thought about the beauty of spring and use of tree blossoms.

So now I write this post of a tree which most people only see as fruit tree and don’t expect to think as a medical tree (even with the saying ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’)

Apples are not the only health product of this beautiful round shaped tree.
Did you know that you can use bark as well as blossoms and leaves for medicinal products?
Before I write about that I want to show you some apple (fruit) treatments which may come handy…

Apples with the most content of pectin like ontario or boskop are not only high in vitamins and minerals, but also high in fiber and a useful fruit to prevent heart attack.

What I think is interesting is the fact that an apple backed in the oven doesn’t loose it’s wonderful effect to stimulate the circulation system so this is a great choice for children or older people who have gum problems and can’t eat hard fresh apples or have problem with diarrhea if eating grated raw apples.

Like oat and carrot, apple is a remedy people should eat every day. I heard it is even more stimulating in the morning to eat an apple then drink a cup of coffee since the coffee gives you a fast kick and then makes you tired again, while the apple gives you energy over more hours.

Hermann-Josef Weidinger says in his book ‘Mit dem Kraeuterpfarrer durchs ganze Jahr‘ that a fresh apple fine grated and mixed with a Tablespoon of wheat bran is a simple remedy to lower cholesterol level in the blood when eaten before bedtime (I wonder if it may help because it wakes up the digestive tract instead of calming it down during the night?)
Sure that’s not the only thing to do if you have cholesterol problems, but it is ‘one simple’ thing to add to the healthy diet, exercise and fresh air

In the book ‘The answer to cancer’ by Hari Sharma, Rama K. Mishra and james G. Meade is prescribed to prevent cancer by simply eating a stewed apple first thing in the morning. For that a delicious red or yellow apple gets peeled and pierced with 4 cloves. Boil it in a bit of water for 5 minutes or until it is nice and soft. The stewed soft apple is better digested as a raw apple.
Take the cloves out before you eat the warm apple with a cup of warm water.

I like to dry apples for a snack when making a trip.
For that I remove the core of the apple with a special tool…

…and peel the apples. The peel I will dry separately for muesli or tea (look following recipes)
I cut the apples into 5 mm thick circles (if you don’t have this tool just cut the apple in half, remove core and make slices)
Some like to dip them into water with added lemon juice to keep them white.
I just lay them into the trays of our dehydrator (you can also dry them on a string if you like or just on a baking tray in the oven on the lowest temperature)
Chewing on a dried piece stimulates the glandular activity and strengthens the chewing apparatus which includes the blood flow in the ear (something which can be useful when making a hick into the mountains)

A relaxing and nerve soothing tea before bed time is made of dried apple blossoms blended with dried apple peel. You can enhance it’s effect by adding 10 drops valerian tincture and a bit honey (flower honey not honey dew!)

A decotion of apple peel drunken before a meal acts diuretic as well as mild laxative.

My friend Heidi also sent me this lovely spring picture of blooming pear (left) and apple (right) tree.

To collect apple blossoms for tea you don’t need to pick the whole blossom (unless you want to pick some blossoms so the tree produces bigger apples)
Our fore-mothers took their white linen out and spread them under the fruit trees when the petals started to fall down. Then before the evening dew covered the land they went out to get their blossom harvest.

You can sprinkle this petals over your fruit salad or dry for tea.

Of course you also can make a flower-essence. It is lovely for healing wounded hearts (friendship disasters or motherly neglecting…) This blossoms bring a smile to the saddened and lift them up like a loving mother her child.

Fresh or dried apple blossoms make a tea for inflamed respiratory as well as cough. I once heard that flowers are aerial parts and for that used for air problems like cough or inflamed lungs. Somehow it makes sense… even if I have better results with leaves like plantain (which is still an aerial part ;- ) or roots (marshmallow) for a deeper sitting cough…

When spring arrives and the apple tree is producing a lot of new leaves don’t hesitate to collect them and put into soups, salad or stir fries. They are slightly bitter but as you know your liver will thank you

Bark of the apple tree cut from finger thick twigs before they make leaves in spring can be dried and stored in big jars.
They make a wonderful relaxing and skin cleaning bath.
Give 100g of the bark into 1 liter of cold water and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and give to your tub of warm water. Aaaaaa… like apple or… Aphrodite… you will feel like a goddess!

Of course the beauty section also recommends old secrets around the apple.
In the book ‘100 Pflanzen 1000 Moeglichkeiten’ by Yves Rocher is a (yummy :- ) face mask with apples stewed in milk and applied warm on the face. I guess some french women are still doing this and the idea with the milk alone came into my mind again (see the post with the raw milk anti-wrinkle secret ;- )

In Mr. Rocher’s book is also a syrup made of apples to use as cold remedy.
Cut 1 kg apples into quarters and cook with 1 liter of water. Then strain through a sieve and give ten sugar cubes (or ten tsp sugar) to the liquid. Cook on low heat until you receive a syrup.
Store in bottles in the fridge or cool place.
Take 3-4 spoons a day when you suffer a cough, cold, hoarseness or to reduce fever.

So, last but not least I want to point out that there is no finer menstrum then apple vinegar to make mineral rich herbal extracts. See previous post. Vinegar itself is an antiseptic and detoxifier. It was used for thousands of years to disinfect and treat wounds. I love to make a plantain vinegar to treat insect bites or stings. Click here for a link on herbal vinegar making if you are not sure how to make one.

Enjoy and stay healthy!

After last days windy weather I went into the near forest today.
While inhaling the wonderful morning air I collected some fallen treasures.
A few eucalyptus twigs which I bound together with lavender and hung up at our door for a wonderful scented welcome

And I also collected the fallen twigs of different pines. I love to go to the forest after a storm. You can use fresh twigs without cutting them from the tree and you also use this treasures which would just lay there and rotten otherwise.

For my morning tea I collected some dark leaves of blackberry (Rubus fructosus) and then some greens for the rabbits.

At home I made an infusion of pine needles which are just great in the current season change. They are high in vitamin C and help your body fight against bacteria. Pine is a fine antiseptic as you may know.

I also made a nettle (Urtica dioica) infusion as herbal mineral kick.

Nettle gathered in autumn contains a higher amount of calcium and magnesium then nettle collected in spring which contains a higher amount of potassium and phosphorus.
I think if you want to work with herbs you have to trust your own intuition.
Normally we can use this wonderful gift which leads us to the right herb at the right moment.
Don’t hesitate if you have a feeling that you should pick a herb when you walk by (no matter which season!)

For example last Sunday we went to a river and I saw some plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
I had the feeling I should harvest some (which I did)
And a day later my son started to cough! As you may know my first choice of a child’s cough is… yep… planatin
So while he was in kindergarten I made a cough syrup with the collected treasure.

This happens all the time and I am sure if you think back for a moment it also happened to you (maybe in other cases then with herbs)
People don’t like to hear it but lets face it, this sensing of things is nothing else then simple instinct.
Animals are more connected to their instincts then many people who just think to much. People forgot to trust their inner sensing of things and always think they need someone else to tell them if this is right or wrong… gosh… now I am far away from what I wanted to write… sorry guys!

OK, back to herbal minerals
If you introduce fresh herbs (and of course a lot of weeds like chickweed, dandelion…) into you daily meal, you will have a lot of vitamins and minerals which help you stay healthy.
If you have the feeling you need a mineral kick then try herbal minerals in form of herb vinegars or infusion.

Vinegars break down the hard mineral cells and transfer them into your wonderful extract. Take 1 Tbsp herbal vinegar diluted in water before a meal (this will also help the body to absorb all the minerals from your meal)

You may remember when I made mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) vinegar which is not only a bitter but also high in calcium.

Due the high amount of herbs and long infusing time also a herbal extract (infusion) is a great choice to get the minerals into your body. This can be drunken sip by sip over the day to enhance the effect or just drink half a cup 3-4 times a day.
Even a bone strengthening acorn coffee is a calcium kick (and not a robber like real coffee ;- )

Minerals have different jobs in our body so I try to describe some and add herbs which you can use for it. The herbs are starting with the herb which contain most of the mineral.

Calcium is not only important for teeth and bones but also for muscle function.
Herbal resources are dandelion leaf, nettle, mugwort, shepherds purse, red clover flower, parsley, oats, linseed, rasp berry leaf, cress and thyme.

Chloride regulates fluid and circulation of ions in the bloodstream. It also helps to form stomach acid.
Herbal resources are lemon balm, calendula, horseradish, nasturtium and cress.

Copper is important to build bone and connective tissues as well as for the absorbtion of iron.
Herbal resources are angelica, chickweed, cress, parsley, rosehips, garlic, nettle and red clover flowers.

Iodine is vital for the hormone secretion by the thyroid.
Herbal resources are garlic, onions, cress and parsley

Iron is very important since it carries oxygen to the blood cells.
Herbal resources dandelion, celery, chickweed, oats, parsley, sorrel, chicory, watercress, fennel, rosehip, garlic, horseradish. nettle, red clover, raspberry, linseed (cold infusion), yellow dock (root), burdock (root), thyme, catnip.

Magnesium helps not only bone growth but also nerve and muscle function.
Herbal resources alfalfa, celery, chamomile (tea), mugwort, dandelion, nettle, fennel, shepherds purse, cress, parsley, carrot top, oatstraw, peppermint, chickweed, thyme.

Manganese is used for bone growth and cell function. Manganese works also as antioxidant.
Herbal resources dandelion, parsley, peppermint, alfalfa, cress, raspberry (fruit), chickweed.

Phosphorus is used for energy metabolism, nutrient absorption as well as for healthy bones and teeth.
Herbal resources alfalfa, celery, chickweed, horseradish, rosemary, nettle, parsley, caraway (tea or spice), calendula, sage, cress, dandelion, chicory, raspberry leaf, peppermint, fennel seed.

Potassium regulates heartbeat, fluid and circulation of ions in the bloodstream. It also helps muscle contraction and transfers nutrients to cells. Potassium also aids nerve function… what an important mineral!
Herbal resources alfalfa, calendula, garlic, mugwort, chamomile, celery, catnip, golden rod, oats, parsley, dandelion, nettle, sage, peppermint, borage, chickweed, cress, yarrow, chicory, red clover, lemon grass (tea or spice)

Sodium helps regulate fluid balance and aids nerve as well as muscle function.
Herbal resources lemon balm, fennel, dandelion, chicory, nettle, shepherds purse, parsley.

Sulphur helps produce protein.
Herbal resources calendula, celery, fennel, horseradish, garlic, dandelion, nettle, sage, shepherds purse, plantain, parsley, cress.

Zinc is vital for normal growth. It is used for immune function and enzyme action. It also works as an antioxidant.
Herbal resources garlic, watercress, sage, nettle, chickweed.

There are of course more minerals and more herbs, but I think this is enough for the moment
If you like to know the herb source of another specific mineral just write me.

When you read through the above herbs you might see some coming up in many mineral sections (eg. cress and parsley) If you make a vinegar with these herbs you can add them to your salad or just drink a spoon with water.
If you have a balanced diet with leafy greens like cabbage, whole grain and fish you will get your minerals anyway out of your food.

Book resource for the mineral description:
Encyclopedia of Complementary Medicine, by Anne Woodham and Dr. David Peters

Resource for the minerals in herbs:
Course book by the Waikato center for herbal medicine as well as other studies.
Also a great book of the resources of minerals and vitamins in food and wild greens is Mary Summer Rains Earthway.

My vinegar with the apple skin and core is doing well

It bubbles clearly and no mold has formed

The other vinegar project from the post I made recently (please click here) didn’t show much fermenting process so I added skin and core of two apples in the hope of souring.

Think it didn’t work because the apple juice was pasteurized… oops… forgot to use the unpasteurized… so lets see what happens now

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UP-DATE!

Just had a look and hurray!
After two days my other vinegar also ferments with the help of apple peel