If your herbs are completely dry, it is best to keep them in the airtight container as oxygen degrades herbs faster. But if you are not completely sure, then cloth or paper would allow moisture to continue evaporating.
Thank you. Very interesting. I guess I am a lucky 50 percent that Jamaican Dogwood helps. I used it in combination with other herbs for the migraines in tincture form and felt it was very useful in stopping the attack.
Thank you, Judith, for your answer. I think we dig either in the fall or next spring before stem comes up. In my zone 10 though I wouldn't wait until spring as they might start shooting the stem up earlier due to no real winter.
I'm not surprised her results were so poor. To make an effective medicinal tea, the ratio recommended (by well- known, highly reputable) clinical herbalists, is 1oz by weight of dried herb, to 1qt of water, at a near-boil, steeped until it cools. Strain, pressing all the liquid out of the herb. To use, drink 1C daily, sweetened with honey, monkfruit, or stevia.
An update: now sometime later I do find feverfew effective for migraine attacks, but not as a tea, but as a tincture. It takes whole tablespoon and sometimes need to repeat it later, That is a lot of alcohol though, so I prefer to use low dose botanical tinctures such as blue iris or ghost pipe. And lots of ginger slices from the jar with honey.
Kirk Hutchison wrote:When I was little I used to suck the nectar out of bougainvillea flowers. The internet tells me that the sap is mildly toxic, but apparently the nectar is fine
Bougainvillea flowers make a beautiful magenta lemonade. Just don't heat it. Let fresh or dried flowers soak in room temperature water for a few hours. We loved it! They also were used medicinally in some cultures. Also dye Easter eggs pink.
Gary Numan wrote:I've tried to plead my case over the years as to what I believe belongs in a first aid kit. I got arguments.
A first aid kit is for *emergencies*. Stop the bleeding. Stop the allergic reaction. That may be it!
Others over the years, in multiple forums, recommended things like Pepto Bismol, burn cream, nail clippers ... stuff that belongs in a bathroom medicine cabinet. With that and related stuff, the first aid kit would quickly become large and unwieldy, and it'll take longer to find the QuikClot. (It's hidden under the Drownproofing pamphlet!)
A first aid kit, I've concluded, is a personal thing, and most folks want an all-encompassing kit, 100+ items.
I guess that depends how we define first aid. Diarrhea can be deadly. Heat attack and stroke can be deadly. So remedies for those in my opinion have to be in the kit. Plus having bad pain is an emergency in my opinion too.
Jane Mulberry wrote:I like the style because I hate anything fitted over my tum and bum and don't mind looking like a fat, aging, boho (since that is what I am!)
But a lot of my friends who prefer either a more classic or more sporty style wouldn't wear a dress like this, either.
I don't like fitted either. I just would prefer not to have a cut at the waist low or high as it is not comfortable and very unflattering to many.
That linen dress would be nice except that I do not like seam at the waist at all. Most linen dresses ready made have them, probably because it needs less fabric this way.
Would love to read the book.
Just would like to ask, if we buy from the above website instead of amazon, then we get pdf, not kindle right? I am asking, because I possibly would like to print some pages with practical advice, which we can't easily do from kindle version, but can from pdf.
Gail Saito wrote:Patrick....the link you provided took me to a hori hori knife, but not yours! I eventually found yours and am excited to try it. Thanks for the discount!
Would you, please, give us the link to the right one?
r ranson wrote:My sewing machine won't handle stretch fabric (it's 103 years old, it's set in its ways and I'm not going to try to change it), but I was thinking of maybe there's a hand sewing stitch that can handle knit or stretch fabric.
Any ideas on how to find out if this is real or just a dream?
I do have house dresses, 1 cotton knit and 2 woven cotton (La Cera moomoos). I like knit better as it molds to me no matter what I do. My plan is to go to the Hemp fabric store, and hopefully find some second rate knit cotton hemp fabric and sow a few as my are gettingr ratty. I like them basic - no waist and a bit larger to allow for easy movement. I change immediately if I have no plan to go anywhere for a while. I live in the city, so going out in them is not really a choice.
My dad, who just turned 80 last week told me, that his mom would buy bone powder to feed to sick animals and they usually became better very quickly. However now we can't buy it in feed stores anymore. If it is good for animals there is a very good chance it would be good for people as well. I would not want premade anyway as I want truly grassfed animal bones used for this. I am aware of bonemeal used as fertilizer, but who knows what requirements if any are for these. Anybody made their own bone powder? Do I just cook it as bone broth and when they are soft, blend it? I am just thinking in this way not much might be left there to make it worth taking?
Bert de Weert wrote:Thank you all for replying! I think it is indeed true that every farmer had his own recipe, I think it was homemade so it doesn't contain whale or seal as far as i'm concerned.
I will try asking around in the older generation of the family. even though they are uninterested in me and dementing and change the subject as soon as I start about something, they completely live up as soon as I start about the old days. Thank you all again for your feedback, it is well appreciated.
Very fun thread. I am making felt and cardboard mockups, perfecting the fit of the pattern to fit my feet. I got it from Sharon Raymon's (Simple Shoemaking channel and etsy store) book How to Make Ecological Shoes For Women. I am widening the toe area to make it so my toes can be spread. Conveyor belt or motorccyle inner tube can be made into bottom soles. Inner tube though is pretty smooth, so might be too slippery.
I wonder if we could make silicone shoes somehow - then they would be suited 100 percent for our feet and waterproof. Not sure about durability, but maybe we could glue on mountain bike inner tube for that?
I know it was very useful to pull my son out of what looked line mono. We tried so many things including oregano oil, vit c, vit D in mega doses, etc. These things were helpful, but he was still sick and weak. Then he got white spots not only on the tonsils, but they started spreading in his mouth. WE put some iodine on his finger and told him to put it on his throat and everywhere. Several times a day. From the very first application things turned around and he got well quickly.
For colds I tested 2 things on myself which worked:
1. Lomatium root tincture. Half teaspoon every 2 hours for 2-3 times, then reduced to 1-2 droppers every two -three hours. Totally for 2 days. It goes away in 15 minutes, but if you do not keep up taking it, it might come back.
2. Eating nasturtium leaves. I ate 7 largish fresh leaves to start with (had to drink water often while eating as they are very peppery). Then ate 2-3 leaves every 2-3 hours. For 2 days, although I got less particular about timing on the second day.
Another thing is horseradish -about a tablespoon, but since I rarely get colds, didn't get to test that one yet.
Barbara Ziegler wrote: STEVIA is very toxic to the Liver. So is Tylenol...
Be Well everyone!
Stevia is certainly not even close to Tylenol in terms of toxicity. However some nasty preparations that do use sucralose, maltodextrin and things can be. If you grow your own, and add to your tea mixes, it might actually be healing. It is used for Lyme disease, but for this one needs to wait until tincture gets bitter to extract active compounds.
We grow stevia, and I love it. Just do not overdo -small amount (like 1/4 teaspoon in 2 people tea pot will do.)
I had once where I was stung by the bee, and after 3 days it was getting even more red and itchy and swollen than on the first day. I put bentonite clay paste on it, but it kept drying, so I had to rewet it, and then I went to my friend, and clay rubbed off and I asked her if she has some clay. She said she has homeopathic Apis and homeopathic ointment from bug stings. I took both (one internally and one rubbed on), and was shocked to see half an hour later -no itch and no redness. That was it, only one application. Homeopathic Apis is easy to get, but they stopped making that ointment, when I looked for it to buy. I wasn't stung again since then, but I do have Apis in my first aid kit.
I wish we would know it. If it is the same as quackgrass, it is extremely agressive, and the only way that I have heard that works is to dig a foot deep and wide trench all around the garden as their roots are not super deep and they can't cross air barrier that far, and then cover with black plastic the garden area for a year to kill it all out. Obviously, not very permaculture.
Jamie Chevalier wrote:It likes moisture and shadier conditions that most mint. Another plant that is particularly happy under fruit trees, with their combination of filtered sun, moisture, and humusy soils made by fallen leaves. While it generally stays in clumps, I have seen it spread by runners in particularly moist cool conditions where it has trouble reproducing by seed.
Lemon balm looses its essential oils when dried, not like peppermint. So it it best to use it fresh in tea (just steep in closed container) or make tincture with fresh lemon balm. Not sure, how freezing would preserve it, I should try.
I wish my lemon balm would spread like peppermint, but clumps are usually quite small. Maybe it depends on the specific climate and shade/sun combination?
I'm not surprised her results were so poor. To make an effective medicinal tea, the ratio recommended (by well- known, highly reputable) clinical herbalists, is 1oz by weight of dried herb, to 1qt of water, at a near-boil, steeped until it cools. Strain, pressing all the liquid out of the herb. To use, drink 1C daily, sweetened with honey, monkfruit, or stevia.
Thank you. I have known that 1 ounce dried herb per quart is used for nutritive infusions. But you are saying that it is ok for feverfew, but to drink only 1 cup instead of all four cups, and steep only until it cools instead of overnight. I will have to try that. I think fresh feverfew probably would be more effective for this tea. I find feverfew tincture made with fresh herb also effective (even stopping migraine if started in early satge and taken in teaspoon amounts), just never have enough patience to do it daily. I will try to make tea with dried and fresh separately and see how it goes. Thank you so much.
Another great book about combining herbs is How To Be Your Own Herbal Pharmacist by Linda R. Page. It actually explains to you how to choose main herb for the ailment (and gives many choices), then suporting herbs, synergizing herbs, etc.
Also, if you have drying herb, that fits your condition good, but you have dry skin or are always thirsty, you would want to add demulcent herb to your formula to bring moisture in. And you can add some mint or licorice or star anise to make flavor better.
I am experimenting with fresh herbs and today made tea with 3 cups of water, a handful of each : citrus lime flowers, calendula flowers, and 5 sprigs of mint (I think spearmint or similar mint). After 5 minute steeping it was too weak, after 10 better, after 15min much better, but after 1.5 hours best. It takes much longer for fresh herbs to infuse, but they do have freshness taste that dry herbs do not. I probably should have added double or tripple more herbs, then maybe it would have infused to enough taste faster.
If you struggle with migraines, try adding a good amount of feverfew, and drink it, daily. It won't necessarily eliminate them, but it will cut way back on the frequency and severity.
I read somewhere, that it took one lady 14 months of daily 2-3 feverfew leaf eating to fully eliminate migraines, although she could see reduction at a month or two. I never had enough patience to try. Migraine is tricky, you need to start taking things at the first sign of coming migraine. Ifyou happen to be asleep when that happens or do not have herbals with you, you might miss the window of opportunity.
Sara Gorski wrote:
I believe in health freedom and natural illness prevention. I do not want to live somewhere with mandatory vaccines.
Same here. Now that my son with lighter autism finally turned 18, and we do not need to stay here because of his father, I started looking into possible living in the intentional communities as we do not have much family here. Unfortunately met with the same as you - they are requiring unproven medical treatments in order to even visit! Interestingly they do not put it out on their website, let you know only after contact in private messages. Same happened in local homeschooling group! That made me to cool down a bit about established larger communities.
If you find something, please let us know too. We are in California, but most likely will change state.
John Suavecito wrote: I added biochar around the drip line of my trees. The change in flavor was astonishing!
John S
PDX OR
David The Good tried variety of the experiments with additions to the soil, and from many, charcoal had the best taste. It seemed you got great results with it too.
Thank you for the video, and I saw later video, that shows how well tomatoes and other plants grow there. I am wondering, if this would work in sandy soil with high ph as biochar is alkaline. I wonder if soil organisms would neutralize it or not?
Greg Martin wrote:Very interested in a video Vladien, thank you. A local mushroom grower has asked me to mass produce biochar for him but I haven't been able to devote the time to the volume he needs yet, but I'm very curious about this. Do you know if Stropharia rugosoannulata (wine cap mushroom) is benefited from the addition of charcoal to the hardwood chips it likes to grow in? I may need to experiment.
I have some Stropharia rugosoannulata (wine cap mushroom) mycelium growing in wood chips in the box, so I am also wondering, if it would like biochar? Have you found out?
Not the most used tool, but something, that is not for the intended purpose. I make stinky comfrey compost tea in a bucket, and water it out each time I water my garden. My garden is in the community garden plot, not near the place I live, so I have to go straight from there to work, and that smell can linger for a while on the hands, which was a problem. I got water dipper -large cup with a long handle, which is used for the bath in Japanese households. Got it in Daiso, Japanese $1.50 store, and it solved that problem nicely.
