Dandelion

Dandelion ( Teraxacum officinale) is a small plant with lovely yellow flowers. Grows everywhere.

  

        It is very good for liver, bile, kidneys and the whole organism. Dandelion purifies blood, lowers blood cholesterol, eliminates toxins.

Helps with metabolic disorder, rheumatism, chronic spleen diseases, digestion. It's good against blood thickening, reduces kidney stones and gallstones. It is also good for dermatitis, vericose veins, obesity, constipation, anemia and cellulite.

The whole plant is used for healing.

LEAVES

 Leaves can be eaten raw as a salad, or cooked ( in water, just for a few minutes) and seasoned with some lemon juice and olive oil .The whole plant can  also be used for a salad.

The best time for picking leaves is early in the spring, before blooming, while they are young and gentle. For therapeutic purposes it's not important if the leaves are young or old, but younger have better taste.

You can also make tea from fresh or dried leaves.

        

STEMS

You can eat rowe stems in case of chronic liver diseases, diabetes, rash, stomach problems, methabolism, rheumatism, spleen.

Gather the stems while the plant is in bloom. Pick it together with the flower, wash it, remove the flower and eat the stem. For chronic liver diseases eat 5-6 fresh stems a day. In case of diabetes, eat to 10 stems a day.

        

ROOTS

Roots are gathered in spring and in the autumn. They can be used fresh or dried for tea. Roots purify blood, help digestion, work against blood thickening.

   

Two ways of making the tea from dandelion roots

1. In ¼ l of cold water put 1 teaspoon of roots and leave it during the night. Next day warm it till it boiles and then strain . Drink the half, sip by sip, half an hour before breakfast. Drink the rest, sip by sip half an hour after the breakfast.

2. Two tablespoons of roots cook in ½ l of water for 10 minutes. Than leave it at least for an hour, strain it and drink one cup before every meal.

Lavender

          What a lovely plant! I just love it's wonderful colour and smell.

          Lavender is a great decoration for your home or in the garden. It is also a very useful plant. It attracts butterflys, bumblebees and other bugs so it is good to have it in a garden.

          It is a very interesting spice. Parasites and insect repellent. And of course an excellent remedy for many diseases and conditions.

                                                                                                                                          

                    

As a remedy, lavander is used for : tea, oil, tincture, vinegar, herbal bags, cream and essential oil.

Tea                     

It is made from flowers ( fresh or dry ) and  has interesting, intense smell and taste of lavender. I like to add honey in my lavender tea. It has taste like a candy. Reminds me on a hot summer days.

Lavender tea is good for:

relaxing,

calming nerves,

insomnia,

headache,

digestion ( it enhances digestion and helps with flatulence ),

liver,

cold and infection of respiratory system.

To make tea, boil one cup ( 2 dl ) of water and pour it over one teaspoon of lavender flowers. Cover and leave for 2 or 5 minutes ( for fresh flowers leave less than 2 min ). Strain and drink few cups a day. For stomach problems and flatulence it is better to drink unsweeten tea.

Tincture

Tincture is good for rheumatic pain in the muscles and joints, for insect bites, skin itching. Rub the painful areas with the tincture. For insect bites just apply the tincture or make a compress.

Making the tincture

         You can make it just from flowers or flowers with little bit of stems.

Put the flowers ( fresh or dry ) into glass jar and pour alcohol over it. Close the lid and leave it in a sunny place for 2 weeks. Shake the jar from time to time.

After 2 weeks, strain the tincture and pour it in a dark glass bottle. Keep it in a dark, dry and cool place.

Lavender oil

Good for relaxing muscles, neck pain, skin ( helps to regenerate the skin ), arthritic and rheumatic pain. For skin problems apply the oil on the skin, rub it gently. In other cases massage the painful areas with oil for some time.

Making the oil

Take the fresh  flowers and put them in a glass jar. Pour over extra virgin olive oil so that it covers the flowers. Close the jar with a lid and leave it in a sunny place or near some heat source for 14 days. Shake it from time to time. Strain the oil and keep it in a dark glass bottle, in a cool, dry and dark place.

Drying  and keeping lavender

                                                                                

       Pick the lavender by cutting their stems, useing a knife or a scissors.

For tea, it is best to cut short stems, below the flowers. They will dry faster than long stems.

 To preserve more curative properties, crush the dry lavender before making the tea. Or if you want to make tea only from flowers, pull them off from the stems.

After picking, place the lavender on a clean cloth or a paper, in thin layer, or make a little bouquet ( in that case, cut longer stems ) and hang it  upside down.

You can dry it outside ( in the shade ), or inside ( away from sun or heat source ).

       

      Keep the dry lavender in a cool, dry and dark place. Best in a paper bag or a glass jar.



Common Juniper

         Description

Common Juniper (Juniperus communis) is a nice evergreen bush that can grow into tree. You can recognize it by its spiky leaves, green and dark blue berries. They are green in the beginning, when they mature green turns into dark blue. That happens every two years, because Juniper blooms in the spring but its berries became ripe  next year in the autumn.

Use

Only dark blue Juniper berries are used (usually dry) for healing, as a spice or for making alcoholic drinks.

In some countries Juniper berries are used for making beer, wine, aromatic vinegar, for giving aroma to gin and other alcoholic drinks.

In the kitchen it is used as a spice for meat and fish. Also for making jam and compote.

         Drying

Juniper berries are dried in the sun or artificial heat.

    
     Healing

Common Juniper is used for digestion, respiratory system, gout, rheumatism, sciatica, disinfection of urinary tract and respiratory system.

     

    When not to use it ?

It shouldn't be used in case of acute urinary infection.

 Pregnant women mustn't use Juniper because it can induce labours.

Juniper shouldn't be used in big amounts because it can be damagin to the kidneys.

         TEA

Tea is made from blue Juniper berries. It is good for digestive and respiratory problems.

To make tea, crush 1 teaspoon of dry berries, pour over them 1 cup of boiled water, cover. Strain after 5-10 min.

Drink 1-2 cups for problems with stomach and intestine.

For respiratory diseases add little bit of honey in a warm tea and drink it right away.

Tea can also be made from young spring sprouts, it is full of vitamins.

Tincture

Tincture is good for digestive problems, rheumatism, gout and sciatica.

It is made from 20g of dark blue Juniper berries and 5dl of alcohol (about 40%). Put the berries in the jar and pour alcohol over . Close it and leave in warm place for 1 week. Shake it from time to time. Strain and pour into bottle.

You can drink it in small amounts for digestive problems. For rheumatism, gout and sciatica rub it on the painful places.

Common speedwell tincture

Tincture is made from common speedwell (Veronica officinalis), picked while it's blooming, and alcohol (about 40%).

Take 2 handfuls of common speedwell (leaves, stems, flowers) and cut it into small pieces. Put it in a glass jar and pour over 1l of alcohol. Cover the jar and leave it in the sun or near heat source. Shake it from time to time. Strain it after 14 days or more.

This tincture is used for rheumatism and painful bones. Rub it on the painful places or drink it 3 times a day 15 drops with litlle bit of water or tea.

Comfrey tincture

To make this tincture you need alcohol (about 40%) and comfrey (symphytum officinale) roots. Roots are dug in the spring or autumn. Wash the roots, chop them into small pieces and put in a glass jar (don't press it). Pour alcohol over, so that it covers the roots. Close the jar and leave it in the sun or near the heat source for 14 days. Shake it from time to time. After 14 days strain it.

Comfrey tincture is used as a compress for external and internal wounds and injuries of all kinds, contusions, bone fractures, hematoma.

It is also good for rheumatism and swollen joints. In that case rub the tincture on the painful area.

About rosemary

Rosemary is an old folk medicine for improving memory. It is used for curing vertigo, cough and illness of respiratory tract. Rosemary can help deactivate cancerougenus. It stimulates passing of urine and blood flow, and  is used for water illness, rheumatism, giht and inflamed joints.

Stimulates releasing bile, becouse of this digestion and bowel emptying is easier.

Rosemary acts soothing, its characteristic sent is relaxing and is used for good mood.

As a part of an old tradition in some countries, like Croatia, rosemary stems with little ribbons on them are put on wedding guests as a decoration, what means that they are part of the wedding group.Guests can sense its lovely aroma and I am sure that it puts them in a good mood, at least it is one way of achieving good mood.

Can be used if someone is feeling weak, tired and stressed after hard work or exercize.

Also rosemary is a good tonic for all skin types, especially for dehydrated, aged or unpure skin.

Rosemary is often used in cooking, I like it especially with fish.

REMEDY FOR RHEUMATISM

This remedy is good for rheumatic pain or other pain of joints, bones, etc.

Ingredients: 1 lemon (juice and skin),

                    3 dl of alcohol (38-40%),

                    handful of fresh rosemary.

Mix the lemon juice and skin (cut into smaller pieces) with alcohol and rosemary (chopped). Keep it in a closed glass jar for 48 hours, shake it every day, then strain.

Rub the painful places with this remedy for 10 minutes, then warm them with something, like shawl. Rubbing doesn't always have to last for 10 minutes, if you have a ache in your joints remedy can be applied without 10 minutes massage (rubbing).