Articles appearing in this section of the website span a wide range of topics from harvesting and storing herbs to using them for non-food purposes. They were originally posted on the main page of the Garden of Grace but have been moved to allow newer and more timely material to appear on that page. Some were edited to remove specific time references at the time they were moved here.

Try a warm herbal soak to relax your body and your mind.
(Posted: Summer 2011)

If you're feeling stressed, tired from lack of sleep, exhausted from hard work, or just plain wiped out, don't take a shower. Try an old-fashioned tub bath, but make it leisurely. Take your time, lean back, relax, and enjoy it.

And, if you normally bathe in plain water, try treating yourself to a luxurious and peaceful herbal/milk soak. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how good it feels, even on a hot summer day. Just don't let yourself get over-heated and light-headed.

MILK AND OATMEAL HERBAL BATH

1 cup oatmeal 1 handful fresh lavender flowers (or 2 tblsp dried lavender) 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 tblsp dried 1 cup milk

Place oats and herbs in a cloth or muslin bag, and tie the bag under the tub's faucet. Fill the tub by turning the water on and letting it run through the bag so the bath water is infused with healing properties of the herbs and oatmeal.

When water is the desired depth and temperature, add the milk.

Remove the bag from the facet and use it like a washcloth, rubbing it over your skin. You'll find it very refreshing.

There may be other times when you won't want to bathe but your burning feet are screaming for relief. You might find it beneficial to soak your "tired dogs" in a mixture of some of your favorite herbs. You can use them fresh from your garden or dried and chooped.

HERBAL FOOT SOAK

½ cup Epsom salts 1 teaspoon olive oil Water to fill your soaking pan. 3 or more of the following: chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, peppermint leaves, eucalyptus leaves, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano.

Boil water in a tea kettle or another pan that you will not be putting your feet into.

While the water is heating, place the herbs in your foot-soaking pan. When the water boils, pour it over the herbs and then stir in the Epsom salts and oil.

Do not begin to soak your feet until the water has cooled to a comfortable temperature. Soak as long as you desire. For a more relaxing effect, place several small stones in the bottom of the soaking pan and gently roll your feet over them to massage and relax your feet.

Click here to open a pdf file to print and/or save the directions for preparing these soaks.

Tea -- It's not just for drinking.
(Posted: October 2010)

People who think about, or talk about, tea, are usually concerned with drinking it. That's not surprising. Whether it's served hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened, with milk or cream or lemon or plain, it's one of the most popular and widely consumed beverages in the world. And, it's gaining even more popularity due to a recent wave of newspaper and magazine articles, as well as television talk and kitchen shows, that have featured both the old and familiar varieties of tea, as well as many new ones, including herbal blends.

Even our own club has jumped on the tea bandwagon. We devoted our entire October 2010 meeting to herbal teas. We talked about them, brewed them, and taste-tested them. And, just like almost everyone else, we focused primarily on drinking them.

There are, however, other beneficial uses for tea, and it may be worth your while to take note of them. A recent article in The Herb Companion cited the four following uses.

• Reduce under eye puffiness by placing a wet, cool tea bag over each eye and relaxing for 10 minutes.
• Soothe insect bites by placing a wet tea bag over the bite to relieve the itching.
• Try a tea bath for a bad sunburn. Let the water run over 4 or 5 tea bags of Oolong, Jasmine, or green tea, then relax in the fragrant, warm water.
• Use your favorite tea blends for a cooling skin refresher. Make the tea, put it in a spray bottle, and then spritz yourself as needed. Mint tea is very cooling on hot days.

Note, however, that at least the first two of these depend upon the astringent properties of true, traditional teas made from the leaves, flowers, and/or stems of the Camellia sinensis plant. The so-called "herbal teas" we often prepare without actual tea leaves will not work for these purposes.

And, in your enthusiasm for these new uses for tea, don't forget to take time to drink some it. It is, after all, a marvellous beverage. I particularly enjoy relaxing and starting my day with a soothing, delicious cup of tea before doing any other work. I also enjoy it when I take breaks throughout the day.

Have you tried herbs as critter-deterrents?
(Posted: May 2010)

Sprinkle dried bay leaves around your food cupboards and even in your storage canisters to keep weevils and mealy bugs out of your pastas, flours, and cereals.

Dried tansy will keep ants from coming into the house, if it's placed in the paths most likely to used by these invading pests, such as across doorways and on windowsills.

And, out in the garden, try planting a wide row of nasturtiums as a border around your herb and vegetable gardens to keep small four-legged critters away.

How about an herbal hair rinse?
(Posted: March/April 2010)

Among the things I miss when we're cooped up inside all winter are the fresh air and the lovely smells of my garden plants and herbs. In fact, I've learned that the aroma of herbs can help me get rid of the winter blues. So, I've been experimenting with some herbal hair rinses like those featured in the November 2009 issue of Herb Companion..

I've been using my cat Isaiah as a guinea pig for the hair rinses. I use a small washcloth moistened with the rinse, and rub his back and cheeks with it. He really smells great!

He seems to like the basil and rosemary rinses, but the one I made one using catnip is his real favorite.

I have also dried some pennyroyal that I plan to use on him. It repels fleas and insects. But, be careful with it; unlike many other herbs, it is not suitable for tea and neither you nor your cat should ever drink it.

SAGE HAIR RINSE
     This will also darken the hair and cover gray hairs.

2 cups water
1/4 cup fresh or dried sage leaves

Boil water and pour over sage, let cool and then strain out all solids.
To use: Pour over clean hair as a final rinse. Do not rinse hair again.

 
CHAMOMILE RINSE
     This will also lighten hair, especially blond hair.

2 cups water
1/4 cup fresh or dried chamomile flowers

Boil water and pour over the chamomile flowers, let cool and then strain.
To use: Pour over clean hair as a final rinse. Do not rinse hair again.

 
ROSEMARY-THYME RINSE
     This will also darken hair and keep it silky.

1 tbsp fresh (or ½ tbsp dried) rosemary leaves
1 tbsp fresh (or ½ tbsp dried) thyme leaves
2 cups boiling water

Place herbs in a glass bowl, pour boiling water over them. Steep until cool. Strain liquid and pour into a clean container.
To use: After shampooing, pour the rinse over your hair. Do not rinse again.

Rosemary and thyme have been used for centuries to darken hair and to keep it silky. They also have natural antiseptic properties that will help keep your hair healthy, clean, and free of dandruff. It will, however, take several rinses to acquire this effect.

 
LAVENDER-MINT RINSE
     This will also add shine to dull, limp hair.

½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup fresh (or 1 tbps dried) mint leaves
1 tbsp fresh (or ½ tbsp dried) lavender leaves
1 cup boiling water

Place vinegar and herbs in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let cool, then strain.
To use: Apply the solution to the scalp as a final rinse after shampooing. Rinse well with cool water.

All skin and hair types can use this rinse. Mint and vinegar clean scalp and hair. The vinegar rids your hair of all leftover residue from styling gels or soap-based shampoos. Use this rinse monthly.

Click to access a pdf file of these hair rinses to save or print.