Out of commission

The keyboard of our desktop is ruined because Adeline knocked over my cup of water all over it. The space bar, b, n, scroll arrows, Abe window keys are done for. I'm accesing my blog from my iPod touch while I'm laying on my side to let the ear oil seep onto my ear and so it's job. I'm almost positve that I have an ear infection. I had one a couple of months ago, too. I'm tired of taking antibiotics. I've heard some great things about ear oil and figured I'd give it a try. The oil is called "Wally's Ear Oil" and it has a blend of natural oil and herbal extracts. I'll let you all know how it works out :) Keep your fingers crossed. I hate going to the doctors. I also picked up some ear candles. I'll have the dh candle me tomorrow.

I'll be posting the giveaway tomorrow after I get a new keyboard :) if this one goes well I can see doing more.

Chamomile

I always try to have chamomile flowers on hand. Not only do they make great, relaxing tea, they also are great to for a few all natural remedies. Here are some of the uses from HerbMontor.com's Herbalpedia. (I highly recommend this website. It has a wealth of herbalism classes and knowledge.)

USES:

Skin care: acne, allergies, boils, burns, cuts,
chilblains, dermatitis, earache, eczema, hair
care, inflammations, insect bites, rashes,
sensitive skin, teething pain, toothache, wounds
Circulation,

Muscles and Joints: arthritis,
inflamed joints, muscular pain, neuralgia,
rheumatism, sprains.

Digestive System: dyspepsia, colic, indigestion,
nausea

Genito-urinary system: dysmenorrhea,
menopausal problems, menorrhagia

Nervous system: headache, insomnia, nervous
tension, migraine and stress-related complaints

Other Uses: Used in pharmaceutical antiseptic
ointments and in carminative, antispasmodic
and tonic preparations. Used extensively in
cosmetics, soaps, detergents, high-class
perfumes and hair and bath products. Used as a
flavor ingredient in most major food categories,
including alcoholic and soft drinks


I usually ingest chamomile on a daily basis with a hand mixed tea geared towards relieving stress. It is a great way to unwind after a long and stressful day. Especially because I am prone to anxiety and stress. If anyone is interested I can post the tea blend recipe :)

I also use chamomile to treat a number of things like diaper rash and pink eye. For example, today the youngest in our brood woke up with pink eye. YUCK!!! So, I brewed up a strong tea of plain old dried chamomile flowers. This brew would also work for diaper rashes, too.

Strong Tea:

Start with died flowers and some water. I don't have any set amounts. I just eyeball it. But, I would say maybe a 1/4 of flowers for every two cups of water.


Bring the water to a boil.

Drop in the flowers and let steep for about 15 minutes.

Strain


Put the tea in a jar. To use just soak a clean cotton ball either clean the area or use as a compress.


Another great way to use chamomile in your home, is to help with teething pain. Throw some dried flowers into a burlap or cotton muslin bag and let the little one chew, chew, chew!

Tinctures

I have extras of some valerian and echinacea tinctures I made. They are available for swapping if anyone is interested! They were made with 80 proof vodka and organic herbs from Rose Mountain Herbs.

Herbalism- If you are my partner in the swap Don't read. !!!SPOILER!!!

I'm in an herbalism swap on Craftster and I'm friggin diggin' it!! This is the most educational swap ever, I love learning about herbal remedies. So, I concocted the following out of an herbal medicine making starter kit I bought off www.learningherbs.com I also bought the Wildcraft board game. Azriel loves playing it. At our house we loves playing games!


Some amazing herbal salve. It's this gorgeous deep green color

And I'm currently waiting a few more weeks to decant this echinachea tincture.


Next up are lip balms, teas, cough drops, more tinctures, and a bunch of other cool shiz.

I also knitted this up for one of my partners


It's a head band but can also double as a neck warmer.