Essential oils in the home
Buy yourself an oil diffuser: it’s especially useful when there are coughs and colds around or even viruses. You can buy good blends of essential oils to cleanse the air, help with breathing or help you relax. You can use the same oils in a steam inhaler or added to your bath.
Use natural detergents and body care products that use natural and not harsh ingredients. They contain herbal essential oils which are kind and healing to the skin as well as having a positive affect on our senses.
There are so many useful oils but here are a few…
- Lavender – can be used undiluted for skin problems and insect bites, add drops to shampoos or baths and to disinfect the loo.
- Frankincense – cleanses and purifies the air, can also relieve tension and headaches.
- Peppermint – rub on temples to ease headache and relieve tension.
- Eucalyptus – in an oil diffuser, inhaler or tissue to help with breathing in hay fever or colds.
Herbal first aid kit
Many of our niggly health complaints can be dealt with effectively with natural remedies, especially for children. Acting on a complaint immediately helps the body to heal itself rather than wait until the problem gets bigger.
Here are a few remedies to keep in the house…
- Aloe vera (gel or the fresh plant) – soothes and moisturises skin irritations especially good for mouth ulcers and sensitive teeth. Take in small doses.
- Tea Tree cream – a natural antiseptic and anti-fungal treatment, good for spots, bites and athlete’s foot.
- Calendular cream – relieves discomfort and itching from skin irritations, bites and thrush.
- Arnica gel – for bruises.
- Lavender essential oil – use undiluted on cuts, burns, bites, stings, eczema and spots, and for headache relief.
- Raw local honey – for treating minor burns, hay fever and sore throats.
- Grapefruit seed extract – use diluted for a powerful mouthwash, especially good for mouth ulcers and sore throats, also use diluted to cleanse fungal skin disorders.
- Echinacea tincture – boosts the immune system at the beginning of an illness.
- Goldenseal tincture – has many powerful actions particularly as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial, therefore good for stomach and intestinal problems including diarrhoea, as well as ear and throat infections.
- Fresh root ginger – to relieve colds, sore throats, nausea, travel sickness
- Raw cider vinegar – for sore throats, menopause, wasp stings, cystitis, thrush, aids digestion.
Pregnant women and those taking certain medications should seek advice before taking any herb in large quantities.