Dear Friends,
Welcome to spring and its abundance. I’d like to make the subject of this article, Rosemary, The Herb of remembrance.
It is with with a heavy heart that I write this article. We experienced a profound loss this spring. Our dear friends lost their six-year-old daughter suddenly and unexpectedly. She and my grandson were together since birth; they were good friends.
Cheyenne was welcome everywhere she went, her manners were impeccable and her sweetness was genuine. Her passing from this world is felt so deeply and on many levels.
It is for this reason that I have chosen to talk about the herb, rosemary, the herb of remembrance. Rosemary is a stimulant to the central nervous system in so much as it heightens the senses but at the same time it has a carminative (calming) effect on the nerves; improves memory; is an anti-oxidant that aids digestion; as well as helping those with joint problems. It also imparts an astringent effect which is very good when used as a poultice for puncture wounds. This comes in handy when friends and family fall off motorcycles. Yes! I have used it for this.
Let’s start with the poultice:
Take equal parts of rosemary; black walnut leaves and slices of an aloe leaf. Wrap them in cheese cloth (not gauze) or thin cotton fabric, place in a bowl and pour boiling water over top. You can also use tap water and heat moistened poultice in microwave for about one minute. While the poultice is cooling scrub all visible dirt from wound and be certain poultice has cooled sufficiently before placing on the wound. Let it remain there for at least 20 minutes. Repeat as necessary to prevent infection and abscess.
Drink Rosemary in a tea with lemon grass and pennyroyal to reduce stress or add rosemary essential oil to a warm bath with mineral salts. I have a wonderful recipe for detox bath salts (Recipe below). Also for those of you (mostly men) whom are losing hair do to sebum blocking pours try this remedy. Dissolve in one quart of hot water 1 tbsp. borax and 20 drops of rosemary essential oil. Place in squeeze bottle and apply to hair after shampooing and before rinsing allowing it to remain one scalp for about 3 minutes. I think you will enjoy experimenting with rosemary. Hope you don’t need the poultice for puncture wounds.
What ever this day brings you, make time for someone special in your life. The other day while I was so busy my grandson, Liam asked, “Nana could we have a picnic?” I almost said, “Not now”, but I thought better about it and decided to put chores aside and instead we took out my grandmother’s best china. Liam, Nana (my grandmother whom is in spirit now) and I had a lovely picnic.
Love and Light, Lori
Detox Bath Salt Recipe
Minerals and salts make the bath water feel silky and leave your skin cleansed and soft.
1 cup sea salts
2 cups baking soda
1 cup Epsom salts
1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin per bath (optional)
Combine the sea salts, baking soda, and Epsom salts in a bowl. Stir to blend. Pour 1/4 cup or so into the bath while the tub is filling. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin to keep your skin from drying out (more for dry skin, less for oily skin) and essential oils of choice. I like rosemary or lavender.
Preparation Time: 2 to 3 minutes
Shelf Life: Indefinite
Storage: Glass or plastic jar with a screw top
To speed up the detoxification process, you may wish to try this: Buy a fragrance free aloe cream and “bentonite clay”. Mix equal parts of clay cream and water. Apply to arms, legs and body or effected areas about twenty minutes before taking your therapeutic bath. This draws toxins to the skin; the warm salt bath draws out the deeper toxins. After your bath, rinse off with slightly cool water. This completes the process by rinsing away any toxins brought to the skins surface.
Bath-add 1/4 cup in hot bath water, soak 20-30 minutes as the water cools-this intensifies the drawing action. Rinse with cool water.
Detox Foot Bath
Use your Detox Bath Salts and add 2 – 3 TBLSP to a bucket of hot water or footbath. Soak as long as you are comfortable. You can do this while you are working on the computer, balancing your checkbook or paying bills. You may wish to keep a teapot full of hot water to heat the footbath up as it cools down.