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Essential Oil
Floral Essential Oil –
1/2-cup cold-pressed sweet almond oil
2-3 cups freshly cut, full-bloom flowers
Herbal Essential Oil –
1/2-cup cold-pressed sweet almond oil
1-cup fresh herbs
Spice Essential Oil
1/2-cup cold-pressed sweet almond oil
1/2 cup dried spice pieces
Citrus Essential Oil
1/2-cup cold-pressed sweet almond oil
1-cup citrus peel chopped into fine pieces
Put oil in a glass canning jar and use a mortar and pestle to bruise the plants slightly. Add the flowers to the oil. Leave the jar in a moderately warm location for a week and shake it every 24 hours. Put the jar in a dark place and let it age for another 1 or two weeks. Shake it again, and then strain the oil through a piece of cheesecloth, mashing the cloth to get as much floral essence as possible. Process can be repeated to make stronger oil by reusing the oil with fresh plants.
Shelf life – 12-18 months if stored away from light and kept at temperatures lower than 75F.
Tincture
1 part herb or plant material
5 parts alcohol
Using a mortar and pestle, lightly bruise the chosen plants and place them in a glass jar. Add the alcohol, seal the jar, and place it in a dark, warm location. Shake the jar twice a day for 14 days. Strain the liquid into a clear jar, making sure to get the full concentration. Store in a sealed, dark-colored glass bottle in a cool, dark location.
Shelf life – 18 months to 2 years
(NOTE – The best alcohol for all recipes is 90 proof vodka unless otherwise specified)
Infusion
30 g dried herbs or 75 g fresh herbs
500 ml hot water
Pour hot water over the herbs and let sit for 10 minutes. Strain.
Shelf life – none. Shelf life can be stretched to 1 week if a teaspoon of vodka is added
Decoction
30 g dried herb or 75 g fresh herbs
750 ml water
Place the herb in a saucepan and add cool water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for up to 1 hour until the volume has been reduced by 1/3. Strain.
Shelf life – none. Shelf life can be stretched to 1 week if a teaspoon of vodka is added
Syrup
500 ml infusion or decoction
500g honey or unrefined sugar
Heat infusion or decoction in a saucepan. Add sugar or honey and stir constantly until dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool and pour into a dark glass bottle. Seal with a cork, as syrups can ferment and may explode of sealed otherwise.
Hot Oil Infusion
250 g dried herb or 750 g fresh herb
500 ml sunflower oil
Heat together in a double boiler gently for three hours and then strain and pour into a clean, airtight storage bottle.
Cream
150 g emulsifying ointment
70 ml glycerin
80 ml water
30 g dried herb
Melt the fats and water in a double boiler; add the herb and heat gently for three hours. Strain the mixture into a boil, stir constantly until cold. Store in small, airtight jars.
Shelf life – 7 months
Ointment
500 g petroleum jelly or soft paraffin wax
60 g dried herb
Melt the wax or jelly in a double boiler and stir in the herbs. Heat for about two hours, or until the herbs are crisp. Strain. Quickly pour the strained mixture into clean glass storage jars while it is still warm and molten.
Salve
1/2-cup beeswax
1/2-cup petroleum jelly
1-tablespoon jojoba oil
5 drops herbal or flower essential oil
Melt the wax and petroleum jelly in a double boiler until mixed. Add the essential oil slowly after you removed from heat. Continue stirring until the mix starts to thicken. Pour into dark glass jars while still warm.
Shelf life – 4-6 months
Natural balm for cold or canker sores
1-tablespoon beeswax
1 tsp sweet oil
1/4 tsp camphor oil
1 acidophilus capsule, crushed
1 800 unit Vitamin C capsule, crushed
Melt beeswax on low heat, remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients, stirring until all the capsule particles are dissolved and the mixture starts to set up. Pour into little tins and let cool. Dab on sores for relief.
Shelf life – 1-2 months
Bug Bite Soother
1/4-cup sweet oil
5 drops eucalyptus essential oil
5 drops thyme essential oil
6 drops chamomile essential oil
5 drops oregano essential oil or extract
Mix all together and keep in a dark glass bottle
Rash Soother
Gentle unscented and uncolored lotion
1/2 tsp chamomile tincture
1/2 tsp evening primrose oil
4 drops stinging nettle tincture
Mix the tinctures and oil together. Mix with an equal part of the lotion. Spread on the skin and wash off in 1 hour. Store in a cool place.
Shelf life – 1 month
Honey and Lemon Sore Throat Drops
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cups honey
3/4 cups light corn syrup
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2-cup water
Line a 9x9 inch-baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure it goes up the sides of the pan. Butter the sides of a 2-quart saucepan. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and honey in the saucepan and cook over medium high heat until it boils, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Turn the heat down to medium and continue a light boil at a steady rate, stirring occasionally until a candy thermometer reads 290 degrees. Continue to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool over the next 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add the lemon (and other herbs and vitamins if desired). Pour immediately into the foil lined pan. As it cools (3-10 min), use a spatula to mark break lines into the cough drops in the approximate single serving size. Let set up overnight, use the foil to lift out of the pan, and break along the marks. Package in individual candy wrappers. To make a breath mint, substitute 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (or spearmint or wintergreen) for the 1/2 tsp lemon extract.
Shelf life – 6-8 months
Antiseptic minor wound wash
1/4-cup iodine
1-cup alcohol
Mix together and store in a dark glass bottle in a dark, cool place.
Shelf life – 1-2 years
Antiseptic minor wound wash 2
1/4-cup tea-tree tincture
1-cup witch hazel
Mix together and store in a dark glass bottle in a dark, cool place.
Shelf life – 8 months to 1 year
Sunburn Calmer
1 part aloe vera gel
1 part plain yogurt
1 part apple cider vinegar
Mix and store in the refrigerator. Shake before using. Use on burned areas once an hour for the first three hours.
Shelf life – 1-2 weeks
Tea Tree Acne Liquid
1 tsp tea-tree extract
2 teaspoons witch-hazel
1/4 tsp wintergreen oil
Mix together and shake well before using. Dab directly on acne areas.
Shelf life – 6 months