Home remedies: natural solutions for everyday ailments

Natural Health, July-August, 1998 by Laurel Vukovic

LATE SUMMER IS THE IDEAL TIME for harvesting many herbs, both from the and from the wild. I've just come in from gathering a basket of golden yellow calendula, which is one of my favorite healing herbs. The deep yellow and orange flowers are in the daisy family and grow just as prolifically as marigolds, their sister flowers, blooming from early spring through late fall. I'll eventually steep the dried blossoms in olive oil in the sun to make skin salve and in hot water to make compresses (see "Calendula Compress").

My house is full of herbs in various stages of drying. Delicate white yarrow tops and velvety mullein leaves are destined for cough and cold remedies, and I'll use the red clover blossoms and rose hips to make nourishing teas that promote overall well being. Baskets of fragrant red rose petals also perfume my entire home. I harvest them from my garden and then add handfuls of the dried petals to facial steams and baths.

Aloe and Lavender Burn Spray

I've always applied aloe vera gel to any type of burn, from kitchen cooking mishaps to sunburn. Aloe is cooling and soothing, and it contains natural chemicals that prevent infection and help the skin to heal quickly. I keep an aloe vera plant for just such emergencies and slice off leaves when I need the healing gel.

But sometimes an aloe vera plant isn't around when I need it, so I was grateful when Kathi Keville, the author of Herbs for Health and Healing (Rodale, 1996), shared her favorite burn remedy with me. I've been using it ever since; in fact, I've come to prefer it for treating large burns such as sunburn.

Combine 4 ounces of aloe vera juice (look for brands without artificial preservatives or other additives in natural food stores) with 1/8 teaspoon of lavender essential oil (which has natural anti-inflammatory properties) in a glass spray bottle. Shake well and spray as often as desired on burned skin. I keep my aloe-lavender spray in the refrigerator, which makes it even more cooling to a bum. This anti-bum spray will last indefinitely.

St. John's Wort Oil for Strains and Sprains

An excellent remedy for relieving the aches of muscle strains and sprains is St. John's wort oil, which I make every summer from flowers I gather near my home.

St. John's wort taken internally in capsule or tincture form has received a lot of press recently as a natural anti-depressant. However, not many people know that the flowers also have anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce swelling and pain when applied to soft tissue injuries. A topical oil made from St. John's wort flowers has been used for centuries in Europe and the United States for treating sprains, strains, and bruises.

St. John's wort oil, which is easy to make, is one of my favorite late-summer harvesting rituals. St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) grows wild throughout the United States in sunny fields and along roadsides, with abundant tiny yellow flowers from June through September. The first time I picked St. John's wort flowers, I was surprised to find my fingertips stained red. The flowers contain a bright red oil that harbors many of the plant's healing properties. When the flowers are steeped in olive oil, the oil takes on a deep, vibrant red hue.

The traditional method of making St. John's wort oil begins with harvesting the flowers when they are just barely open and leaving them to wilt in a basket overnight to remove excess moisture (which might cause the oil to mold). Chop up the flower heads, place them in a glass jar, and cover them with extra-virgin olive oil (the oil should be two inches above the top of the flowers). Cover the jar opening with several layers of clean cheesecloth and secure them with a rubber band (covering the jar with a tight fitting lid can create condensation inside the jar, which will cause the oil to mold). Place the jar in a warm, sunny place. After three weeks, strain the oil through several layers of cheesecloth and rebottle it in a dark glass container. Stored in a cool, dark cabinet, the oil will last for approximately one year.

To soothe and speed recovery of overworked muscles, massage the oil into the affected area three times a day until the pain and inflammation subside.

Calendula Compress for Pink Eye

My 11-year-old friend Amanda woke up recently with a swollen, painful eyelid and a crusty discharge in the corner of her eye. I applied warm compresses to it, which she said made it feel better right away She probably had a mild case of conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye, an inflammation of the thin membranes that cover the eye-hall and the inner surface of the eyelid. A virus is usually the culprit, but it can also be caused by bacteria, allergies, or environmental irritants.

Warm compresses ease the itching and soreness of conjunctivitis, and the best compresses are made from strong calendula tea. To make a strong calendula infusion for a compress, pour two cups of boiling water over 1/4 cup of dried flowers and steep in a covered container for 20 minutes. Strain, dip a clean thin cotton washcloth in the liquid, wring it out slightly, and apply it to the affected eye for 15 minutes several times a day. Warm compresses are particularly soothing, so reheat the infusion as necessary.