Here’s a printable quick reference sheet (“cheat sheet”) for the next time a cold or flu strikes your house! A couple of weeks ago, our family came down with covid, and the intense brain fog and fatigue made it harder to remember my favorite simple remedies for sore throat, cough, and stuffy sinuses. We’re all…
Learn to make a quick and easy throat spray using tinctures (or herbal tea) and honey. It’s a delicious way to treat sore throats, coughs, and colds! Today, I’m sharing how I make customized herbal honey throat sprays to treat my family’s scratchy and sore throats. I use raw honey in these, but you can…
Lemon balm is a powerful antiviral, proven to banish cold sores. Use this DIY super healing cold sore lip balm recipe to help fight & prevent cold sores. It also makes a great all-purpose lip balm for everyday use! If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know that a lot of my inspiration…
Black walnut salve is useful for things like athletes foot, fungal rashes, toenail infections, ringworm, psoriasis, and various skin woes. If you have a longstanding mystery rash on your arm or leg and no one is quite sure what it is – try some black walnut salve and you may find relief! To make this…
These warming arnica lotion bars are perfect to rub over sore arthritic hands, feet, and joints that tend to be cold, and that feel better with warmth applied. You can also find this recipe in our new ebook, Things to Make for Aches & Pains, a joint collaboration between my daughter (who started our family…
Have fresh corn? Don’t throw away that corn silk! Corn Silk can be used to help alleviate symptoms that go along with: bedwetting, cystitis, prostatitis, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, gout and hyperglycemia. It’s also a natural source of vitamin K and potassium. Few things in life are more delightful than discovering the goodness in…
From sore throat gargle to wound spray, here are 14 useful things to make with calendula tea! Calendula is loaded with powerful skin-healing, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, yet is gentle enough for most people and animals to use safely. You can make all sorts of things with calendula, including soap, salve, lotion bars and lip…
Learn how to make homemade elderberry syrup using fresh (or dried) elderberries and honey. (Updated for 2021, since I’ve reduced water amounts and cooking time since my original recipe in 2015.) 😊 Over the past few weeks, we’ve been harvesting from our elder bushes, making lots of goodies, including tincture, oxymel, and salve. Check out my article…
Covered in itchy insect bites? This article is filled with all natural remedies and things to make for bug bite relief! It’s summer time which means lots of outdoor fun in the sun, but also – pesky bug bites! I’ve tried all sorts of natural ways to get bug bites to stop itching over the…
St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a pretty yellow flowering plant that’s considered a noxious weed in several states, but is well-loved by herbalists! Besides using it for tinctures and liniments (like this herbal liniment for varicose veins & muscle pains), it’s also wonderful to infuse into oil for salves and lotions. If you don’t…
Learn to make an all-natural witch hazel + herbal liniment can be used for varicose veins, muscle pains, strains, and aches. This recipe was kindly shared by Dawn Combs, author of the book, Heal Local. It’s a great book centered around 20 homegrown or regionally sourced herbs that you can use to build a complete…
This salve recipe combines anti-inflammatory turmeric with pain relieving menthol to create an effective salve that can be rubbed into sore or achy joints, backs, feet, or wherever you have pain that’s relieved by a deep cooling sensation. Today I’m delighted to share a recipe that my daughter created! For many months, we’ve been working…
In this article, you’ll learn how to make three herbal salves featuring mullein infused oil: Basic Mullein Salve – for dry, chapped, or cracked skin Mullein First Aid Salve – for minor scrapes, scratches Mullein Chest Rub – for respiratory support Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is an herbal weed you’ve likely seen growing on roadsides…