1 Make 2 cups (500ml) of infusion or decoction (depending on what is appropriate for the herb), and strain. Reserve the liquid.
2 Pour 6 tablespoons oil (90ml) into a pan. Mix 3oz. (75g) of fat into the oil. If a perishable base fat is used (such as lard), a drop of tincture of benzoin should be added for each 2 tablespoons (30g) of base. Add the liquid.
3 Simmer until the water has evaporated. Stiffen the mixture with a little beeswax or cocoa butter to make a cream. Melt in slowly.
ALLIUM CEPA
ONIONS
The onion is by far the most important bulb vegetable in terms of its healing properties. It is used both in its green stage as a scallion, or green onion, and in its mature stage as a bulb—the tightly packed globe of food-storage leaves containing the volatile oil that is the source of the onion’s pungent flavor. Thought to have originated in Asia, the onion has been cultivated since ancient times. The bulb of the onion is used in cooking and medicinally; like garlic, it warms the body and stimulates the circulation. Onions have long been considered the mainstay of every household remedy chest.
USES
Apply fresh onion to an abscessed tooth or a boil to draw out infection and help to encourage circulation to the area, which will facilitate quick healing.
Mix onion juice with honey to relieve the symptoms of a cold.
Taken daily, onions can help to prevent cancers of the digestive tract.
The regular consumption of onions can reduce nervous debility.
Onion poultices are used to treat bronchitis and can also help in the treatment of acne and boils.
Onions are often recommended for gastric infections; onions will be effective cooked and raw.
PROPERTIES
Onions cause the body to “weep,” which helps to release toxins
Onion increases blood circulation and can relax the muscles
Expectorant and diuretic
Helps to reduce serum cholesterol after a fatty meal
May provide some protection against cancer
Antibiotic, draws out infection
Warming
Strengthens the lungs
ALLIUM SATIVUM
GARLIC
Garlic belongs to the onion family, and is one of the best-known and most-used medicinal plants. It has a strong odor, which many people find off-putting, but its health-giving and preventive properties make it well worth suffering the effects.
USES
Fresh garlic, eaten daily, can reduce chronic acidity of the stomach.
Eat crushed garlic for sexual debility.
May help to reduce attacks of allergic asthma and hay fever.
Garlic-infused oil can be used as a chest rub for respiratory or digestive ailments, or in the ear to reduce inflammation.
Fresh garlic, eaten regularly, will reduce the need for antibiotics.
Garlic syrup can be used to treat bronchitis, lung infections, and digestive disorders.
PROPERTIES
Cleanses the blood and helps create and maintain healthy bacterial balance (flora) in the gut
Helps to bring down fever
Antiseptic
Antibiotic
Antifungal
Tones the heart and circulatory system
Boosts the immune system
May help to reduce high blood pressure
May prevent some cancers, in particular stomach cancer
TIP
The smell of garlic on the breath can be reduced by eating an apple, drinking a little fresh lemon juice, or eating fresh parsley.
APIUM GRAVEOLENS
CELERY
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote that celery could be used to calm the nerves, and, indeed, its very high calcium level is likely to be the reason for this phenomenon. The seeds, leaves, and edible root of the plant are used. Celery is best eaten raw, and its juice is particularly useful. The seeds are rich in iron and many vitamins, including A, B, and C, and can be used in the treatment of liver problems and high blood pressure.
USES
Eat the seeds to treat arthritis (for which they act as an anti-inflammatory) and to relieve muscle spasms (antispasmodic action).
Grated, raw celery can be used as a poultice to apply to swollen glands.
Raw whole celery can be eaten regularly to reduce high blood pressure, and to act as a tonic for the liver.
Celery juice or an infusion of celery seeds may be drunk to alleviate sciatica.
Drink celery juice before meals to suppress the appetite. Chew celery seeds after a meal as a digestive.
PROPERTIES
Celery helps to reduce high blood pressure
Digestive, reducing spasm in the intestinal tract and acting as an anti-inflammatory agent
Purifies the blood
May help in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatic disorders; in Japan, rheumatic patients are sometimes put on a celery-only diet
Celery seeds also have anti-inflammatory properties
Stimulates the thyroid and pituitary glands
CAUTION
Because celery may cause the uterus to contract, it should not be eaten during pregnancy.
ARMORACIA RUSTICANA
HORSERADISH
Horseradish is a member of the mustard family, and is native to southeastern Europe. It is widely cultivated for its pungent, fleshy root. Japanese horseradish, or wasabi (Wasabidjaponica), is used both for cooking and for therapeutic purposes, and the grated rhizomes are often sold as a dry, green-colored powder.
USES
Apply tincture of horseradish root to skin eruptions, including those associated with acne, to draw out the infection and encourage healing.
Add some horseradish root to your toothpaste to clean teeth effectively, kill bacteria, and control mouth ulcers.
Eat fresh horseradish, mixed with a little lemon juice, for the relief of sinus infections and nasal blockages.
Eat freshly grated horseradish root for edema and swelling associated with PMS.
A horseradish poultice can be applied to chilblains and hemorrhoids to encourage healing and improve the circulation of the blood.
PROPERTIES