Basic Rose Potpourri
Blend 1 tsp of rose essential oil to 3 TBS coarse ground orris root and let sit, covered for a few days. For a spicy scent, add 2 TBS each of ground cloves and cinnamon. For a sweet floral scent, add 2 cups lavender and ¼ cup ground tonka bean. For a musky scent, add 1 cup patchouli leaves and ½ cup sandalwood and vetiver root. For a fruity scent, add 1 cup each of dried citrus peel, rose and lemon scented geranium leaves, and lemon balm or lemon verbena. You will soon find yourself adding a little of this and that as you become familiar with the process and begin creating your own blends.

Balsam Fir Potpourri
1 cup balsam needles
¾ cup sweet woodruff leaves
1 cup dried violet blossoms
1 cup lavender 2 TBS salt
¼ cup bee balm blossoms
1 oz balsam Peru tincture

Seal and let set to “cure”, occasionally shaking the mix.

Christmas Potpourri
1 cup each: cut and sifted: whole allspice, star anise, ginger root, and sassafras bark
2 cups each: orange peel, lemon verbena leaves, and rose buds and petals.
30 drops allspice oil, stirred into the mix 5 drops at a time.
10 6″ cinnamon sticks.

Seal and let set to “cure”, shaking occasionally.

Citrus Blend
4 cups lemon verbena leaves
2 cups lemon balm leaves
2 cups orange mint
2 cups lemon, lime or orange scented geranium leaves
1 cup apple mint
4 cups ground citrus peel
Add other flowers for color if you like
4 cups marigold or calendula petals (or other yellow and orange flowers)
2 cups orris root, mixed with 1 TBS orange oil and 1 TBS lemon oil

Seal and let set to “cure”, shaking occasionally.

Lily of the Valley Potpourri
1 cup dried lily of the valley petals
2 cups dried violet and viola flowers
¾ cup dried rose blossoms
4 tonka beans broken into pieces or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBS orris root powder

Seal and let set to “cure”, occasionally shaking the mix.

Moist Potpourri
Rose petals are the primary ingredient, but any flower petals will work. Add any oils or spices to the petals you wish, and layer them with uniodized salt. Compress the potpourri under a weighted dish. Set the potpourri aside for several weeks, but do stir the mixture every day. Once fermentation of the mix begins, let it sit for 2 more weeks without stirring until a cake is formed. Break the cake into small bits, and combine with spices, oils, and fixatives. Let it blend a few more weeks, and then put it in a decorative container. It isn’t attractive, so you may want to put it where it can be smelled, but not seen.

I hope you enjoy these simply sweet recipies… I know I sure will!

~Dragon Girl~

**Note – As always, be certain of your allergies. If you are not sure what may cause harm to you personally, contact your naturopath or health care provider before using anything, even if it falls into the natural realms.

Today I have been made aware of a Lavender Cleansing Conditionerwhich appears to carry some awesome ingredients right out of natures own backyard. I was just thinking I would love to try something new, besides the generic shampoo’s and conditioners on the market today, and this sweet lavender cleansing conditioner was generously brought to my attention. What a great universe we create!

Let’s take a look at what this delicious sounding Lavender Cleansing Conditionerhas to offer, and exactly what it is we are looking at here.

Ingredients

Water, Organic Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Lavender Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Chamomile Extract, Marigold Flower Extract, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Amodimethicone, Lavender Oil, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Witch Hazel, Ceteareth-20, Sweet Almon Oil, Menthol, Avocado Oil, PEG-60, Almond Glycerides, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Methylisothiazolinone, Citric Acid

Helpful Directions

Rinse hair thoroughly and completely with cool water for at least 1 minute. Cleansing Conditioner should be applied in four sections: the crown of your head, the nape/back of head, ends to the left side of your hair and ends to the right side of your hair. For hair above your shoulders, use a minimum of 24 pumps, (6 pumps per section). For hair down to your shoulders, use a minimum of 32 pumps, (8 pumps per section). For hair past your shoulders use a minimum of 40 pumps, (10 per section). For hair to your mid-back use a minimum of 48 pumps, (12 per section). Add a splash of water to help evenly distribute through the ends and massage vigorously into scalp for 2-3 minutes. Comb through with a wide-tooth comb and clip hair up for the remainder of the shower. Leave on for at least 3-5 minutes. The longer you leave it on the better for maximum results. Rinse with cool water thoroughly for 1-2 minutes by massaging your scalp and running your fingers through to the ends. While hair is soaking wet, apply 1-3 pumps of the Cleansing Conditioner as a leave-in conditioner starting from the back of the head through to the ends. For thicker/coarser hair increase amount of pumps in order to thoroughly hydrate and cleanse the scalp and ends. If you choose to rinse and repeat, use half the amount of suggested pumps for each cleansing.

I would just like to add that I would simply love to enjoy a few minutes of lavender heaven on my scalp and hair, and can only imagine how wonderful this would feel! What a treat for a living part of our body which takes a lot of hits from the environment, as well as our own unintentional careless treatment. Our hair stands up to a lot of stress from many directions, and could use a break from the collaterol damage our busy lifestyles demand.

Since I am proactive, and love to play with the little ones, I tend to push myself pretty hard at times. Life is just too short to waste any of these precious moments, and I strongly feel it is important to make the most of our time as it flows by. Erego, I do get a bit overwhelmed at times (yes, the unthinkable happens to me too, and my family is usually at a loss when I turn myself off and go into self-pamper mode, but they’ll survive!).

So, what do I do to relax? Well, like I have mentioned before, I love to do my Qigong and gather Life Force Energy to keep myself in balance. I also place a bit of lavender under my pillow to get the wonderful benefits of the healing energies lavender carries. It is good to have a nice sachet of lavender handy for a moment in our day when we need to give our senses a bit of a reprieve as well.

Yet the most beneficial thing a busy woman (or man) can do for our bodies as well as our senses, is to take a nice, soothing, long hot bath! Hands down, this is the best way to really relax and let our busy bodies and minds have a chance to find that place of peace which brings us back into perfect balance. Masada Bath Salts, Relaxing Lavender, Dead Sea Mineral is a special treat I found to pamper myself in a way that gives me complete privacy in my quiet time. No one dares enter my space during bath time, so I am certain to get that which I need to keep me sane.

Life on this planet throws a lot of stuff our way (and it is not all peaches and cream), and as the Matriarch of my family, I need to keep myself in top shape to allow me to handle any situation that comes my way with a clear mind, sharp senses, and a whole lot of wisdom! Give me a few precious moments to myself, and I am good to go! So here I go to run that delicious hot bath and thank the heavens for me time!

This is a friendly reminder to take the time to pamper yourself. If you are always busy, even if you don’t have such a big and active family as I do, then you too need a bit of self indulgence to balance out the hectic moments Life throws your way. So do yourself a big favour and go run a really hot bath, throw in some of your favourite scents and salts in and enjoy!

Let’s take a look at a few natural strategies and options for creating a healthy atmosphere within our bodies, and giving us a priceless sense of well being.

Aromatic Foot Bath to Support Healthy Circulation

4 drops Wild Rosemary
2 drops Geranium
2 drops Eucalyptus
1 Tbs Mixing Oil

Bowl with cold water…

Add the mixture into the bowl, put feet in, and soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Colder water may increase circulation by causing local stimulation.

Feeling Pressure?

4 drops Lavender
2 drops Ylang Ylang
2 drops Clary Sage

Put the drops on the tissue and inhale a few times. You can also add the mixture to 2 Tbs of Massage Lotion and gently massage the chest and back.

Tonic to Support Healthy Veins

6 drops Cypress
1 drop Lemon
1 drop Bergamot
2 cups cold water

In a small bowl, add the oils to the water. Swish a soft fabric in the bowl. Gently apply fabric to legs.

For relaxation, you may wish to try a sedating massage using Neroli, Lavender, or Ylang Ylang.

Enjoy!

**Special Note – As always, use good sense and be very certain of your allergies. Always consult your health care provider or naturapathic before using any new herbal treatment.

Baby massage – helps circulation and enhances body function, however the most important factor is providing you and your baby with very enjoyable moments and memories. It is natural for a mother to give a massage and natural for a baby to receive it. The most suitable oils for babies are Lavender and Roman chamomile. Both oils will help with most aspects of your baby’s problems. Massage may help calm an over-active child and can help promote healthy sleep, ease stomach problems, prevent diaper rash, and soften skin. Use 2 to 3 drops of essential oils in a small cup of warm mixing oil.

Studies are showing that massaged babies are more alert, sleep better, gain weight faster, and look happier. Use this knowledge to spend more memorable and quality time with your precious one.

Try adding a few to your Herbes de Provence mixture – you’ll be amazed at the subtle yet extraordinary difference Lavender will make.

As a member of the same family as many of our most popular herbs, it is not surprising that lavender is edible and that its use in food preparation is also returning. Flowers and leaves can be used fresh or dried, and both buds and stems can be used dried. Lavender is a member of the mint family and is close to rosemary, sage, and thyme. It is best used with fennel, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, and savory.

English Lavender (L. angustifolia in general and Munstead/Hidcote varieties, in particular when freshly picked) have the sweetest fragrance of all the lavenders and is the one most commonly used in cooking. The uses of lavender are limited only by your imagination. Lavender has a sweet, floral flavor, with lemon and citrus notes. The potency of the lavender flowers increases with drying. In cooking, use 1/3 the quantity of dried flowers to fresh. The key to cooking with lavender is to experiment; start out with a small amount of flowers, and add more as you go.

NOTE: Adding too much lavender to your recipe can be like eating perfume and will make your dish bitter. Because of the strong flavour of lavender, the secret is that a little goes a long way.

The lavender flowers add a beautiful colour to salads. Lavender can also be substituted for rosemary in many bread recipes. The flowers can be put in sugar and sealed tightly for a couple of weeks then the sugar can be substituted for ordinary sugar for a cake, buns or custards. Grind the lavender in a herb or coffee grinder or mash it with mortar and pestle.

The spikes and leaves of lavender can be used in most dishes in place of rosemary in most recipes. Use the spikes or stems for making fruit or shrimp kebabs.

Flowers look beautiful and taste good too in a glass of champagne, with chocolate cake, or as a garnish for sorbets or ice creams. Lavender lends itself to savoury dishes also, from hearty stews to wine-reduced sauces. Diminutive blooms add a mysterious scent to custards, flans or sorbets.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ: Do NOT eat flowers from florists, nurseries or garden centers or do so at your own risk. In many cases these flowers have been treated with pesticides, not labeled for food crops. Edible Lavender has been tested for microbial activity and is almost always greyish blue, not the bright blue of the dried Lavender bunches you see in florists which have usually had their colour augmented (dyed in other words) Such dyed Lavender is not suitable for ingestion.

Note – Information and statements regarding Aromatherapy have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health condition or disease. Contact your Health Care provider or Naturapathic immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem, or may be prone to an allergic reaction.

There are two different theories about how essential oils affect human psyche

Reflective theory assumes that essential oils influence the olfactory system and the sense of smell. The olfactory nerves have receptor sites that are stimulated by specific chemical components in particular essential oils. The stimulated receptors send signals to the brain, especially to the part of brain (amygdala and hippocampus) where the regulation of emotion, memory, sleep circle, or sexuality are affected.

While the Reflective Theory only requires interaction with olfactory epithelum, the Systemic theory assumes that essential oils interact directly with the brain and other systems of the body. People can also have learned psychological responses to essential oils by relating them with specific pleasant or unpleasant experiences. Memories can create or evoke change in the brain and psyche. For example, pine needle oil may bring back pleasant memories of Christmas, and these enjoyable memories can influence happy emotions.

Thus, the right essential oil may help with human emotions – happiness, anger, fear, sadness. Essential oils may influence the Autonomic Nervous System, which is part of the Peripheral Nervous System, and controls the involuntary functions of organs such as the heart, blood vessels, lungs, bladder, glands and gastrointestinal tract etc. There are three main divisions of the autonomic nervous system: the Sympathetic and the Parasympathetic, Systems which provide a dual mechanism for controlling internal organs, and the Enteric System that regulates the activity of the gut.

The Sympathetic Nervous System can be described as a “fight or flight response.” Stimulation of this part can cause the hands to sweat, the heart rate to increase, or the blood pressure to rise. The Parasympathetic System is often described as a “rest and digest” movement. It may help digestion and relaxation, while decreasing the blood pressure.

Today, human beings are challenged by a stressful lifestyle that leads to tension and stress. Some essential oils may act on the Parasympathetic Nervous System to help the body relax and calm down. Some essential oils may invigorate the body or senses. Examples of stimulating essential oils are jasmine, basil, clove, geranium, lemongrass, and peppermint. Examples of sedative essential oils are lavender, chamomile, marjoram, and sandalwood. We might say that pleasant odors help ease feelings of tension, fear or confusion.

Mood can affect our memory, cognition and behavior. When you are in a good mood, you are more optimistic. You can learn faster and pay more attention to one’s studies. Why not use essential oils to help enhance your behavior, memory or learning process?

Aromas are able to evoke vivid memories of the past. The odors around us can bring about memory retrieval. With the help of essential oils, we may influence the memories of our past. Essential oils can support your children’s study progress and aid in memory functions. The door is open…

**Stay tuned for part two… coming soon!

For internal use, it is not recommended that you use the essential oil unless you have a home still and knowledge of the distillation process and can make your own. You cannot be sure how purchased oil was grown and using it could make you very nauseous, so be very certain of the quality source. However, lavender flowers make a relaxing and refreshing tea which has the same basic medicinal properties. A weak infusion sweetened with honey was a traditional treatment for insomnia, irritability and nervous headache. Lavender acts as a sedative to both the nervous system and the respiratory tract.

Inhaling the essential oil has been used to induce relaxation and sleep, ease symptoms of depression and reduce headache pain. Its sedative action is amazingly strong and often, just by opening a bottle of oil in a confined space, people in the room visibly relax.

Externally lavender oil is one of the safest essential oils and can be used full strength on the skin. It works well and can be applied directly for cuts, scrapes, wounds, burns, bee, wasp, and insect stings, rashes, muscle aches, rheumatism, arthritis, cold sores, canker sores, blisters, bruises, athlete’s foot, and rubbed directly into the temples in case of headache or migraine. A few drops of oil rubbed on the temples was considered effective for insomnia and nervous headache.

**Note – As always, use good sense and be very certain of your allergies. Always consult your health care provider or naturapathic before using any new herbal treatment.

Although I have a good supply of lavender through friends and such, I would like to try growing it on my own this spring. I truly believe this will have a significant meaning in bringing about healing, in that it will mean that much more having grown it on my own. I love to grow things, and our home is full of green plants. Growing plants also manifests good energy in our homes, and this can feel quite rewarding and is beneficial to our wellbeing.

I also like to carry a sachet of lavender in my purse or pocket, so that if I feel stressed or tense I can just pull it out and inhale the wonderful healing scent. During times of grief this can be especially beneficial, as it brings about a sense of peace, and seems to have a sweet calming effect.

So, whether you are awake or asleep, I truly believe the healing properties of lavender will bring you good feelings, restful sleep, and Sweet Dreams. And the greatest thing is that lavender is a great scent for both men and women, so the men on the planet needn’t be shy about utilizing this amazing herb.