Herbal Recipies

Spring cleaning the house cleaning is always a chore, I’m not sure that anyone enjoys it. One thing we need to do though is to keep the house clean especially after it has been closed up all winter. The point is to  remove things that might cause illness, reduce the likelihood of moulds growing and circulate air through the house. The first thing we do on a good enough day is to crack open the windows a little bit. Get the air circulating and clean the house as much as we are able to. We don’t use household cleaners that you …

It’s still cold outside. The second part of winter is here. It’s still great to be indoors.  Especially, after all, those storms and ice still hanging about on roads and ponds. Staying warm in bed is always my favourite option. Drinking tea with milk and honey and eating warm stodgy foods. Watching films with friends and loved ones, eating a few too many takeaways. Yep, we are definitely still in our hibernation mode. Its time for Spring Tonics like dandelion and burdock root tea. In the years gone past we would not have been able to just lie in bed, indulging so much. …

The fear creeping up on you when your still in bed… the taste of a small animal that has crawled into your mouth used it as a toilet and the subsequently died there without any last rites or a word from their relatives. Open one eye, light cracks from between the curtains instantly hurt… headache pounding, stomach churning and perhaps even a little room spin to go with it all? Any feelings of regret are creeping over your imagination, did I really do that? did I really drink that much? did I really tell them THAT story ?… then the …

Cough cough sputter its cough season in our house. Both myself and my better half have caught a wee cough and so it was time to bring out the good old cough cures! In Celtic times it was thought that by passing someone under the belly of a white horse you might get rid of their coughing as the cough would pass to the animal, sadly we don’t have any white horses around so I figured its best to stick to the herbal remedies and this one is for herbal cough tea and cough drops for dry coughs. There are …

Ah the majestic and humble Rowan Tree. I have to say this is one of my favourite trees, its flowers in May, and the way its leaves turn fantastic colours of red in autumn. Rowan is best known for its use in Rowan Tree and Red Thread Charms or the berries strung up as decoration and used for protection, but also for its very direct Celtic connotations to the Ogham and other deeper folklore uses. It’s an enticing tree with much mythology behind it and its  Berry with a little five-pointed star at its end leads us to ponder other questions …

With the Blood Harvest Moon tonight it got me thinking about autumn and Valerian hot chocolate. The leaves start to turn their beautiful shades of red and golden yellows and the mornings start to become crisp, my head and heart starts to wonder to  thoughts of scarfs, gloves, bonfires, mulled cider and hot chocolate. Nows a great time to harvest and use Valerian Root as you may also be drying it off for personal use (hopefully away from your cats). This hot chocolate recipe has Valerian added but also is helped by the soothing effect of other relaxing herbs allies mingled …