Last week we gave a few recipes for baby
products. One of our readers wrote:
"Hi, just wanted to ask, I think
the oil/fat was left out of the ointment recipe in the newsletter. Could
you let me know what it should have said."
The baby ointment recipe we gave
obviously will not work with hard beeswax. Use soft wax instead. An oil
or fat should have been added to the recipe. I have gone back and
changed that recipe.
BASIC CREAM RECIPE
-
1 1/2 oz solidifier
and/or fat
-
3-4 oz oil(s)
-
1 oz herb water
Melt the solidifier and/or fat
together over gently boiling water. Add the oil(s) in small portions,
stirring constantly. Remove from heat and slowly add the herb water,
stirring constantly until the cream begins to set. Pour into sterile
jars and seal tightly. Store in the refrigerator.
Any recipe containing oils and/or
fats will be perishable and must be stored properly. The solidifier or
fat could be beeswax, cocoa butter, and/or lanolin. The oils could be
sweet almond, jojoba, grapeseed, apricot kernel, and/or avocado. Wheat
germ oil and/or vitamin E oil could be added in small portions, too.
The herb water can be made with calendula or any herb(s) by infusion or
decoction. Essential oil(s) can be added as the solution cools.
LITTLE AILMENTS
Infants and toddlers have no way
of telling us exactly what hurts, but mothers seem to have an instinct
to know exactly what to do. Some common problems can be handled with
simple easy herbal remedies.
CRADLE CAP -- Apply a
little olive oil once or twice a day (Abby's Herbal Skin Cream is
excellent for cradle cap).
MINOR EARACHE -- Put one drop
of garlic oil on a cotton ball and plug gently into the ear.
TEETHING -- Make a paste
with slippery elm powder and German chamomile water, and rub on the gums.
An old Middle Age custom was to make beads with white peony root (Paeonia
lactiflora syn. P. albiflora) to use as a teething ring. Peony root is
useful as a pain remedy. If you try this remedy, I'd be cautious of
the size of the beads to prevent choking.
CONSTIPATION -- Mix 1 tsp
linseed (Linum usitatissimum) or slippery elm (Ulmus rubra) with
a large glass of water. Give this dose to children 1-6 years old,
1/3 the dose to children 6-12 months old, and 1 1/2 the dose to
children 7-13 years old.
DIARRHEA -- Make an infusion
using 15 g of agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) or common plantain
(Plantago major) and 1/2 liter of water. Give up to 2 cups each day
to children 1-6 years old, 1/3 the dose to children 6-12 months old,
and 1 1/2 the dose to children 7-13 years old.
COLDS, CONGESTION, & COUGHS
-- Make an infusion using 1 tsp thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and 1 cup water.
Give 1-2 cups to children 1-6 years old, 1/3 the dose to children 6-12
months old, and 1 1/2 the dose to children 7-13 years old.
MINOR INFECTIONS -- Mix 5-10
drops echinacea (Echinacea spp.) tincture/extract, made without alcohol,
and 1/2 cup water or other liquid. Give this dose each day to children
1-6 years old, 1/3 the dose to children 6-12 months old, and 1 1/2 the
dose to children 7-13 years old until the infection is under
control.
CHICKEN POX -- The above
echinacea remedy is also useful for chicken pox. St. John's wort
tincture/extract can be taken in the same way for this childhood
disease. Add 10 drops of essential oil of lavender and 10 drops of
essential oil of chamomile to a 4 ounce bottle of calamine lotion.
Shake the bottle and apply all over the body twice a day. To the bath,
add 2 drops of essential oil of lavender and 1 cup of bicarbonate
of soda.
MEASLES -- Ask your health
care professional about ge gen (Pueraria lobata syn. P. thunbergiana)
and sheng ma (Cimicifuga foetida).
MUMPS -- Ask your health care
professional about lian qiao (Forsythia suspensa).
ASTHMA -- Make an infusion
using 5 g of nettle (Urtica dioica) and 5 g thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
and 250 ml of water. Give this dose to children 1-6 years old, 1/3
the dose to children 6-12 months old, and 1 1/2 the dose to children
7-13 years old.
HEADACHES -- Make an infusion
using 1 tsp linden (Tilia spp.) or lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
and 1 cup water. Give this dose to children 1-6 years old, 1/3 the
dose to children 6-12 months old, and 1 1/2 the dose to children
7-13 years old.
HEAD LICE -- Mix equal parts
of the essential oil of hyssop and a carrier oil (about 1/4 ounce each).
Olive oil or canola oil are good choices as a carrier. Pure essential
oil of thyme would be a good second choice. Mix it with a carrier oil
in the same manner as the hyssop, but not in combination with it. Apply
the hyssop mixture or the thyme mixture directly to the scalp. Wrap the
head with a scarf and wait for at least one hour then shampoo as usual.
This treatment should be repeated once a week until all signs of
infestation are gone. You may want to pass this remedy along to other
parents of children who come in contact with yours.
ANOTHER READER WRITES:
"Hi - I hope you can help
me. Is there an herb, perhaps in tea form, that I could give my 6-year
old daughter to calm her down after the "chocolate hypes"? I don't
let her have chocolate, but it's unavoidable at school parties and
"well-meaning" relatives! It has an amphetamine affect on her both
mentally and physically, and I'm at a loss for what to do. Thank
you for your time."
We would suggest giving her
lots of water and the following tea to drink. This tea is very helpful
at bedtime, but will also have a calming effect during the "chocolate
hypes." A complex carbohydrate meal or snack would also be helpful,
and maybe throw in a slice of turkey.
SWEET DREAMS TEA -- Make an
infusion using 1 tsp German chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) and/or
linden (Tilia spp.) and 1 cup water. Give this dose to children 1-6
years old, 1/3 the dose to children 6-12 months old, and 1 1/2 the dose
to children 7-13 years old.
HYPERACTIVITY -- Essential oils
can be very effective for hyperactive children. Use small amounts of
lavender, rose geranium, chamomile, or neroli. In severe cases, try
essential oils of narcissus or tonka bean. (Caution: Be very careful
with essential oils around young children. Seek professional advice
for children under 6 months.)
DOSE CHART FOR CHILDREN
The following chart can be used
to decrease the adult dose of many other herbal remedies to an appropriate
level for children. Always make sure that the herb you choose is safe
to use and pay attention to any cautions given.
-
Do not give herbs or medicines
to infants under the age of six (6) months without professional
advice.
-
6-12 months old --
1/10 adult dose
-
1-6 years old --
1/3 adult dose
-
7-13 years old --
1/2 adult dose
A POSTPARTUM NOTE FROM CATHE
After two children only 14 months
apart, I had developed many stretch marks and facial pregnancy spots
which I had been unable to get rid of in the previous 4 years ...
in desperation I tried Abby's Herbal Cream on them last year ...
'lo and behold they are all gone. The facial spots took about 2 weeks
of dedicated daily use and the stretch marks 3-4 weeks. They didn't
disappear over night, but then again neither did all the body wear and
tear! Now if only Abby can make me some magic "get back to pre-pregnancy
shape" cream. Oh well, we can always dream. :-)
|