Direction 3: remedies

In the course of researching recipes for beauty products, I started reading more about aromatherapy. Raffa had already convinced me that essential oils are powerful stuff, and that aromatherapy isn't airy fairy at all. It's a proper medical discipline in France, where ingesting essential oils is not frowned upon, so I shall stock up on French books when I next visit my family.

Please note Raffa's excellent post on the use of essential oils whilst pregnant or breastfeeding:
http://raffa.grandmenage.info/post/2007/05/14/Huiles_essentielles_et_femmes_enceintes_ou_allaitantes

Raffa gives recipes to fight off winter ills, notably her anti-cold synergy: equal parts of eucalyptus, camphor and niaouli essentail oils. She also gives a nod in the direction of herbalism. I started to look into the latter because I think it is milder than aromatherapy so easier to use with young children.

So I have read these books:

• Started off with Natural Superwoman by Rosamund Richardson and Imperfectly Natural Woman by Janey Lee Grace

• Homemade by Reader's Digest (a gold mine, frankly)

• Natural Remedies by Melissa Corkhill (same Self-Sufficiency collection as Rachelle Strauss's book mentioned in cleaning products)

• The Aromatherapy Bible by Gill Farrer-Halls

• The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils by Julia Lawless, excellent

• The Complete Illustrated Guide to Aromatherapy: A Practical Approach etc. by Julia Lawless

• The Fragrant Pharmacy by Valerie Ann Worwood, excellent

• Hydrosols, the Next Aromatherapy by Suzanne Catty

• Book of Herbs by Dorothy Hall

Book of Herbs

• Herbs and Health by Nicola Peterson

• The Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman (lavender is not listed?)

• New Book of Herbs by Jekka McVicar

• The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism by Malcolm Stuart (that's Dr Stuart to you and me)

• The Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Thomas Bartram, excellent

• Grow Your Own Drugs by James Wong

• Herbal Remedies by Christopher Hedley and Non Shaw

Still to tackle these from the library:

• Natural Well Woman by Dr Penny Stanway

• Natural Health for Kids by Sarah Wilson

• The Complete Family Guide to Natural Home Remedies by Karen Sullivan and Dr Norman Shealy

My first step was a winter brew to tackle a sore throat and a cough. I tweaked Rosamund Richardson's recipe with an input from Pescalune and Venezia, with the addition of a few drops of Raffa's synergy. It worked!

Pescalune's blog (in French): http://pescalune.canalblog.com/

Venezia's blog (in French): http://princesseaupetitpois.over-blog.com/

Then I got hold of some manuka honey, which the kids both love. I leave onion rings in their bedrooms at the first sign of a cough and use Olbas Oil too.

In December, we were hit by a bout of nausea and vomiting. Dear husband and I resisted quite well thanks to a boosted version of Venezia's Digestive Infusion.

I have made some bath salts for a lady who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome / ME and made up this blend of essential oils: 10 drops of lavender, 10 drops of geranium, 10 drops of bergamot, 5 drops of lemon, 5 drops of petitgrain (citrus to stimulate the system), 3 drops each of eucalyptus, tea tree and niaouli (to boost immunity). I hope it'll help.

In the pipeline:

• making my own toothpaste (although my dentist disapproves of this because of the lack of fluoride),
• eczema,
• athlete's foot.

Disclaimer: please note that I am NOT a trained professional in aromatherapy, herbalism nor medicine, so use these recipes at your own risk.