For a warming body oil and rub, use a tablespoon of each of the
following herbs: English mustard seed, hot chile powder, fresh ground
ginger, and black pepper. Cover the ingredients with olive oil. Steep for a
month and add essential oils of peppermint and camphor for extra heat.
Essential oils are being used increasingly today, and this demand has
led, in some cases, to inferior quality. Toxins are sometimes not removed,
and occasionally the best bits of the essential oils are removed. Testing for
oil quality is expensive but vital, ensuring that they are safe and reliable.
Making your own as described above is easy and ensures high quality with
no adulteration.
smudge sticks
These provide a lovely way of “fumigating” an area. The fragrance will
change the atmosphere and help clean it. Native Americans traditionally
used wormwood or white sage. You can make your own version using a
combination of English sage, thyme, eucalyptus, rosemary, and
wormwood.
Hold the herbs together in a tight bundle, then bind the bundle even
more tightly using thick, pure cotton thread. Dry the bundles thoroughly
and quickly, otherwise they will become moldy and unusable. To use, light
and allow fl ame to take hold, then blow out, and use when smoldering.
powders and talcs
These can be very useful treatments for chicken pox, shingles, summer
heat rashes, athlete’s foot, or any itching disease, especially where there
are pustules that are weeping. You can even use it on weeping eczema.
Use two teaspoons of arrowroot, cornstarch, or fi ne corn fl our. Mix
with one teaspoon of a combination of fi nely powdered black walnut hull,
thyme leaf, barberry root bark, and dried lavender leaf and fl ower, or any
of these herbs singly.
Vaginal dusting powder: This is suitable for moist discharges and
infections. Use a combination of^1 ⁄ 4 ounce fi ne white clay or bentonite
clay,
(^1) ⁄ 2 ounce arrowroot powder, (^1) ⁄ 2 ounce black walnut hull powder, (^1) ⁄ 2 ounce
barberry root bark powder or turmeric rhizome powder,^1 ⁄ 2 ounce neem
powder (if available), and^1 ⁄ 4 ounce lavender leaf and fl ower powder. Either
apply to the area as a powder or mix the powder with aloe vera gel and
insert into the vagina. Aloe will cool the area in hot weather; however, the
powder will dry up and absorb discharge.
40 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition