Timeless Herb Secrets

Lavender Home Remedies

In the green healers medicine chest, lavender is the equivalent of the soothing hand on a fevered brow. An infusion of leaves and/or flowers can relieve sleeplessness, anxiety, irritability, headaches and migraine. It also eases indigestion and colic, reduces wind and bloating, and helps clear bad breath.

An added benefit for students and stressed executives is that lavender clears the mind.

Being a relaxing nervine, it calms a person who is overexcited or it lifts a person who is tired. A lavender infusion combines well with rosemary for mild depression (a 50/50 combination) and the same combination is often used for nervous and stress related headaches.

For medicinal purposes Lavandula angustifolia is preferred (herbologists won't use the others), although the others can be used as well by the gardener. Flowers are gathered just before opening (between early summer and early fall) and dried gently.

To make a lavender infusion to take internally, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of dried herb (or tablespoon fresh herb) and infuse in a covered container for 10 minutes. Strain. This can be drunk up to three times a day.

Lavender essential oil should not be taken internally. It is however a good external remedy and can be rubbed on the temples to relieve a tension headache or added to your bath to relieve the stresses of the day.

5 Ways With Lavender in the Home

Lavender is probably the most feminine of herbs. No other herb is quite so prized for its fragrance and beauty, or more evocative of romance.

Its 'feminine touch' has been experienced down the centuries, to freshen the air in houses or to perfume the bath or whenever a feminine touch was needed. Here's a few ideas to try.

Drowsy Potpourri
Fill a bowl by your bedside with rose petal potpourri and dried lavender flowers. Add a drop or two of lavender essential oil. Finger the bowl before drifting to sleep.

Sleepy Sachets
Put lavender flowers and a few drops of essential oil in sachets to slip beneath pillows for a soothing waft if you wake or turn in the night.

Lavender Moth Bags
Mix equal parts dried lavender flowers, dried lavender leaves, dried mint, dried rosemary and dried southernwood, santolina or marjoram.

To make moth bags cut out pieces of thin cotton cloth the required size. Fill with herbs and stitch up. Lay the bags amongst linen and blankets, or put them between your clothes.

Lavender Room Spray
Add 5 drops lavender essential oil to 50 ml distilled water in an atomizer. You will need to shake the atomizer vigorously before each use. Do not make large quantities as the keeping time is relatively short.

Relaxing Lavender Bath
Make a strong infusion by adding a handful finely chopped lavender leaves and flowers to a cup of boiling water. Let it steep 10 minutes, strain and add to your bath.

Grow Your Own Lavender

With lavender we have become spoilt for choice and new hybrid varieties are introduced every year. But the most popular are still Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender), Lavandula dentata (French lavender) and Lavandula stoechas (Spanish lavender). It's important to know the difference if you want to use them effectively. (Ask your local garden center to help you select varieties that grows well in your area.)

Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender) grows the highest, reaching up to 1 m and is best used for tall hedges. It is the least prolific flowerer (it is often called blind lavender), which makes it best for hedges and topiaries as it can be clipped. It is also the preferred lavender for home remedies.

Lavandula dentata, available with either grey or green foliage, grows to a medium height and is a prolific flowerer. This is the preferred lavender of cooks and cottage crafters.

Lavandula stoechas is the most compact grower and is the first to flower with attractive dark mauve flowers on short stalks. If you are simply looking for a lavender to grow as a stunning flowering shrub, then this is the lavender for you.

Lavenders grow naturally in exposed, dry and hot rocky places. They are water wise, preferring full sun, and well-drained soil that doesn't have to be too rich. They do not do well in warm, wet and humid conditions, which is why lavenders can sometimes be tricky to grow in summer rainfall areas.

Lavender is a low maintenance plant but in a formal garden it should be kept tidy by cutting off the dead flowers and lightly pruning back the stems by about 2-3cm. It is also a good idea to prune hedges and straggly plants in autumn and spring. The stem cuttings can be rooted to provide new plants.

The best way to landscape with lavender is to plant them en-masse. There's little to beat a lavender lined pathway or fragrant, clipped hedge. For hedging plant about 30cm apart. For contrasting foliage and colours plant a row of low growing rosemary in front of a row of tall growing English lavender.

Another way is to lushly group various lavenders in squares for a simple but splendid effect.

For extra fragrance grow lavender near scented geraniums as they enhance each other's perfume.

Herbed Crispy Lettuce and Cherry Tomato Salad

This crunchy salad is especially good when made fresh from the garden to the table. The addition of the fresh herbs elevates the normal boring lettuce and tomato salad to new culinary heights. Serve as a starter or as a side dish. 

Vinaigrette  
1 clove    garlic  
1 pinch    salt  
30 ml    lemon juice  
90 ml    olive oil  
   salt and pepper to taste  

Salad  
750 ml    lettuce leaves, shredded, washed and spun dried  
250 ml    cherry tomatoes, red or yellow  
60 ml    fresh basil leaves, chopped fine  
60 ml    fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine  
15 ml    fresh chives, chopped fine   
 
Vinaigrette
1. Add a pinch of salt to a salad bowl and crush the garlic clove with the back of a big spoon in the salt. Crush till fine.

2. Add the lemon juice and oil and whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Salad
1. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, basil, parsley and chives and toss untill all ingredients are combined and coated with the vinaigrette.

2. Serve immediately. 

Servings: 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Ready in: 25 minutes 
  
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 202.2 calories; 90% calories from fat; 20.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 91.9mg sodium; 225.8mg potassium; 4.4g carbohydrates; 1.3g fiber; 0.6g sugar; 3.1g net carbs; 1.2g protein.

Tips for Buying Herbs and Spices

Dried Herbs and Spices

You can readily buy dried herbs and spices at your local supermarket, fruit and vegetable shop or butchery. It is preferable that you purchase whole products (like the leaves, seeds, bark etc.) rather than the crushed form. Although it is a little more trouble to crush these whole products, the effort will be worth it in the final tasting.

Dried herbs and spices should be as fresh as possible. Once they become old and stale, they can easily ruin a dish.

Don't buy large quantities. Buy only what you will use within 6 months or less. The shelf life and the correct method of storing your dried products will be discussed later.

If you grow your own herbs, you can also dry them for your own use. Home dried herbs are far superior to anything you can buy in a store. The how-to is discussed in detail in The South African Herb Growers Guide.

Fresh Herbs and Spices

You can purchase fresh herbs at most supermarkets nowadays, or you can get some from your gardening neighbour.

When you shop for fresh herbs in a store, look out for leaves that are wilted, discoloured (yellow) or covered in black speckles. These are all signs that these herbs are not very fresh, and may be past their prime.

Remember to only purchase fresh herbs when you need them, and store them in the fridge in a clean plastic container or plastic zip packets. Beware of buying more than you will be able to use immediately.

Growing your own, even if it is just one or two herbs is more than worth the little effort involved.

Source: The Seasoned Chef