My Apothecary

I've been dabbling in essential oils for about a year and a half now. I tried them at a friend's recommendation, and I couldn't believe how effective they were. OnGuard really did help us stay healthy; Breathe cleared a cold in record time. When I fell and majorly scraped my leg, lavendar and tea tree oils healed it without a scar, and a PainFree herb blend was the only thing that touched the pain. I became a believer, and I happily purchased oils and then tinctures from professionals.

In early December, Brad and I went to an herbal medicine workshop with a licensed herbalist, and I learned a lot about making your own oils, vinegars, and syrups. I did some digging, and I started playing. Then my lovely sister set me up with the beginnings of for some real herbal work, and Brad gave me more than half of the cubes in our room for my little apothecary.

I started playing with vinegars because they are easiest:

 I made fire cider, which is good for just about everything, and I have Five Thieves Vinegar steeping right now, which is great for cutting colds short.

I also made my first balm:

It's a cayenne-based balm for muscle and joint pain, and it did seem to help Brad's neck.

I also made my first "pills":

 These ginger balls are good for upset tummies and preventing motion sickness. Issa is anxious try them out on our next car trip. How can you go wrong with ginger, cinnamon, cocoa, and honey?

I made an herbal blend that stirs into milk to help us drift off to sleep, although no one has needed it yet, and I'm waiting for a few more herbs to arrive so I can make my first tinctures!

Right now, I'm mostly having fun reading, learning, and puttering with my herbs. They do seem to help, and I imagine it's worth a try!