Wholesome Wednesdays: Rosemary

Rosemary for remembrance. Rosemary on roast turkey. Rosemary shampoo.
Rosemary is a delicious and symbolic herb, a beautiful (deer resistant) hedge, and a powerful healer. I keep learning more things about the wholesomeness of rosemary, more than i can fit into one post, but I will try to bullet point a few of rosemary's strengths.



In Austin, at least, rosemary is very easy to grow. I planted mine the Fall i bought my house as little 4 inch pots. 4 years later, they're almost as tall as me, or would be if i didn't prune them back ferociously every fall and spring. Deer don't love to eat rosemary, so you can plant them in deer patrolled areas. A Mediterranean plant, rosemary likes humidity but well drained soil. It seems sturdy in the low temperatures, and there are many varieties that are suited to lower temps, tastier flavors, or sprawlier landscape filling shapes. I hope rosemary likes the Willamette valley well enough, because i don't now what i'd do without easy access to fresh rosemary whenever i'd like it!

Tiny, newly planted rosemary then.

Big and robust rosemary now.

We all know that rosemary is delicious in new potatoes or roasted poultry, but did you know that rosemary aids indigestion and was originally added to meat dishes to help digest them, especially lamb and pork that are notoriously tricky to pass through the system without, er, discomfort. Most of the health benefits of rosemary come from the essential oil contained in the leaves. If you've ever picked fresh rosemary, you know it's a very oily plant - so using rosemary fresh is a close second to straight essential oil. Rosemary oil aids flatulence, can sooth menstrual cramps among other problems of our insides, including urinary problems, kidney stones, etc. Straight rosemary essential oil is best left on the outside of our bodies, and should be avoided by pregnant women. Too much of a good thing can cause nausea or other problems if taken internally in great doses.

Roasted chicken with garlic, rosemary, sage infused oil and butter rubbed under and on the skin. Yum!

On the outside of our body, rosemary has even more health benefits. You already know how good it is for your hair: rosemary oil can stimulate your hair follicles, encouraging growth and soothes the scalp, calming dandruff or flakes. I know that one's true from experience. Since using my rosemary/sage hair rinse, i have had no problems with itchy, flakey scalp: a condition i've suffered since a teenager.

Rosemary is also an excellent disinfectant that you can use in your mouth (makes a great addition to homemade tooth powders) or as part of room freshening sprays or carpet powders. The pungent and delightful smell of rosemary really cuts through odors. I use my rosemary room spray (recipe is about the same as my hair tonic, but omit the vinegar) every morning after we wake up to get rid of that 'musty' sleep smell. Works wonderfully.

And what about 'rosemary for remembrance'? Rosemary boosts mental acuity and can relieve pain when massaged into trouble spots. The aroma of rosemary stimulates mental activity and really invigorate your energy levels. Studying for an exam and finding yourself bored or forgetful? Drip some rosemary oil on a light bulb or dab a little on your temples. You'll be back in mental action in no time! Rosemary is also good for depression, so keep a bottle on hand at all times - or fill some vases with freshly cut rosemary branches. They'll cure what ails ya!

Now that you know all the benefits of rosemary, i bet you'll give that 'hedge' a second glance. Reach out and touch it, you're brain will thank you for the aromatherapy.

What's your favorite meal featuring rosemary?

Aftershave and Facial Moisturizer

I have been transitioning my wonderful and very willing 'guinea pig' of a husband to all natural, made from scratch shaving products. He currently uses strange foamy things in non recyclable metal canisters and i'd like that to change, both for the cost, the impact on the environment, and the improved health of his face. I found this recipe, and needed to get some witch hazel before i could give it a shot. I got the witch hazel, but the recipe calls for a few days to amalgamate, so in the meantime his shaving soap is curing, a badger hair brush for shaving is sitting poised on the bathroom sink, and the calendula succus i made the other day has been treating  his trouble spots.

After Shave
3  Tablespoons witch hazel
5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
a few drops of essential oils

Mix the ingredients in a spice bottle or hot sauce bottle (preferably unused for hot sauce, or washed out very well!), shake up and store in a dark place, shaking daily for 4-5 days. Use as you normally use aftershave. I think i went a little too crazy with the lavender oil - you can see droplets suspended in the mix. Next time i'll stick with a 'few' drops instead of 15. Luckily, lavender oil doesn't irritate the skin like some essential oils can, so the surplus isn't a problem.


In my quest to understand herbs and use them for various health benefits, i like to play 'witch doctor' as my husband calls it. I was long skeptical of the efficacy of herbs on actual problems like psoriasis, dandruff, abrasions, insect bites, etc. But you know what? Herbs were used to heal all those things a heck of a lot longer than neosporin or head and shoulders were, and many of today's ointments and drugs are just pharmaceutical attempts at 'improving' nature's healing herbs.

I found this wonderful website that lists good essential oils for various skin problems. My husband suffers from a type of dermatitis similar to psoriasis so i chose Lavender e.o. and chamomile extract to add to his aftershave: both are considered soothing to psoriasis and dry skin. I also formulated jojoba based moisturizers specific to my husband and myself to replace the old 'oil of olay' i've been using most of my life. For mine, i included peppermint and rosemary to sooth my puffy eyes and promote regeneration. For his, I included calendula oil to sooth his troubled patches, lavender and patchouli to address his oily and itchy skin, and lemongrass to promote poor reduction. Jojoba oil is the closest to our skin's natural oil and is the absolute best for facial moisturizing. It even acts as a natural SPF up to 8. Sweet almond oil is another good oil for the face and it is suitable for all skin types, helps relieve irritation, inflammation and itching. It doesn't absorb into the skin very quickly, which makes it excellent as a massage oil. Because of that property, however i will include only a very small amount in our facial moisturizers.

Facial toner, some left over 'regenerist' my new moisturizer and hair polish in the back

To complete our skin regiments, i should mix up facial clay masks weekly or at least monthly - I'm just not the kind of person who likes to put much effort into my 'beauty' regime, however. I like to splash things on my head in the shower, rub something on my face when i get out and be done with it. That being said, Sundays are nice days for a hot bath with sea and epsom salts and a cleansing facial clay mask to suck all the week's impurities from our skin. We'll see, maybe we'll do it. Kaolin clay is pretty inexpensive, and i already have some that i use in my husband's shaving soap to make a slick shaving experience, and suck the oil from his beardy areas so prone to harboring body oil.

So far, my husband really likes the aftershave. He says it has a bit of a 'sting' and makes him feel clean, is razorburn free, and his skin is soft. In my opinion, he smells better ( i cannot STAND the smell of most aftershaves ) and it makes me happy to contribute to his morning routine. I'm loving the moisturizer so far. It's not as easy to apply as oil of olay from the squirt bottle, and I am noticing a few more blemishes than usual - but that could be from a lot of things, so i'll keep y'all posted.

Next week, more about hair health, elaborations on our opinions on the products i've already made, and some tips on making household cleaners. Have a great weekend, everyone - and see you at the new market if you're in town and willing to brave the rain. I hope we are!

All Natural Carpet Freshener

is easy to make and fun to use!

For clarification: my house doesn't smell. In fact everyone always compliments the usual yummy aromas emanating from it. But Miss Pocket is shedding a LOT and i figure i might as well help the carpet out to smell and feel its best.

The ingredients are simple and all things i had on hand. If you have a hard time finding food grade Diatomaceous Earth - check out your local organic plant nursery - the stuff sold in hardware stores to kill bugs often has nasty chemicals in it, as does the stuff for cleaning pools. Baking soda is a natural freshener and Diatomaceous Earth helps kill nasty cockroaches and potential flea/other-bug visitors. I combined the two with some essential oils of lavender and eucalyptus (both share antiseptic and cleansing power), whisked well to thoroughly combine the oils and dusts,  and scattered about using an old spice jar. A sifter would have been better but i do not posses such a tool. The DE can dry your skin, so I used about 50/50 DE and Baking soda and vacuum up most of the dust. I like to leave some along the walls and in crannies to attack the cockroaches, but leave the rest to sit on the carpet about 15 minutes then vacuum. The bedroom never smelled so nice!







You can combine about any essential oils you want, but do some research per the safety to pets - apparently tea tree oil can be bad for them. Both the baking soda and DE are perfectly safe for babies and pets alike. Have fun making your own natural carpet freshener and keep your house safe and smelling lovely .

Do you make your own carpet freshener?

Wholesome Wednesdays: Basil

Basil is delicious. Basil loves the sun. Basil goes well with just about everything, and there is just about every variety/flavor of basil you can imagine (from reading this blog you know that lemon basil is my second favorite to straight up Genovese or other Sweet basil varieties).
 
We've probably all heard the claims that the Mediterranean holds some secret for human longevity and the folks who live there are mighty healthy - could basil be a factor in this? Let's check it out.

VITAMIN K! There's a whole lot of vitamin K in basil. 60% of your daily value, in fact! Vitamin K is very excellent for your blood: helps it to clot, keeps your arteries clean, etc. You may need to avoid vitamin K if you are on blood clotting medication.
The real secret to basil's healthfulness is found in its flavonoids and volatile oils. Basil is known to be anti-bacterial and has been found to protect us own to our very DNA!

The unique array of active constituents called flavonoids found in basil provide protection at the cellular level. Orientin and vicenin are two water-soluble flavonoids that have been of particular interest in basil, and in studies on human white blood cells; these components of basil protect cell structures as well as chromosomes from radiation and oxygen-based damage.
In addition, basil has been shown to provide protection against unwanted bacterial growth. These "anti-bacterial" properties of basil are not associated with its unique flavonoids, but instead with its volatile oils, which contain estragole, linalool, cineole, eugenol, sabinene, myrcene, and limonene. -WHFoods

The essential oils drawn from the leaves of basil can combat certain bacterias that have become resistant to antibiotic drugs. Adding essential oils of basil or thyme to water used to wash produce can remove certain harmful bacterias that cause diarrhea and other unpleasantness. This is also true when using basil in a vinegrette or other topping to a salad (i prefer fresh chopped leaves right in with the salad greens), the basil will help ensure the produce in your salad is safe for you to eat.

Basil is also anti-inflammatory and good for cardiovascular health. There are too many benefits for me to list here - check out the WHFoods article for elaboration. Needless to say - basil is nothing but good for you, so pile on the pesto! Be vigorous with your vinegrettes! Stock up on sauce! Okay, enough aliteration - but you get the idea: put basil in every dish!

Basil is relatively easy to grow, as well. It likes sun. It likes water. It doesn't not like the addition of fertilizer. I've had a difficult time growing mine this year as i planted it in pots that drain too quickly. Dry basil is sad basil. Keep pinching the flowering tops off to keep the best flavor in the leaves - but allow some to go to seed to ensure you'll get plenty of basil next year (be self reseeding or by saving the seeds to plant next year).