I made herbal ear drops for the first time today, for hubby. These drops are made with dried herbs infused in olive oil. Many people say that this recipe works very well for earaches, infections, swimmer's ear and so forth.
I believe it! One of the ingredients is calendula oil. Calendula is an antibiotic, antiseptic, antifungal, so is the garlic. The other ingredients are also antiseptic healing agents.
This is the recipe:
Herbal Ear Drops
Using herb infused olive oil:
30ml calendula oil
25ml mullein flower oil
25ml St. John's Wort flower oil
20ml garlic oil
After infusing each herb in olive oil, I used a small shot glass with the measurements on it to measure out the amount in militres. As with anything else like this, make sure everything is sterile and rinsed well before using it.
The bottle is a travel size taquila bottle. I beg these glass bottles from anyone I know who travels. I have even been known to take bottles out of the recycling as I walk by. They are the handiest little bottles!
Update, next day:
I had planned to make this ear oil and so have been collecting the flowers and herbs to do so for awhile now, since I have had a recurring mild earache for months. It comes and goes, usually about the time I say I'm going to the doctor, it goes away.
Hubby's earache had been getting worse for a few days when he told me about it. I asked him why he didn't say anything sooner. He said it was because I had been mentioning that I was going to make some herbal ear drops and he was just waiting for that and how much longer was it going to take me? I felt a little guilty but, hey, he never said anything. How was I suppose to know this? So I made them right away, yesterday, when I posted this recipe.
I also recommended that he take a decongestant to help dry it up inside, which he did, as well. I put several drops in his ear, he left his head to the side and moved his ear around so at least some of it could get down inside his ear canal.
This morning he woke up and the earache was gone! Completely better! I have tried a few times today to get him to continue the drops for another day or two, just to completely clear up the infection. He won't go for it, says he doesn't like oil in his ear. (Men can be awfully stubborn sometimes...)
I grow all of these herbs and have seed for them all, as well, except for the calendula. I didn't get much seed this year from those. I only had two little plants come up. Next year I will have a large double row of them in the herb garden. It's an important herb. It's antifungal, in addition to everything else it does.
Not only is this oil good for earaches, It will help heal just about sore you may have. (Don't get it in your eyes. You will be sorry, if you do!)
We have become great believers in herbal remedies this year. The purslane for mosquito and fly bites is truly stunning in how well it works!!
Likewise for the feverfew for migraines and the sleepytime tea mix I make up for hubby.
11 comments:
Goodness, this looks very interesting. I'll bookmark the page, let us know how hubby gets on with them please...
Great idea! Mullien is very good for earaches, too. I tried to grow some this year but was unsuccessful. I'll try next year! Great job on the oil - you have inspired me!
I believe it needs to be planted in the fall, must have a cold wet winter to germinate. Also, don't cover the seed. Just sprinkle, press with hand and leave.
I will, hopefully, have some mullein seed for sale this fall.
I posted an update today in the post. It worked well.
Celestial Seasonings sleepy time was my intro to the world of herbals. My Grandma would make it for me at bedtime to have with one of her peanut butter cookies. Nice that you make your own.
Good job on making your own oil too. I bought some from Molly's Herbals. You jut gave me the idea to use a little for a salve if it's good on boo boo's too.
I always like to read about what you have made.
Good post as always Sheryl. Oddly we try to keep the flower stalk cut off on our Mullien as it even grows in the lawn area of the yard. It is very hardy once it gets established.
I just have not gotten into using the herbs and it is a waste of the natural resources we have been given. Another year maybe.
Mullein can be a bit of a weed. I plan to collect the seedlings in the field and move them to their own patch in the newly extended herb garden. It is hard to catch the flowers out in the field.
Using the herbs is a gradual thing, I think. I have "jumped in with both feet" this year and am a bit overwhelmed, but that will pass.
I started with just the feverfew for migraines and purslane for mosquito bites. From there it grew into a passion!
Sounds good :) My mum used to drop just Olive Oil in my ears for ear-ache. She used to warm it slightly first, do you warm this?
Thanks for visiting us, by the way :) Mo
Hi, I'm interested in the sleepy time tea - could you share the recipe? I work nights and don't always sleep very well!
I have calendula in my garden and am keen to try it out in various rememedies. So far I have just used it in a hand cream.
Also the purslane for the insect bites, what do you make up, a balm?
The herbs that I have been using so far for slelepy tea are lavender, evening primrose leaves, lemon balm and chamomile. I will be adding coriander/cilantro leaves and mullein leaves when I have them dried. All of these herbs are either relaxing, antistress or downright sedatives. I don't use evening primrose al hte time, just occasionally for imsomnia. These herbs can all be kept separately and mixed for the blend of sleepy tea needed at the time.
For light relaxing on a daily basis, I like to use the lemon balm, lavender and chamomile. The others have stronger sedative properties, among other things. Coriander leaves are prescribed as a sedative for insomnia in some Arab countries.
Feverfew has a lot of melatonin, making it an excellent addition, by I don't put it in the sleepy tea. It works so well for the relief of migraines that we save all the feverfew for that use. Also, the taste of feverfew is so bitter that having to drink it sort of undoes the relaxing quality of the tea. Motherwort is good for annxiety also, but is so bitter that it is best used only in tincture form, so I don't use it in tea and it hsouldn't be taken continuously, anyway.
Valerian is another good herb for insomnia. I will additing it to my herb garden next spring.
The purslane I use in a salve or, in the summer, just crush a leaf and rub on bites directly. It is amazing stuff! Works for large fly birtes too!
Post a Comment