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People everywhere are hungry for clear, practical, scientifically-validated information about how to make safe and simple use of herbs in their day to day lives. I too was once hungry for this kind of information. I discovered that working (and playing) with herbs did not need to be complex and confusing. It could be sheer pleasure. For me it was like walking down a path where a wonderful surprise is revealed at every turn. |
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One of the things that makes a herb-loving house so special is the way herbs creep into every nook and cranny...
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Herbs make the ordinary into something beautiful. Linen drawers strewn with herb sachets are a joy to open. Herb bags freshen wardrobes, enliven drawers and scent notepaper. Put them in the corners of cupboards and drawers to be used by guests. You can even tuck them amongst their pillows and make your guests feel like they have come home. Slip herb sachets down the back of the cushions on your sofa and you will be surrounded by the most delightful fragrance every time you sit down to relax. A herb sachet is nothing more than a small fabric bag filled with perfumed dried herbs – in fact a potpourri which has been crumbled, sometimes even ground, so that the dried herbs fit into the sachet. You can use some of your own potpourri and grind it in a pestle and mortar, or even in a coffee grinder, if you can’t break it up with your fingers. Or you can dry other herb mixtures specifically for sachets. Make sure the herbs you use are absolutely dry. You don’t want a moldy old bag in amongst your underwear. See archives. |
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DO IT YOURSELF You can make your bags out of any material you like, but I think natural fabrics work far better than synthetics. Fabrics with a tight weave will hold the powdered herbs better than a loose weave fabric – linen and silk are perfect. I have a passion for linen bedclothes. I like to think that linen sachets are the proper way to look after my sheets, so I make my herb sachets from old linen pillow cases. What size and shape you make them is entirely up to you. Traditionally sachets for drawers were 2-3 inches square. They were oblong for linen cupboards. You can make them large, tiny, heart-shaped or round, whatever takes your fancy. How you fill them depends on what you like and what you have to hand. Here are a few of my favorites: Lavender Lovelies If, like me, you love lavender, simply fill your sachets with dried lavender flowers and sprinkle with a few drops of lavender essential oil before sewing up. Summer Sachets Mix dried lavender flowers with dried peppermint leaves. Mint Madness Collect leaves from as many different types of mint as you can find – spearmint, peppermint, apple mint, pineapple mint, ginger mint - dry them, grind them, and put them into sachets for sock drawers. Sentimental Rose Use rose petals collected from old-fashioned, highly scented flowers like musk roses. Be particularly careful that your petals are properly dried. Roses especially are prone to going moldy. You can always add a few drops of rose essential oil, if you can find some that is natural and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg – pure oil of rose is one of the most expensive. |
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The classic definition of a herb is a non-woody plant which dies down to its roots each winter. This definition is far too limiting. It was probably made up by 19th Century European botanists who had never seen the rainforest in which, of course there is no winter to die back in. Neither had they ever heard of woody trees and shrubs such as hawthorn and ginko and elder which are some of the best selling herbs on the market these days. I define a herb as a medicinal plant. It can come from any climate and be a leaf, a bark, a flower or a root. It can be home-grown or wild, a weed, a spice, a plant which is used for its healing or culinary or beautifying properties. Once you discover the power of herbs it is easy to become so enthusiastic about them you go overboard trying to use them for everything. It is not wise to take lots of different plants all at the same time. Or you might start to think that since a small amount of something is good for you, taking twice or three times that amount will be even better. It isn’t. If you want safe and sane herbal help here are a few guidelines to follow:
Herbs This Week Archives |
