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Heal
Yourself Using Plants from Your Own Garden
How to Make Compresses
an
article by
Kolbjørn Borseth of Aromantic
Your back
garden is a treasure trove of healing herbs and
flowers which can be used at little expense to make
a range of healing products and health remedies.
Using your own plants also provides you with the
assurance of using fresh, organic and uncontaminated
materials. You can never know the history behind
herbs and vegetable oils. They could for example
have been grown next to a motorway, absorbing potentially
harmful toxins. They could also have been stored
indefinitely, reducing the potency of the ingredients.
In this article we show you how to use your own
garden products to make compresses, tinctures and
healing oils.
These remedies are tried and tested over history,
so why not have a go? It’s amazingly simple
and safe to make many of these remedies and you
will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are
using your garden not only for food and pleasure
but for healing your family. It’s like having
your own family health centre in your back garden
and you don’t need to rely on drug companies
to deal with all of your health problems.
Making
Compresses
Compresses
are an excellent way to apply a treatment externally
to a specific part of the body. This reduces the
necessity for internal medication. There are two
types of compress, those without heat and those
with heat. Compresses without heat are used on wounds,
eczema, psoriasis and similar problems where the
skin is broken (not inflamed). NB: Never use warming
compresses on broken skin.
Compress with heat are used when the skin is not
broken, for example with rheumatism, sprains, inflammations,
accidents, pains and swellings (but not with shingles).
With pain you can also use a heating pillow, outside
the hot compress. A hot water bottle would also
suffice. Cover the compress with wool or other insulating
materials.
When garlic and onion is used, it is important that
it does not come into direct contact with the skin,
and should therefore be placed on a cotton cloth.
Never use hot compresses on wounds as the ingredients
will be absorbed into the body. As a rule, compresses
should be left on the person overnight, but not
for more than 8 – 10 hours at a time. (This
doesn’t apply to burns). Don’t put the
same compress on two nights in a row. An exception
is dry chamomile compress, which you can use for
more than one night in a row. You can use this compress
with or without heating.
How to
Make a Compress
You will
need:
A cotton cloth 30 x 50 cm for compress to throat,
knee or elbow
Clingfilm, surgical tape or freezer tape (never
use tape or Clingfilm directly on the skin)
Elastic Bandage
Woollen cloth
Method:
1: Take a cotton cloth 50 x 30 cm, spread about
200ml of the recommended content evenly in the middle
of the cotton cloth. Then cover with clingfilm.
2: Fold each side of the cloth over the content
3: Lastly tape everything so the content is secure.
4: Place the compress on the area to be treated
with the cloth side towards the skin. The Clingfilm
is facing outside, so the healing content goes into
the body/skin. Wrap around with an elastic bandage
and secure with tape.
Compresses on a wounded surface can first appear
much worse. This is because the compress draws out
puss and impurities through the wound. Change the
compress often, wash and clean the area with a strong
chamomile infusion. You will soon see a big improvement
and the wound will heal.
Arnica
Compress
Use on sprains,
bruises, swollen skin, pains, burns and herpes blisters
50 ml warm water and 1 – 2 teaspoons Arnica
tincture
Put a cotton cloth in hot Arnica water, squeeze
the cloth and put it over the area to be treated.
Put Clingfilm over and then a stretchy bandage.
With a hot compress, put the woollen cloth over
the Clingfilm and then the stretchy bandage. Using
Arnica on burns increases the bleeding through and
reduces the scar formation.
Warning: The skin should not be in contact with
Arnica for more than 6 hours per day, too long at
a time can create skin irritation. Never take arnica
tincture internally.
Chamomile
Compress
Useful for:
sore throats, pain, prostate problems, psoriasis,
eczema, earache.
Use about 20 gr. of chamomile flowers on the middle
of the compress. Fold and tape. Put the Clingfilm
on the top. You can use this chamomile compress
up to 30 times if it’s not wet after use. You
have to put it in a sealed plastic bag between uses.
Onion Compress
Useful for:
throat infections, hoarseness, earache, eye problems,
muscle and acute joint inflammations, good for sinusitis.
With eye problems, it aches for 1 minute after you
put on the compress.
All you need is one onion, finely chopped and placed
in a piece of cotton cloth. Use a rolling pin to
flatten the package and squeeze out the juices.
Cover with clingfilm and then fold into a cotton
cloth. Fold and tape together and place cotton side
down on the affected area with the clingfilm on
the outside. Wrap with a woollen cloth and stretch
bandage.
Warning: The first time you use onion compress,
use it only for 1 hour to see if you have a positive
reaction.
Green Cabbage
or Savoy Compress
Useful for:
eczema, psoriasis, menstrual cramps, pains, swelling,
infections in the skin, joint pain.
Use the green outer leaves from organically grown
plants. Cut away the thick stalks and use a rolling
pin or bottle to press flat. Place and layer the
inside of the leaves (the smooth side) around the
entire area of the skin, root side down. Bind to
body with cotton or lint free cloth. Then hold together
with cling film and cover with a stretch bandage.
Leave on overnight. (Cabbage contains a senaps oil
that increases the blood circulation. It also includes
the wound healing substance U Vitamin).
Potato
Compress
Useful for:
eczema or swelling under the eyes
Use 3 peeled grated raw organic potatoes. Spread
the potatoes on the cotton cloth and fold it together.
When used on the eyes, put the grated raw potato
in a small piece of gauze. Let it work for 30 minutes
with closed eyes.
Compresses
for Rheumatism
Night 1: Onion
Compress
Night 2 Dry Chamomile Compress
Night 3: Arnica Compress
Compresses
Leg Wounds
Night 1: Cabbage
Compress
Night 2 Chamomile Herbal Tea Compress
Night 3: Onion Compress
Macerated
Vegetable Oils for Skin Healing
Calendula
Flowers in Oil
Making your
own macerated oil is very easy. Take fresh flowers
from your garden, chop up the flower buds and fill
up a jar with vegetable oil. (Choose virgin olive
oil which does not go rancid.) Pack the flower buds
into the jar, seal and sit in the sun for 2 –
3 days then leave it in a dark cupboard for 2 –
3 weeks, shaking it every day. Strain the mixture
through muslin and store in a dark jar. It will
keep for around 2 years if stored in a dark cool
place.
Make your
own Tinctures
Tinctures
are alcohol-based solutions which draw out the healing
ingredients from herbs and flowers. You can make
tinctures using wild flowers or flowers from your
garden. Simply use chopped flowers and pack it in
a jar half filled with the strongest vodka. Use
100 – 150 gr. fresh flowers or herbs to 150ml
alcohol. If you use dried herbs or flowers use only
10 – 15 gr. in 150ml alcohol. Seal the jar
and leave it in on a sunny window sill for 2 –
3 days. Then store in a dark place at room temperature
for 2 – 3 weeks, shaking it every day. Strain
through muslin cloth and store in a dark bottle.
The tincture will keep for 2 – 3 years.
For both Macerated oils and tinctures, St John’s
Wort and Marigold flowers are excellent for treating
sunburn and skin sores. Using Arnica on swollen
skin will reduce the swelling overnight. An onion
compress for earache will dramatically reduce the
pain overnight also.
Kolbjorn
Borseth has been working with alternative medicine
for 25 years. Originally from Norway, he moved to
Sweden and for ten years he worked with the leading
lady of complimentary medicine, Lily Johansen. Her
complimentary health care clinic treated over 30,000
patients. At that time we picked all of our fresh
herbs and ingredients to be used fresh in the treatments
each day. The above recipes come from this hospital.
In 1985, Kolbjorn started a Natural skin care factory
in Sweden using local herbs. In one season he picked
around 4,000 kg of herbs for drying and for making
natural medicines and treatments.
Article
reprinted with permission from www.aromantic.com
© Copyright Aromantic 2002-2004
About the
Author:
Kolbjørn Borseth of Aromantic specialises
in empowering people of all levels in making their
own highly effective natural skin care products.
Through his web site customers are able to access
many free resources as well as being able to order
all the raw materials, equipment and know-how required
to make aromatherapy products, creams, shampoos,
soaps and cosmetics.
Visit Kolbjørn's Natural
Skin Care web site at: www.aromantic.co.uk
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