Summer Specials

I already have a lot of specials going on in my Etsy store to celebrate the abundance of some of my plants, and I will be posting them to Hyenacart and Indiemade soon.  I have great deals on all of my comfrey products including the hydrosol.  And all of the comfrey oil based products are double infused with fresh comfrey so they are really strong!  If you have been reading my blog and FaceBook page you know I'm also distilling peppermint like crazy.  Soon I'll have a big run on Lemon Balm hydrosol and I'll have special Summer pricing on that.

I will be doing some special distillations too as my flowers bloom, including some co-distillations.  I have buds on my helichrysum and lavender plants and I have had one bloom on my rugosa Roses.  These are supposed to put out tons of fragrant blooms so I will be able to distill my own good quality rosewater!  There will not be any special pricing on the rosewater though since my quantities will be limited and I will reserve some for personal use throughout the year and for use in my perfumery projects.

I have seen NO signs of any elder flowers as of yet but I think everything is happening later than usual this year so I hope to have more elderflower water done by mid-June.  I have very little of last years left so if you want to order some, go ahead.  It still has at least a year before it goes bad (if stored properly).  I am also thinking about a big distillation of catnip.  By big, I mean a quart.  I think it would make an awesome base for an insect repellant spray, and of course a treat for your kitty.  This may also be a good training tool if you have a cat clawing your furniture.  Buy your kitty a scratching post and spritz it with catnip hydrosol.

I am also thinking about making a version of Jeanne Rose's Bruise Juice, which is an all purpose medicated oil.  Helichrysum flowers will be amazing in there!  I have tons of blooms on these plants so I will be making some more oil with them (infused in fractionated coconut oil) and will probably have enough to put up for sale.  It makes a wonderful replacement for the very expensive essential oil and can be used as is, or in ointments.  Helichrysum and Lavender are 2 of the greatest and gentlest healing plants and Heli is my absolute favorite for healing bruises.

I dipped into the Florida Water a bit and it smells incredible already!  I may get another batch going this weekend along with some Orange Blossom cologne and Eau de Cologne.  I LOVE PERFUME!  Especially when they are natural and therapeutic.  I am going to offer these for sale-domestic ground shipping only.

Comfrey Special

I just finished a special batch of comfrey salve for a friend and I had extra so I will give a free 1/2 tin to my next 6 customers.  This is olive oil infused with fresh comfrey leaf, dried lavender buds and loaded with Bulgarian Lavender oil.  I use comfrey all the time for my eczema outbreaks, rashes and for wound healing.  I have also used it in the past for tendonitis.  The docotrs told me I would have it for life but since I starting using comfrey on it, I can't remember the last time I had a problem with it.  And my tendonitis was in my wrist and I work with my hands all day.

Comfrey contains allantoin-a known cell regenerator.  It speeds healing and strengthens tissues.  Comfrey has even been used to speed the healing of broken bones.  I also have a client who buys tons of it from me for her psoriasis because it's the only thing that has ever helped her.  She is also buying it for her daughter who is starting to develop patches of it.

Comfrey also heals bruises and sore muscles and reduces swelling.

Comfrey

I posted a video about comfrey on you tube. Here's the link....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTLR7rjo5Hs

Comfrey

It's time for another educational post and I haven't done an herb in ages-so today I will be talking about one of my absolute most favorite herbs ever. Comfrey. As you can see from the pictures I have 2 varieties of Comfrey in my garden. On the right is russian comfrey. The russian variety is the easiest to find and is marketed as true comfrey but it's actually a sterile hybrid. It is good medecine. To the right is the true species of comfrey. It is much larger than the russian, and it produces tons of flowers and seeds. You have to be careful with the seeds. I pull up all the little seedlings I find because once comfrey gets established in a spot it's permanent. It has a very deep root system and if you try to kill it by chopping up the roots, well-lets say you'll have an ugly surprise because all the pieces of chopped up root will make a new plant. It's best to choose your spot very carefully if you put in comfrey. If you don't want the seeds to spread you can just remove the flowers as they appear.

Comfrey is one of my "miracle" herbs. I say that because the healing powers of this plant are just hard to believe. It will completely close wounds overnight. I always recommend caution with comfrey on an open wound because it will seal in infection or debris. It contains a substance called allantoin (also present in plantain). which is a cell proliferant. This explains the healing power. Comfrey will strengthen any body tissue it's used on. It has been used to treat broken bones and I have had miraculous results using comfrey on tendonitis. It's also wonder ful for sore muscles, sprains, bruises, to strengthen the skin, and to alleviate eczema and psoriasis. There is a great controvesy over the internal use of comfrey because of the (potential) presents of dangerous alkaloids that have been alleged to have caused liver damage. This is based on about 5 cases (in hundreds of years of use) and at least 2 of the people involved were taking enormous amounts of powdered comfrey in capsules. My opinion is that you should do your research and decide for your self. If I had a broken bone I would drink comfrey tea every day. But with people who have comprimised livers, I wouldn't risk it.

Another cool thing about comfrey is that makes great food for other plants. If you can't decide what to do with your comfrey, try making a tea with it and use it to water your other plants.

On a later post I will teach you how to make an herbal oil.

I do read comments so if you have questions you can just post it as a comment.