For many years people have believed strongly in homeopathic medicine and the value herbs have for medicinal purposes. Not only herbs but also leaves, flowers, seeds and bark from plants can give valuable properties for treating and relieving a vast amount of illnesses and their symptoms.

However, to get the most out of the herbs and plant matter it is essential that they are prepared in the correct manner. The usual methods by which herbs are taken are by infusion, infusions are relatively simple to achieve, simply take 1 cup of water and 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dried herb. Leave this to stand for no longer than 10 minutes, you can leave it longer but it is not advisable due to the brew tasting bitter if left too long.

An infusion can be drunk hot or cold and the usual dosage is one cup taken three times a day, perhaps the only exception to this is if you are taking a remedy for such as the cold or a fever. If this is the case then the infusion should always be drunk hot.

In today’s world a lot of people fall prey to stress and anxiety, the leaves of the lemon balm can be taken in an infusion as can chamomile. Essential oil taken from lavender can also be used as a compress or to bathe in.

If you suffer from asthma then there is a way to relieve the tight chest feeling associated with it, simply take some sage or thyme leaves from the herbs in your garden and place them in hot water and inhale the steam.

To ease the symptoms associated with the common cold there are several useful plants and herbs that can help. Peppermint, catnip and yarrow leaves can all be used as infusions and thyme leaves can be used for steam inhalation.

For those people who have trouble sleeping, then an infusion of lemon balm, chamomile, hops or passionflower taken at night can help greatly.

We all get sprains and strains at some time and these can be relieved be using Comfrey or Thyme in oil infusions or as compresses which are applied to the area and left for a half hour or so.

Garden pansies, Sage and agrimony can all be made into infusions and gargled throughout the day to ease the symptoms of a sore throat.

For those who suffer from warts apply the fresh juice of a dandelion several times a day to the wart, the fresh juice from the greater celandine will also have the same affect.
If you have a wound then a cream can be made from Calendula, chickweed, Comfrey or elder and this can then be applied throughout the day several times to ease the pain and swelling from the wound and also to help it heal quicker.

If you stay out in the sun too long and suffer from sunburn then apply the juice from the aloe, calendula and St John’s wort can also be used to the same effect when turned into oil and mixed with eucalyptus.

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