A Helpful and Ever-changing List of My Preferred Botanicals (and how I like to use them)
Essential oils are the essence of plants. The plant is processed by someone else in a mysterious way until a concentrated oil is produced. This oil is very strong and is usually too powerful to be applied directly to your skin or to be eaten.
A floral water is often also produced as a by-product, this fragrant liquid is also useful in some applications.
When I gather leaves or buds, I make an oil of them by washing the gathered product, drying them out, placing them in a mason jar and drowning the flora in olive oil. I let it infuse together for at least three months, tipping the jar upside down and right side up every couple days. I like to concoct during a full moon or a new moon, and on the day of concocting I sieve the flora out of the oil. The resulting oil is used in my products. This is an infused oil, not an essential oil and should be fine applied directly to the skin.
Aloe Vera
Amla
Amyris – similar to Sandalwood, but more readily available and cheaper.
Argan
Arnica
Avocado
Baking Soda – Burns the skin if left on, as in deodorant; so it’s best if used only in cooking, housecleaning, and in a steaming hot bath with Epson Salts and a gentle essential oil like Lavender.
Bay Leaf – Bay essential oil is hard to come by, but if I could find it I would use it as a perfume fragrance. Dried Bay leaves are cheap and easy to come by. I like to infuse a crumbled dry leaf in my cup of water. It seems to help with digestion, inflammation, respiratory issues, immunity, blood sugar balancing, anxiety, wound recovery, heart health.
Beeswax
Bergamot
Birch – sweet scent
Black Pepper
Calendula
Camphor
Carrot Seed
Castor
Champa
Cedarleaf
Cedarwood
Chamomile
Cinnamon Bark
Cinnamon Leaf
Citronella
Clary Sage
Clay
Clove Bud
Clove Leaf
Comfrey, gathered in the spring – Comfrey seems to encourage flesh and bone to grow and heal. Check it out, it has been historically used to help a broken bone mend. You can use the roots and the leaves, I’ve always only gathered the leaves, which grew like mad around the little farm we used to have. I have dried the leaves, infused them in olive oil and then used the oil in my healing balm when I have some at hand. I have used them fresh off the plant as a poultice on bruises and scrapes and it seemed to help with the healing. The leaves can be eaten as a vegetable in a stir fry, though I have never done this because it is also rumoured to harm the liver. It boosts the growth of new cells and reduces inflammation.
Cottonwood/Poplar Tree Buds, gathered in the spring –
Cypress
Elderberry, dried berries – I simmer a half cup of dried elderberries in water for a few hours and then pour the rich red juice into a mason jar with lemon juice and honey. Stir until the honey dissolves. This is an unbelievably helpful drink for when you have a bad cold. Just don’t over use it because I have found it messes with my digestive system. Elderberries are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C and other good things, but they also are reported to be toxic if uncooked or if you eat any part of the plant other than the cooked berries. I do not harvest these myself.
Epsom Salts – Best used in a steaming hot bath with Baking Soda and a gentle essential oil like Lavender. Soak for as long as you can, aim for at least 40 minutes. Epsom salts are also an important ingredient in homemade play dough.
Eucalyptus
Everclear 190% proof Alcohol – This is a very strong, pure, unscented alcohol that I like to use for my perfumes and for the evader sprays. Do not drink it. Do not spill it on your furniture because it will dissolve the finish. After infusing the essential oils in the powerful alcohol, I dilute the spray 30-50% : 50-70% ratio with distilled water. (The water making up most of the spray.)
Fennel
Flaxseed
Frankincense
Garlic
Geranium
Ginger
Jasmine
Jojoba
Juniper Berry
Lard/Shortening
Lavender
Lemon
Lemongrass
Lye
Magnesium Chloride Flakes
Marjoram
Melaleuca/Tea Tree/Cajaput
Menthol
Myrrh
Neroli
Nutmeg
Oak Moss – is a species of lichen. I have found the essential oil to be very hard to find. I have not yet heard of a therapeutic use for it, but I absolutely love the smell of it and use it in my perfume. I grew up north of Lake Ontario, running wild amidst the farmland and tree lines of my farmer neighbours. There was one Oak tree who I loved to climb and stay up there. It was an elderly tree and was absolutely full of Oakmoss. Perhaps that is why I like the smell so much.
Olive
Orange
Oregano
Palmarosa
Patchouli
Peppermint
Pine
Rice
Rose
Rosemary
White Sage
Witch Hazel
Sandalwood
Seabuckthorn
Spearmint
Stevia
Stinging Nettle, gathered in the spring – Yes, the leaves do sting while gathering it. I have enjoyed some delicious stir frys made with Stinging Nettle because it grows like mad around the little farm we used to have. These days I use dried Stinging Nettle flakes in place of Kale sometimes when making the traditional Dutch supper, Boerenkool. I use dried powdered stinging nettle in my smoothies and even just stirred in water. Stinging Nettle has tonnes of nutritional benefits, and I have found it soothes allergy symptoms and eases an upset tummy, and my husband says it helps him sleep. I’ve also infused the dried herb in oil to use in my balms.
Tarragon
Thyme
Vetiver
Wintergreen
Yarrow
Ylang Ylang
Zinc