Natural Mosquito Repellants

FIRST…

• Don’t wear dark clothing as it will attract the buzzers.
• Don’t use fragrances especially floral fragrances.
• Don’t leave standing water around in birth baths etc.
• Don’t Garden during Dusk & Dawn : Mosquitoes are more active during dusk and dawn. Head inside for 30 minutes, just as the sun goes down, then back outside when it’s dark, for those starlit nights

Plants that repel mosquitos:

• Rosemary
• Ageratum
• Marigolds
• Catnip

Note plants will repel however it’s best when they are crushed and oils are used or even just taking a leaf and rubbing it on!!

Natural Mosquito Reciepe:

Use catnip oil to make a spray. Mix about a half-teaspoon of essential oil of catnip with 1 cup isopropyl alcohol and 1 cup water. Shake well and spray lightly on clothing, arms and legs. Do not use on children, pets or people sensitive to catnip.

· Brew a catnip and vinegar spritz. Crush 2 cups catnip leaves and add to 3 cups white or rice vinegar in a quart jar. Seal and store in dark cupboard. Shake every day for 2 weeks. Strain mixture into clean jar and refrigerate. Use as a light spritz on clothes, arms or legs. Some say the vinegar keeps the mosquitoes away, other say the catnip does the work.

Gather 2 cups catnip and 1 cup rosemary leaves. Crush the leaves by using a rolling pin or scrunching them with your hands. Put the leaves in a clean jar and cover with 2 cups unscented body care oil or vegetable glycerin. Store in a cool dark cupboard for 2 weeks. Shake the jar lightly every day. After 2 weeks, strain out the leaves and pour the oil into a clean jar. Refrigerate and use the catnip body oil as needed

Reipes from www.greenterrafirma.com

via BT Toronto Blogs » Frankie Flowers.

homemade relief for the cold season

So everyone i know seems to be sick, my household included. ironically i stumbled upon some homemade remedies to soothe body aches, sore throats and other things that pain you.

Homemade Heating Pad :: Martha Stewart

Take comfort in an old home remedy with a heating pad filled with dried cherry pits or buckwheat. Click above for Martha’s tutorial.

Other Filler Options

• Uncooked rice
• Wheat
• Feed corn
• Barley
• Oatmeal
• Beans
• Flax seed
• Cherry pits

To soothe a headache, be sure to mix one of the above with …

• dried lavender
• Marjoram
• Betony
• Rose petals
• Cloves
• Rosemary

Let mixed herb and filler sit in a sealed container for a few days (occasionally stirring). This will help set and distribute the fragrance a bit.

(Make sure to never microwave with the cover unless it’s content is full cotton. Also a good idea to make the cover removable to wash as needed.)

Cayenne Pepper Mouthwash for a sore throat

Herbal Throat Lozenges (slippery elm, marshmallow + licorice)

Garlic can also be helpful when battling illiness because it will fight off offending bacteria or viruses. Try adding it raw to your salad and other dishes.

Humidify your home in winter: Part of the reason the flu thrives in the winter is due to you furnace. Artificial heat lowers humidity, creating an environment that allows the influenza virus to thrive. Adding some moisture to the air in your home during the winter with a warm- or cool-mist humidifier may not only help prevent the spread of flu, it may also make you feel more comfortable if you do get it.

Honey has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for coughs. It’s a simple enough recipe: Mix 1 tablespoon honey into 1 cup hot water, stir well, and enjoy. Honey acts as a natural expectorant, promoting the flow of mucus. Squeeze some lemon in if you want a little tartness

This ancient Mustard remedy for the flu, chest colds, and bronchitis dates back to the Ancient Romans, who early on understood the healing properties of mustard. Mustard is loaded with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, many of which can be inhaled through the vapors. Impress Grandma by making a mustard plaster with 1 tablespoon dry mustard and 2 to 4 tablespoons flour. Mix both with 1 egg white (optional) and warm water to form a paste. Next, find a clean handkerchief or square of muslin large enough to cover the upper chest. Smear the cloth the same way you’d smear mustard on a sandwich, then plop another cloth over it. Dab olive oil on the patient’s skin and apply the mustard plaster to the upper chest. Check the patient every few minutes since mustard plaster can burn. Remove after a few minutes. Afterward, wash off any traces of mustard from the skin.

A cup of hot tea is just another way to take your fluids, which are so essential when you have the flu. Just be sure to choose decaffeinated varieties. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, which is counterproductive when you have the flu, and you certainly don’t want to be awakened with the need to use the bathroom when you need your rest!

Hot lemonade has been used as a flu remedy since Roman times and is still highly regarded in the folk traditions of New England. Lemons, being highly acidic, help make mucous membranes distasteful to bacteria and viruses. Lemon oil, which gives the juice its fragrance, is like a wonder drug containing antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory constituents. The oil also acts as an expectorant. To make this flu-fighting fruit drink, place 1 chopped lemon — skin, pulp, and all — into 1 cup boiling water. While the lemon steeps for 5 minutes, inhale the steam. Strain, add honey (to taste), and enjoy. Drink hot lemonade three to four times a day throughout your illness.

Try thyme when the mucous membranes are stuffed, the head aches, and the body is hot with fever. Wonderfully fragrant, thyme delights the senses (if you can smell when you’re sick) and works as a powerful expectorant and antiseptic, thanks to its constituent oil, thymol. By cupping your hands around a mug of thyme tea and breathing in the steam, the thymol sets to work through your upper respiratory tract, loosening mucus and inhibiting bacteria from settling down to stay. Make thyme tea in a snap by adding 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves to 1 cup boiling water. Let steep for five minutes while inhaling the steam. Strain the tea, sweeten with honey (to taste), and slowly sip.

[health.howstuffworks.com/herbal-remedies]