Among the top remedies is garlic. We tend to forget that this wonderful-tasting cooking herb also has a wide range of healing properties that have been well researched.

• People who take daily garlic supplements tend to catch fewer common colds than people who do not supplement with garlic.
• It is antibiotic and antifungal.
• Some say it is antiviral-not directly, but because it improves one’s immune system.
• The stronger the garlic aroma, the higher the concentration of antimicrobial sulfur compounds.

So, how do we take garlic?

• You can buy garlic in capsules or pills. Some are even coated with chlorophyll-containing greens to cut that garlic breath odor.
• You can also just dive in, buy the garlic from the produce section, and eat one or two cloves per day to prevent colds and flu.

Next time, a recipe for Garlic Tea. (Yes, Garlic Tea! It's better than you'd think!)

The post Flu Season-Get Your Garlic Out! appeared first on NaturallySavvy.com.

My aging golden retriever/Australian shepherd cross, Sam, has always been my "itchy" girl. We have regularly dealt with all sorts of skin issues; the last time she had the "black skin" disease.

She has occasionally had hot spots, but this last bout was the worst ever—raw, bleeding skin about 2" by 8" along her back. I couldn't stop her itching and gnawing at this area.

I finally went to the internet and found a wonderful recipe using tea tree oil. I always keep this amazing antiseptic oil in my herbal medicine chest but hadn't thought of using it here.

I made a spray bottle mixture of:

• 1 cup distilled water
• 2–3 teaspoons tea tree oil
• several drops of liquid diswashing detergent (so that the water and oil would mix)—Don't use detergent with chlorox; you don't want to break down the oil and lose its efficacy.

That evening, I gently washed Sam's sore area, dried it, then heavily sprayed her back. The oil is very pungent and the smell helped prevent her chewing herself. The next day, I was amazed at how quickly her sore began to heal. I sprayed her that morning and again that night.

I can definitely say that I will always keep a bottle of this spray close by. There is evidence that it can be dangerous to cats, so if you are a cat owner, please research before trying.

More on tea tree oil next time.

The post Treating a Dog's Hot Spots Naturally-with Tea Tree Oil appeared first on NaturallySavvy.com.

In Stalking the Blue-eyed Scallop (1964), Euell Gibbons states that yaupon was not the plant used in the purging “black drink,” but there has been some controversy in the literature. However, in Dangerous Plants, Snakes, Arthropods, and Marine Life (published by Drug Intelligence publications in 1978), Michael D. Ellis confirmed that the leaves contain no toxic substances, so the tea is safe.

However, the berries of yaupon and the other hollies are considered highly toxic to humans. As few as six berries have caused a child to vomit, and 20-30 berries have caused fatalities in children. So be careful with them.

Wendy

The post Yaupon Leaves Are Safe, but Don’t Eat the Berries appeared first on NaturallySavvy.com.

Delicious Rosehip Syrupfrom Cooking Alaskan by Alaskans (1983)

Boil 4 cups rosehips and 2 cups water for 20 minutes. Strain.

Stir in 1 cup sugar.

Boil for 5 more minutes, then refrigerate. 

Use this syrup on pancakes or ice cream. What a way to get your vitamin C!

Just the beginning! You can google for other recipes for all kinds of tasty nutritious treats, from candy to jelly and even crumble cake.

The post Recipes with Rosehips appeared first on NaturallySavvy.com.

Yaupon (pronounced yo-pawn) is an evergreen shrub or small tree (ours are up to 20 feet tall) in the holly family. Found in Southeast and Central Texas, this slow-growing species has both male and female trees. They often multiply by sending new sprouts up from the roots, forming dense thickets along stream and pond margins and in shallow swamplands. In fact, my husband has used them for topiary; their small leaves and dense branches lend well to this art form. On six acres of land, we have hundreds of bushes.

Small white flowers occur from March to May. The local bees love the early flowers, providing a very dark, strong-tasting honey; I really like it, but I think one needs a trained palette to appreciate it.

Fruiting occurs from October through November. The bright red fruits provide great winter holiday decorations and serve as a food source for wild turkey, quail, and many songbirds-although it seems to give them mild diarrhea, which I have personally observed when the great flocks of robins migrate through our area.

Whitetail deer browse the young twigs and leaves. The almost-white wood is hard and durable but the trees are too small for the wood to be of any real economic value. I do have a friend who uses them to make distinctive walking sticks.

In my next blog, I’ll give you the recipe for making a great caffeinated tea from the leaves.

Wendy

The post Yaupon: Texas Holly appeared first on NaturallySavvy.com.

The recipe is courtesy of Victoria Obrea at Bella Online.

Easy DIY witch hazel astringent

As Obrea explains, witch hazel can be applied directly to burns, bruises, insect bites, and aching muscles. As a part of a natural beauty regime, it can also be used to clean oily skin, remove make-up, or mixed with water for a relaxing footbath.

This must be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for three weeks. Apply the astringent with a cotton ball.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon witch hazel bark (from your own tree or buy it online or at your nearby health food store)

1 cup distilled water

Equipment

Saucepan (1 quart capacity)

Strainer

Glass storage jar

Directions

1. Soak witch hazel bark in water for 1/2 hour, and then bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, let steep for another 10 minutes.
4. Strain when cool and bottle. Keep refrigerated.

More Uses for Witch Hazel

Witch hazel bark is used for skin injuries, inflammation of the skin, locally inflamed swelling, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins.

Uses of witch hazel leaf include remedies for diarrhea and menstrual conditions.

As a cold compress witch hazel is said to help ease a headache.

A balm, made by blending one part bark extract with nine parts simple ointment, is soothing to sores and minor burns. After it cools, it can be applied directly or mixed into an ointment base such as petroleum jelly.

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