New and Novel Uses…

Some of my favorite conversations with customers happen when they tell me how they’ve used our products in ways we hadn’t even thought of!

The other day a customer commented that she’d had a knee replacement and as a result had one spot on her leg where the nerves didn’t heal quite right. She had some numbness and the worst part was it itched terribly, especially at night. She happened to have some of our Ditch the Itch Poison Ivy Salve on hand, so one night she tried it on the spot when the itchiness was particularly bad. She immediately felt relief and was able to sleep at last, after being kept up due to the itching. She now keeps her Ditch the Itch next to her bed!

Another customer uses a compression sleeve and has found our deodorant helps relieve chafing from the sleeve. She just applies the deodorant to the uncomfortable spots before she pulls the sleeve on (or after it’s been on a bot if she forgets). Other clients have found our deodorant to be helpful in areas where skin touches skin and causes sweating and chafing, especially in the summer.

A third customer found herself with a sore backside after a long first day on a European biking tour. She happened to have a roller of Mary Jane’s Last Pain in her first aid kit and found it worked to relieve the discomfort and she was able to ride again the next day.

Many customers have told us they use our body butters on their chapped noses and lips during cold weather or during illness. I did that myself after I couldn’t find my Gardener’s Salve during my last cold!

How do you use our products? We’d love to learn about your discoveries!

Tulsi is one of my favorite herbs to use and grow!

I first grew tulsi about four years ago. I was intrigued by it’s medicinal properties as well as it’s beauty! Tulsi is the preeminent herb used in Ayurvedic Medicine and has been shown to be extremely beneficial for a range of conditions.

In researching tulsi, I found an article in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine about tulsi. It stated “…scientific research is now confirming [tulsi’s] beneficial effects. There is mounting evidence that tulsi can address physical, chemical, metabolic and psychological stress through a unique combination of pharmacological actions. Tulsi has been found to protect organs and tissues against chemical stress from industrial pollutants and heavy metals, and physical stress from prolonged physical exertion, ischemia [reduced blood flow], physical restraint and exposure to cold and excessive noise. Tulsi has also been shown to counter metabolic stress through normalization of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid levels, and psychological stress through positive effects on memory and cognitive function and through its anxiolytic and anti-depressant properties. Tulsi’s broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, which includes activity against a range of human and animal pathogens, suggests it can be used as a hand sanitizer, mouthwash and water purifier as well as in animal rearing, wound healing, the preservation of food stuffs and herbal raw materials and traveler’s health” (J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2014 Oct-Dec; 5(4): 251–259. doi: 10.4103/0975-9476.146554)

Tulsi can have a strong flavor and many teas are prepared with additional ingredients. One of the best ways I’ve found to introduce tulsi to others is through a cold infusion. This seems to bring out the sweet flavor of tulsi without being overpowering. To make a tulsi cold infusion, snip off a few tulsi branches and rinse them off. Remove all the leaves and the flower tops (if they’ve not gone to seed). Place those in a jar and cover with water (compost the rest). Keep in the refrigerator overnight and strain before serving.

In most parts of the United States of America, tulsi is grown as a self-seeding annual. That means it dies over the winter but if it had been allowed to go to seed in the late summer/ fall, those seeds are likely to grow the next summer.  

Prevent illness with herbs!

a jar of herbs covered in apple cider vinegar and alcohol

I want to share with you a recipe I use ALL the time here on the farm, and at home. Here we call it CEEG, for Cayenne, Echinacea, Eleuthero, Garlic. It’s an immune-boosting tincture that I use on both animals and humans at the first sign of illness. While the recipe suggests using it in the winter, we use it year-round. I make mine with ever clear and apple cider vinegar and the dilute it before use. It is HOT! My kids do not like it at all. However, the animals don’t seem to mind it. We add it to water for a general immune boost and administer it orally as often as possible for more acute situations. It’s not a cure-all but it does seem to help the animals and people fight illness and is our first line of defense.

Find the recipe here: https://frugallysustainable.com/herbs-for-winter-health-a-recipe-for-hot-echinacea-tincture/

I get most of the herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs. While I can’t sell tinctures because of the alcohol content, I’m happy to create a tincture kit if you’re interested (I provide the herbs; you provide the fresh garlic and alcohol)!

Note: due to the garlic content, we don’t use it for our cats or our dog.