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These are some of my favourite remedies that I made on RTE's The Afternoon Show: VALERIAN HOT CHOCOLATE FOR SLEEP &/OR ANXIETY
To make 3 cups:
3 tsp fresh/dried valerian root
3 tsp fresh lavender flowers
Peel of 1 1/2 oranges
900 ml full-fat milk
50 g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
Dash of vanilla extract - Chop the top and bottom from the fresh valerian root. Add the valerian, lavender, orange peel, and milk to a pan and gently heat for 5-10 minutes. Strain.
- Pour the infused milk back into the pan, then add the dark chocolate and vanilla extract and stir until melted. Drink at once.
- USE: You can drink up to 3 cups a day.
- Caution: don’t take if on anti-depressants, sleeping pills, breast feeding or pregnant. It might seem odd taking a chocolate drink to aid insomnia but as long as you use dark minimum 70% cocoa you will be fine as it contains very little sugar. Cocoa was originally used for its calming qualities.
ANTI DANDRUFF HAIR OIL
6 tbsp fresh rosemary
3 tbsp fresh thyme
3 tbsp fresh lavender
250ml coconut oil
20 drops peppermint essential oil
- Wash and chop all the herbs, removing from woody stems. Place in a glass heatproof bowl. Stir in the coconut oil so is covering herbs. Cover bowl with a lid and place over a pan of boiling water to create a double boiler. Heat on a medium to low flame for 1 hour. Leave to cool
- When cool stir in peppermint essential oil. Strain and pour the oil into bottle
- To use: apply 3 teaspoons to hair and massage well into scalp. Wrap hair in a towel and leave for 30 minutes. Wash hair with normal shampoo twice to get rid of oil. Use 3 times a week for the 1st 2 weeks and then once a week as a preventative.
- Caution: avoid getting in the eyes. If you feel any discomfort wash it off immediately
- Storage: will keep for up to 1 year in a cool, dark place
This is a great treatment not only for dandruff but also an itchy scalp. It also has the advantage of making your hair very conditioned and shiny so even if you don't suffer dandruff you can still use it as a conditioner every now and then.
LIP BALM FOR CHAPPED LIPS
150ml calendula oil
10g beeswax
1 tsp honey
12 drops rose or 10 lemon essential oil
1 tsp aloe vera
2 capsule Vitamin E
Melt the oil and wax together in a bane marie.
Stir in the other ingredients.
Pour into jar/container.
Will make several small pots worth of balm.
A little pot of this in your handbag is an essential. You can use it on chapped lips, sun burnt lips or just dry lips. What is nice about it is you know exactly what’s in there and everything is completely natural. If you look at the ingredients in most shop bought lip balms there’s lots of weird things, 80% of which are going straight into your blood stream. This balm can also be put straight onto cuts and grazes because it is soothing, antiseptic and healing. It also makes a great present or stocking filler.
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