Twelve
These formulae for perfumed oils and massage oils can be made in small or large qualities; “small” will yield one to two ounces for personal use or anointing candles; “large” means six to eight ounces for massages. If you want to double-charge your candle spells, choose two or three appropriate herbs, fine-grind them, spread them on a paper towel, and roll the candle over them.
After the essential oils are mixed with the carrier oil, hold the bottle between your hands and focus on the intent you desire. Fill your bottle three-quarters full of carrier oil (almond, jojoba, whatever oil you choose). Then add the required drops of essential oils, (eye droppers are necessary) swirling gently after each addition. Cap and label each bottle. Remember to gently swirl each bottle again just before use.
Each time you use a dropper (unless the oil bottle has its own dropper), you need to flush the dropper with rubbing alcohol. Do this by drawing in and flushing with alcohol several times.
For aromatherapy, blend essential oils without the carrier oil. Drop the oils directly into the water in the container that sits over the heat.
One drop of benzoin as a fixative should go into every bottle of personal magickal oil (at least two drops into the massage oils) to keep them from turning rancid. You can also put in a tiny chip of an appropriate stone.
Personal Oils
Changing Your Luck: 1 drop cedar; 1 drop birch, 3 drops frankincense, 1 drop High John
Cleansing: 3 drops frankincense, 1 drop pine, 2 drops lotus
Happiness: 1 drop strawberry, 3 drops rose
Harmony: 2 drops honeysuckle, 2 drops lilac, 4 drops magnolia
Healing: 1 drop cinnamon, 3 drops myrrh, 1 drop clove
Letting Go: 1 drop cypress, 1 drop pine, 3 drops pine
Money, attracting: 4 drops bayberry, 3 drops bergamot, 1 drop mint
New Job: 1 drop mint, 2 drops violet, 4 drops ylang-ylang
New Venture: 2 drops frankincense, 1 drop birch, 3 drops mint
Optimism: 1 drop cinquefoil, 3 drops lotus, 2 drops orris root
Perfect Mate, finding: 2 drops ambergris, 2 drops gardenia, 2 drops jasmine
Protection: 2 drops bay, 1 drop cinnamon, 2 drops rosemary
Psychic Shield: 3 drops patchouli, 1 drop cinnamon, 1 drop frankincense
Releasing People: 2 drops High John, 2 drops frankincense, 1 drop cinnamon
Rid of Negatives: 4 drops patchouli, 1 drop pine, 1 drop rue
Self-Confidence: 3 drops hyacinth, 3 drops lotus
Serenity: 4 drops lotus, 2 drops lily of the valley
Spirit Guides, attracting: 2 drops honeysuckle, 2 drops lotus, 1 drop sandalwood
Spiritual Growth: 3 drops wisteria, 1 drop lilac, 1 drop lotus, 1 drop heliotrope
Massage Oils
Change Your Luck: 4 drops violet, 2 drops peony, 2 drops High John
Cleansing: 4 drops lavender, 1 drop hyssop, 2 drops lotus
Happiness: 2 drops gardenia, 2 drops honeysuckle, 1 drop rose
Harmony: 1 drop orange, 4 drops magnolia, 1 drop lilac
Healing: 2 drops myrrh, 4 drops lotus, 2 drops mimosa
Letting Go: 2 drops frankincense, 3 drops patchouli, 1 drop cypress
Money, attracting: 1 drop mint, 3 drops bayberry, 2 drops hyssop
New Job: 2 drops ylang-ylang, 1 drop birch, 2 drops violet, 1 drop lotus
New Venture: 1 drop birch, 1 drop mint, 3 drops frankincense
Optimism: 4 drops lily of the valley, 1 drop rose, 2 drops lotus
Perfect Mate, finding: 2 drops ambergris, 3 drops frangipani, 1 drop jasmine, 2 drops musk
Protection: 3 drops frankincense, 3 drops myrrh, 1 drop rosemary
Psychic Shield: 2 drops frankincense, 2 drops myrrh, 3 drops bay
Release People: 2 drops High John, 1 drop pine, 4 drops patchouli
Ridding of Negatives: 3 drops patchouli, 2 drops cinnamon, 2 drops clove
Self-Confidence: 4 drops magnolia, 2 drops, lotus, 1 drop violet
Serenity: 2 drops hyacinth, 3 drops lotus, 2 drops lily of the valley, 1 drop narcissus
Spirit Guides, attracting: 4 drops wisteria, 2 drops sandalwood
Spiritual Growth: 3 drops lotus, 2 drops sandalwood, 2 drops wisteria, 1 drop honeysuckle
Now for some fun and/or tasty ways of using roses.
Rose Ointment
½ cup rose water, at room temperature
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ to ½ ounce beeswax chips. Use the smaller amount for a creamier blend.
6 drops rose essential oil
Melt the coconut oil and beeswax together over low heat. Whip in the rose water and add the essential. Apply to dry skin, lips, hands, and feet.
Rose Petal Infusion
Harvest fresh, unsprayed roses and pack a wide-mouth quart jar with the petals. Do not put in the hips and centers. Fill with water. Put in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. Can be warmed for tea or added in small amounts for flavoring.
Rose Cream for Dessert
2 cups whipped cream, canned coconut milk, or yogurt
1 tablespoon honey or sweetener
1 drop rose essential oil
Mix together and serve as a dessert topping.
Rose Honey
½ cup liquid honey
1 drop rose essential oil
Mix well and store in airtight container. Wonderful flavor for tea or toast.
Creams
You can easily make your own facial and body creams in the herbal scents you like best. Go to your local pharmacy and chose an inexpensive, unscented (or scent of your choice) jar of cream that is hypoallergenic. Empty the jar of cream into the top of a double boiler, and heat over boiling water. Put in the herbs you have selected (rose, chamomile, tuberose, violet, et cetera) and simmer very gently for two hours with the lid on the pot. Use about one ounce of dried herbs or two and a half ounces of fresh herbs per ten ounces of cream base. Remove from the heat. Strain though cheesecloth and pack into jars with tight fitting lids. Cool to room temperature before putting on the lids. Seal tightly and keep in a cool, dark place.
Decoction
This is the method of extraction from the toughest plant materials such as roots and bark. Combine the herbs and cold water in a pan. Use about one ounce dried herbs or two ounces fresh herbs per two cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for twenty to forty minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half to one-third. Strain the liquid into a container and cover. Store in a cool place or refrigerate. Decoctions are best when freshly made.
Infusion
This is simply brewing a strong tea. Use one tablespoon of fresh herbs or two tablespoons of dried herbs to a cup of water. To make a cold infusion, steep the herbs in cold water overnight in a sealed container. For a hot infusion, steep herbs for ten minutes in a covered container of boiling water. In this last method, remove from the heat as soon as you put in the herbs, and push them down into the water. Place in the sun. Allow the herbs to steep for three to four weeks, gently shaking the jar daily. Strain and bottle.
For a hot oil infusion, combine fresh herbs and sunflower, almond, or light olive oil in the top of a double boiler. Heat over boiling water for two hours with the lid on. Use one cup of fresh herbs per two cups of oil, half a cup of dried herbs. Do not allow the oil to boil. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth, and store in bottles in a cool dark place.
Infused oils can be used for massage, serve as the base for ointments, or even added in cooking.
Syrup for a Sore Throat
1 1⁄3 cups water
½ teaspoon mallow
1 tablespoon hyssop
1 cup rose hips
½ teaspoon angelica
½ cup honey
Combine the herbs and water in the top of a double boiler. Heat over boiling water for about twenty minutes or until the rose hips are soft. Press the herbs through a colander and add the honey. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Gargle for a Sore Throat
½ teaspoon grated garlic
2 tablespoons honey
¾ cup warm water
Keeping the water at a very low simmer, heat the mixture for twenty. Strain and bottle.
Clara’s Quick Sore Throat Remedy
Add ½ teaspoon of salt to a tall glass of very warm water. Gargle thoroughly with this.
It wasn’t just the salt gargle that helped but the way my grandmother taught me to gargle that seemed to make the difference. She explained that the entire throat needed to be cleansed with the salt water. This meant that when you gargled, you needed to stick out your tongue to allow the mixture to get as far down the throat as possible. She was right—it did make a difference.
Chest Rubs for Chest Colds
½ cup basil
¼ cup anise or hyssop
2 cups oil
OR
½ cup mint
½ cup thyme
2 cups oil
Make a hot infusion using the herbs and oil. Massage into the chest area.
CAUTION: Do not use basil or anise during pregnancy.
Herbal Teas or Tisanes
Teas (or tisanes) are made as hot infusions. Do not boil the water after adding the herbs. Pour the hot water over the herbs and cover. Let steep for five to fifteen minutes. Strain.
Headache Tea
2 teaspoons fresh catnip or 1 teaspoon dried catnip
11⁄3 cups hot water
Pour the hot water over the herbs, which are in a strainer.
Relaxing Tea
2 teaspoons fresh chamomile or 1 teaspoon dried chamomile
1½ cups boiling water
Pour water over the herbs in a strainer and relax.
Flatulence Tea
1 teaspoon fennel
1 teaspoon anise
1½ cups boiling water
Pour the water over the herbs and strain.
Digestive Tea
1 teaspoon fresh mint
1 teaspoon fresh bee balm
1½ cups boiling water
Make an infusion using the method above. This helps with digestion.
Homemade Rose Water
This can be applied to the face as a liquid or used as a liquid base to make a cream or salve. Place one cup chopped or shredded fresh rose petals in two cups cold water, stir well. Let stand, covered, overnight. If possible, use a heavy glass weight to keep the petals under the water. Strain and pour the liquid into a clean jar. Pierce a vitamin E capsule, adding that to the jar as a preservative. Keep refrigerated.
Acne and Pimples
Keep your skin extremely clean, watch what you eat, and dab pharmacy-brand witch hazel on the acne or pimples.
Oily Skin
Mix ½ half cup apple juice and two teaspoons witch hazel. Apply to clean face with cotton balls.
Hair Care
For dandruff, mix equal parts vinegar and water, and use as a final hair rinse. Do not rinse this out of your hair.
For dry hair, apply just-warmed unsaturated oil to your hair. Cover with plastic, and cover the plastic with a soft towel. Leave in for half an hour to two hours, then shampoo. You also can use an herb-infused oil on your hair: sage and rosemary for dark hair, chamomile for fair.
Cider Tonic
Helps with digestion, morning sickness, pain of sinusitis or arthritis, and reduces high blood alkalinity (chronic fatigue).
1 large glass water
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Mix well and drink.
Night Time Sachet
These are put under the pillows. Personally, I spritz the fresh sheets on the bed with lavender water. To make a sachet, use an old nylon stocking for the herbs and tie the ends shut tightly.
2 parts hop flowers
4 parts rose petals
½ part woodruff flowers
½ part lavender buds
1 part lady’s mantle, leaves and flowers
Mix the herbs. Tie one end the stocking about four inches from the toe. Stuff in the herbs, and tie the other end tightly closed. Place between the pillow and pillowcase.
Athlete’s Foot
Keep the feet (especially between the toes) very clean and dry. My father swore that wearing white socks helped. He also used to pour Absorbine Jr. over his toes to kill athlete’s foot. This procedure stung so badly that he accompanied it with loud commentary.
Honey is very useful in herbal formulae and to body skin cleansing. Honey is a natural rejuvenator and antibiotic. Skin ages not because it loses its ability to hold oil, but because it loses its ability to hold moisture. Because honey is acidic, it also help rid the face of blemishes and blackheads.
Honey Ointment for Hands and Arms
Honey is antibacterial and also pulls moisture to the skin.
1 ounce beeswax
1 cup apricot, almond, or light olive oil
Optional: Up to sixty drops essential oils of rose geranium or orange-scented bergamot
Melt the beeswax in the top of a double boiler. Stir frequently to help the melting. This will take about ten minutes. Granular beeswax is easiest to use. Add the cup of oil to the beeswax and stir until well blended. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Add the essential oils, stirring until well mixed. Pour into jars and label. Don’t cap the jars until the mixture is room temperature. Store at room temperature. Spoon onto hands and arms before bed.
Honey Pat
Dip your fingers into a little honey and apply it to your face in an upward revolving motion. Pat with your fingertips as if typing. When it gets so tacky that you fingers stick to your face, stop and rinse gently with warm water.
Age Spots
This is a very old formula for “curing” age spots. It also can be used to prevent bruising if put immediately on the bruise.
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed onion
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Mix together and pat on the age spots on your hands and arms.
Basic Face and Hand Cream
1 ounce lanolin
2 ounces almond oil
½ ounce beeswax
2 ounces soy oil
1 ounce rose water
3 drops essential oil of rose
Melt the lanolin and beeswax in the top of a double boiler. Add the oils, a little a time, stirring constantly. Turn off the head; remove the top of the double boiler from over the boiling water. Slowly add the rose water and essential oil, stirring until the cream was cooled. Pour into amber colored six-ounce jars with lids.
Chapped Skin Lotion
1 tablespoon borax
3 ounces glycerin
12 ounce double rose water
5 5tablespoons mucilage of quince
Shake borax and rosewater together until the borax is dissolved. Add the mucilage of quince to the glycerin and shake together thoroughly. Mix the two solutions together until well blended.
Stomachache
A weak tea of chamomile is good, even for small children, for stomachache, indigestion, colic, gas, and summer diarrhea.
Anti-Flu Remedy
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 cup boiling water
1½ teaspoons sea salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Grind the cayenne and salt together to make a paste. Add boiling water or very strong strained chamomile tea. Steep and cool. Add the vinegar. Adults can take a teaspoon to a tablespoon every half hour. If it is too strong, dilute it.
Heart Cordial
Also good for exhaustion, nervous heart trouble, congestion of the liver, headaches, and as a diuretic. Add rosemary to wine of your preference to strengthen the heart and prevent swelling of the ankles. Steep, turn, and shake the herb in the sherry or wine for at least a week, then strain out the rosemary.
Hair Care
Rosemary can be added to shampoos and rinses to prevent dandruff and to strengthen the hair. This is especially good for dark hair.
Sore Throat
Thyme tea laced with honey is effective in fighting sore throats and post-nasal drip. Take a tablespoon several times a day.
Barley Waters
Use this formula to help invalids who find it difficult to eat and to alleviate diarrhea in young children. NOTE: Do not give honey to children under two years of age.
4 ounces whole barley
½ of a lemon peeled, washed
2 ounces honey
Add one pint of water to the barley and lemon peel. Simmer until soft. Remove from the heat and steep. Remove the peel and add the honey.
Lip Balm
2 to 4 teaspoons rose or marigold petals
1 cup almond oil
Fill a jar with the petals, and then pour the oil over them. Close the jar and leave in the sun for five days in summer, fifteen days in winter. Strain using cheesecloth for all the oil.
Warm Rose Oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon beeswax
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
Warm the oil in a double boiler. Stir in the beeswax and other ingredients. While hot, pour into a wide-mouth container. Close the lid. The ointment will soon harden.
Liniment #1
1 pint apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 drops oil of pine
Check for skin sensitivity. Mix together in a bottle; shake before each use. Useful for sprains, swollen joints, arthritic pain.
Eye Makeup Remover
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 tablespoon castor oil (drug store)
Mix together and pour into a clean 1½-ounce bottle. To use, put a small amount onto a clean cotton pad and gently wipe over the eyelids.
Chapped Lips
½ teaspoon honey or glycerin
½ teaspoon castor oil
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
This recipe has come down through generations. The Midwest, where my grandmother lived for many years, is extremely harsh and cold in winter.
Mix all the ingredients; shore in a ½ ounce jar in the refrigerator. Put it on your lips and leave overnight.
Nail and Cuticle Oil
1 teaspoon jojoba oil
½ teaspoon vitamin E oil
1 teaspoon almond oil
Shake the ingredients together in a small bottle. Soak your nails in warm water for ten minutes, then rub this oil into the nails and cuticles.
Calendula Oil Salve
1 cup calendula oil
4–6 drops lavender essential oil
¼ grated beeswax (optional) pinch of turmeric for coloring
Warm the oil over very low heat and stir in the beeswax. If you want a softer salve, add more oil. Stir in the turmeric.
Pour into small jars or tins. Store in a cool, dark place where it will keep for a year. Apply small amounts to treat skin rashes, wounds, cuts, diaper rash, or cradle cap.
Brain Power Seasoning
3 parts sesame seeds
1 part lecithin granules
4 parts nutritional yeast
1 part spirulina
2 parts powdered kelp
¼ part powdered rosemary
1 part powdered ginkgo
1⁄8 part each thyme and garlic
1 part powdered gotu kola
Toast the seeds in a heavy skillet; grind them in a seed mill. Combine the seeds with the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle on salads, popcorn, soups, or any main dish.
Bay Rum Aftershave
Bay leaves (fresh if possible)
Ground or grated allspice
Whole cloves
Grated ginger
Rum
Pack a wide-mouth jar with bay leaves, leaving some space at the top. Add the allspice, cloves and ginger. Pour enough rum into the jar to cover the herbs. Cover tightly and let sit for 3 to 4 weeks in a warm place. Strain out the herbs and rebottle the liquid. Add a drop or two of bay essential oil to strengthen the scent.
Cystitis (UTI) Remedy
2 parts cleavers
1 part chickweed
2 parts fresh or dried cranberries
2 parts uva ursi (bearberry)
Combine and prepare as a strong tea. Drink four cups daily, ¼ cup at a time. Drink as much cranberry juice as you can.
Headache Tea
2 parts lemon balm
1 part lavender
1 part feverfew
Combine the herbs and prepare as a strong tea. Drink ¼ cup every thirty minutes until the headache is gone.
Nervous Headache Tea
3 parts chamomile
1 part passionflower
3 parts lemon balm
1 part skullcap
Combine and make a strong infusion tea. Drink ½ cup every hour until the symptoms stop.