CHAMOMILE / CAMOMILE

Chamomile, this golden yellow herb that pleases us through whole summer, it is the most used herb in almost every family. Chamomile flowers have a pleasant smell and taste. In ancient times, Chamomile was prescribed for various diseases. Home grown Chamomile is very different from those purchased in the filter. Therefore it is best to grow them in the home garden, if you have one.

In my youth, parents were always cooking Chamomile tea for us children, because it helps to calm stomach and intestines. Chamomile tea also prevents inflammation.

I also remember that our grandmothers were putting around five hundred millilitres of Chamomile infusion in our bath, so that we children fall asleep easier at night.

A lot of times I make for myself Chamomile water for inhalation in which I put three spoons of its flowers. This water really helps me when I have nasal congestion and other lung diseases. We can also clean blackheads on our face with it, because after that treatment our skin is perfect softened.

I also make Chamomile lotion for myself. I mix eight drops of Chamomile oil with one hundred of millilitres of distillate of hazel catkins.

Chamomile works very calmly, I cook it for myself when I’m restless or I can’t sleep or when I’m just very tired.

When I have problems with rheumatism, I put a good half pound of dried Chamomile in linen/flax bag and dip it into very hot vinegar (preferably apple). Then I compress soaked in this hot mixture and put it on affected area. Pain disappears very quickly. With such preparation you can also treat gout.

When there weren’t so many cosmetic preparations my aunt, was using Chamomile to colour her blond hair. I even today remember her recipe. In the canvas bag she put around one hundred and fifty grams of Chamomile and put it into a litre of cold water and boils it for half an hour. When all cooled down she washed her hair with it and dry it with a towel. Hairs were lighter and nicely glossy.

Chamomile must be harvested in a sunny day, because this is the only time when Chamomile contains the most of essential oils. It must be dried in shadow and must be careful that it won’t fell apart when they are dried enough. Chamomile must be storaged in dry space where it won’t get mould, because Chamomile likes to absorb moisture. Chamomile usually grows among grain, which it is unpleasant for farmers as weeds, but that Chamomile is the healthier one.

Chamomile isn’t a demanding plant because it even grows on very infertile soil.

THE GARLIC

When I plant my first seed of Garlic in spring I am very well aware that it will grow in a real treasure of health for my family. For thousands of years before us the people already knew that Garlic was a cure for many diseases, because in that time they didn’t had any other medicine.

 

In my childhood Garlic was a real winner against roundworms and other parasites in the body. Even today I am eating it regularly. Usually I make myself a Garlic puree. I mash four to five cloves of Garlic, leave it for a few hours in water (meanwhile I mix it a few times), then drink it.

I use Garlic for rinsing wounds, especially infected ones. I mash Garlic and put it into boiled or distilled water. With this mixture I disinfect many wounds.

With Garlic I also treated corns and calluses, warts and acne. I made myself a fresh porridge from mashed Garlic cloves.

 

Since I am in mid-forties I often have problems with cholesterol, that’s why I eat at least two cloves of Garlic a day. It protects heart and lifeblood.

 

It is excellent when I use Garlic for disinfection of painful throat. Through gargling the Garlic potion my pain disappear in almost three days.

Since I eat Garlic I have bad breath, I reduce it with eating some leaves of parsley or basil.

In the kitchen Garlic is indispensable, especially with salads and meat dishes. I most enjoy eating the Garlic sauces and its dressing for salads.

 

Garlic is available in stores through all year. When we are buying it we have to be careful to choose the fresh ones. The heads of Garlic must be hard and shouldn’t have growths. We should avoid Garlic that has grey colour and too much roughage. The best one is with the purple peel. If we have a chance we use fresh Garlic on the beginning of its harvesting season. We have to storage it in cold and dry space without light.

 

 

One advice: It is best when we mash raw Garlic with a mortar and pestle. If we want to have a little Garlic flavour in our ingredients then we rub the bowl with mashed Garlic.