Medicinal Herbs ~ Tea Time

Some days I don't look up an herbal/medicinal tea recipe.  I simply open my encyclopedia on herbs and pick a few I harvest, and brew the tea.
 

I think I picked this one up at a book sale years ago.  Not sure.  It contains a good amount of information on all herbs, but I noticed if I looked up "Stinging Nettle" it only mentions the medicinal use for asthma and regrowth of hair. No mention of allergies, poor circulation or other ailments.

Yesterday's tea was nettle/peppermint.  Nettle grows here wild and the peppermint I grow from organic seeds.

I also picked this one up for $2.49 at a thrift store.  I like the illustrations for identifying, and the medicinal uses are more detailed than the first book I posted.

I am taking the time this winter to order more "encyclopedias" on herbs, specifically looking for books that have more information on the medicinal herbs.  I am not able to get all of the books from my library, but will post if any are worth sharing.

This book is a complete instruction manual on extractions, solvents, infusions, decoction, distillation of hydrosols, tincturing, other infusions, ointment and lotion making, syrups, oxymels, and more.  It's the how-to on medicine making with herbs. 

I borrowed these two from the library, and had the chance to flip through them.  The one on the left is strictly medicinal herbs, and the one on the right is both culinary and medicinal.  I liked the one on the left better, but I am also looking for "medicinal" books.

Both upper photos are from the encyclopedia on just medicinal herbs.  In the back of the book they show you how to infuse, make poultices, etc. and they give you suggestions on what to keep in your medicinal first aid kit.  There are also many photos in it this book that are real life plant photos vs. the the other book (which are color drawings). 

I returned many books to the library but ended up bringing home more.

The one on the right has been on my wish list for a while now.  For now, I continue to borrow it (my wish list is long and expensive this year, ha ha!).  The one on the left has good information, but older publication.   I also borrowed one titled "Healing Spices, How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease.


There are so many books available to us these days.  I hope you all have a library to borrow these from too. 

The rain fell upon us in bucket loads yesterday.  I was about to get the canoe out to wander out to the chickens, but last night it finally stopped.  The river behind our homestead is flooded, our pasture is saturated.  We are told we will have a break from it now, and I hope the wind dries it up quickly.  It will become an ice rink if not.  I guess Mother Nature felt we did not get enough rain this year, so she dumped more upon us.