Napiers - Herb and Plant Remidies

440 grams of oil (sunflower, sweet almond or olive oil – depending how rich you want your ointment to be)
110 grams of beeswax (wax is usually a 1/4 the weight of the oil)
25 grams of dried chickweed (around 2 tablespoons if fresh, crush a little first)
25 grams of dried lavender
25 grams of dried marigold petals

Gently warm the oil and the herbs in a bain marie (double boiler) on a low heat. Stir often. If it starts to bubble, keep an eye on it and keep it below boiling. After half an hour remove it from the heat and pour the mixture through a clean muslin cloth (or sieve) to separate the oil from the herbs. Throw away the herbs. Now melt the beeswax in the bain marie and add the oil, stirring until completely mixed. Pour the mixture into clean ointment tins or shallow jars. Leave to cool. Label and enjoy!

Other herbs you could try in an ointment include starflower (borage), viola tricolor, chamomile, cleavers, marshmallow leaf and red clover!

First make an infusion from the herbs. You do this by pouring a pint of boiling filtered water over a tablespoon of each of the following:

• Rosemary Herb
• Peppermint Herb
• Calendula Petals

Keep on the boil for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for an hour. Strain through a piece of muslin, discard the herbs, and keep the herbal infusion. Once cool stir in:

• 30ml of vegetable glycerine and
• 1 capful of vodka.

Add 10 drops of peppermint essential oil for taste and 10 drops of myrrh oil for its antiseptic properties.

Rosemary is an anti-bacterial and anti-viral medicine. Taken as an infusion, this could be useful in mild cases of gastro-enteritis or food poisoning, and used as a mouthwash and gargle for sore throats, mouth ulcers and gum disease. As a skin wash, Rosemary can be used to treat cuts, wounds and skin infections.

First make an infusion from the flowers. You do this by pouring a pint of boiling filtered water over 4 tablespoons of any of the following:
Viola tricolor flowers

• Calendula (marigold) flowers
• Borage (starflower) flowers/herb
• Chamomile flowers
• Red clover flowers

Keep on the boil for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for an hour. Strain through a piece of muslin, discard the herbs, and keep the herbal infusion.

Then, in a double boiler, slowly melt

• 5g beeswax
• 5g emulsifying wax (or another 5g beeswax)
• and slow add in the following order while stirring
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of runny honey
• 2 tablespoons of glycerine
• 1 tablespoon of Vitamin C powder (optional preservative)

Take off the heat and whisk in 150ml of the herbal infusion, or use a blender. (If you want to add a few drops of an essential oil like rose otto or lavender stir them in at this stage.) Spoon into a jar and keep in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Use a crib pillow case, or sew a small fabric bag around 6 x 4 inches. Combine 75% of weight of lavender flowers with 25% by weight of hops. Stuff into the fabric bag and sew the end closed. Pop into your normal pillow case on top of your pillow to help you relax and sleep.

The new BBC Series Grow Your Own Drugs focusses on the medicinal properties of plants, growing and using natural remedies.

Watch this space for some of Napiers traditional herbal recipes suitable for home use.