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Aromatherapy Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of scented essential oils derived from plants. The oil can be put into a vaporizer, applied to the skin by massage, or put into a bath. Many people use aromatherapy in conjunction with massage, baths or vaporizers. However, once you learn how to choose and manipulate fragrances, you may want to make aromatherapy part of your everyday life. Of all our senses, our sense of smell is the most basic and the most powerful. We tend to ignore it, but by changing the smells in our environment, we can influence our moods, our feelings and our sense of well-being. Web:
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Chinese Herbs Using herbs to treat medical conditions is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine. The herbs are taken from plants that grow in China, from the roots, bark, flowers, seeds, fruit, leaves and branches. Within the Chinese system, several hundred different herbs are commonly used. However, you must remember that, in China, such remedies are used within the context of the Chinese society. In other countries, the medical and cultural systems are different. One must be careful before taking a single herb or two in isolation, and transplanting it into the medical system of another culture as some type of wonder cure. Thus, before you use Chinese herbs, it is important to learn about their use, and develop an appreciation of how they fit into a larger picture. Web:
Culinary Herbs When I cook, I like to use a variety of fresh herbs to season my meal. They taste great, they are economical, and they are easy to use. Here are FAQs (frequently asked question list) that will help you learn about using herbs in your cooking and growing your own culinary herbs. Web:
Garlic I love garlic. I have a recipe for garlic and parsley spaghetti topped with a smoked garlic tomato sauce that is fantastic. (1: Buy ready-made garlic and parsley spaghetti. 2: Buy ready-made smoked garlic tomato sauce. 3: Cook spaghetti. 4: Warm sauce in microwave. 5: Combine spaghetti and sauce.) Garlic is good for more than cooking, though. You can use garlic to promote health. Garlic contains a large amount of organic sulfides and other nutritious compounds, and is reported as being useful as an antibiotic, anti-carcinogen and antioxidant, as well as reducing atherosclerosis (at least in lab animals). Web:
Growing Herbs What could be more satisfying than using your own home-grown herbs to season a home-cooked meal? Whether you are a rank beginner or a highly experienced, organic Earth-mother herbaphile, you'll find these growing guides invaluable. When it comes to the care and feeding of these tiny fragrant friends, the Net is ready to help you fulfill your botanical destiny. Web:
Harry Potter Herbs Nicholas Culpepper (1616-1654) was a legendary figure in the field of herbal medicine. In 1652, he published an intriguing book with the modest title: "The English Physician or An Astrologo-Physical Discourse of the Vulgar Herbs of This Nation: Being a Complete Method of Physick, whereby a man may preserve his Body in Health; or cure himself, being sick, for three pence charge, with such things only as grow in England, they being most fit for English Bodies". Three and a half centuries later, Culpepper's work was used by J.K. Rowlings as a reference for the herbs she described in the Harry Potter books. If you like Harry Potter, why not look at the original book and create some herbal remedies of your own? Web:
Herb Magick When you are trying to get through life, you don't necessarily have to stick with "the known" reality most people agree on. For instance, you can utilize some herb magick to make life go your way. These Web resources have basic information about getting started with herbs, as well as more esoteric information about the magickal properties of various woods and plants. Don't have a spellbook? No need to worry. You can find sample spells online. Bad with plants? It doesn't matter. After all, you don't need a green thumb when you have a magick wand. Web:
Herb Talk and General Discussion Things that grow and things that don't, plants that heal and plants that won't. Little herbs that stink and flower, have their merit and their power. Here is where the people go, to talk about the herbs to grow. Herbs for cooking and to eat, herbs for healing can't be beat. Usenet:
Herb Uses It's always good to know about herbal healing properties. For example, if you have a big publishing deadline, and your editor will not allow you to sleep or have fun, it is nice to know that bergamot helps alleviate tension and basil can be used to treat stress-related conditions like hypertension. Web:
Herbal Encyclopedia The Herbal Encyclopedia is a comprehensive guide to herbs. Choose an herb, any herb, and in two clicks of a mouse tail, you will have information about how the herb is used and how to grow it. For example, did you know that catnip (Nepeta cataria) can be used to treat a cold or the flu? I told this to my cat, and now he won't stop sneezing. Web:
Herbal Hall Here is an excellent site for herbalists, gardeners and botany lovers. This Web site is loaded with articles, reference material (including a glossary), links to herbal FAQs (frequently asked question lists), and information about herb-related Usenet groups and mailing lists. Web:
Herbnet For lots of information about herbs, Herbnet is the place to go. In addition to a collection of links to herbal resources, there is a great deal of information about print publications and journals, herb and seed sources, societies and associations, botanical gardens and herbalism schools. Web:
Modern Herbal In 1931, Mrs. M. Grieve wrote an herbal reference detailing the properties, folklore and cultivation of many hundreds of plants. In the book, Mrs. Grieve described how to use plants for healing, cooking, and even for cosmetics. She called her book "A Modern Herbal". Although it is not modern any longer, the book is still a fantastic resource for anyone interested in herbs. Here is a hypertext version of Mrs. Grieve's wonderful reference. Web:
Pictures of Herbs Specific herbs can be hard to recognize, but if you are putting them in your mouth, it's a good idea to make a positive identification. Use these resources to look up an herb, either by its scientific name (Hypericum perforatum) or by its common name (St. John's Wort), and you will be rewarded with a picture of that very herb, presented in the privacy of your very own computer. Web:
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