Cuts & Sores:

Put raw honey on a cut 1 to 4 times a day and cover with a bandage. It will heal quicker and block bacteria from growing.

Acne & Wrinkles:

Rinse your face with warm water to open pores. Apply a thin coat of honey over face. Leave on for 10 to 20 minutes. Wash it off, then splash your face with cool water to tighten pores up. If you have acne, dab raw honey directly onto the problem areas twice a day and leave it on.

Sore Throad & Colds:

Take 1 teaspoon of raw honey and let it melt in your mouth. Swallow, allowing it to coat your throat. Do not eat or drink anything for 15 minutes afterward, to allow the honey to remain concentrated. Do this 3 to 4 times a day, and it will shorten the life of a cold, or stop it in it's tracks if you start the treatment early enough. (consult your healer if you're diabetic)

Digestion

Mix 1/4 cup honey to 1/4 cup of apple cidar vinegar. Dilute with water to taste. This will aide in digestion. If you require larger or smaller quantities, simply keep the honey to vinegar ratio the same - 50/50.

COUGH SYRUP

1 cup of honey
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon menthol crystals
1/4 cup whiskey (Johnny Walker or Jack Daniels)

Warm the lemon juice and dissolve the menthol crystals. Add honey and cool. Next, add the whiskey. Put in bottle or jar and shake well.

This is not a recipe I'd recommend for young witches or wizards. And for my advanced potions students (21 or older), be careful when drinking this. No drinking and flying!

Energy Booster:

Honey Trail Mix Bars

• 4 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x15 inch pan. Combine the first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla, butter, honey and brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer. Batter will be very heavy. Using a wooden spoon stir in remaining ingredients until well combined.

Press dough into prepared pan. Bake 20 -25 minutes until golden brown. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Cut into bars and cool completely before removing them from pan.

• Apply freely over burns. It cools, removes pain and aids fast healing without scarring.
• A teaspoon of honey before bed, aids water retention and calms fears in children.
• Honey is the best blood enricher by raising corpuscle content. The darker the honey the more minerals it contains.
• Cakes with honey replacing sugar stay fresher longer due to natural antibiotics. Reduce liquids by approx. one-fifth to allow for moisture in honey.
• English research has shown that a teaspoon of honey per day aids calcium utilisation and prevents osteoporosis.

Note: Not all honey is alike. While most types of honey will work for the potions here, it is best to find unprocessed, or raw, honey. Raw honey has all the natural properties that offer the maximum benefits.

WARNING: Do NOT give honey to babies under 12 months old. It may contain spores that will cause infant botulism. Children & adults over 12 months usually develop a digestive tract that is not effected by the spores.

Try this "Potion" for some more interesting benefits of Tea!

Brew 1/2 cup of unscented black or green tea leaves in 1 quart of boiling bottled water for at least 10 minutes. Strain the leaves (if using loose tea) and set aside. Cool the liquid and refrigerate. This solution will keep in the refrigerator for approximately 10 days. You can use this brew in some amazing ways.

For Minor Cuts & Scrapes:

Apply the cold tea brew with a pure cotton pad onto minor cuts or abrasion. Leave the cotton pad on the affected area for at least 5 minutes. Repeat, and do not wash off. This procedure can be repeated up to four times a day.

Sunburns:

Apply a piece of cotton cloth that's been soaked in the cold tea brew to the sunburned area. Leave on for about 15 minutes, or until the burned areas begins to cool. You can repeat this treatment up to four times a day.

For Puffy & Fatigued Eyes:

Soak cotton pads in the cold tea brew and lay them on your eyes. Keep the pads on your lids for about 10 minutes. You can also refrigerate your used tea bags and lay them on your eyes.

For Tired Feet:

Soak your feet in the cold tea brew for about 15 minutes. This is a great way to treat your feet after a long day of standing, walking, or running. You can also try soaking your feet in a concentrated Peppermint Herbal tea brew for an aromatic soak.

Facial Beauty:

Mix one teaspoon of fine cornmeal with cooled chamomile tea to form a gentle scrub. Let dry, then gently rub off. Not for sensitive skin.

Make an exfoliating paste using chamomile tea and powdered milk. Rub on skin, let dry, and then rub off before washing.

Hair Treatment

In a small saucepan, warm (do not boil) 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons fresh ground lavender, and the dry contents of 2 peppermint tea bags. Massage into scalp over damp hair. Cover hair with shower cap to keep heat in. Sit in the sun, if possible, for 20-25 minutes. Shampoo and rinse hair. Repeat this treatment once a month to nourish and strengthen hair.

Eye Treatment

For a simple way to relieve your eyes, try brewing a cup of tea, waiting until it cools, then using a dropper, dribble some onto your eyes. For pink eye, find an eye rinse cup (available at any pharmacy), put the cooled tea in the cup, and hold it to your open eye for a minute. Repeat this process several times a day & it will relieve the pain & shorten the time. You can also use a cotton swab to wipe eyes free of matter.

• Use black tea as a hair rinse to darken hair and add shine.
• Use Chamomile herbal tea to bring out highlights in hair.
• Get a temporary tea tan by soaking in unflavored black tea leaves for about 20 minutes.
• Ease toothaches by applying spent tea leaves on the affected tooth until your dentist visit.
• Use tea as a mouthwash. Stash Wintermint Herbal tea (with parsley seed) is a natural breath freshener.
• Rinse your face with tea. Tea acts as an astringent, so it works well on pimples. Do not wash off.
• Place a used tea bag over bug bites, bee stings, & rashes for immediate relief.
• When having shots, put a moist teabag on top of the injection site. It will reduce swelling.
• To get rid of smelly feet, soak feet in strong tea for 20 minutes each day until smell disappears.

Potion Methods

1. TEAS
For a hot infusion, generally, you would use 1-2tsp herb per cup of boiling water. Pour over herbs, cover and steep for 10 minutes, then strain. For a cold infusion, let stand overnight in cold water, strain and warm gently in the morning. You can add sugar and lemon and honey as sweeteners. If the herb is fresh, use twice the amount. Tea can be stored covered in fridge up to 3 days.

2. DECOCTIONS
Boil root, twigs, bark, seeds, etc. in water and reduce to make an extract. Generally, 1 tbsp dried or 2-3tbsp fresh ingredients to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15-50 minutes. Strain and drink hot or cold. Can be stored up to 3 days.

3. TINCTURES
This is a more concentrated form. Pour high proof vodka over dried or fresh herbs, covering 2" over the top of the herbs to allow for expansion and evaporation. Cover and shake vigorously three times a day for 10 days to 2 weeks. Put in an opaque jar and store in a warm place of approximately 80 degrees, but out of direct sun. Decant and squeeze liquid from residues using a cheesecloth and store in a cool place out of sun. If properly made and stored, tinctures (some) may last 30 or 40 years, less if herb is fresh. For those concerned about the alcohol, you can also use undiluted apple cider vinegar or diluted glycerin 1:1 with distilled water. Vinegar tincture last only months instead of years and is not as powerful of a solvent, but it regulates metabolism and is a tonic for the digestive tract and thus can be used wherever alcohol is undesirable. Glycerin tinctures also do not last as long as alcohol but provides additional healing action as it helps eliminate toxins from the body, but it will not dissolve highly resinous or oily extracts, for these alcohol is best. For children's dosages divide the dosage by 150 to get dosage per pound and multiply by the child's weight in pounds. (Dosages given are based on the average 150lb adult).

4. OILS
Soak the desired herbs in olive, canola, grapeseed or linseed oil for 3 weeks or more in a warm place, sunny if possible. Or use the oven on low temperature, or crock pot or double boiler, infuse 2 hours and strain. To prevent rancidity you may want to add tincture of benzoin, or some herbs contain their own fixatives. Also using dried herbs generally will prevent rancidity as well (except with chickweed must add benzoin). Garlic oil should be used externally only because of the risk of botulism.

5. CAPSULES
Purchase vegetable gelatin capsules found in most health food stores. Powder your herb and fill the capsules. To remove any herb clinging to outside of the capsule, put in with some salt and shake.

6. PILLS
You can make your own by adding a small amount of water and honey or maple syrup to form a paste, then add powdered herbs and peppermint oil, if desired, for flavoring. Roll into small pill sized balls. Dry in sun for a few hours and store in glass jars. They will last for months.

7. FOMENTATION
This is made by soaking a cloth in an herbal solution, used hot or cold to stimulate circulation, aid in decongestion, and to soothe external tissue.

8. LINIMENT
place selected herbs into rubbing alcohol, apple cider vinegar or witch hazel. Leave 10-14 days then strain. Used externally only.

9. POULTICE
Apply whole bruised fresh plant or remoistened dry plant either directly as a paste or place in cheesecloth. Used to soothe, heal, regenerate tissue, stimulate circulation and organ function, warm and relax muscles, and to draw out toxins or foreign particles.

10. WASH
make an infusion/decoction twice as strong. Used externally or as a gargle.

12. SYRUP
- 1lb sugar to 1 cup water boil down and sore in cool dark place mixing with infusion, decoction or tincture as needed to cover bitter tastes. Can also add infusions (i.e. red clover or marshmallow) to honey for palatable cough syrups.

13. SMOKE
mullein is used as the base for most herbal smokes and smudges, powder your mullein leaf once dried and add your other herbs of choice - yarrow flowers, bearberry leaf, mint, Labrador tea, coltsfoot, mint or stinging nettle.

14. BATHS
Bathing with essential oils is a delightful experience for the body, mind and soul. It is one of the most effective ways to benefit from Aromatherapy. In warm water, essential oils are readily absorbed into the body tissues and the aromatic vapors effortlessly inhaled. This benefits the 'entire' body/mind system. After the tub is filled, add 5-10 drops of your specifically chosen essential oil/blend to water. Breath deeply, relax and let all your worries decimate into the water. For dry, sensitive skin add essential oil(s) to a carrier oil (jojoba, grapeseed, etc.) For using herbs try a bath bag - get 7" by 6" piece of material, add 1tbsp aromatic herbs and/or oils of choice. Tie with a long tie so that bag can be hung on tap so that the water can run through it when filling the bath. Then use the bag, especially if made of terry cloth, to rub all over your body for a relaxing/invigorating scrub, depending on your choice of herbs. Use decorative fabric and sew into a little bag with nice drawstring and give as a gift. See below for Herbs For the Bath.

15. FACIALS/MASKS
Grind dried herbs to a fine powder, mix with clay if desired and simply add 1-2 tsps of this mix to enough liquid to make a paste, apply and let sit 10 minutes or until dry, then rinse. Liquids that can be used include: Witch Hazel, Water, Aloe Vera Juice, our Peppermint Facial Astringent or Soothing Facial Toner (Lyrae's Natural Alternatives), Rosewater, Lavender Water, etc You may also add 1 drop of tea tree essential oil for acne, or other essential oils suitable to your skin type.

16. MASSAGE
Essential oils can produce incredible results when used in massage. They have the ability to penetrate deeply into the skin tissues and then are circulated throughout the entire mind/body system. Inhaling the aromatic vapors also have an immediate effect upon the mind and emotions. Massages are therapeutically beneficial for internal problems, stress, anxiety, depression, lympHatic drainage, weight loss, detoxification, circulation, easing pain, and soremuscles. Custom blend essential oils for your massage to your specific needs.

17. INHALATION
The easiest way to enjoy the benefits of essential oils is to inhale their aromatic fragrance directly. Try a few drops on a tissue, or a few drops on your pillow at night, wonderful for the respiratory system when inhaled through steam vaporization.

18. DIFFUSION
Also known as environmental fragrancing, used in Aromatherapy diffusers, spray/body mists, air freshners. There are a variety of ways to disperse essential oils directly into the air. This is a very beneficial way to refresh the air, kill airborne bacteria, promotes physical and well being, creates various moods in your home, car or work place, can also protect your aura from negative energies.