Natural Herbal Beauty

Colic

This is a severe abdominal pain which tends to come in waves a few seconds or minutes apart. In adults it can be due to an obstruction in the intestine or simply to constipation and can need professional treatment. In babies, colic is usually caused by air becoming trapped in the intestines and is generally associated with feeding difficulties — or a failure to “wind” the infant properly after it has finished sucking. Colicky babies often remain so for the first three months of life, which can be extremely wearing on the parents as the child’s only reaction to the pain it feels is to cry — loudly.Traditional gripe water is, of course, a herbal remedy usually based on dill extracts. Alternatively, use weak infusions of fennel or dill. Another suitable option for colic is homoeopathic chamomile (Chamomilla 3X), which is available in drops or pilules. (more…)

Many herbs are quite safe for children — although unfortunately, the taste is often far from pleasant and administering the remedy can prove a problem. Giving babies weak infusions of soothing herbs, such as chamomile or linden, by bottle from a very early age can encourage acceptance of herby flavours, while dosing breast-fed babies can often be best achieved by the mother taking the herbal remedy herself, as many of the active ingredients will then pass into the breast milk. This is an especially neat solution for colic and wind remedies (see below), which can thus be dispensed precisely at feeding time. (more…)

Herbs have been used for centuries for all sorts of injuries and wounds. Their very names remind us of the fact: yarrow’s botanical name (Achillea) comes from Achilles, who reputedly used it before the gates of Troy to heal his fellow Greeks. In some cultures a warlike nature tended to dominate views of herbs: the Maori of New Zealand, for example, were always fighting each other and the vast majority of their traditional remedies involve poultices and compresses to heal the injured.

Herbs are still ideal for all sorts of minor cuts, grazes and burns: the choice is wide, so even when you are far from home there is generally a suitably styptic healer close at hand. (more…)

For most women the menopause passes by with little more inconvenience than occasional hot flushes and night sweats. For others, it can be a time of major emotional upheaval, depression, weight gain and heavy bleeding.

Today, many of these symptoms may be treated by hormone replacement therapy which boosts oestrogen levels, although critics still have doubts about the long-term effects of such treatment, For some women (including those with a high risk of osteoporosis) HRT can be a preferred solution, but for those who want to complete this transition period in their lives as naturally as possible, (more…)