russiannaturals

[russiannaturals]

Today's herbs, for drying. Sage, thyme and a whole lot of mint.

[russiannaturals]

[russiannaturals]

Trees in Spanish 🌳

el Abedul. Birch

el Abeto. Fir

el Acebo. Holly

el Álamo, chopo. Aspen, poplar, cottonwood

el Aliso, alno. Alder

el Arce. Maple

el Castaño. Chestnut tree 

la Caoba (el Caoba is a color). Mahogany tree

la Catalpa. Catalpa

el Cedro. Cedar

el Cerezo. Cherry tree

el Ciprés. Cypress

el Enebro, la Sabina. Juniper 

el Fresno. Ash

el Manzano. Apple tree

el Olmo. Elm

el Peral. Pear tree 

el Pino. Pine

el Roble. Oak

el Sauce. Willow

la Secuoya. Sequoia

el Serbal. Mountain ash

el Tilo. Basswood

[russiannaturals]

🍄 Things To Research As A Green Witch MASTERLIST

A green witch is typically a witch who specializes and focuses on natural materials and energies. They are often skilled herbalists and probably enjoys gardening. Like a lot. You might be a baby green witch or an experienced one. Maybe even an eclectic one, no matter what, all is welcome!

I am most certainly not entitled to knowing everything about green witches but I want to help out some people when stuck on not knowing what to research.

As always, enjoy!

gif by @la-petitefille

🍄 plants!

🍄 edible plants :)

🍄 non Edible plants :(

🍄 other uses for non edible plants that’s not eating :)

🍄 history of herbal witchcraft

🍄 herbal brews

🍄 aromatherapy

🍄 drying flowers/herbs

🍄 harvesting flowers/herbs

🍄 endangered plants (so you don’t accidently pick them)

🍄 medicinal plants/herbs

🍄 teas

🍄 tinctures

🍄 meads

🍄 smoke blend recipes

🍄 different types of other natural based witches

🍄 seasonal magick

🍄 when to start sowing

🍄 when to reap

🍄 wheel of the year

🍄 types of plants

🍄 types of herbs

🍄 what types of animals/insects (bees, butterflies, etc.) do your flowers/herbs attract?

🍄 usage for *plant name*’s roots

🍄 usage for *plant name*’s stem

🍄 usage for *plant name*’s flowers

🍄 usage for *plant name*’s leaves

🍄 usage for *plant name*’s bark

🍄 usage for *plant name*’s seed

🍄 plants

🍄 what are herb sachets?

🍄 pressed flowers <3

🍄 smoked herbs

🍄 poisonous plants

🍄 essential oils

🍄 extracts

🍄 cacti/succulents

🍄 gardening 101 (hehe)

🍄 what are some good botanical books?

🍄 the fae

🍄 candle correspondence to elements

🍄 PlAnTs

🍄 houseplants

🍄 sage (god, I love sage)

🍄 lavender

🍄 rosemary

🍄 basil

🍄 chamomile

🍄 PLANTS

🍄 crystals

🍄 aloe vera

🍄 tea leaf readings

🍄 dear me, I almost forgot to mention plants

feel free to add on, loves!

♡ That naked witch in the woods

[russiannaturals]

Types of Herbal Remedies

I’ve compiled a list of types of herbal remedies, with brief instructions on how to make them. Choose your herbs carefully, as some are poisonous, some will interfere with health problems and medications, and some can cause allergic reactions.

If you are concerned about any health issue you have, or worried about herbs reacting with your medications, go talk to your doctor. This post is not intended as medical advice.

Compress

This is usually cloth that has been soaked in a herbal infusion so that it can be applied topically. Useful for skin issues, muscle pain, joint pain, and general aches.

You can make one by soaking cotton wool in a warm infusion of your choice, wrapping the balls in a piece of clean cloth, and applying to the affected area. Once the cloth cools down you can soak it again in the warm tea and reapply.

Infusion

This is basically the herbalist term for tea. The herbs are usually dried and ground before being steeped in very hot water and then strained out. If you use a bag then you can skip the straining.

Tincture

This is similar to an infusion but much stronger, and with alcohol instead of water, which helps to preserve it.

Put your herbs in a jar. Cover them with alcohol (most people I know use vodka). Put the lid on the jar and shake it daily for a month or so, then strain the herbs out. I tend to keep mine in the little dropper bottles, as you normally don’t need to take much at once.

Decoction

I like to think of these as a stronger infusion. You need four times as much boiling water as dried herb, and you want to simmer the mixture for about half an hour before straining.

Syrup

These are herbs mixed with a sugary substance, which makes them easier to consume and helps to preserve them a little. They’re a good way to get your herbs in if you have a sore throat, as they are often quite soothing.

You’ll need a couple ounces of fresh herb per pint of water. Put them on the stove and heat until about half of the water has evaporated. Then you need to add about five tablespoons of sugar/honey/maple syrup per pint of water you used originally (so if you put two pints in the pan, you need ten tablespoons). Keep stirring for about twenty minutes, then take it off the heat and bottle it up. You need to keep syrups in the fridge, preferably in a dark coloured jar or bottle.

Balm

Essential oils and beeswax, basically. Add about twenty drops of essential oil to a cup of melted beeswax, stick it in a jar, let it cool, and there you go! You can mix in juiced herbs if you like, but that’s optional.

Salve

A salve is basically essential oils mixed with beeswax, oils and herbs. I have seen them made with coconut oil, though if you live in a warmer environment then coconut oil won’t work for you as it melts. You need about fifty/fifty dried herbs and beeswax (if you live somewhere warm) or use a mixture of beeswax and an oil like olive or safflower if you live somewhere colder, just so it’s soft enough to use. Use about twenty drops of oil per cup of beeswax. You’ll need to melt the wax in a double boiler, and let the herbs infuse in the molten wax for about half an hour. Then you add your essential oils, and pour the molten salve into the containers and let it cool.

Ointment

This is basically a liquid balm or salve. Follow the methods above, but use oil instead of beeswax.

Bath

When taking a herbal bath, you are basically making a giant cup of tea! Fill an organza bag with your chosen herbs, and put it in the bath while you run the water, then remove it before you get in. You can reuse the bag of herbs, but they lose potency with each use, so I try to avoid doing this.

Poultice

This is a paste of herbs and sometimes other things that is applied to the skin. Used for infections, splinters, burns, boils etc. They’re pretty simple to make, you just mix some dried herbs with a tiny bit of boiling water to form a paste, put it on the area, and use a piece of cloth or gauze to keep it there. If you want to use fresh herbs you just mash them up.

[russiannaturals]

Merlox Magical Remedies

For cuts and scrapes of any size, one of the first and easiest remedies to try is Aloe. However sometimes its best to mix a few herbs with simialiar properties to achieve a greater affect.

Something i use often that i came up with myself is using the following as a poultice:

Fresh Aloe gel, Tea Tree oil, powdered Thyme, and Golden seal.

Quantity depends on size of wound.

Squeeze the fresh gel into a mortar, add a few drops of the oil, 1 part thyme, 1 part golden seal. Mix until components are about the same color and add to wound with gauze.

Aloe Vera stimulates call growth, even when several layers of skin are injured. Use fresh gel from the leaves and apply to the skin.

Tea tree oil powdered thyme and golden seal were  all aded for antiseptic properties

[russiannaturals]

6 packets of lemon tea 2-3 tablespoons fresh lavender blossoms (or use ½ if dried) juice of 1 lemon 2 quarts of water.

[russiannaturals]

Don't throw away that orange peel

Before you throw away that orange peel remember this.

When you peel an orange remove the pit, white layer between the fruit and peel.

Sun dry the peels in a window seal. (may take up to 6 days)

Grind the dried peels into a powder

Mix the powder with honey and water to make a facial mask.

[russiannaturals]

Sore Feet?

mix together

¼ cup sea salt

1/3 cup Epsom salt

1/8 cup baking soda

¼ cup dried mint leaves

in a gallon of warm water (not quiet boiling, the feet are more sensitive to heat) let steep and soak feet for 10-15 minutes

[russiannaturals]

What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You—Why Herbal Antivirals Really Work!

Have you ever suffered from a viral infection? If you have, it’s certainly an experience you won’t forget. Whether in your own country or disastrously struck down mid-vacation, you likely wished that you’d taken an anti-viral shot, or at least a course of medication.

Your thinking is correct—but synthetic medicine isn’t your only defence!

The truth is that there are natural remedies on the market—and in your back yard—that you can use today to fight the same bugs just as effectively without all the aching symptoms of traditional western medicine.

Herbal Antivirals shows you how to properly prepare, dose and take these natural medicines yourself—and you can even grow them in your garden!

[russiannaturals]

3 Typical Bulgarian Remedies for the Cold & Flu

Winter is here and if you wish to prevent yourself from getting sick, it is highly recommendable to think of ways to achieve that. In Bulgaria, natural ways have always been popular and many people prefer to treat their colds that way, instead of buying pharmacy products or visiting the doctor.

Our tradition in the subject of remedies is very rich and has been passed from generation to generation. Nowadays, there are numerous recipes on how to prepare homemade remedies. In this article, I will share my top 3. All of these are super easy to be prepared. Remember, whenever you start coughing and it lasts for several days, you must visit a doctor.

Hot Rakia - Rakia, rakia… This “magical” drink has many uses. Hot rakia is a very popular home remedy and many Bulgarians drink it to prevent possible colds. Boil a glass of rakia in a small container and add two spoons of honey or sugar. Stir and add a bit of black paper & cinnamon. Drink the solution warm and in small sips.

Garlic Clove - If you wish to stay healthy all winter long, old people recommend you to take one garlic clove a day. Some say that you can drink it like a pill with water. I suggest you just eat it when having dinner. Garlic works pretty well for your general condition and keeps a strong immune system.

Syrup for Coughing - Mix equal parts of grated fresh ginger, lemon, honey, and cinnamon in a small jar. Keep the solution in a fridge. Drink 3-4 times per day one to two soup spoons. Make sure you shake the jar before taking the mixture. It is kid-friendly.

Hope you like this article. Let me know if you have tried any of these remedies or if you have similar ones from the area you come from. I will be happy to learn more!

[russiannaturals]

Pick-Me-Up herbal

Sitting at home with a fever, I just threw together this little herbal tea in the hopes of feeling better.

Into a French press, add 1tbsp chamomile flowers, and 1 tsp each crushed eucalyptus, chopped dried lemon grass, crushed dried mint, and minced roasted dandelion root. Add 16 oz boiling water, wait five minutes, and enjoy.

The base ingredients are the chamomile and eucalyptus. Other flavors can be substituted as desired. (Rose hips would be good, but I didn’t have any on hand…)

[russiannaturals]

I’m going to share with you the recipe for this spicy ginger tea my papa used to call Dragon Spit. This was his cure-for-what-ails-ya drink. It’s great when you have a cold or sinus congestion.

This makes a little over a quart. My jar is 44 oz.

Ginger root (preferably fresh)

Cinnamon sticks

Whole cloves

Red pepper (I used cayenne and some Carolina Reaper infused honey *not pictured* for this batch)

Water

Honey or cane sugar (or whatever you prefer to sweeten with)

Slice up your ginger, I used a root a little smaller than the one in the photo up there. You can peel it if you like, but it doesn’t really matter, it’s going to get strained anyway.

Put the slices in about 4 cups of water in a sauce pan with your cinnamon sticks (I used 2, but you can add however many you like), 6 or 7 whole cloves, and a few dashes of red pepper.

Get a good boil going, then let it simmer for about 7 minutes. Let it sit for a minute or two, then strain out all the stuff, then strain again before putting it into your container.

Add your sweetener to taste. Then if you want a little extra cinnamon flavor, rinse off your sticks and drop those in before it cools.

It’s good hot or cold.

Edit: Since this is getting a lot of reblogs, I feel like I should say that depending on your spice tolerance, you may want to dilute this mixture with water.

[russiannaturals]

Tea combinations~

These don’t carry a specific intent and are more just meant to taste good~

~Ginger and apple: sweet and zesty, very good for the metabolism

~Vanilla and liquorice: mild and earthy, would taste very good with some milk

~Star anise and blueberry: sweet, pair with some rooibos or liquorice root

~Blackcurrant and rose: good for a sore throat

~Lavender and chamomile: mild and calming: perfect before bed

~Cinnamon and orange: warm and sweet, perfect during the winter. For more warmth, chai tea might be added

[russiannaturals]

Beltane Breakfast 🌿☀️

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this spell might seem a little daunting or complicated but it’s super approachable and the payoff is amazing! 💛

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crepes 🍴

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

spring, fae, protection

1/2 cup milk (add more tsp at a time if batter is too thick)

2-4 tsp cinnamon

protection, strength

** to test your batter consistency, try drizzling a figure 8 into your batter, if it ‘paints’ fluidly then you’re good!

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berry compote 🌸

6 blackberries & raspberries

fae, healing, love, happiness, growth

2-3 tsp honey

healing, purity, love

1 tsp cinnamon

protection, strength

** be sure to smoosh the berries with a fork or something to get them to a saucey consistency

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scrambled eggs 🍳

2 eggs

spring, fae, protection

1-3 tsp milk

1/4 tsp parsley

kindness, healing, strength, courage

salt/pepper

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salad 🥗

greens of choice

grounding, healing

carrot

strength, vitality, grounding, healing

fruit vinaigrette of choice (i chose apple for protection, abundance, and strength)

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recommended on a sunny day, but totally optional! charge up with rose/smokey/clear quartz, amber, or citrine, whatever you’ve got! this breakfast is also paired with this tea potion that uses any extra berry juice you have from your crepe compote!

[russiannaturals]

Psychic Tea

Drink this tea during psychic and divination works.

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon rose petals

1 teaspoon yarrow (do not use if pregnant)

3 teaspoons mugwort

Combine all ingredients. Use one tablespoon of mixture for every cup of boiling water.

As it steeps, chant over the tea:

Tea of richest psychic power

Enhanced awareness on me shower

Bring the visions I should see

As I will, so mote it be

*************************************************

Found in Everyday Magic by Dorothy Morrison

[russiannaturals]

I’ve seen a couple different drinks for cough relief, like turmeric tea or “golden milk”, but this is what my grandma showed my mom and my mom showed me. I think it started out as JUST ginger and milk (traditional ginger tea), that’s why we call it Jengibre (Ginger), but it’s become a lot more powerful since then! I had a pretty nasty sounding cough last Sunday, and it went away before I even finished the cup! It came back in the morning when I woke up, and then after one more cup it went away for good! k here it is: 

INGREDIENTS: - A chunk of ginger (should have included a picture… It’s about a quarter of the palm of my hand?) - 3 stars of anise - 3 or 4 cinnamon chips (or 2 sticks) - 1 ½ tsp Holy Basil - 1 ½ tsp Nettle leaf - 1 tsp Hyssop herb - 1 tsp Honey - 5 or 7 Cloves (I like it spicy… My sister only adds like 3) - a pinch of Turmeric - 1 cup Milk - ¼ cup water

INSTRUCTIONS: (its not word for word as the picture because I wrote it in my book as I was making it and I had to pay attention to the stove!) - Crush the cinnamon, anise, and cloves together, then set aside.  - Peel the ginger, cut it into small pieces. - Start boiling the ¼ cup of water, then add the ginger as it starts to boil. Press on the ginger to get the juices out! - Combine leaf ingredients together, put them in a tea bag or small tea infuser  - After about a minute or two, add the cinnamon, anise, and cloves. Stir.  - After a minute or two after that, add the teabag/infuser with the herbs. If you’re using a tea bag, press down on it occasionally for potency.  - It should be hella boiling now and it looks pretty cool. Add the milk, and stir. At this point, you can add more cinnamon, cloves, or ginger to taste.  - Add the turmeric.  - When the milk is hot, take it off the heat. Put a sifter over a cup and pour everything in. Squeeze the tea bag to get all the liquid out. Then discard everything except for the liquid in the cup.  - add honey or brown sugar to your liking! Honey will help with the cough, but I like it pretty sweet so I add both!