Can't avoid it. Can't get away from it. Can't ignore it. What's that?? The Holidays in America!

Holidays cause us to entertain more, shop more, spend more money, and perhaps, indulge ourselves a bit too much. Oh, but we enjoy it. The hustle and bustle of getting ready for guests, extra baking and cooking, tensions rise and so may tempers. Whoa!! Take a step back and relax. It's the Holidays, when we're supposed to enjoy family and friends, celebrate our personal and religious rituals and take stock of the past year, not feel compelled to over spend, expect too much of ourselves or become so stressed we miss the fun and magic of the season.

Of course, being herb lovers, we want to incorporate herbs in our holiday plans. And, there are plenty of ways to do just that. From cooking and baking with herbs in your menus, to decorating, perhaps giving hand crafted gifts using herbs and using herbs to help keep you on track during hectic preparations.

Herb teas and even an herbal bath, if you have the time, can help you rejuvenate, relax or focus your energies - whichever you need. Aromatherapy in the form of using essential oils in a diffuser or in a simmering pot of pot pourri can redirect your energy. The aroma from a cup of Herbal tea adds to the experience of drinking the tea itself. Whether you need a stress reliever after baking cookies with your children or a little extra energy to finish wrapping or decorating, there are herbs to assist you.

Some common herbs we know and use in tea for flavor also have medicinal properties: Lavender, Chamomile and Lemon Balm all act to help relieve stress. The trick to extracting more of the medicinal properties of a tea herb is to steep the leaves or flowers for up to 10 minutes instead of the usual 4 to 5 minutes. You can mix the herbs or use each one separately.

The accepted amount of leafy herb or flowers to use in tea is 1 teaspoon of dried herb OR 2 teaspoons of fresh herb per cup. Pour very hot, nearly boiling water over the herbs and let the herbs steep for the proscribed amount of time. Then, take your tea to a quiet place, inhale the aroma through the steam, sip the tea and become ready for your next activity, whether it's' going to bed, mixing up more dough for cookies, vacuuming the family room.... again, or visiting with friends and family.

A plant little known for its herbal properties that we see a lot of and use quite a bit during the holidays is Pine. There are various Pinus species and many, if not all, of them hold medicinal value.

Pine has been used throughout the ages for colds, coughs, respiratory problems and bronchial complaints as well as treating muscle pain and rheumatism. Modern research has shown the inner bark of pine trees to have OPCs or Oligomeric proanthocyanidins, a powerful antioxidant that enhances collagen production and repair in the body. Pine leaf and twig tea was given to explorer Jacques Cartier's men by local North American Natives to cure them of scurvy.

You can benefit from Pine by making Pine Bath Salts for the relief of tired and sore muscles. You'll also benefit from the aromatherapy aspects of pine as you're in the bath breathing in the oils trapped in the steam rising from the hot water.

PINE BATH SALTS

Jar or other lidded, non-metallic container
Pine needles
1/2 cup Epsom Salts
1 cup Sea Salt
Layer pine needles in container with salts and leave for 2-3 weeks. Add about 1/4 cup to bath when filling tub. Enter and enjoy!
If you have access to Pine Essential Oil, you can use that in your bath salts or directly in the bath. Pine Hydrosol can also be used directly in the bath.

I wish you all an herbal, stress free holiday season. Look for the January 2010 issue of The Herb Cottage Newsletter on the 2010 Herb of the Year- DILL.

REFERENCES

http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/Canada/HealthInformation/Encyclopedias/Pine.htm
http://www.ageless.co.za/herb-pine.htm#Properties

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH

I am not a lover of lawns. Rather would I see daisies in their thousands, ground ivy, hawkweed, and even the hated plantain with tall stems, and dandelions with splendid flowers and fairy down, than the too-well-tended lawn.
-William Henry Hudson, author and naturalist (1841-1922)