#witchy living

[elektrikmayhem]

some days I wish I could disappear into a witchy cottage in the highlands and survive off of making candles and dried herb mixes for witchy business, some soap too perhaps, and maybe scaring the occasional tourist…having some highland cows and chickens..

[quoththeravennvm]

How to make & use an Herbal Poultice

Make a homemade herbal poultice as a remedy for minor infections and ailments with ingredients you have at home.

Author: Wellness Mama

Ingredients

·         2-3 tablespoons (or more as needed) of fresh or dried herbs, healing               clays or activated charcoal as needed

·         Enough hot water to form a thick paste

·         Organic cheesecloth or cloth for covering

·         Waterproof covering to keep poultice on

Instructions

1.    Make a thick paste with the desired herb, clay or charcoal and water.

2.    Apply directly to the wound or place between two layers of cloth and apply the cloth to the wound (depending on the cloth and the wound). Leave for 20 minutes to 3 hours as needed and repeat as necessary.

Types of Poultices

I’ve used a variety of different poultices over the years, from ones as simple as chewing up plantain leaf and spitting on a bee sting to take away the pain and ones as elaborate as an 8 herb and clay mixture. These are the ways I’ve used poultices (plus the ones my friend shared):

Spider bite: Alternating activated charcoal and baking soda poultices on a spider bite – We alternated these two every 3 hours for the first 24 hours, at which time the bite was noticeably better. At this point, we switched to alternating bentonite clay and plantain poultices for another two days until the redness was completely gone. The doctor was not sure what type of spider bite it was and we weren’t able to catch the spider to bring with us. It had cleared by the time we went back for a follow-up so we never knew for sure.

Onion poultice for illness: There are many remedies that I would use that are not recommended for children, but one easy remedy that seems to work incredibly well is an onion poultice on the feet. This one was recommended by my Amish friend and while I don’t do it unless it is really needed (because it smells and is a lot of work), it hasn’t failed me yet. It is made by slicing or dicing an onion and lightly sautéing with a tablespoon of water just until the water evaporates. Then, placing a slice or paste of the onion between two layers of cloth. I apply this to the feet and wrap in waterproof cloth/plastic and cover with socks. I leave this on for half an hour and and repeat every 3 hours as needed until the illness is gone. This can also be applied to the chest or back for coughing and congestion. A friend used a smaller version of this over the ear (being very careful not to get anything in the ear and to have cloth between the onion and the ear) for an ear infection with success.

Insect Bites: Plantain poultices directly on the skin are great for bee stings and insect bites. In the summer when plantain is growing all over our yard, I use fresh, but I also keep dried plantain on hand in the winter because it is so inexpensive and useful. This poultice is also said to be helpful for boils, though I haven’t tried this myself.

Cabbage for Mastitis: I got mastitis for the first time when our last baby was about a year old and we were traveling. I didn’t have my usual remedies with me, so I used what I could find in the small town where we were staying. Organic cabbage leaf poultices helped with the pain but to step things up, I added garlic as well. I would place a cabbage leaf directly on the sore area, then place 2 sliced garlic cloves and then a piece of cloth and then my bra. I was able to avoid antibiotics.

Garlic for Warts: Another one that my friend suggested but that I’ve never tried is using a fresh garlic poultice for removal of warts. She said she made a paste of fresh garlic and applied just enough to cover the wart but not the healthy skin around it. She then covered with a bandage and left on for several hours a day until the wart was gone.

Clay for Splinters and Boils: Bentonite clay and other healing clays are often used in a poultice to draw out splinters or to help resolve a boil. I have personally tried this for a particularly stubborn splinter and was able to get it out much more easily. This is made by making a thick paste of water and clay and applying directly to skin and then putting the cloth over the clay.

Salt or Magnesium Poultices: My friend also recommended salt or epsom salt poultices for drawing out infections or abscesses. We used this recently when my daughter skinner her toe outside and got a big scab. We cleaned the area well, but there was a tiny rock that had gotten into her toe. A few days later, her toe was swollen and hurting. While we waited to get in to the doctor, I applied poultices of epsom salt and baking soda (between layers of gauze) and we cleaned it gently. After a few hours, it popped on its own before it had to be lanced by the doctor, and about a tablespoon of pus came out. I would not consider this an alternative to medical care, especially for abscesses like this, but rather a remedy until it can be looked at by a doctor to make sure the infection has not spread. She did not need any further treatment.

[blue-eyesthick-thighs]

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[quoththeravennvm]

Green Witchy Laundry

Lately I have been trying to find green, all natural ways to clean around the house to save myself money and rid my home of harmful chemicals while incorporating a little magic and witchcraft. Below are some recipes and tips for making your own laundry liquids. 

For Liquid Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

(1) 4.5 oz bar of organic soap [you can find some incredible soaps on etsy.com but try to use soap that won't stain your clothes, like Dr. Bronner's soap]

(1) cup of washing soda [Arm &  Hammer makes this soda and you can find this typically in the laundry aisle]

(1) cup of Borax [also found in the laundry aisle]

(1) 5 gallon bucket with lid

Directions: 

Grate bar of soap into a 2 quart sauce pan and fill with 6-7 cups of water. Gradually heat until completely dissolved. Fill bucket with 4-4.5 gallons of really hot tap water and stir in washing soda and Borax. Stir in soap water mixture. Cover and leave overnight. 

This detergent will be in a liquid form to start with because of the heat from the water. After you leave it overnight, it will be more of a gel. 

Use 1/2 - 1 cup of detergent per load. 

Tip:

When choosing what soap to use, I like to take the season into account. For example, in winter I like to use a peppermint soap. Peppermint oil is used in healing and purification rituals and will clear your clothing of negativity. I used Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap and my resulting detergent smelled clean and crisp and minty. 

This spring, I intend to make a batch using soap made with lavender and lemongrass essential oils. Lavender brings calm and peace to your rituals, and the dried sprigs could be used for smudging. Lemongrass brings good luck, love, and prosperity. Lemongrass can also be used in rituals to help develop magical and divination skills. 

For summer, I'm thinking I'll use a lime coconut soap. Lime essential oil can be used in rituals for healing, love and protection. Coconut oil is also great for protection, as well as purification. 

For fall, I will use a pumpkin spice soap. Pumpkins have been a symbol of protection for many centuries. People used to carve faces into them in order to scare away negative spirits. 

My favorite pumpkin spice soap is this one from Farmers Market:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/191399271225?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

For Color Enhancers/Bleach

You guys will not believe this, but use lemon juice!!!! It actually brightens your clothes and whitens your whites. Don't use the bottled one made from concentrate because it's full of extra stuff you don't want on your clothes. Either squeeze your own or, if you're lazy like me, spring for a bottle of organic lemon juice. 

Magically, lemon juice is great for purifying and cleansing. 

For Fabric Softener

A great substitute for fabric softener (and again, you won't believe it!) is vinegar. Buy a normal bottle of white distilled vinegar and add 15-20 drops of essential oil for scent. Add more, for a big bottle. I like to match the oil I put in the vinegar to the soap I used for the detergent. So for winter, I used vinegar with peppermint oil to go with the my peppermint detergent. 

So far, my laundry smells and feels incredible. I was absolutely amazed at how bright and soft my clothes came out. 

For more information and for a recipe for powder detergent, you can visit a great site that I highly recommend: wellnessmama.com