Summer Herbal Makings

St John's Wort

Making homemade remedies is one of my favorite things to do. Today, I strained my infused St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) oil. I typically harvest St John's Wort around Summer Solstice. Then I put the dried chopped steams leaves and flowers in oil. This year I used olive oil. I let it sit for a few weeks then strain it.The St John's Wort oil is a beautiful vibrant red. I love the color because it's such a surprise. The flowers are yellow! Be sure you find the medicinal plant and not the ornamental.

Lemon Balm aka Melissa

Lemon balm (Melissa officialis) is a great one to infuse as well. I infused Melissa for the first time this year. It's important to dry the flowers first so you don't get extra moisture in the oil infusion. We have a billion lemon balm plants all over our property! It was great to be able to use some. It's not only good to use for a topical treatment it also makes an excellent tincture. Typically I make a glycerin tincture and add chamomile. My son loves this blend. We use it at night as a natural relaxer and gets him ready for bed. The lemon balm has anti-viral qualities as well so I love to use it around the beginning of the school year to help bolster his immune system.

Harvesting Lemon Balm

We will make a lemon balm and chamomile glycerin tincture. It's sweet calming affect Jack has been enjoying since he was very little. This year he will help harvest one of the plants that will go into his night time herbal support. Did I mention Lemon balm is also a natural anti-viral? Great for cold season in the fall.