Melinda's Anti-Depressant Oil

[UnderTheOakTree]
Melinda's Anti-Depressant Oil
From another group:

Melinda's Anti-Depressant Oil

This oil was a formulation that I have been using for the last 2 years to Combat clinical depression and it works wonders. I have also discovered that It acts as an aphrodisiac too, but it attracts only positive people. :) Isn't that neat?

In a 2 dram amber or cobalt bottle add
3 drops Lemon Verbena Oil
3 drops Lemon Grass oil

Fill the rest of the bottle up with HIGH quality rose perfumed oil.

While you are mixing the oils chant:
Blues blues go away
Fearful thoughts have flown away
Happy thoughts are welcomed here
Fearful thoughts shall disappear!
Now go away and stay away
Don't come again no how no way.

Use this oil when you are feeling depressed. Rose has anti-depressant properties that are quite powerful. Rose will help your brain produce L-Tryptophan which is then converted to 5-hydroxy-Tryptopha n and is then converted to the neurotransmitter Serotonin, a brain chemical your brain needs to help you function properly. The Lemon Verbena and Lemon Grass oils have energizing properties that also make you feel good.

If you post this to another group or pass this along to friends and family,
Please give me proper credit for it.
Thank you,
Melinda Pappa aka LadyDragonWytch


Infinite Blessings, Light and Peace
http://www.crystalnaturehealing.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CrystalNatureNews/

Citrus Lip Gloss: How-To Formula

Citrus Lip Gloss: How-To Formula
By: Annie B. Bond

This make-it-yourself Citrus Lip Gloss tastes lick-your-lips delicious with both tangerine and lemon essential oils offering their benefits and flavors. Tangerine essential oil is a bit of an aphrodisiac, so it is nice to wear out on a special date. The essential oils and honey combined make the gloss a tasty product that will keep your lips soft and moist for some time.

All the ingredients for this formula are easily found in most health food stores and the formula only takes about 10 minutes to make, so why not give it a try?

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons sweet almond oil
2 teaspoon beeswax (pearls or solid beeswax grated and measured)
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
1 teaspoon honey
800 IU Vitamin E
4 drops lemon essential oil
3 drops tangerine essential oil

Melt the beeswax and sweet almond oil together in a heat-proof container over boiling water. When the beeswax is melted, remove from the heat. Add the honey and Vitamin E, mixing briskly with a wire whisk. Add the aloe vera gel and stir into the mixture. Add the essential oils and stir in well. Pour into a low wide-mouth jar.

Adapted from Natural Beauty Basics, by Dorie Byers, R.N. (Vital Health Publishing, 2001).

a MUST to add to any lipgloss or chapstick is castor oil! Try it, it's a > thick oil that sticks and you'll never go back. :o)> oxoxRowan

Make a Quill Pen

Make a Quill Pen
Posted by: "Spirrah"
Yahoo group: GreenWitchGarden
Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:46 pm (PDT)

http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/tools/quill.htm
<-- has cartoon style pictures to help.

Medieval Writing
The Quill Pen

There are many illustrations of scribes in medieval manuscripts and they all convey an image of the simplicity of the scribe's kit. The quill pen was made from easily acquired materials and required only the simplest of equipment, basically a small sharp knife, in its manufacture. The quill and the knife were the all purpose kit for production and maintenance. And while the scribe might have to do regular running repairs, he never got a General Protection Fault. You can try this at home without creating hazard, but a lot of practice and patience might be needed to get a good result. Simple technology is like that. (See Jackson 1981)

The scribe first selected a feather. It didn't have to be a particularly exotic variety, but a good strong flight feather from the wing of a robust bird worked the best. Medieval re-enactors and people putting on plays please note that there were not many ostriches running around northern Europe in the middle ages.

It was usual to cut back the plume of the feather and remove the barb, or feathery bits, from at least the underside of the central barrel of the feather. Despite the loss of romantic affectation, this made it easier to write with and it didn't scrape the scribe's hand. Most pictures of scribes show them holding what looks like a narrow stick rather than something fluffy.The structure of the quill was altered by standing it in hot sand for a period of time. This actually strengthens the barrel of the feather and makes it more flexible and less brittle. After it has slowly cooled the nib can be constructed.

The small sharp knife was then used to make a sloping cut to remove the point of the quill.

The quill was turned so that the cut away side faced up. The knife was inserted into the hollow of the quill and a slit was made by carefully levering the blade upward. I imagine that this is one of the trickier manoeuvres.

On the opposite side to the slit, a scoop was sliced from the barrel of the quill.

The end of the quill now has a sloping aspect with a slit in the end, and is starting to look a bit like a pen.

The nib was shaped by cutting away the corners on either side of the slit.

The nib was made neat and flat by scraping carefully on the inside.

It was sharpened by cutting at an angle from the outside.

The nib was then ready for use.

As it broke or became worn, it could be resharpened multiple times just using that handy little knife. Calligraphers sometimes derive great satisfaction by examining ancient manuscripts to see how many times the scribe sharpened his quill. It could vary enormously and I guess the amount of work done between sharpenings just depended on having a good feather to start with and on skillful construction of the pen.

Baker's Clay

Baker's Clay
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water

Combine in a bowl and mix thoroughly with hands. Knead four to six minutes. Make into shapes or use cookie cutters; use a straw to cut a hold for hanging. Bake in 325 degree over for 30 - 50 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and paint with acrylics. Raw dough can be tinted with food coloring.

Grow “Trash Trees” for Birds Treasure

Grow “Trash Trees” for Birds Treasure
posted by Annie B. Bond
Adapted from Bird-by-Bird Gardening: The Ultimate Guide to Bringing in Your Favorite Birds—Year After Year, by Sally Roth (Rodale, 2006).

Sumacs, pincherries, chokecherries, wild plums, and lots of other fast-growing native trees—weeds, in other words—spring up and grow like lightning. While we might look at these “trees” as a nuisance near refined gardens, much like poison ivy, they may just be the wonderland your birds were wanting.

“Trash trees” are fast-growing, not classically beautiful like an oak, often short-lived, and have little or no dollar value for lumber. They’re the chokecherries, poplars, hackberries, box-elders, and other trees that spring up in unattended areas almost as soon as your back is turned.

When I first heard the term years ago, I thought they were in the league of weeds. I could see that the trees in those brushy hedgerows weren’t nearly as beautiful as the graceful dogwood that held a place of honor in my yard—and for which I’d paid a pretty penny. Sniff! Trash trees, who needs ’em? Oh, how young and dumb I was. Eventually it dawned on me that just about every bird that landed in my dogwood came from the trash trees. Maybe we can’t make boards out of them, and maybe they aren’t classic beauties, but “trash trees” are hugely valuable to birds. They offer ideal nesting sites, they’re great cover, and the mixed thickets create corridors for birds to safely move about. And that’s not even considering all the insect food and fruit they offer up, let alone their use as nesting material.

One of my most successful bird gardens ever was a 6-foot-wide strip that we simply stopped mowing, along one side of our country yard. Goldenrod and asters soon moved in, followed by blackberries, wild grapes, and saplings of all sorts. Sumacs, pincherries, chokecherries, wild plums, and lots of other fast-growing native trees sprang up.In just a few years, I had a great natural hedgerow that was burgeoning with vireos, flycatchers, orioles, bluebirds, wrens, robins, flickers, native sparrows, even quail.

Trash trees? I don’t think such a thing exists. Trees that volunteer, grow 6 feet tall in a year or two, and provide super bird appeal are more like true treasure.

No-Bake Clay Beads

No-Bake Clay Beads
3/4cup flour
1/2cup cornflour
1/2cup salt
Powder Paint
3/8 cup warm water

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add water gradually until mix. can be kneaded into a stiff dough. To reduce stickiness dust with dry flour.
Pierce each bead with a tooth pick or large blunt needle and allow to dry for a few days. Holes may need to be repunched before stringing.
Paint if desired. Coating beads with clear gloss enamel brings out the color.

Improve Your Demeanor with Lemon Verbena

Improve Your Demeanor with Lemon Verbena
By Bruce Burnett

This herb is little used medicinally as it is a relative newcomer to Europeans and North Americans, being introduced into Europe in the late 18th century by the Spanish from its native Argentina and Chile.

However it shares certain qualities with lemon balm, being a sedative and digestive aid. Taken as an infusion, it is also reputed to ease bronchial and nasal congestion. The tea has a delicious fresh lemon-lime taste with an even stronger citrus flavor than lemon balm.

Lemon verbena is a tender perennial and best grown in a pot in our climate. The roots are tender so it’s recommended to keep the herb in a pot even when planting out in the summer. In its native habitat it will grow into a 15-foot high shrub, but in colder climes it rarely exceeds six feet. Even in South America it is a deciduous plant and will lose its leaves in winter. The herb can also be grown as an annual, but it is best propagated by cuttings.

Lemon verbena unfortunately is susceptible to both spider mites and whiteflies. A strong jet of cold water is your best weapon against these pests. The herb is a heavy feeder and will benefit by regular applications of fish emulsion. Unlike most herbs, lemon verbena prefers rich, moist, but not soggy soil. The flowers are tiny, tubular, lavender colored and generally appear in late summer and fall.

In teas and cooking only the leaves are used. The leaves are long and pointed and when fresh, tough. If whole, they should be removed from dishes before serving. Dried, they can be finely crumbled and added to the batter of carrot cake, banana bread or any baked dessert where a lemon flavor is desirable. Finely chopped fresh, or crushed dried lemon verbena is delicious added to rice just before serving, especially with fish.

The fresh or dried leaves can be added to any dish where the addition of a lemon flavor enhances the taste, including fish, poultry, marinades, salad dressings, preserves and desserts.

For fans of bread pudding, here’s a great dessert using the herb:

Bread Pudding with Lemon Verbena and Fresh Berry Sauce

12 x ½ inch slices bread, crusts removed
2 cups of milk
1 cup fresh minced lemon verbena leaves
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Berry Sauce

2 Tbsp. butter
4 cups of fresh (halved and hulled) or frozen strawberries
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cups of fresh or frozen red raspberries

Dry the bread slices in a 250-degree F oven for about 15 minutes. Then increase oven temperature to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the milk, lemon verbena, vanilla, salt and nutmeg. Tear the toasted bread into pieces and stir into the liquid. Allow the bread to absorb the liquid. This will take about 10 minutes.In a small bowl combine the eggs, sugar and lemon juice. Beat until the mixture turns light yellow and a ribbon forms when the beaters are lifted. Stir into the bread-milk mixture. Pour into a buttered two-quart baking dish. Bake about 50 minutes or until the top is set and springs back from gentle pressure. Remove and set aside.

To make the berry sauce, melt one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the strawberries and cook about five minutes. Add the sugar and lemon juice and cook for two more minutes. Add the raspberries and remaining butter. Cook just until the raspberries and soft and warm. Serve bowls of the bread pudding with the hot berry sauce.

Lemon verbena was once used cosmetically, but there is some indication that the herb may make the skin more sensitive to sunlight.

It does however make a fine addition to this:

Herbal Mouthwash

3 cups of filtered water
1oz. of fresh lemon verbena
1oz. of fresh peppermint leaves
1oz. of fresh rosemary

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the herbs and remove from heat. Infuse (steep) until cool. Filter out the herbs and bottle the liquid. Keep refrigerated and warm before using if preferred.

Because of its relative modernity, lemon verbena has few legends surrounding it. However, the herb hung around one’s neck or some of the juice drunk is supposed to protect one from dreams. It is also used in love spells and is reputed to make the wearer attractive to the opposite sex.

Bruce Burnett is an award-winning writer, a chartered herbalist and author of HerbWise: growing cooking wellbeing. Bruce and his wife Delaine own Olivia’s Fashion, Furnishings & Gifts (http://www.olivias.ca/) in Ladysmith, BC Canada. Read more published articles by Bruce Burnett on his websites: http://www.bruceburnett.ca/ and http://www.herbalcuisine.com/Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruce_Burnett