Herbs and Essential Oils
Growing up in rural North Carolina I was surrounded by farms and fields. My family operated a Bed and Breakfast, which was called The Gatesville Hotel.
This home had 33 rooms with five baths and three stairways. My mother and her help cooked breakfast daily for the visitors. The huge dining room table was always set by afternoon for the next day.
We had our own garden. It was over an acre. Fresh vegetables and fruits were planted by the seasons. In a corner of the acre of the garden was my Mother’s herb garden. The perimeter was surrounded by flowers and the rows of herbs had little stakes with their names on them.
The menus for breakfast changed according to the seasons of the garden.
In the back pantry, which was a large room with windows and shelves built between the windows was the oils and herbs table. On top of this table was measuring spoons, pretty little glass bottles, and a recipe book from Rodale. My memory of this room was the aroma from the herbs. My nanny and I picked the fresh basil, peppermint, rosemary, lavender, etc, early in the mornings, while the dew was still on the leaves. She would separate the herbs on the table. Some of these were used in recipes and others were mixed with carrier oils to put in the baths with the linens. I enjoyed watching my mother and Ms. Hattie working at this table. The book they used for recipes was well worned. When they would leave the table, I would sit at it, pretending I was mixing too. I spent plenty of playtime at this table
So throughout my life, I have had an interest in herbs and their value in our lives. I learned that besides being used in our foods, that they had medicinal and healing purposes and even natural ways of cleaning and insect repellants.
Besides all the benefits of natural herbs and oil, I simply enjoy watching them grow and the aroma of the garden.
A little bit of history about herbs
Essential oils and herbs have been used since civilization. Myrrh was used by the Ancient Grecians and Romans to heal wounds and as an anti-inflammatory. During the outbreak of the Bubonic Plague in the 12th Century, Cinnamon, Ginger and Sandalwood served as lifesaving antibiotics. In the 1920s, French Chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse was badly burned in an accident in his lab and he found that by dipping his skin into lavender, he eliminated infection and prevented scarring. Studies show essential oils from herbs have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-parasitic properties. It only takes a few drops to have an effect when using them.
Essential oils are super-concentrated. It takes about 16 pounds of fresh peppermint leaves to produce an ounce of essential oil. These oils are the active ingredients and flavor additives in many kinds of everyday products , candies, syrups, toothpastes, mouthwashes, cleaning products, skin creams, lip balms, shampoos, bath salts, and soaps. Essential oils even give flavor and aroma to the spices that you use to add zest to your cooking, such as cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg used for apple cider, pies, and baked goods.
And essential oil and herbs are used to relax and refresh our bodies. . The healing and holistic medicinal properties of essential oils have been known to treat everything from minor colds to diabetes.
On my sidebar you will have more information on Essential Oils and their benefits. You can also order online a great resource book. I use the The Essential Life“. Like the wore torned book in my Mother’s pantry, I find recipes and uses of the herbs from my garden in this beautiful illustrated book.
