Herbal holidays

The dark days of winter have always been marked by celebration. Life seems dormant and we feel the need to bring light and warmth to this cold period with ceremony and candlelight. In religions that predate Christianity, festivals of differing cultures marked the return of the sun, the winter solstice. Our current rituals grew from a combination of traditions and superstitions from the Druids, the Romans’ Saturnalia, and the Norse candlelight ceremonies to today’s solstice traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah.

The hardy beauty of nature is brought indoors with aromatic pine boughs and fir trees, scenting the home with the perfume of winter. As the blazing Yule log burns in the fireplace, we enjoy this time of inward reflection with dear ones, a good book, and dreams of the coming year.

This celebratory time is often disrupted with the stress of what to buy the special people in our lives. But gift-giving needn’t be stressful, nor expensive. Use one of the recipes on the following pages to create the perfect gift, or use your imagination—these recipes may spark some unique ideas of your own!

The delightful gifts you make will become treasures for your friends and help to recreate the holidays as a festivity of the heart. May peace, love, and joy fill your hearts this holiday season!

Mindy Green is an herbalist, aromatherapist, educator, and writer. She is also an esthetician, a consultant to the natural products industry, and director of education at the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colorado. She is the author of Calendula (Keats, 1998), Natural Perfumes (Interweave, 1999), and co-author of Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art (The Crossing Press, 1995).

Body-care gifts

Gifts that pamper the physical form are always welcome treats. Handmade gifts reflect both you and the recipient—they are given not only with that special person in mind but also reflect your thoughtfulness and willingness to spend time on gift- making. They are always more appreciated than simply spending money. These gifts are also made with fresh, safe, and natural ingredients, which is a plus.

HERBAL OAT SCRUB

Makes 1 cup

This gentle herbal exfoliant will keep your skin smooth and soft all winter long. For use on the face or body.

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup dried lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) or peppermint (Mentha ¥piperita)

Grind all of the ingredients to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or blender and store in an airtight container. For a facial scrub, apply a small amount of the powder to damp skin and gently scrub, then rinse with warm water. To use as a mask, mix 1 tablespoon of the powder with honey, rose water, yogurt, or mashed fruit to achieve the desired consistency, apply, and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

BATH SALTS

Makes 2 cups

1 cup borax
1/2 cup sea salt
1/2 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon essential oil

Mix all of the ingredients together and store in a glass container. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup to bath water to soften and delicately scent your skin. If stored in a covered glass container, the bath salts will keep indefinitely.

BODY SILK POWDER

Makes 1 cup

1/2 cup arrowroot
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons orris root powder (Iris spp.)
2 tablespoons clay powder
1 teaspoon essential oil

Over a bowl, sift the dry ingredients through a screen to break up lumps. Add the essential oil and mix well. Store in an airtight glass container. For baby powder, use only 1/4 teaspoon each of lavender and neroli essential oils. One teaspoon each of myrrh (Commiphora spp.) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) powder may be added for diaper rash.

LIP BALM

Makes about 1/4 to1/3 cup

The perfect gift for those dry days of winter. This will ensure soft, supple lips throughout the frigid season.

1/4 cup almond oil
1/4 ounce (2 tablespoons) grated beeswax
1 capsule (400 IU) vitamin E
2 drops peppermint essential oil

Warm the almond oil in a small pan and add the beeswax. Stir until melted (don’t overheat). Remove from the heat, prick the vitamin E capsule, and squeeze the oil into the mixture. Then add the peppermint oil, stir, and pour the mixture into several shallow, wide-mouth containers. Allow to cool.

SOOTHING BODY SHAMPOO

Makes about 3/4 cup

1/2 cup liquid soap
1/4 cup rose water or lavender tea (steep 2 tablespoons of dried lavender flowers in 1/4 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain)
1 teaspoon lavender essential oil

Mix all of the ingredients well and bottle for use. This also makes a great bubble bath.

Herbal treats

HERBAL HONEYS

These fragrant sweeteners may be used in beverages, desserts, or meat dishes. The following is a list of herbs that may be infused into the honey. Whole herbs are more appealing to the eye—for instance, use a large piece of fresh orange peel and stud it with cloves. Use whole cinnamon sticks rather than crushed, and whole rose buds and stalks of dried lavender instead of petals. To make these honeys, loosely stuff a jar of any size full of herbs, and pour in honey to fill the jar and cover the herbs. Let the mixture “steep” together for several weeks, or warm the herbs and honey together for faster release of flavors.

Rosemary honey is tasty on chicken; citrus peel and clove honey is wonderful in tea. Mix and match the herbs for a more unique flavor combination. Try lavender, fresh citrus peel, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, mint, fresh ginger, rosemary, sage, roses, bay, or star anise. If you have access to fresh herbs, you can use them, but dried herbs work well.

VANILLA EXTRACT

Makes 1 ounce

2 vanilla beans
1 ounce alcohol (such as vodka, brandy, rum, or cognac)

Slit the vanilla beans lengthwise to expose the inner seeds. Place the beans in 1 ounce of alcohol in a covered glass jar. Leave for 2 to 3 weeks. Don’t strain; when the extract is used up, simmer the beans into milk for pudding.

ROSE HIP SYRUP OR JAM

Makes about 21/2 to 3 cups, depending on desired consistency

The colorful fruit of winter—bright, tart, and full of vitamin C.

1/2 cup dried rose hips (no seeds or fuzz)
3 cups apple juice
1/2 cup honey
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup rose water

Place the rose hips and the apple juice in a nonreactive pan; cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator, put the pan on the stove, and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat, puree in a blender, and strain to remove any seeds. Return to the pot and add the honey and lemon juice. Simmer over low heat to the desired consistency for syrup or jam. Add the rose water last.

For the home

INCENSE

The burning of fragrant plant material is a ritual as old as humankind. It was done to bring us closer to a higher power, to protect us from harm, and as a vehicle to lift our prayers to the heavens. Whether it was pine pitch, frankincense, juniper, or sage, all cultures employed this ceremony to mark this special season of the return to light.

To make, mix equal parts of cinnamon powder, allspice, pine needles, and frankincense and sprinkle over a charcoal incense burner or atop a wood stove.

YULETIDE SPIRIT MIST

Makes 3 to 4 ounces

This essential oil blend makes a wonderful room mist; spray it on the Christmas tree (or in the room as an air freshener) to keep that fresh, evergreen scent throughout the holiday weeks.

15 drops fir
10 drops orange
4 drops frankincense
3 drops rosemary
2 drops atlas cedar
2 drops vanilla
3 drops bay laurel
1 drop peppermint
1 drop cinnamon

Add all of the oils to a 3- or 4-ounce spray bottle and fill with water. Shake well before spraying.

DREAM PILLOW

Makes 3 to 4 pillows

These small pillows fit easily beneath your feather pillows. Their fragrance will lull you into dreamland faster than you can say Santa Claus, facilitating dreams of your heart’s desires.

1 ounce dried hops
2 ounces dried chamomile
1 ounce dried roses
2 ounces dried lavender
5 drops Roman chamomile essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil

Mix all of the herbs together and sprinkle the oils on them. Stuff the mixture into an 8-inch square swatch of exotic fabric or a small cloth bag, and sew or tie closed.

YULE LOG

The Yule log is traditionally burned on New Year’s Eve to usher in good fortune for the coming year. It is created in the spirit of prayer or ritual for the fulfillment of dreams, hopes, and wishes for prosperity, happiness, peace, or whatever you want the New Year to bring. As you create the log, perform each action with intention for your dreams to come true.

Start by tying a red ribbon around the middle of a large piece of firewood. There are many items that can be used to decorate the log such as moss, rosemary sprigs, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, rose hips, frankincense resin, fir branches, pinecones, or prayers written down, rolled up, and tied with pieces of string. Attach all of the ornaments with drippings from a beeswax candle. As you burn the log, your mind can drift to the blessings placed with great intention on the log.

Culinary delights

This special time of year is resplendent with not only the fragrances of nature but of the table full of spiced, festive fare. Winter, more than any other season, is sure to offer the scents of cinnamon from mulled cider, nutmeg and allspice from still-warm fruitcakes, and a myriad of other mouth-watering delights from the kitchen.

MULLING SPICES

These spices are mixed into a festive, warming drink by combining them with a favorite wine or with apple juice. Pack this seasonal gift into a special jar with a small wooden scoop or bundle 2 tablespoons into a 7-inch-square piece of cheesecloth. Gather the corners and tie with a string and a long piece of cinnamon stick or a dried strip of orange peel around the top.

2 parts cinnamon sticks, broken
1 part dried orange peel
1/4 part cloves, slightly crushed
1/4 part powdered nutmeg
1/2 part allspice, slightly crushed
1/4 part dried ginger
Cardamom or star anise, slightly crushed, optional

Combine all of the ingredients. Simmer 2 tablespoons of the spice blend (or one bundled sachet) in 1 quart of wine or apple juice. The longer it simmers, the stronger it gets. If you’re in a hurry, use more of the mixture, but don’t let it simmer as long. Strain and serve.

VANILLA-ROSE CORDIAL

Makes about 21/4 cups (10 to 12 servings)

The perfect nightcap as you sit in the waning firelight.

2 vanilla beans
1 ounce dried rose petals
1 ounce vitex berries (Vitex agnus-castus)
1/2 ounce damiana
2 cups brandy
1/4 cup rosewater

Slit the vanilla beans lengthwise and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Combine the beans with the other ingredients in a glass container and let the mixture soak, covered, for 2 weeks, shaking daily. Strain, add the rosewater, and bottle. Sip in special cordial glasses.

POPCORN SPICE

The perfect nutritious condiment—great to eat while you watch your favorite seasonal movie.

3 parts nutritional yeast flakes
1 part dill weed
Dash each of: cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic, cayenne, and salt

Mix all of the ingredients. Drizzle your popcorn with butter or olive oil and sprinkle on the spice mixture.

Essential oil blends

HERBAL BATH BLENDS

Mix together equal parts of each of the following dried herbs and add 1 cup of the herb blend to 3 quarts of boiling water. Let the mixture steep until cool, then strain into a full tub. You can use the stimulating blend if you are on an endless party list, or soak away the stresses of the day with the relaxing blend.

Invigorating

Bay (Laurus nobilis)
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Peppermint
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Relaxing
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Hops (Humulus lupulus)
Lavender
Linden (Tilia ¥europaea)
Rose (Rosa spp.)

SCENTED BODY OIL

Makes 2 ounces

2 ounces almond oil
30 drops essential oil (see list below)

Apply as an after-bath moisturizing oil, or use as a massage oil.

Essential oils

Relaxing

Clary sage
Geranium
Lavender
Marjoram
Neroli

Sensual

Jasmine
Patchouli
Rose
Sandalwood
Ylang ylang

Stimulating

Eucalyptus
Lemon (Caution: Use a small amount; too much can irritate the skin.)
Peppermint (Caution: Use a small amount; too much can irritate the skin.)
Pine
Rosemary

Especially for him

For the man who has everything.

BAY RUM AFTERSHAVE

Makes 1/2 cup

1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon bark
1 teaspoon cardamom pods
1 handful crushed bay leaves
1/2 cup rum
Orange flower water
10 drops sandalwood essential oil

Crush the allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom with a mortar and pestle, and mix the herbs with the bay leaves. Place the herbs in a clean glass jar, and cover them with the rum. Soak the mixture for 2 weeks, shaking daily. Strain and dilute the liquid with an equal part of orange flower water (available at Middle-Eastern markets and some health-food stores) and 10 drops of sandalwood oil.

MALE TONIC ELIXIR

Makes 21/2 cups

2 ginseng roots, either American (Panax quinquefolius) or Asian (Panax ginseng)
1 ounce fo-ti (Polygonum multiflorum)
1/2 ounce dried ginger
1/2 ounce damiana (Turnera diffusa)
1/2 ounce saw palmetto berries (Serenoa repens)
2 slices astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus)
2 cups brandy
1/2 cup pure cherry fruit concentrate or honey

Crush all of the herbs and cover them with about 2 cups of brandy (or just enough to cover the herbs). Let sit for 2 weeks, shaking daily, then strain. Add fruit concentrate or honey, and bottle. Take 1 tablespoon daily.