For many, summer brings joy and careless fun. But not for everyone. The summer months can bring discomfort or unwanted side effects. Here are three plants that will make your summer much more enjoyable:
Lemon Balm: Lemon Balm is a powerful plant for heat exhaustion. Part of the mint family, it grows prolifically, and tastes less like mint and more like lemons. It’s cooling and calming, and even has anti-depressant properties. It’s easy to use, simply put a few leaves in your water bottle on a hot day! If you have some growing near you, just clip off the leaves and stem, and brew it up for tea – it makes a great sun tea! If you don’t have any growing near you, you can easily find it in stores or online.
• Lavender: most people associate aloe for sunburns, but sometimes the burn feels too hot even to smear on the aloe. Lavender oil to the rescue! Make up a spray bottle of water and 10 – 20 drops of Lavender essential oil and spray it right onto sunburned skin – once you’re feeling cooler, you can apply aloe. You could even use Lemon Balm tea as the base of the spray for double cooling action (just don’t spray it on anything white.)
Lavender essential oil – blended with olive oil or coconut oil, is great for sore muscles. Rub it on sore muscles – a Charlie horse, strained back, even tense neck and shoulders.
To address headaches that come along with heat exhaustion, put just a drop of your Lavender oil blend on the temples and the back of the neck, have a drink of Lemon Balm tea, and lay down in a cool room. You’ll still need to rest, but you’ll feel a whole lot better while you’re doing it!
• Calendula: Calendula is the herbal name for pot marigold. It’s not only good at keeping pests off your tomato plants, but it also has a whole host of medicinal uses. Calendula is commonly made up into an oil or salve and is useful for just nearly anything that happens to your skin. Campfire burns, any kind of cut or abrasion – if it’s on your skin, Calendula can help. Calendula also has disinfectant properties and is great for moving lymph and stagnant blood – which makes it great for soothing varicose veins. To make calendula oil, you'll need to infuse dried or fresh calendula flowers in a carrier oil like olive oil. The flowers, preferably with the green flowerhead base attached, should be dried thoroughly and then placed in a jar, covered with oil, and left to infuse in a warm, dark place for several weeks. Many pre-made preparations are also available in various health food stores.

• Tags:
• Complementary Therapies