InnerLight Spiritual Center

Your Spice Rack

Please read my disclaimer before proceeding!

Basil:  Basic contains the trace mineral copper in its organic form, which is needed to absorb iron. (See Caution!)

In terms of its medicinal qualities, basil:

Infuse 1 teaspoon dried herb in 1 covered cup boiling water. Strain, and flavor with honey if desired to:

Basic is an anti-inflammatory and astringent.  Bruise fresh leaves and apply directly to insect stings or bites to alleviate itching. 

Hanging bunches of basil to dry in your kitchen can help repel flies. 

Planting basil close to your house will also help repel files.  

If you're growing your own basil, remember that it likes a sunny location. And if you cut back the flowering tops, the plant with grow more thickly.

Caution: May cause allergies and skin irritations.

Cayenne:  Cayenne is used in herbal medicine as a circulatory and digestive stimulant.

It helps raise the body temperature through increasing blood circulation, and thus can be helpful in combating infections. 

It also helps to slow bleeding when used externally on cuts? Cayenne is mildly disinfecting, but is most useful to staunch bleeding on a fresh wound.

Taken as a daily tonic, one-quarter teaspoon three times daily, it is beneficial for:

Cayenne powder can be rubbed on toothaches, swellings, and inflammations. 

A remedy for arthritis is to rub a little Cayenne over the inflamed joint and wrap a red flannel around it to remain throughout the night.  The pain is usually relieved by morning.

To reduce fevers soak several pods of cayenne pepper in 1 cup of hot water for 30 minutes.  Strain and add ¼ cup of sugar and the juice of 2 oranges.  Drink this hot.

Have a sore throat?  Mix 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper with 1 cup boiling water.  Drink 3 times daily.  Not only does it relieve a sore throat, but it also reduces the length of time for the accompanying cold.

This same tea can be used once a day to help lower blood pressure.

Relieve muscle pain by mixing 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper with a small bottle of olive oil.  Massage aching muscles as necessary to relieve pain.

Cayenne kills bacteria in the blood and carries nutrients to the places they are needed faster than any other natural agent.

Cinnamon: Long used in traditional Chinese medicine as warming, stimulating astringent and demulcent. Like many common kitchen spices, cinnamon is considered carminative is said to help ease the discomfort of gas and indigestion.  (See Caution!)

Cinnamon is also an astringent with demulcent properties, and can be very helpful for diarrhea and those with ulcers or other irritative digestive conditions.

Use cinnamon for:

Recent studies have also shown cinnamon to help control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. It seems that cinnamon has insulin like activity in the body, and can help those deficient or unresponsive to insulin process blood glucose.

Medicinally it is used to warm the organs to treat:

It is effectively used as a tincture given every fifteen minutes or so to stop bleeding from the uterus. 

When you feel a cold coming on add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon ginger to 1 cup of scalded milk.  Add 1 tablespoon of honey and drink while hot.

If you already have a cold simmer 6 sticks of cinnamon in 1 pint of water for 30 minutes.  Strain and add milk and honey after removing the stick.  Drink throughout the day.  This tea will cause you to sweat.

To make you own antiseptic or astringent to wash sores or scrapes, grind 2 tablespoons of cinnamon with lavender flowers and place in a jar.  Cover with grain alcohol and allow it to steep for 2 weeks in a cool, dark place.  Strain and keep tightly covered.

Simmered in milk and taken with a little honey, Cinnamon is very effective for indigestion and gas, diarrhea, and dysentery. 

Caution: Not for the pregnant.

Oregano:  Oregano, native to the Mediterranean, is an excellent antiviral and antifungal. Its name comes from the Greek, meaning “joy of the mountain.” Oregano is used to combat candida overgrowth and its accompanying symptoms, including yeast infection, digestive problems and athlete’s foot. Its warming, spicy flavor can help to bring on delayed menses, and its antiviral properties make it popular for treating colds and flu. 

Use oregano herb as a strong tea to fight off:

Oregano is also a diaphoretic and will help raise body temperature and fight off bugs. Be sure to wrap up in a warm blanket after drinking oregano tea.

Oregano helps to settle flatulence and stimulates the flow of bile, useful promoter of menstruation. It is great for headaches.  Use as a mouthwash for inflammations of the mouth and throat.

It may also be used externally for infected cuts and wounds and may be applied as a hot fomentation to relieve painful swellings and rheumatism, as well as for colic.  A lotion may be made which will soothe stings and bites.

Mixed with olive oil, oregano is a good rub for arthritis.

Rosemary:  Rosemary is useful in treating headaches and can be used as a substitute for aspirin.  It is also high in assimilable calcium and is therefore a benefit to the entire nervous system.

Rosemary is an astringent (constricting or binding effect, coagulant), a diaphoretic (increases perspiration and aids in removing wastes and toxins through the skin), a stimulant (increases the functional actions of the body), and is useful in the relief of inflammatory symptoms of arthritis pains.  Rosemary is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and invigorates the circulatory system.

Rosemary is a digestive stimulant and carminative, and can aid in proper digestive function and relieve gas and indigestion. But rosemary is also one of the better circulatory stimulants, especially increasing blood flow to the brain.  Therefore, Rosemary can be used as an aspirin substitute for headaches. It may not work for severe migraine type headaches, but stress induced and vascular headaches respond well to a tea made of rosemary and lavender.

Rosemary is also good as a mouthwash for gums and sore throat. 

It helps improve concentration while reducing tension by nourishing the nervous system with its readily-assimilated calcium content.

A tea can be made by adding ½ ounce of rosemary to 1 pint of boiling water, covering, and steeping for 10 minutes.  (Or use 1 teaspoon to 1 cup of boiling water.)  It is best to use china or earthenware when steeping.  Another benefit of rosemary is to take the cooled tea and use it as a rinse for your hair.  It also benefits the scalp for baldness, increases circulation, and dandruff.

Need a flea wash for your dog?  Steep until cool 1 cup of fresh rosemary to 1 quart of water and pour it on your dog after a bath.  Leave it to dry.

Sage:  Sage is an excellent remedy for hot flashes and other menopausal complaints due to its gentle estrogenic properties.  (See Caution!)

It also has astringent properties that make it useful as a skin toner, aftershave and antiperspirant.

Sage can also be used to dry up the flow of milk when ending breastfeeding.

Sage is also useful in relieving sore throats. It has a slightly numbing effect on the tissues of the throat when sipped or gargled, and in addition, is full of antiseptic essential oils that help fight off the infection.

Use sage as a mild decongestant for stuffy and runny noses. Its astringent properties slow secretions of mucus and its essential oils clear the sinuses when used as a hot steam.

Boil water and pour it over crushed sage leaves in a wide bowl. Drape a towel over your head and rest over the bowl for 10-15 minutes.

Sage is also a nice addition to homemade toothpowders, for its antiseptic and astringent properties. Try a tea as a mouthwash for loose, inflamed gums, or mouth sores.

Sage can also aid women who suffer from hot flashes due to menopause by slowing secretions from the sweat glands.

Internally, sage is good for:

For flu symptoms, pour 2 quarts of boiling water over 1 ounce of dried sage.  Add the juice of 1 orange, 1 lemon, and 1 ounce of honey.  Mix well, cover, and steep for one hour.  Strain and sip as needed.  May be reheated as needed.

As a gargle for sore throats, pour 1 pint of boiling water over 1 ounce of dried sage and ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.  Steep overnight, strain, and use as a gargle.

For the treatment of thrush – put 1 tablespoon each of sage and rosemary in 1 cup of boiling water and steep until cool.  Strain and use as a mouthwash every ½ hour.  As an alternative to herbs, hold yogurt in your mouth for as long as possible.  Eating yogurt helps to prevent the gastric upsets that cause cold sores or thrush.

Externally, sage is good for:

Caution:  Sage should not be used for more than one week as it causes symptoms of poisoning if taken in excess.  But during this period, the tea may be taken up to 3 times per day.   

Thyme:  Thyme is the herb to reach for when a chest cold sets in. Its antiseptic properties help clear the lungs and facilitate healthy breathing.  (See Caution!)

Thyme also promotes digestion and is a good source of iron, especially when brewed as a tea with lemon juice. It can be used to treat athlete’s foot and as a mouth rinse for maintaining healthy gums.

A tea made with thyme is commonly used for bronchial problems such as acute bronchitis, whooping cough and laryngitis.

Thyme is also beneficial for the treatment of:

Externally, its antiseptic properties make it a useful mouthwash and cleansing wash for the skin.  It will destroy fungal infections such as athlete's foot and skin parasites such as scabies, crabs and lice.  For these purposes, a tincture made from 4 ounces of Thyme to a pint of alcohol is used. 

As an astringent for the acne:  Pour 1-1/2 cups of boiling water over 3-4 tablespoons of dried thyme.  Steep for 30 minutes, strain, and store in a bottle in the refrigerator. 

As a cough syrup, pour 1 pint of boiling water over 1 ounce of dried thyme.  Allow to steep until cool.  Strain and add 1 cup of honey and shake well.  Keep this in the refrigerator.  Take 1 tablespoon several times a day for coughing, colds, and sore throats.

Impetigo, a contagious skin infection that usually produces blisters or sores on the face and hands, is one of the most common skin infections among kids.

It is generally caused by one of two bacteria: group A streptococcus or staphylococcus aureus. Impetigo usually affects preschool and school-age children, especially in the summer months.

To help in the treatment of impetigo, put ¼ cup of thyme and ¼ cup of rosemary leaves in a pint of water.  Simmer for 15 minutes, strain, cool, and use to clean the area several times daily.  It is best to make this daily.  Use cotton balls to clean the area and immediately dispose of the cotton ball after use.

Caution:  Thyme should not be used in large amounts.  Limit daily intake to 1 ounce.  Too much thyme can over-stimulate the thyroid gland and lead to poisoning.