By The Green Parent
15th May 2017
At a festival, with so many people in one place, a few simple herbal remedies can go a long way. In our witchy workshop we see an array of adults and children for herbal first aid and general festival mending. Here are some of the more common ailments and how we treat them.
FIRST AID A small pot of calendula and lavender lip balm is a festival must for cracked lips, cuts, grazes & burns.
TUMMY TIME For diarrhoea we use digestive tonics, bitter and antiseptic herbs in tea or tincture form. Our belly blend tea includes camomile, fennel, vervain, peppermint and calendula.
WASP STINGS Cider vinegar to neutralise the sting, dabbed onto the area straight away and reapplied regularly reduces swelling.
HEAT RASH & SUN BURN Heat rash in babies is really common on hotter days, we use a two-fold approach
- Firstly cold chamomile tea dabbed onto the area with cotton wool
- Secondly an oat-filled muslin cloth soaked in piping hot water so that it becomes slimy and milky. When cool enough, dabbed onto the skin it soothes and calms almost instantly.
- Sunburn can be treated in the same way. In both cases, lots of water should be drunk to keep the body and skin hydrated.
HAYFEVER A tea of plantain leaves and elderflowers is a great combo for hayfever sufferers.
FUNGAL FEET Lavender and tea tree essential oils sprinkled neat onto trench foot from days in rubber wellies!
Karen and Fi are practicing herbalists and healers and are the founders of Sensory Solutions - sensorysolutions.co.uk.
