# Oils and herbs question



## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

Have seen where folks are storing oils and herbs but I can not find a thread to tell me what to have in my stock.

could someone steer me there either on this site or another. TIA

Freyadog


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Freyadog said:


> Have seen where folks are storing oils and herbs but I can not find a thread to tell me what to have in my stock.
> 
> could someone steer me there either on this site or another. TIA
> 
> Freyadog


I am going to quote *Andi from a PM we had about oils...



> The two books I use the most are essential aromatherapy (a pocket guide to essential oils & aromatherapy by Susan Worwood & Valerie Ann Worwood and aromatherapy ~ A complete guide to the Healing Art (2nd edition) by Kathi Keville & Mindy Green.
> 
> I always tell people to research any oil before they use them because some oils come with precautions ~ Some should be avoided during pregnancy, skin sensitivity & irritants and some should not be used on skin before exposure to sunlight... And IMO some that should never be used at all. (Just to name a few)
> 
> So my tip is to go to your local library and start reading.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

Grimm said:


> I am going to quote *Andi from a PM we had about oils...


thanks Grimm.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I've never made any oils, but do use and make tinctures, teas and decoctions. As with any herbal remedy you try for the first time, use some caution. Take a little of fresh herb, oil, tincture or whatever and rub a small amount on the inside of your forearm. Wait an hour. If no reaction (redness or itching) you are not allergic to it. Ingest a small amount the first time you try something. Then find what dose OF THE MIXTURE YOU HAVE, is appropriate for you. It varies from year to year. My first batch of Valerian tincture my dose was 1/4 ounce. Did the trick great. The second one, it took almost a full ounce. The current batch I made it is back to about 1/4 ounce.

This year the Passion Flower (passiflora incarnata) buds are really close together on the vines. The vines are also not nearly as sprawling as I am used to. Will the cool, damp weather we have had make them stronger or weaker? I won't know until I make the tinctures and give them a try. I did let one section go to fruit this year and boy oh boy do they smell great in the afternoons!!! Come to think of it, they might be weaker due to the weather. When I knock bumblebees off the flowers they mostly fly away. In the past, they would fall to the ground buzzing and spinning in circles. Or is it perhaps because they have gone to fruit and are not putting constituents into the flowers as much?


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Grimm said:


> I am going to quote *Andi from a PM we had about oils...


Thanks Grimm!

(As Grimm posted) Read and research ... and some study units on the oils. Each book comes with some basic recipes to help to get your feet wet.

As to the herbs ... I bumped our very own herbal know how. 

Any questions feel free to ask.

Best of luck!


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I don't know of a website that tells you what you 'should' have - the essential oils you'd want would be based on your personal needs/wishes. If you aren't very familiar with oils, I'd highly recommend The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy. It's full of a bunch of everyday uses by a woman who clearly uses them as a part of her everyday lifestyle. I found it really helpful to read through, find something I was interested in, and work with those oils from that recipe. Over the years I bought a lot of books on essential oils, but in the past decade found I only used two, this one and an essential oil encyclopedia. So I got rid of the rest.  (I do keep some notecards of occasional recipe finds and/or oil uses, plus the growing collection of recipes I make myself - but that book is what got me started, and it's one I still keep.)


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## ETXgal (Jul 12, 2014)

goshengirl said:


> If you aren't very familiar with oils, I'd highly recommend The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy.


I have this book, and it is very good!


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## ETXgal (Jul 12, 2014)

<<<aromatherapy ~ A complete guide to the Healing Art (2nd edition) by Kathi Keville & Mindy Green>>>
I ordered this one, in like new condition, for a good price. I appreciate the recommendation.

* Essential Oils for Beginners: The Guide to Get Started with Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Paperback - September 26, 2013 by Althea Press (no author listed)
*

The one listed above I got on Amazon Kindle edition for *one dollar and 23 cents*. It is also good for beginners. You can't go wrong for that price. I have the Kindle PC version, not the actual Kindle itself.(oh, and I did browse it pretty good, before I made the recommendation on here...it wasn't sight unseen) A lot of those free, or real cheap Kindle books are not that great. This one has some good material in it.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Freyadog ~

Start with a few oils, number one on the list (for me ) would be lavender oil, second would be tea tree oil and then 4 thieves oil.

I will try and find some threads ...

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f3/lavender-oil-15151/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f3/4-theives-oil-17147/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f3/top-10-medicinal-herbs-10958/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/pine-needle-tea-8816/

http://www.ehow.com/how_5861360_use-tree-oil-health-benefits.html


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

*Andi said:


> number one on the list (for me ) would be lavender oil, second would be tea tree oil and then 4 thieves oil.


I agree. Eucalyptus ranks up there, too.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

All good recommendations. I have never made essential oils so cannot comment there. I do have a great little tincture press but my copper apparatus is a bit oversized for something like essential oils. My terrorist device.... Umm.. ahhh... I mean 'pressure cooker', is aluminum and could not be used for that. It is also on the large side. Maybe I should look into at least purchasing a small stainless steel apparatus, just in case. Looking around the kitchen... The only thing other than cast is a double boiler/steamer pot, maybe 4 to 5 quarts. I'll be screwed when stainless metal prices go through the roof!!

I also find it hard to recommend what specific herbs to have on hand. I know lots of books do, but it really depends on your situation. Are you (and your family) young? Old? Great health? Taking prescription drugs...? Unless you tincture, oils and dried herbs will decrease in value quickly, within a year or so. Even tinctures, if stored improperly, will degrade. You will want to find things that work for your needs that you can grow in your local. For example: Garlic. It is a great antiseptic and general tonic when eaten. Grows just about everywhere and stores for a year. Yarrow grows like a weed (maybe because it is considered one :-}) ) and is good at stopping bleeding. There is no need in having a large patch of St. John's Wort, and no one needing that pick me up.

I would spend time assessing what your medicinal herb requirements would be and go from there. You could want a pain killer and think Valerian root. But that takes two years to be worth harvesting. Skullcap and Maypop work also and might even be available wild in your area.


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