Since I was a child, I have always made my own gifts for holiday giving. As an herbalist, I have discovered many super simple ideas to have fun and save a little money while giving thoughtful, useful herbal gifts. It also gives me another way to be surrounded by herbs outside of the growing season, when winter seems to go on and on. Herbs have amazing healing powers! It sounds so simple, but the best way to fall in love with herbs is to just start using them. Let these three simple gift ideas inspire you.
Emergency Wound Care Vials
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is a first-aid herb that grows in meadows and can easily be found locally. It has a white or pink flat-topped flower with long, feathery leaves. As an herb student I heard heroic stories about yarrow and all that it could do. I believe the exact story was that yarrow could stop the bleeding if you cut your arm off with a chainsaw! It seemed like an exaggerated claim to me, but at least it was a story I could remember in times of trouble.
Yarrow not only stops bleeding immediately, it also helps wounds heal. It is powdery soft and non-irritating. Once you sprinkle yarrow on a wound, you won’t be able to wash it out. Just apply a bandage, and in a couple days you will be quite shocked at how well this works and the skin has repaired the damage. Seeing yarrow in action might even be enough to convince you to become an herbalist!
Buy at least eight ounces of powdered yarrow in bulk at your local herb store so you can make lots of these to give to everyone. Working over a plate to catch and reuse any spillage, fill small half-ounce glass vials using a funnel. If you wish, cover your eyes with glasses or goggles, and wear a mask during filling because the powdered herb is so light it is likely to become airborne.
Part of the fun of this project is discovering and using what you have on hand. You could also use tiny wax paper bags or old prescription bottles or film canisters that you personalize with decoration. Smaller is better than bigger so these can easily be tucked in backpacks, gym bags, purses, glove boxes, etc. Label each vial with a sticker that says, “Yarrow: sprinkle on wounds to stop
Herbal Sachets
These are really basic and so much fun to make. Use up kitchen spices like cloves, cinnamon sticks, peppermint or chamomile tea, rosemary leaves or anything that is very fragrant will work. Try buying bulk balsam fir and lavender buds to fill up your sachets for rich aroma and a greater quantity of gifts to give.
You can purchase special fabric, recycle a favorite piece of clothing that can no longer be worn, or sort through all your fabric scraps to cut out little 5-inch squares of fabric. You can also try being creative with other sizes and shapes such hearts, circles or animals and just have fun! Sew three sides shut, or three-quarters of the way around your shape, then fill with approximately one-half cup of the herb mixture, and sew the final side shut.
If you fill these sachets really full, they are rather challenging to sew on a machine, so underfilling makes them much easier to sew. Think about zig-zagging the raw fabric edges, or cutting the edges with pinking shears so the fabric doesn’t ravel and look tattered. You can also sew right sides of the fabric together and turn them inside out to make a much neater sachet, but if you use matching thread, the zig-zag stitching doesn’t really show raw edges, and is the faster way of assembling these.
When you squeeze the contents over time, sachets emit a heavenly fragrance. Place them under seats on your couch, in totes where you store holiday decorations, in your car, desk or underwear drawer. It is always a wonderful sensation to breathe in fragrant herbs, and a great way to get relief from any nearby bad odor, so keep one handy.
Hand Heating Pads
Cut two 4-inch squares of cotton fabric. Sew three sides, and fill with one-quarter cup of flax seeds, then sew up the final side. Repeat so you have two of these. People sometimes use rice as a filling, but I find flax seeds feel nicer because they are slippery and silky, and not bumpy like grains of rice can be.
To use, heat both pads together in a microwave for 30-45 seconds, carefully guarding against burning or overheating, which can happen very quickly. Test for any hot spots before using. Use just 20 seconds for reheating if still somewhat warm. These heating pads keep warm for about 10-15 minutes, and are wonderful to put inside mittens or gloves. The extra warmth is especially welcoming to arthritis sufferers. Make a tag with directions for use and attach it to both pads with a safety pin and ribbon to make your holiday gift ready for giving.
Wendy Mackenzie is the founder and owner of Everlasting Herb Farm where Meadow Bee Body Care has been made in Peacham, Vermont since 2003. Her Meadow Bee deodorants have won eight international awards in the Beauty Shortlist Wellness Awards. For more information, and to find additional highly effective skincare products, visit www.meadowbee.net. Please send photos of your herbal creations to wendy@everlastingherbfarm.com so she can see your creativity in action!
Find holistic Mediums in the Spirit of Change online Alternative Health Directory.
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