Clove Herb - Not just for Christmas

The clove herb is a funny looking thing and you will find it in many a kitchen hardly touched for years and used mainly at Christmas. It is another underrated herb with many uses.

It was used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used cloves and in China to freshen the breath.

The clove tree needs a humid, warm tropical climate with lots of water all year round. It is native to the Island of Moluccas, in Eastern Indonesia.

The clove trees are small, bushy and evergreen. They have shiny, leathery, spike-like and fragrant leaves. In fact, all parts of the tree are highly aromatic. The tree produces light pink flowers that drop off when opening and the yellow stamens are developed in late summer subsequently purple berries appear.

In cultivating the clove herb, the buds are picked and dried just before blooming; this is the time when the clove oil is extracted. Clove oil has powerful elements that numbs pain and kills bacteria and fungi. The antibacterial elements are used to treat colds, mouth abscesses, gum disease, earache and arthritis illnesses.

You will see many aromatherapy air fresheners with cloves as a base and for good reason as the smell reminds us of joy and celebration. No doubt from the reminder of Christmas, albeit that cloves only came about during Christmas since Victorian times.

If you have a toothache, rub a little clove oil directly on where it hurts, but don't swallow. It will kill bacteria and fungi,

Clove oil being pure eugenol oil can relieve nausea and indigestion and will relieve most causes of diarrhoea.

In food circles it is well know that cloves match well with many other foods but especially, apples, game, ham, lamb, pumpkin, sausage, tea, tomatoes, walnuts and wine

A mulled wine recipe is give here

Mulled Spiced Wine

Ingredients:

2 bottles red wine (merlot's good here)
10 cloves
juice of 2 oranges and the zest of one
100g. sugar,
1 cup water
2 tsp mixed spice
2 sticks cinnamon

(You may add a 1/4 cup of brandy or rakia if you wish)

One Step Method

Place everything in a saucepan and gently heat for around 10 minutes. (IMPORTANT - Don't boil) That's it!

Serve and enjoy the wonderful taste and fragrance, and not just at Christmas.

Another favourite use of cloves of mine is to insert as many as you can into an orange and leave it on the shelf. It acts as a natural air freshener and gives off a wonderful scent for up to two weeks.

Finally, as mentioned at the start, many people just use cloves once a year and the freshness lost as the years go by. You really need to keep the stock fresh by either buying a fresh batch each year or do as I do. I put my cloves in a small plastic airtight container and keep them in the freezer. You need to freeze them all individually on a tray initially before storing them in bulk. This way they won't end up as a 'frozen lump'. The freshness is kept alive this way and takes up no space at all in the freezer.

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Rosemary Discovered

Rosemary is one of the most well-known herbs. It comes from the Latin text 'ros-marinus' which means 'dew of the sea'. Less know is the fact that Rosemary extract has a long and continued history of medicinal uses too. It treats a wide range of ailments, including stomach upsets, digestive disorders and headaches. More research recently has revealed even more benefits to health and well being.

Rosemary grows as a small bush to a height of up to 150cm, It has straight narrow branches with dark green leaves and small mauve flowers. The scent is reminiscent of pine and presents a pungent flavour.

Fresh and dried rosemary leaves are one of the most popular seasoning for food. it is used extensively to add flavour to soups, stews, meat and fish. Probably the most favourite foods in which rosemary is added to is lamb, namely Lamb Cooked with Rosemary.

Other facts and stories associated with Rosemary are quite interesting:

It has been said that the Virgin Mary spread her cloak over a white flowered bush, which then turned blue and since then the bush has been called the Rose of Mary.

Rosemary was introduced into Britain by Romans

It acts as a moth Moth repellent and can be put in wardrobes and cloth filled draws to ward moths off.

It attracts bees with rosemary based honey that is produced from it is very much a prized variety.

In times gone by rosemary was symbol of friendship and love a wreath of rosemary was worn by brides as a sign of love and loyalty
Going back further rosemary was once used in religious ceremonies to ward of evil spirits

The ancient Greeks believed it improved memory and Greek students used to wear a wreath while sitting examinations

The health benefits take on another chapter as rosemary is an antiseptic and used externally to heal wounds and mouth infections and to preserve teeth. Also, it is know as an effective cough cure and aid to soothing bruises, falls and sprains.

A traditional use of rosemary is as a cosmetic with research now confirming its skin-protective benefits. Rosemary extract helps protect the individual components of skin cells, which prevent age-related skin damage such as wrinkles

Right to today, the versatile rosemary is being discovered as a aid to breast cancer with the properties it holds and remains not just one of the most popular herbs but one of the most important.

Finally you will find that rosemary is quite an expensive product to buy so why not try growing is yourself. It's easily grown from from seeds or cuttings. It just likes to be cultivated in a well drained sandy based soil with lots of sunshine. The only maintenance is being pruned each autumn and the pruned cuttings can be dried by hanging in bunches is a covered area then used for food and medicine. It's as simple as that!

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Mint the Cool Herb

There are about 20 varieties of mint, originating from Mediterranean area through to Western Asia. Mint can be propagated by seed, but can also swiftly take over a herb bed by creeping underground root systems. Mints are perennial, dying down in the winter.

The Romans looked upon mint as a carminative, helping flatulence and the digestion of heavy foods. The peppermint variety was not discovered in Britain until 1696, in Hertfordshire, and is now subsequently cultivated in Surrey region of the UK.

Mint now has been confirmed in treating stomach, carminative and antispasmodic problems. It is a tonic and stimulant as well as being good for nervous disorders, nervous vomiting and flatulence. It is especially recommended for old people for its digestive values, and for convalescence, fatigue and anaemia.

MINT OIL

The leaves and flowers are picked just before maturation this is when the essential oil content is at its peak. The mint is then steam distilled The fresh, the oil is very fluid with is thickening and darkening with age.

ITS USES

It is good for the nervous system as a regulator and sedative. The menthol it contains is good as tonic for the heart and pharmaceutical companies now process the oil.

It is good as it cleans the blood and has antiseptic and antibacterial properties.

Mint tea is good for acne LINK or spots and for if you feel nauseous


Tea recipe
2 tbsp chopped fresh or 2 tsps dried mint leaves
1 pint boiling water,

leave to infuse for 5 minutes

Optional
Sweeten with add honey or sugar if.

It is excellent for bruises and swellings based on this recipe
mix up an oil made from 4 tsp soya oil, 15 drops of mint oil it should be applied straight away and repeated for a few hours

Swollen gums or mouth ulcers can be treated by mixing 2 tsp rakia, cognac or whisky, 5 drops mint oil and 1/2 pint hot water. Gargle the mixtures several times during the day until it is all used up, Try to leave the mixture in the mouth for as long as possible after each gargle.

Toothache, no problem mint is a good remedy. Add a few drops of the oil onto some cotton wool and press it against the tooth. It is an anaesthetic due tot he menthol content and the pain will slip away in time for a less painful trip to the dentist.

Mint itself is quite harmless, but the concentration of the oil and the menthol content, can cause reactions and advice has been issued for its use.

- Mint oil should never be used undiluted, it may cause a bad reaction.

- In the bath, never us mint oil on its own.

- Use the oil on little areas of your body, never all over because of the menthol it would be quite dangerous.

- Using mint oil at night will keep you awake.

- Don't mix mint remedies with homoeopathic remedies as mint acts as an antidote!

Finally:
Mint is easily grown but transplanting roots or by seed, but try and grow them in containers as they spread like wildfire and you will end up with a mint garden. As the saying goes, too much of a good thing is bad.

Add. Cooking with mint takes on another chapter and will be dealt with at a later time.





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