Recipes to de-stress and unwind

In today’s world of texting, faxing, cell phones and landlines, beepers, e-mails, and social media, there’s often no peace, no time to yourself. If you’re like most people these days, you’re pulled in too many directions, doing too much and giving too much. I can almost guarantee that you’re stressed to some degree, my friend.

Uncontrolled, long-term stress can manifest itself in many ways, mentally and physically: high blood pressure, short temper, bad attitude, depression, low energy or exhaustion, muscle aches, acne, eczema, weight gain, lowered immunity, and hormonal imbalances. Poor eating habits tend to accompany unabated stress since junk food is generally high in simple, refined carbohydrates that quickly, albeit temporarily, lift your mood and soothe your nerves.

To put it simply, excess stress drains our mental and physical capacities! So, what’s a person to do? For starters, make yourself a priority. Learn to say “no” to demanding people, chill out, and reserve some precious “me” time. It’s not an indulgence to get 8 hours of sleep each night either; it’s a requirement. With some of your newly allotted “health and wellness time,” take up a fun hobby, find a mode of daily exercise that you enjoy, get sunlight on your skin and fresh air in your lungs, drink plenty of water and herb teas, eat a tasty, wholefoods diet, and by all means, take advantage of the soothing properties of herbs. Mother Nature shares with us her healing herbs for when we’re sick, her energizing herbs for when we need a little boost, and her calming herbs for when we need relaxation and tranquility.

The following two recipes will help you to de-stress and unwind, delivering you to a more serene, comfortable place. I partake of them quite frequently.

LEMON BALM AND ST. JOHN’S WORT BODY OIL

This oh-so-relaxing herbal body oil has nervine, antiviral, antiinflammatory, and analgesic properties. It’s the perfect end-of-theday massage or bath oil to help relieve tight, sore, fatigued muscles and joints, and to ease your stressed and frazzled nerves, restoring your calm demeanor. This formula is one of my favorites; I especially enjoy the light, pleasing sweet-tart aroma. The addition of lavender essential oil is optional, but it will enhance the sedative effects and fragrance.

Note: These herbs must be processed when fresh to ensure medicinal potency. Dried herbs will not do. I prefer the solar infusion method for these herbs, as I feel that they release their best medicinal properties when processed in this gentle manner.

1½ cups freshly wilted lemon balm leaves
1½ cups freshly wilted St. John’s wort flowering tops
3–4 cups almond or soybean base oil (enough to completely cover the herbs)
2,000 IU vitamin E oil 80 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

EQUIPMENT: Rubber or latex gloves, 1- quart canning jar, stirring utensil, plastic wrap, strainer, fine filter, funnel, glass or plastic storage containers
PREP TIME: 1 month
YIELD: Approximately 2½ cups
STORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year

APPLICATION: As desired, preferably before bedtime First, if you don’t want your hands stained a deep purplish-red by the St. John’s wort, put on rubber or latex gloves. Then cut or tear the wilted lemon balm and St. John’s wort into smaller pieces to expose more surface area to the oil. Place the wilted herbs in a widemouthed 1-quart canning jar. Drizzle the base oil over the plant matter, until the oil comes to within 1 inch of the top of the jar. The wilted herb matter will settle with the weight of the oil, so don’t worry if it looks as though you don’t have enough plant matter in the jar. Gently stir to remove air bubbles and make sure that all the plant matter is submerged. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar (to prevent the metal lid from coming into contact with the herbs), and tightly screw on the lid. Shake the jar several times to blend the herbs and oil thoroughly. Place the jar in a warm, sunny location such as a southfacing windowsill, and allow the herbs to infuse for 1 month. Shake the jar every day for 30 seconds. After 1 month, carefully strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a fine filter such as muslin or, preferably, a paper coffee filter, then strain again if necessary to remove all herb debris. Squeeze the herbs to extract as much of the precious oil as possible. Discard the marc. Add the vitamin E oil and lavender essential oil, if using, and stir to blend. The resulting oil blend will be a deep reddish-green in color. Pour the finished oil into storage containers, then cap, label, and store in a dark cabinet.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Shake well before using. Massage this oil all over your body (it’s especially comforting applied to slightly damp, warm skin after a hot bath or shower) or just in places where you feel tense and stressed, such as your legs and feet, back, or neck. It makes a wonderfully relaxing bath oil, too. Allow the oil to soak in for 5 to 10 minutes before getting dressed.

Bonus
This blend can be used on infants and small children (and you, too!) to help lull them to sleep at night. Simply massage their entire body, or just their legs and feet, prior to bedtime (after a hot bath, if possible). Your loving touch combined with the relaxing herbal properties will have them nodding off in no time.

STATE-OF-BLISS BODY OIL

In an increasingly tense world, lavender and lemon balm are welcome companions. Combined, they offer a much needed tonic for the overly stressed mind and body. We owe Mother Nature a debt of gratitude for these relaxing, calming, soothing, gentle herbs that help balance the central nervous system and ease physical tension. The addition of lavender essential oil is optional, but it will enhance the sedative effects and fragrance, while lemon essential oil will add a hint of citrusy aroma.

Note: Lemon balm leaves must be processed when fresh, not dried, to ensure medicinal potency. Harvest them straight from the garden, preferably before the plant goes into bloom. I prefer the solar infusion method for this formula, as I feel that the herbs release their best medicinal properties when processed in this gentle manner.

1½ cups freshly wilted lemon balm leaves
1 cup dried or 1½ cups freshly wilted lavender buds
3–4 cups almond or soybean base oil (enough to completely cover the herbs)
2,000 IU vitamin E oil 80 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
40 drops lemon essential oil (optional)

EQUIPMENT: 1-quart canning jar, stirring utensil, plastic wrap, strainer, fine filter, funnel, glass or plastic storage containers
PREP TIME: 1 month
YIELD: Approximately 2½ cups S
TORAGE: Store at room temperature, away from heat and light; use within 1 year

APPLICATION: As desired, preferably before bedtime Cut or tear the lemon balm leaves into smaller pieces. If you’re using wilted lavender, first strip the buds and bits of greenery from the stems; discard the stems. This will mash the buds a bit to release more of their essential oil into the infusion. (Feel free to add the bits of greenery to the jar.) Place the lemon balm and lavender in a widemouthed 1- quart canning jar. Drizzle the base oil over the plant matter until the oil comes to within 1 inch of the top. The herbs will settle with the weight of the oil, so don’t worry if it looks as though you don’t have enough plant matter in the jar. Gently stir to remove air bubbles and make sure that all the plant matter is submerged. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar (to prevent the metal lid from coming into contact with the herbs), and tightly screw on the lid. Shake the jar several times to blend the herbs and oil thoroughly. Place the jar in a warm, sunny location such as a southfacing windowsill, and allow the herbs to infuse for 1 month. Shake the jar every day for 30 seconds or so. After 1 month, carefully strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a fine filter such as muslin or, preferably, a paper coffee filter, then strain again if necessary to remove all herb debris. Squeeze the herbs to extract as much of the precious oil as possible. Discard the marc. Add the vitamin E oil and the essential oils, if using, and stir to blend. The resulting infused oil will be a pale golden-green to green in color. Pour the finished oil into storage containers, then cap, label, and store in a dark cabinet.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Shake well before using. Massage this oil all over your body or just in places that you feel tense and stressed, such as on your legs and feet, back, or neck. It’s especially comforting applied to slightly damp skin that is still warm from a bath or shower and it makes a wonderfully relaxing bath oil, too. Allow the oil to soak in for 5 to 10 minutes before getting dressed.

Bonus
If you omit the lemon essential oil, which is potentially irritating to tender skin, this blend can be used on infants and small children to help lull them to sleep at night. Simply massage their entire body, or just their legs and feet, prior to bedtime (after a hot bath, if possible). Your loving touch combined with the relaxing herbal properties will have them nodding off in no time.