Compress

Prepare liquid by infusion or decoction.  Dip a cotton cloth in the liquid and place on the affected area.

Poultice

Chop fresh herb coarsely and process in a blender or food processor with a bit of boiling water.  Place the mashed herb directly on the skin or sandwich it between two pieces of gauze. Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper, then put a hot water bottle over it to provide moist heat.  Leave it on for 20 minutes to an hour.

Syrups and Robs

For a syrup, make an infusion of the chosen herb, then add 1 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey.  Proportions must be correct to prevent fermentation.

To create a rob, simmer or boil a syrup until it is thick.

Salve

To make an herbal salve, warm an herbal oil with beeswax, cocoa butter, or other thickening agent.  Pour into containers and cool to harden.  Essential oils and vitamin E can be added.

Tincture

Fill a sterilized canning jar with fresh coarsely chopped herb, then pour in enough 100 proof vodka to cover.  Screw on lid and allow to steep for 2 weeks, shaking occasionally.  Strain the mixture through a fine cloth, squeezing the liquid out of the herb.  Proportions must be correct for the tincture to extract effectively.

Root Rot

We’ve lost a large portion of our plants to root rot since we’ve brought everything inside, which worries me greatly.  Luckily, we have a good friend who works with plants and is very interested in them, so when we get a new plant, he usually takes cuttings to propagate not long afterwards.  He’s got cuttings of everything we’ve lost, and has given us some great ideas as for what to do when rot kicks in. 

At this point, I’m still assuming that anything that get’s rot is going down the drain, I’ve tried to catch them more so that I can experiment and maybe save one or two.  If anyone comes across this post and has any ideas on saving a plant with root rot, please, feel free to speak up!

Root Rot

We’ve lost a large portion of our plants to root rot since we’ve brought everything inside, which worries me greatly.  Luckily, we have a good friend who works with plants and is very interested in them, so when we get a new plant, he usually takes cuttings to propagate not long afterwards.  He’s got cuttings of everything we’ve lost, and has given us some great ideas as for what to do when rot kicks in. 

At this point, I’m still assuming that anything that get’s rot is going down the drain, I’ve tried to catch them more so that I can experiment and maybe save one or two.  If anyone comes across this post and has any ideas on saving a plant with root rot, please, feel free to speak up!