Home Holistics visiting therapists are experts in a wide range of complementary treatments. Here we share some of our knowledge about plant remedies. We hope you find it inspiring!

This 'miracle' oil is not the only one that is an anti-fungal as well as antibacterial and antiviral, but it is the one that has been most extensively tested by scientists*. For fungal infections on the skin, apply neat tea tree oil and keep the area very clean & dry.

Lavender oil has a long-standing reputation as an excellent burn treatment. The scientific jury's still out, but the Home Holistics team has extensive personal experience in treating domestic (minor to moderate) burns with neat lavender oil. It is a proven antiseptic and, in our experience, produces very rapid healing.

Aloe Vera has proven skin benefits, so you will certainly gain by treating burn damage with aloe gel containing plenty of lavender essence.

Weak aromatic treatments are generally safe for children, but please seek specialised advice if your child suffers from hypersensitivity.
Before treating a young baby, you should consult a qualified aromatherapist.

From bergamot orange peel (not the herb of the same name), a sour-tasting fruit grown in Italy.
Its lively fragrance is the world's favourite for treating depression: make a forehead rub with 10 drops in 10ml of oil and put some on a handkerchief, too. At about half strength, use it around the home and office in a burner or a diffuser.

Also recommended in treating PMT and "womens' moods", this essence has a warm smell, reminiscent of hay barns.
Good in a diffuser, a bath, and as a compress for the face.

Rose geranium has been a favourite with women in the Middle East for centuries. Make a massage oil or bath milk with the essence, and try putting some in a burner or diffuser at night.

For small, sore wounds such as piercings, use neat tea tree the same as for spots.
To treat infected surface wounds and grazes, make an antiseptic gel with 5ml of aloe vera plus 3 drops of tea tree and 2 drops of myrrh. Always clean wounds thoroughly.

Try 2 drops of melissa (lemon balm) with 3 drops neroli and 5 of lavender in 20ml of base oil as a chest and forehead massage.
Made from the blossoms of the bitter orange (bergamot) tree, neroli is non-toxic, edible, and is a key ingredient in many perfumes.
Cleopatra is said to have carpeted her bedroom with the flowers, so their oil would be released as they crushed beneath her feet.

Combine 5 drops of frankincense with 5 drops of rose attar per 10ml of vegetable-based cream (attar is the same as otto or absolute - very pure).
Most health shops sell mineral-free skin creams. You might also try making your own from shea butter or cocoa butter, thinned out with a vegetable oil.
Keep natural creams in the fridge and use within 3 weeks.

Burning the midnight oil takes on a fresh new meaning! Whether you're fighting a deadline at work, studying for exams or up all hours with children, this pleasant & stimulating fragrance will revive you.
Use the mixture in a burner or diffuser - on your desk, if you're working.
Helps to relieve fatigue and improves concentration.

The oil of the cypress tree is very astringent - stronger than the witch hazel used in over-the-counter treatments.
Myrrh has an affinity with mucous membranes, meaning your preparation will cling to the damaged tissue so the essences can go to work.
Use up to 5 drops of each with 10ml of aloe vera gel.

Please consult a qualified aromatherapist.
If following one of our recommendations for use at this time, remember that you should use half the usual amount of essence.

You can buy it inexpensively from most chemists and health shops. Both moisturising and soothing, the pure gel is very easy to extract from the aloe vera cactus, which grows well indoors: just cut across one of the plump leaves and squeeze!

5ml of milk or glycerine with 2 drops of Dalmatian sage to gargle (don’t swallow). For extra efficiency, add a drop of myrrh - though it has a very bitter taste.

It seems odd to apply oil to a spot, but remember that plant essences are not, strictly speaking, oils! Tea tree is an excellent treatment because of its antibacterial properties.
In this case, you can apply it neat (undiluted). Use cotton buds or a twist of cotton wool to put a dab on each spot, morning and night. (The 'antiseptic' smell of tea tree will wear off quite quickly.)

During pregnancy: Add 5 drops of mandarin to 20ml of wheatgerm oil and rub it into your tummy several times a day.
During weight loss: Double the amount of essence - 10 drops to 20ml of wheatgerm; massage in carefully, morning and night.

Mix up to 5 drops each, of camomile and lavender oil, with 20ml aloe vera gel. The aloe gel moisturises your skin, camomile calms irritation and lavender oil has both anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.