Lavender to the Rescue
Lavender essential oil came to the rescue several times Thursday night. I burned my arm when I poured hot chicken stock, my husband smashed his finger when he worked on his car, and my youngest son fell and hurt his wrist. All this happened within an hour. I burned my arm first, so I had to set aside the food for a few minutes to make myself a compress:
Place 5-15 drops of essential oils into a basin filled with warm water.
Agitate the water vigorously and let it stand for one minute.
Place a dry cloth on top of the water to soak up the oils that float on the surface. Wring out the cloth and apply on the body.
I put the soaked cloth on my arm and wrapped a dry towel around it. I tear up old sheets, towels or other cloths and keep a them in tub in the laundry room which is right next to the kitchen. My son came in right after and said his wrist hurt, so I put a compress around his wrist real quick. Not long after that my husband came in from the garage and showed me his smashed up finger and nail. It wasn't overly bad, but it was bleeding from a cut and it hurt. I had my husband wash his hand first before I applied a couple of drops of lavender neat on the finger. I had him wrap a compress around it for extra healing and prevent the oil from evaporating.
Lavender is an excellent oil to keep in your first aid kit. It is a very versatile oil and gentle enough to use neat, or undiluted in children. It is antiseptic and may be helpful in flu, wounds, catarrh, cystitis, colds and coughs. Lavender has also historically been a great choice when experiencing pain. It is also a sedative nervine and it alleviates stress and can also be useful in fearful situations. It's antispasmodic, analgesic, relaxant actions have traditionally provided relief in muscular pain and rheumatism.
Lavender has become the most useful oil when treating burns and is even used in European hospitals. It has excellent healing properties on the skin. It's analgesic and antiseptic properties will ease the pain and prevent infection of the burn. It's cytophylactic properties will promote healing without scarring.
As you can see one oil can be used for many things. Lavender is one oil that is very powerful and inexpensive.
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