Homemade Cold Remedy Drink for Natural Relief of Colds and Flu

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December 2, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 5 Comments

Support your immune system with this homemade cold remedy drink. Ginger, honey, lemon and optional whiskey combine for a natural cold remedy tea that will help you feel better quickly and help shorten the duration of a cold or the flu.

Life doesn’t stop when you wake up with a sore throat or a stuffy nose. I still have to get up, take Jasper on a walk and keep on working. When I don’t feel good, I prefer to use natural home remedies at my first line of defense. While I’m a huge believe in fire cider vinegar, sometimes my throat isn’t always up for the task of drinking a garlic, horseradish and pepper infused apple cider vinegar tonic. This homemade cold remedy drink is easy on my throat for the days I want something warm and soothing to drink.

At the first sign of a cold, I make this homemade cold remedy drink to give my immune system natural support. It only has three ingredients plus whiskey if you want to add it, so it’s easy to make, even if you don’t feel good. For really bad colds – or even the flu – I alternate taking this natural cold remedy tea with fire cider vinegar – assuming I don’t have a sore throat. Alternately, you can also add a tablespoon of fire cider to my homemade cold remedy drink. As always, however, it is important to seek medical advice or assistance if your cold gets worse or doesn’t improve within seven days.

Homemade Cold Remedy Drink

This homemade cold and flu tea isn’t just for cold symptoms like a sore throat or runny nose; it’s also great for an upset stomach. When you were a kid, your mom probably gave you ginger ale to sip on if you weren’t feeling well.

While drinking soda probably isn’t the best thing to drink when you’re sick due to the sugars, there is some truth in that old home remedy. Ginger, in the right quantities, can help relieve an upset stomach by increasing bile production and kill some microbes so you feel better quicker. This makes it suitable for not just colds, but also the flu. (You can also learn how to make your own custom herbal tea blends for common ailments here.)

Benefits of Natural Cold Remedy Tea Ingredients

The Benefits of Raw Honey

Raw honey is added to this homemade cold remedy drink both for taste and for it’s natural benefits. While some people like drinking lemon water, a ginger and lemon drink is very sour drink and not very palatable for many people.

You could use white sugar to sweeten this drink, but white sugar has a lot of empty calories and little nutritional value. Raw honey, however, is full of enzymes and nutrients that help support a healthy immune system. Therefore it makes a much better alternative over sugar as a sweetener for a natural cold remedy tea.

I only use local raw honey in my homemade cold remedy drink. Most honey on the grocery store shelf can barely pass as honey. It’s been process and pasteurized. By the time it hits the shelf, most of the nutrients and enzymes have been killed by the processing it.

Raw honey isn’t pasteurized or processed. Sometimes it’s filtered to remove debris, but it keeps the nutrients and enzymes to promote better health.

Raw honey is naturally antibacterial and can even kill some types of fungi. When you eat or drink raw honey, it can help kill germs inside your body.

Honey is also high in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect healthy cells in the body by reducing free radicals. This helps support your immune system over time.

For immediate relief, honey can help reduce mucus and reduce coughing. It also coats the throat, which can soothe a sore throat for almost immediate relief. In fact, I eat raw honey by the spoonful at night if I’m coughing and can’t get to sleep. It really works incredibly well at soothing irritation in my throat.

I always recommend buying local honey. This helps support your local economy, and there is some evidence that eating local raw honey can help reduce allergies by exposing your body to pollen from your area.

Don’t forget that children under one-year-old should not eat any honey either alone or in a drink like this one.

The Benefits of Ginger

I add ginger to my homemade cold and flu tea because it can help relieve a stomach ache and reduce nausea.

Two compounds in ginger, gingerols and shaogals, are anti-inflammatories. They can help reduce inflammation from a sore throat so you feel better quickly.

Ginger is also naturally antimicrobial. It can kill bacteria and some viruses, including the rhinovirus that causes colds.

Over the counter cold medication can relieve your symptoms, but it can’t kill the virus that caused your cold. However, ginger may be able to kill the virus naturally. This can help shorten the duration of your cold. (Source.)

Although ginger is most known for relieving a stomach ache, it can cause an upset stomach if you take too much. If you get an upset stomach, limit this natural cold remedy tea to once a day.

The Benefits of Lemon

Lemon, like all citrus fruits, is high in vitamin C. Boosting vitamin C can help reduce the duration of a cold and help you feel better. Several studies have mixed results about the benefits of vitamin C for colds, but many people swear that taking extra vitamin C helps them feel better.

Lemon juice can also help reduce phlegm so you feel better right away. Drinking this homemade cold remedy drink before bed can help you sleep better by reducing phlegm help stop coughing temporarily.

For long term benefits, lemons are high in antioxidants that can help reduce free radicals in the body.

Like honey and ginger, lemons are also antimicrobial. They can help kill both bacteria and viruses in the body. This can also help shorten the duration of colds.

The Benefits of Warm Water

It’s important to drink this homemade cold remedy drink warm because the warm water also has benefits for your body.

The warmth can help open nasal passages, which helps reduce a stuffy nose and helps you sleep. It also helps lubricate your throat to make your sore throat feel better.

It’s important to stay hydrated when you are sick. Drinking plenty of water will help you feel better.

The Benefits of Whiskey

Adding whiskey to this natural cold remedy tea is optional. Alcohol can help dilate blood vessels in your body. This helps thin mucus, which can help you breathe better. However, you need to make sure you increase your water intake so your body stays hydrated. Otherwise, including alcohol in your homemade cold remedy drink can actually have opposite the intended effect.

Also, if you do add whiskey to your homemade cold remedy drink, be responsible. Don’t add it if you may be driving.

Homemade Cold Remedy Drink Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
1 inch fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 ounce whiskey (optional)

Directions:

To make my homemade cold remedy drink, grate the ginger or slice into thin slices and then mince. (For best results, you want the ginger to be in very small pieces.)

Then place the grated or minced ginger inside a teapot or medium sized bowl.

Pour the boiling water over the grated or minced ginger. Let this steep for three minutes.

While the ginger is steeping, place the lemon juice and raw honey in a mug.

Strain the ginger out of the water and pour over the lemon juice and honey. Then stir well until the honey is dissolved.

You can add more honey to taste, if desired.

Next, add whiskey if you’re using it.

How to Use My Homemade Cold Remedy Drink

You can drink this homemade cold and flu tea three or four times a day to relieve your cold symptoms naturally. If your stomach gets upset from the ginger, just use ginger tea once a day and drink warm water, honey, and lemon the rest of the day.

Tips for Reusing Your Ginger

You can reuse the grated or minced ginger you used for your first cup of homemade cold and flu tea. I reuse mine two or three more times before I discard it. Just steep the ginger for a few extra minutes for the second and third steep to get more ginger out of it.

More Natural Cold and Flu Remedies

If you like my recipe for making a homemade cold remedy drink, then you may also enjoy some of my other natural cold and flu remedies.

Fire Cider Vinegar Recipe for Natural Cold Relief
Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend (And Homemade Vapor Rub)
How to Make Custom Herbal Tea Blends for Colds & Flu
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe for Immune Support
DIY Shower Steamers with Menthol Crystals
Sickness Support Bath Soak Recipe with Essential Oils

For more natural ways to care for your body throughout cold and flu season, be sure to visit my Home Remedies Pinterest board. You can also find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

This article is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice and is provided for informational purposes only. Information on products mentioned are based on my own personal experience or research and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult a physician prior to making any changes that may impact your health.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: cold relief, colds, flu, ginger, health, health and wellness, healthy, healthy living, herbal remedies, herbal remedy, home remedies, home remedy, honey, immunity, lemon, natural remedy

Simply Earth Essential Oils: A Review of Their Essential Oil Recipe Box

October 28, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 2 Comments

Curious about Simply Earth essential oils? If you’ve not tried them yet, here’s a breakdown of what to expect. Plus natural essential oil recipes and essential oil diffuser blends you can make using the Simply Earth essential oils in the Simply Earth essential oil recipe box.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil Is the Bomb

The November Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Caught in the throes of either a) seasonal allergies gone array or b) a nasty cold virus that latched on during a night out, I’d been sniffling for a few days. I’d finally resolved with myself that I needed to do something other than take medication that simply masked my symptoms. And quite quickly scolded myself for not drinking apple cider vinegar shots sooner.

The second day on an ACV regimen and the crud that had been dripping down my throat simply stopped. While Umcka Cold + Flu helped relieve my other symptoms. It was the eucalyptus essential oil from the new Simply Earth box, however, that was my saving grace. Having run out of eucalyptus essential oil the last time I made DIY shower steamers, and my menthol crystals in hiding since another recent move, it made the perfect addition to my cold fighting arsenal.

Admittedly, I STILL do not have an essential oil diffuser. It’s on my list of things to buy. The problem, I get overwhelmed by reviews and I’m never certain I’m going to purchase the best one. Or at the very least the one that works and doesn’t break in the first week. So rather than add eucalyptus essential oil to a diffuser, I added a few drops to my morning shower each day. It really worked wonders at clearing out all the gunk that accumulated overnight in my nasal passages. And truly it was a godsend once I got a nosebleed. Saline spray, by the way, burns like hell in an open wound.

Simply Earth Essential Oils: The Breakdown

Luckily, Simply Earth sells a top rated contemporary and elegantly designed diffuser that’s on my must buy list. It combines the benefits of aromatherapy, aqua therapy and light therapy and it has a built in time as well. Not to mention, if you order their November essential oil box, you’ll not only get a free bonus box with all kinds of goodies you can use with your essential oils, but you also get a $40 off coupon for your next order. No restrictions. So you can literally turn right around and buy their diffuser at $40 off! (Just use coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE.) Or, if you’re way ahead of the game, you can use it on anything else you like. Maybe the December box? Or ingredients for recipes? You can even use it to purchase those must have essential oils that are missing from your collection.

November Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box: What’s Inside

The November Simply Earth Essential Oils Recipe Box arrived with four essential oils: Eucalyptus essential oil, Cinnamon (Leaf) essential oil, Lime essential oil and a Tranquility essential oil blend. In addition to the four essential oils, the November box also contained a muslin bag, lavender buds, powdered whole milk and a sticker sheet to label your finished products. Six essential oil recipes are also included. There are recipes for making the following:

Oatmeal & Milk Bath Recipe
Tranquility & Lime Essential Oil Diffuser Blend Recipe
Chai Tea Bath Salts Recipe
Lavender Buds & Tranquility Milk Bath Recipe
Lime & Eucalyptus Roller Ball Essential Oil Blend Recipe
Eucalyptus Shower Steamers Recipe

My favorite essential oil in November’s Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipe Box – aside from the eucalyptus – is definitely the Tranquility essential oil blend. This natural essential oil blend helps to calm and relieve anxiety. It’s made using a blend of lemon, patchouli, orange, amyris and ylang ylang essential oils. (You can explore the essential oil recipes for the Simply Earth Essential Oils November Box further down.)

$Simply Earth Essential Oils Bonus Box: What's Inside? Get a free Simply Earth Essential Oils Bonus Box with your first essential oil recipe box. Valued at $40, this box contains white cosmetic beeswax pellets, coconut oil, fractionated coconut oil, almond oil, 6-10mL rollerball bottles and six amber essential oil bottles for mixing your own unique essential oil blends.$

The Simply Earth Bonus Box

If you’re brand new to Simply Earth, you’ll receive a free Simply Earth Essential Oils Bonus Box with your first essential oil recipe box. Valued at $40, this box contains white cosmetic beeswax pellets, coconut oil, fractionated coconut oil, almond oil, 6-10mL rollerball bottles and six amber essential oil bottles for mixing your own unique essential oil blends. In addition, you’ll also receive a $40 off coupon with your first essential oil recipe box and the free Simply Earth bonus box! (Just use coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE when you check out. Order yours now!)

Simply Earth Essential Oil Recipes

Once you receive the Simply Earth Essential Oils Recipe Box your all set to start making your own homemade skin care products and essential oil diffuser blends. While some boxes contain everything you need to make most of the recipes, others do require you purchase a few additional ingredients. To make all of the recipes found in the November essential oil recipe box, you will need to provide the following: baking soda, ground (or colloidal) oatmeal, Epsom salt, clove & anise spices and a cinnamon stick. Now let’s get crafty!

Lavender Buds & Tranquility Milk Bath Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons powdered whole milk
1 cup Epsom salt
1 tablespoon lavender buds
5 drops Simply Earth Tranquility essential oil blend

Instructions:

Grind the powdered milk, lavender buds and Epsom salt together in either a blender or coffee grinder.

Then pour the milk bath mixture into a sealable container.

Add the essential oils and mix together.

To use, simply pour the milk bath into a warm bath as it’s filling with water.

Oatmeal & Milk Bath Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons powdered whole milk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons ground oatmeal
1 drop Simply Earth Eucalyptus essential oil
1 drop Simply Earth Cinnamon (Leaf) essential oil

Instructions:

Mix the powdered milk, baking soda and oatmeal together in a blender or coffee grinder.

Next, add the Simply Earth essential oils. Then mix the ingredients together again. (For gifting, simply combine the mixture in an empty tea bag.)

To use, pour the mixture into warm bath water as the tub is filling. Then relax and enjoy.

Chai Tea Bath Salts Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Epsom salt
1/4 cup ground oatmeal
1 teaspoon Clove spice
1 tablespoon Anise star spice
1 Cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon almond oil
2 drops Simply Earth Cinnamon (Leaf) essential oil
1 muslin tea bag

Instructions:

Mix the Epsom salt, oatmeal and spices together in a small glass bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the cinnamon essential oil in with the almond oil.

Now add the dry mixture to the carrier and essential oil blend, mixing well to ensure all the ingredients are evenly incorporated throughout.

Pour the bath salts into a muslin tea bag, then tie closed.

To use the chai tea bath salts, place the bag to steep in the bathtub as it’s filling with water. Then sink in, relax and enjoy the aroma!

Lime & Eucalyptus Rollerball Bottle Essential Oil Blend Recipe

Ingredients:

3 drops Simply Earth Lime essential oil
3 drops Simply Earth Eucalyptus essential oil
10 mL fractionated coconut oil

Instructions:

Add the Simply Earth essential oils to a 10 mL rollerball bottle. Swirl to mix.

Then fill the bottle the rest of the way with the fractionated coconut oil.

Now firmly insert the rollerball top into the bottle and screw on the cap.

To use simply apply the essential oil blend to pulse points for energy, congestion relief and an uplifting aroma.

Eucalyptus Shower Steamers Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup baking soda
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon lavender buds
5 drops Simply Earth Eucalyptus essential oil
5 drops Simply Earth Lime essential oil

Instructions:

In a glass bowl, heat the coconut oil just until melted. You can either use a double boiler or a microwave. (To heat in the microwave, heat in 10 second increments.)

Once melted, add the Simply Earth essential oils to the melted coconut oil and stir to combine.

Now add the baking soda and lavender buds to the melted coconut oil. Mix until crumbly.

Next, press the shower steamers mixture into an ice cube tray or a ice cube silicone mold.

Finally, allow the shower steamers to dry for 24 hours. Then release from the mold and store in a sealed container.

To use the eucalyptus shower steamers, simply place one shower steamer in the bottom of your shower. Then shower as normal.

Want a more advance shower steamers recipe? Then check out my DIY shower steamers with menthol & eucalyptus essential oil here.

Tranquility & Lime Essential Oil Diffuser Blend Recipe

Ingredients:

3 drops Simply Earth Tranquility essential oil blend
3 drops Simply Earth Lime essential oil

Instructions:

Add the Simply Earth essential oils to an essential oil diffuser.

Then diffuse in an open room for an energizing and refreshing aroma.

To create a master blend with these Simply Earth essential oils, add 50 drops of each essential oil to a 5 mL blend bottle (from the Simply Earth bonus box.)

Then add several drops to your diffuser as desired.

For a full break down on all the benefits of purchasing Simply Earth Essential Oils Recipe Box, be sure to check out my very first review of Simply Earth here. You can also explore past essential oil recipes from prior boxes including the pet care essential oil recipe, essential oil cleaning recipes and these essential oil health and wellness recipes. And don’t forget to pin this post for later to refer back to the recipes for Simply Earth essential oils! (Also don’t forget to order your Simply Earth Essential Oils Recipe Box now here using coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE.)

For more essential oil recipes and information on using essential oils, be sure to follow my Pinterest board: Essential Oils & Herbs for Health, Lifestyle and Beauty. You can also find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: aromatherapy, bath and body, bath salt recipe, bath salts, bath tutorial, diffuser blends, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, eucalyptus, healthy living, milk bath recipe, natural skin care, review, shower steamers, simply earth

Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend: Make A Homemade Vapor Rub Cold Remedy

October 12, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 8 Comments

Try this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe to make your own homemade vapor rub cold remedy for symptom relief from nasal and chest congestion. A simple and effective home remedy for fast cold relief when you’re fighting a cold or the flu.

How to Use An Aromatherapeutic Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend

When I get a cold, there’s nothing worse than not being able to breathe through my nose. While shower steams with menthol work wonders in the morning, taking a shower every time my nose gets stuffy isn’t a realistic option. Especially not at night when I’m trying to sleep. That’s when a breathe easy essential oil blend comes in handy. Whether you make your own breathe easy essential oil recipe or use a ready made breathe easy essential oil blend, you’ll be set for all the congestion challenges seasonal colds throw your way.

There are three easy ways to use the breathe easy essential oil blend. You can use your breathe easy essential oil blend in an essential oil diffuser at night or include it in an essential oil shower steamers recipe. Alternately, you can also use it in a simple remedy for homemade vapor rub. Keep reading to learn how to make a breathe easy essential oil recipe as well as where to buy a premade essential oil blend. Then try out your breathe easy essential oil blend in my simple (super easy!) homemade vapor rub cold remedy.

Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend Recipe

Support respiratory function and promote a healthy immune response with this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe. This natural plant-based blend can be used in your diffuser as well as in my homemade vapor rub recipe. Use it to support easy breathing, revitalization and clear airways throughout winter.

Combine in an amber glass jar with a reducer or glass dropper and shake to combine.

Alternately, if you prefer, you can buy this specific blend premade in order to avoid buying multiple essential oils from Edens Garden. Or try the Respire blend from Spark Naturals, which also contains tea tree and clove essential oils. Formulated with a combination of peppermint, melaleuca (tea tree), eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon and clove, this blends aids in relief of congestion and other respiratory symptoms caused by colds and flu.

Once you’ve made an essential oil blend to use for aromatherapy, you can use your formulation to create your own homemade vapor rub recipe as a natural cold relief remedy.

Homemade Vapor Rub Recipe for Nasal & Chest Congestion

Ingredients:

2 oz. beeswax pastilles or cera bellina wax (recommended)
4 oz. carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or fractionated coconut oil
3 mL Respire or Breathe Easy essential oil blend (or .1 oz.)
.05 oz. menthol crystals

Instructions:

Using a digital scale, weigh out the beeswax. Place the beeswax in a double boiler and gently heat until melted. (Alternately, you may use cera bellina wax to give this homemade vapor rub recipe a gel-like texture! It’s such a seriously fun wax to play with.)

While the beeswax melts, weigh out the carrier oil into a separate container.

Next weigh out the menthol crystals. Add the menthol crystals to the container with the carrier oil. Stir until the menthol crystals dissolve.

Once dissolved, measure or weigh out the breathe easy essential oil blend. Then combine with the carrier oil and menthol mixture.

Once the beeswax has melted, remove from heat. Then stir in the carrier oil mixture with the menthol crystals and essential oils.

Now pour the homemade vapor rub into a 6 oz. glass jar or three 2 oz. glass jars. You can also use metal tins.

Allow the homemade vapor rub to cool completely, then screw on the lids and label as desired for personal use.

To use your homemade vapor rub as a natural remedy for fast cold relief, rub a thin layer on your chest or upper back at nighttime. It will help to soothe coughs and may also offer relief from nasal and chest congestion as well as sinus pressure and headaches.

Yield: 2 - 6 oz. jars.

Homemade Vapor Rub Recipe

Materials

2 oz. beeswax pastilles
4 oz. carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or fractionated coconut oil
3 mL Respire or Breathe Easy essential oil blend (or .1 oz.)
.05 oz. menthol crystals

Instructions

Using a digital scale, weigh out the beeswax. Place the beeswax in a double boiler and gently heat until melted.

While the beeswax melts, weigh out the carrier oil into a separate container.

Next weigh out the menthol crystals. Add the menthol crystals to the container with the carrier oil. Stir until the menthol crystals dissolve.

Once dissolved, measure or weigh out the breathe easy essential oil blend. Then combine with the carrier oil and menthol mixture.

Once the beeswax has melted, remove from heat. Then stir in the carrier oil mixture with the menthol crystals and essential oils.

Now pour the homemade vapor rub into a 6 oz. glass jar or three 2 oz. glass jars. You can also use metal tins.

Allow the homemade vapor rub to cool completely, then screw on the lids and label as desired for personal use.

Breathe easy diffuser blend for colds. Try this natural breathe easy essential oil diffuser blend recipe in your essential oil diffuser to support respiratory function and promote a healthy immune response with this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe. This natural plant-based blend can be used in your diffuser as well as in my homemade vapor rub recipe. Use it to support easy breathing, revitalization and clear airways throughout winter.

Like this recipe? Then you’ll also want to try my recipes for DIY shower steamers with menthol crystals and a sickness support bath soak! As well as check out my post on other natural ways to fight colds and flu including how to make an elderberry syrup to support your body’s natural immunity. Plus don’t forget to pin this post for reference later!

Where can I buy homemade vapor rub?

Not ready to make your own homemade vapor rub from scratch? Try one of these artisan made, petroleum free cold and flu salves instead.

You can also explore more herbal home remedies here. Also be sure to check out my eucalyptus & orange essential oil blend recipe. It’s one of my favorite aromatherapeutic essential oil blends and has a number of uses for health, home and beauty. Or discover more DIY ideas by visiting my Essential Oils & Herbs board on Pinterest as well as my Home Remedies board.

Want more great ideas? Then be sure to follow Soap Deli News across your favorite social media channels. You can find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: aromatherapy, cold relief, colds, diffuser blends, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, fall, flu, health and wellness, healthy living, home remedies, home remedy, self care, vapor rub, winter

Cooking & Baking with Mace: The Vintage Spice You Need to Try

October 9, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 1 Comment

Have you ever used mace in a recipe? No, mace isn’t just a deterrent from assailants. It’s actually a lesser known vintage spice. Mace is closely related to nutmeg and is similar in both aroma and flavor. It is often used in teas and tinctures. And it also makes a great addition to foods and baking recipes. Keep reading to learn more about the vintage spice mace. And to discover food, dessert and drink recipes that call for mace as an ingredient.

Many years back I read what I thought to be a rather interesting article on Etsy’s blog titled The Historic Spice Cupboard. It contained some really neat information on vintage spices – rather the spices our great and great great grandparents probably used – in cooking and baking. Some of the spices are still used today, while others are a lot less common. For example, mace, is not a spice I had ever heard of.

What is the Spice Mace?

I’ve always thought of mace as pepper spray so I was a little confused at first. But as it turns out, mace is a very close relative of nutmeg. Mace is actually the red membrane that surrounds the nutmeg seed. It’s very similar to the taste of nutmeg, but rather has a more red pepper reminiscent heat. It was very common in the 18th and 19th centuries, but has since fallen by the way side. Like nutmeg, mace can be used in baking. However it is also served well in savory dishes for flavoring meats, stews, curries, savory sauces, and even homemade pickles. You can also use it in teas, tinctures and beverages.

What are the Health Benefits?

Additionally, it’s believed that mace has an antioxidant effect in the liver, helping it conserve glutathione and increasing protection against free radicals. theKitchn has additional information on this amazing vintage spice. You can also find out more information on mace from Mountain Rose Herbs including both contemporary and folklore info.

Where Can I Buy It?

If you want to try mace, be sure to buy it from a reputable source that guarantees that the powder is not made from previously BWP (broken-wormy-punky) nuts. It’s also better not to use an irradiated product which breaks down the fatty acids that contain the essential oils that give it aroma and flavor. Mountain Rose Herbs is great place to buy ground organic mace. In fact, I have it on my next shopping list of things to buy from them since it’s so versatile and can be used in so many different types of recipes. I’ve also found it to be a common ingredient in many Indian dishes.

Recipes That Call for Mace

Following are just a few of the many recipes I’ve found that can be made with mace.

Baking & Dessert Recipes

Drink Recipes

Dinner Recipes

Spice Mix Recipes

Have you ever cooked with mace? I’d love to hear what your favorite recipes are for this wonderful vintage spice!

For more DIY ideas and food recipes, be sure to follow Soap Deli News across your favorite social media channels. You can find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Health & Wellness Tagged With: baking, dessert, dinner, drink, drink recipe, food, food recipe, mace, spice, vintage spice

Beauty Benefits of Ginger Essential Oil: Plus Natural Skin Care Recipes

October 7, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 3 Comments

Ginger oil anyone? There’s a reason ginger essential oil is a favorite among natural skin care enthusiasts. Ginger essential oil offers a number of natural skin care and beauty benefits when used as an ingredient in your skin care formulations. Learn about all the ginger essential oil benefits for your skin! Plus discover a collection of my favorite natural skin care recipes made using ginger essential oil.

Ginger Essential Oil Benefits

Ginger essential oil probably isn’t in your top 10 favorite essential oils, but it should be. The benefits of ginger essential oil are numerous for both your hair and your skin.

A natural anti-inflammatory, ginger essential oil feels warming on the skin when you use it topically. For this reason, it’s often used in pain relieving and sore muscle recipes to relieve pain naturally without side effects. Not only does it work well as a natural pain remedy, it’s also a wonderful alternative ingredient for those who may be allergic or sensitive to capsicum, which is found in cayenne.

You can also use ginger essential oil for skin in natural skin care recipes. It’s antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and full of antioxidants to combat the signs of aging. These benefits of ginger essential oil make this one of my favorite essential oils for natural skin care. Ginger oil for hair can also boost hair growth and control flakes from dandruff. Because who wants to deal with that?

What is Ginger Essential Oil?

Ginger essential oil is extracted from the root of the ginger plant by either steam distillation or extraction using carbon dioxide. Ginger is native to South Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, but it was exported to India and Europe about 2,000 years ago. It is a common spice in Indian and Asian food.

In the past, ginger root was commonly used for digestive issues. How many of you grew up drinking ginger ale when you had a stomach ache? Having a glass of pop was the only good part of being sick when I was a kid.

Ginger essential oil benefits aren’t just for digestion however. Using ginger essential oil for skin and ginger oil for hair also offers many benefits. So it’s great as part of your natural beauty routine.

Inflammation

One of the main ginger essential oil benefits include being a natural anti-inflammatory. Ginger essential oil has several natural compounds that are natural anti-inflammatories. One of these compounds is zingibain, which has been shown to help relieve migraine pain without side effects.

The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger can help reduce pain and inflammation from muscle ache, arthritis, and migraines. While I use my favorite ginger oil salve for sore muscles, I also find it effective at soothing fibromyalgia pain when it flares up.

Cramping

Ginger oil can also help reduce muscle cramping when used topically, so ginger essential oil benefits include after exercising care for your body. It may be effect for sore muscles, menstrual cramps, stomach cramps, and back pain. It can also help soothe sore muscles after working out.

Along with being a natural anti-inflammatory, ginger essential oil can boost circulation, which can lower muscle cramping. The warming effect is a benefits of ginger essential oil that can help relax muscles to reduce cramping.

Anxiety

Ginger essential oil benefits also includes relieving anxiety naturally. It has been shown to naturally reduce anxiety in animals, and it may help reduce anxiety in people, too. Ginger works by activating the serotonin receptors in the brain, which makes you feel good.

This can help improve your mood, and it can also reduce pain by lowering anxiety levels. As someone who once suffered from agoraphobia, I’m well versed in how debilitating anxiety can be. Therefore, finding natural ways to better cope with anxiety and stress are always high on my list.

Antioxidant

Perhaps the biggest ginger essential oil benefits is that it is high in antioxidants that combat free radicals in the skin. Free radicals are oxygen molecules that have an unpaired electron. This causes oxidative stress in the body. Antioxidants bind with the unpaired electron to make the oxygen stable.

Antioxidants can prevent the visible signs of aging, including fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots. Free radicals are also associated with some diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Ginger essential oil for skin helps boost antioxidants naturally for better looking skin.

Antimicrobial

Ginger essential oil is a natural germ killer. If you use antibiotic soap or certain kinds of hand sanitizers, you could be creating super bugs that are resistant to antibiotics and will be harder to kill.

Using ginger essential oil won’t create super bugs by only killing the weak germs, so it’s a great natural antibacterial agent to use. It’s especially effective on E. coli, staphylococcus aureus, candida albicans, and bacillus subtilis.

Beauty Benefits of Ginger Essential Oil and How to Use It

Ginger essential oil benefits can be used in DIY natural beauty recipes, but keep in mind that it feels warm when you apply it topically. For some recipes, this is a great thing and can help reduce pain. But for some skin care recipes, you may want to combine ginger essential oil with other oils.

Ginger essential oil benefits make it a great oil to use in your natural beauty recipes. It can help protect the skin from signs of aging and naturally kills germs that can cause acne or other skin conditions. Ginger oil for hair can help reduce dandruff and lead to thicker hair over time.

Ginger Oil for Hair

Dandruff

Dandruff is caused by a fungus on your scalp. Since ginger essential oil is naturally antimicrobial, it can kill the fungus, treating the dandruff and stopping the flakes.

Hair Growth

Ginger essential oil can help encourage your body to grow more hair. Ginger is warming, so it stimulates the scalp. This boosts circulation, which can lead to more hair growth over time. Using ginger oil for hair can lead to thicker hair over time.

Ginger Essential Oil for Skin

Cellulite

Ginger essential oil can boost circulation and tone the skin naturally. This can help reduce cellulite and make the skin appear to be more toned.

Fading Scars

Ginger essential oil may help reduce scars and lighter pigmented areas on the skin. This is due to its toning and antioxidant properties.

Anti-Aging

Since ginger essential oil is high in antioxidants, it can help prevent the signs of aging. Use it topically to prevent free radicals that can lead to fine lines and wrinkles. It can also help boost skin elasticity and tone the skin.

Ginger Essential Oil Recipes for Your Natural Skin Care Routine

With so many beauty benefits of ginger oil, I use it often in my DIY natural beauty recipes. I use it the most in my pain relieving recipes, but I also use it in hair care and skin care. Ginger oil really makes a nice addition to my natural beauty and skin care routine. Following are some of my favorite uses and recipes for ginger essential oil.

Lemon Ginger Lip Balm

Ginger essential oil for skin also helps your lips. Combine ginger essential oil with lemongrass essential oil for a light and refreshing scented Lemon Ginger Lip Balm recipe. This packs some serious moisture for your lips with cocoa butter, shea butter, and sweet almond oil.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Lip Balm

Use ginger essential oil to create a pumpkin spice essential oil blend for this pumpkin spice latte lip balm recipe.

Chocolate Ginger Agave Lip Butter

Get smooth and soft lips with my Chocolate Ginger Agave Lip Butter recipe. This unique flavor has shea butter, cocoa butter, and walnut oil to moisturize. It’s naturally flavored with chocolate absolute and ginger essential oil.

Ginger and Turmeric Face Polish

How to make an anti-aging and antioxidant Ginger and Turmeric Face Polish recipe. It has white clay to gently exfoliate and hemp seed oil and rosehip seed oil to moisturize.

Sea Salt Shampoo Bar Recipe

I used ginger essential oil in this Sea Salt Shampoo Bar Recipe. It also has kelp powder, eggs, and sea salt for hair health. Ginger oil for hair can help reduce dandruff and boost circulation in the scalp for thicker hair.

Essential Oil Roll On Perfume Recipe

Want to use ginger essential oil for aromatherapy? Make an easy roll on perfume recipe with natural essential oils.

Fall Soap Recipe

Ginger essential oil is perfect for fall. Get ideas for fall essential oil blends and an autumn harvest cold process soap recipe.

Gingerbread Jelly Soap Recipe

Learn how to make a gingerbread essential oil blend and use it to make gingerbread jelly soaps.

Chamomile Balm Recipe

Relieve dry skin with this chamomile balm recipe. It’s great for feet, elbows, hands, and other dry areas.

Gingerbread Emulsified Whipped Sugar Scrub Recipe

This gingerbread emulsified whipped sugar scrub uses ginger in a blend to smell like gingerbread.

Lush Inspired Massage Bar Recipe

Inspired by Lush, this massage bar recipe can use ginger essential oil in place of peppermint for a milder version.

Magnesium Body Butter

This magnesium body butter recipe combines the benefits of magnesium flakes and ginger essential oil benefits to naturally relieve pain and reduce inflammation in the body.

Pain Relief Massage Oil

How to make a pain relief massage oil. This easy recipe takes just a few minutes to make and uses the benefits of ginger essential oil to naturally reduce pain.

Ginger Salve for Sore Muscles

How to make a ginger salve for sore muscles. This uses an oil infused with ginger and ginger essential oil for more benefits of ginger essential oil.

Natural Pain Relief Salve

Get natural relief without side effects with this natural pain relief salve recipe. It has arnica infused oil, beeswax, and ginger essential oil, so it’s a fairly easy DIY recipe for beginners.

Now that you know about all of the ginger essential oil benefits, why not add it to your natural skin and hair care routine? You can purchase quality organic and certified ginger essential oil from Mountain Rose Herbs. Choose from their classic ginger essential oil made from dried root for an earthy spicy scent. Or try their fresh ginger essential oil made from fresh ginger root for its bright note and less earthy fragrance.

What are your favorite ways to incorporate ginger essential oil into your natural beauty routine? Be sure to share your favorite ways you use ginger essential oil in the comments. And don’t forget to pin these natural ginger oil skin care recipes for later!

For more ways to use essential oils in skin care, be sure to follow Soap Deli News across your favorite social media channels. You can find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, beauty diy, beauty hacks, essential oil, essential oil recipes, ginger essential oil, natural skin care, skin care recipes