Herbal Spotlight: Lemon Verbena
Lemon Verbena is sensitive to the many potential struggles faced. He listens to the dismay felt and begins to soften the critic’s toughness. The revision he offers is a shift from the many traps and pitfalls. An adjustment to attract what is wanted rather than resist what is not.
He is sedated and calm. A relaxer of muscles to remind a focus on the breath. Lemon Verbena is a friend that recommends slowing down and seeking a response to the spotlight. A helping hand to the highlighted gloom of imperfection.
He explores the desires and pushes forward ideal. Although his pace must be kept in mind. He is not an illusionist of trick and trap, to feed into greed and release the wild.
Lemon Verbena is the careful friend of notice in considerate love. Hints of helpful healing to restore confidence and secure whole. In his limits he is humble, but his allure is to build the boundless. To suspend disbelief and support a home for hope.
Lemon Verbena is most typically consumed as a tea. He is high in antioxidants and aids recovery when muscles are sore or strained. These antioxidants also reduce the oxidative stress throughout the body — oxidative stress is when there are more free radicals in the body than antioxidants can keep up with. If left unchecked these free radicals may lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, neurodegenerative illness such as Alzheiemer’s or Parkinson’s, and many others.
Lemon Verbena does not need to be limited to tea consumption. It is a leaf like any other and can be chopped or pulverized or shredded and put into anything that complements the lemony flavor.
Add Lemon Verbena to sugar cookies, muffins, or bread (recipes).
Pulverize some fresh lemon verbena with mint and add it to water (hot or cold).
Finely chop a few leaves and season chicken or fish.
Add some chopped lemon verbena to the top of your hummus for pops of citrus.
In addition to its antioxidant properties, lemon verbena is a wonderful digestive settler.
He can help with indigestion (heartburn), which is actually a signal that the acidity of your stomach is low — check out Dr. Berg for a great breakdown of this).
If in addition to heartburn there are signs of bloating, nausea, heat in the stomach (burning), vomiting, or burping, it may be dyspepsia. Dyspepsia may be due to an ulcer or an issue with the stomach lining and Lemon Verbena may aid in the healing process by slowing the oxidative stress.
Maybe flatulance is an issue? Lemon Verbena can help calm and process all those gases. Tea can be consumed or an essential oil mixture can be made with optional additions.
* ALLERGY WARNING *
Be careful to make sure you don’t have any reactivity toward the oils you’re using. If you’re unsure use this guide to make sure. For example, a typical test spot for allergic reactions is the ditch of the inner elbow. This is tender skin that typically reacts quickly. The guide also teaches how to make sure things are edible whilst foraging. Always good to know.
NO-FART ESSENTIAL OIL RECIPE
Choose a carrier oil (optional) — Coconut, Jojoba, Argan, etc.
Due to the small amount used when applying the oils, the carrier is optional. If you intend to massage the belly a bit, a carrier is recommended. The massage may stimulate a quicker absorption and disperse the oil into all the areas that require attention.
There are many oils that aid digestion and flatulence, so choose personal favorite.
Dill Weed —- Fennel Seed —- Lemon Verbena —- Spearmint —- Ginger —- Lavender —- Chamomile —-- Vanilla
Choose a small glass container to mix the oil. An empty roller (10 mL) will make using the mixture easy and convenient.
Depending on how many oils are chosen, pour 5-10 drops of each essential oil into the container — the more variety in oils, the less of each oil is needed.
Once the oils are in the container, fill the remainder of the container with the carrier oil.
Shake it and give it a try.
Personal Favorite Combination
10 drops Dill Weed & 10 drops Fennel Seed —- finish with Jojoba Oil (remainder of 10 mL container)
This oil can be rubbed all over the belly and the friction of the massage will bring with it greater amounts of blood and encourage movement. Start at the belly button and work outwards in a clockwise circle.
After relieving that discomfort, why not send your belly some love?
If using pure essential oils without a carrier, the essential oil can be dabbed on the finger tip and then placed into the belly button. Think of the belly button as an absorption point similar to sublingual medication. The location of the belly button is where the small intestine sits. So the belly rub outward will aid the small AND large intestine.
Red dot is typical belly button location.
As if that weren’t enough, Lemon Verbena can continue his positive effect on the exterior.
He can be added to a hair tonic to promote a shine to go with a smile that brightens days. Sprat tonics are nice because the smell stays with you for the day, but it can also be a shower/rinse tonic.
Fill a spray bottle with distilled water and add 10 drops of Lemon Verbena oil for every 10 mL of distilled water.
Shake and spray onto hair.
He can be used as a compress or spray tonic on the face to calm puffy skin and tighten pores.
Fill a sachet with Lemon Verbena and wet it. Place the sachet over eyes and do breathing exercise for 20 minutes.
Finish by spraying tonic on face.
For a hot compress, brew Lemon Verbena tea and once cool enough to touch, soak towel and ring of excess tea. Place warm towel over eyes, nose, or anywhere there may be puffiness. Enjoy the warmth and do a breathing exercise.
Lemon Verbena may also help break down cellulite. He will do this both internally (eating/drinking) and externally (tonic spray, massage lotion, etc.).
Massage lotion: Fill a container with 1:1 ratio (1 drop of essential oil for each mL of carrier oil).
Massage into cellulite.
Lemon Verbena is body positive. He wants to help make any process of change smooth and simple. He wants decisions to be made in a relaxed state so that what is can be seen clearly. But his work is focused on cooperation. He may not be the instant solution, but he’ll standby in solidarity. A helping hand; ready to face any reality — together.
