Natural Remedies
Eucalyptus Oil, which is a wonderful herbal remedy for colds and flu, coughs, sore chests and sore joints, used to be a stand-by in the medicine chests of yesteryear.
Eucalyptus oil, which is made from the Australian Gum tree, is beneficial to the lungs and the circulation of the blood when it is massaged into the affected areas. Rheumatism and arthritic joints, as well as varicose veins, can benefit greatly from a gentle massage of warmed Eucalyptus and Olive Oil.
But now the herbal eucalyptus oil has been sadly removed from the pharmacy shelves, along with many other very useful and comparatively harmless remedies we used for a myriad of afflictions.
The reason for the removal of Eucalyptus from the shop shelves is, I am sure, because home remedies are being discouraged by the pharmaceutical companies. Every time we use a home remedy instead of going to the doctor to get a prescription for some drug or another, both the doctor, and the pharmaceutical company whose drug he/she would have chosen, lose out on a sum of money.
So – now we have been denied access to eucalyptus oil from the health or chemist shops, we must make our own.
Here is a very simple procedure for the making of a home-made eucalyptus oil. It is not anywhere near as strong as the beautiful tincture of Australian eucalyptus oil which many of us used to use for colds and flu, pleurisy of the lungs, or for rubbing on arthritic joints. But you will find the effect of this home-made oil almost as good.
Here is how you make it, in only 10 minutes.
I keep a young gum tree in a pot for the purpose of using it medicinally. Pick about four or five nice young leaves off your gum or eucalyptus tree.
Cut up the leaves with scissors, using the stalky bits of the leaves as well.
Put the cut leaves into a small iron saucepan and cover them with olive oil. About half a cup of olive oil should suffice.
Put the pot onto the stove and heat up the oil and eucalyptus leaves. Use a moderately hot plate for this, and take care not to burn your olive oil.
When the oil is almost simmering, turn the stove off, but leave the saucepan on the hot plate so that the leaves can marinate in the hot oil for a while.
After around ten minutes, the oil will be cooled enough, and ready to use. Spoon off a tablespoonful or as much as is needed for immediate use.
This eucalyptus oil is very soothing for a sore, congested chest. Rub it into the ribs at the side and cover the chest area in the front. Massage the oil into the collar bone area as well. Then do the back of the chest.
I find that I need to wash off most of the oil after twenty minutes or so. After that time, the eucalyptus oil seems too intense for comfort. But twenty minutes is enough time for the active ingredients in the combination of olive oil and eucalyptus to have a favourable effect on the lungs, as well as a tonic effect on the circulation.