If you love using a witch hazel toner to refresh up you face , soothe razor burns and efflorescence , and cool down inflammation , you will love being able to make your own . I was first introduced towitch hazelas a stunning , winter - flowering garden ornamental but this is truly a very magical tree . It ’s common name has a few propose backstories ( the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree look like witches ; from the Old English “ wych ” meany “ to flex ” ; or derived from it ’s exercise as a prick of water witching ) , but no matter how it got the moniker , the branches hold the Florida key to an philosopher’s stone that can be used to make cutis sense wondrous .
Today we are joined by Abby Artemisia the author ofThe Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders . I ’m just captivate by the lives and projects of homesteaders as my small urban garden could not be considered a homestead . And yet , in reading through Abby ’s book , I find many common herbs that I grow or readily have access to and simple recipe that I can make in my urban homestead . The record is meet with gentle herbal therapeutic and well - lay out herbal monographs . I may not have chickens or livestock to treat with some of the recipe , but there were plenty of idea on the pages that I now need to try . I was particularly draw to the witch hazelnut tree soother recipe because I use it in so many of myplant - establish lulu recipesand I just publish a web log post ongrowing witch hazel . I ’m so beaming that Abby agreed to link up us today to share a recipe . Be sure to seize a copy of her new script for your herbal library as well !
By Abby Artemisia .

Cleaning wound is an inevitable happening on the homestead . Research is starting to occur out showing that hydrogen peroxide and plain rubbing alcohol applied to lesion can really do more impairment than serious . Witch hazel tree may be a well option — or at the very least worth try on . In addition to scavenge lesion , it can be soothing for hemorrhoid or as a skin toner , with moisturizer utilize after to foreclose skin dry out .
However , the crone hazel you buy in the store can have only very tiny traces of the actual Wiccan hazel works in it , and it ’s right smart more expensive , so you ’re better off make your own homemade witch hazel toner .
Witch hazel like to develop in moist habitats , such as stream bank or moist woodwind . If you do n’t have any growing near you , it is a beautiful bush worth planting .

bank note : If using isopropyl alcohol , be sure to label not for inner usage and keep out of the reach of child !
Witch Hazel Skin Soother Recipe
This Witch Hazel Soother has a variety of uses , and it ’s quite light to make .
YIELD : Makes about 11/2 quarts ( 1.4 50 )
Ingredients
Make it!
The Herbal Benefits of Witch Hazel
Botanical Name : Hamamelisvirginiana or Hamamelisvernalis
mob : witch hazel ( Hamamelidaceae )
Native Location : cardinal and easterly United States

Growing Zones : recurrent , zone 3 through 8 ( depending on species )
Requirements : partial to full sunlight , with best blossoming in full sun ; moist , sandlike grease with ripe drainage ; seeds necessitate social stratification
Harvesting Tips : harvest time twigs bound through fall and leave when available and looking healthy

Therapeutic Parts : twigs , bark , leave
welfare : primarily utilized externally for cleanse wound , toning skin , soothing skin irritations , burn , haemorrhoid , spider and varicose veins ; also internally as a afternoon tea to stop bleeding , diarrhea , and dysentery
Preparations : root or spraying , tea decoction , or infuse

contraindication : inner pulmonary tuberculosis should be done in moderation for inadequate time period of prison term . The tannins can cause stomach and liver irritation . Never take internally in isopropyl alcohol .
Excerpts and photography reprinted with permit fromThe Herbal Handbook for Homesteadersby Abby Artemisia , © 2019 . put out by Voyageur Press . Photography : © Jack Sorokin .
Abby Artemisiais a botanist , herbalist , and professional forager be in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina . Raised in Cincinnati , Ohio , and with a point in Botany from Miami University , Abby has since traveled the country learning about plants and herbal remediation . She teaches dozens of shop every yr through her own concern , the WANDER School , on a panoptic range of botanical and herbal matter . Popular classes include “ Forage Your First Aid Kit ” and “ DIY Herbal Tinctures . ” She has previously play an herbal teatime occupation , work out on organic farms , and spent years playing in the woods . Her mission is to extend nature and herbal education , creating healing through connection with the born world and each other .