Earth Blessings Everyone!
If you've been nervous so far in your herbal journey to use herbs, well I'm here to tell you that some of the recipes in this post use herbs right from your cabinet!
There are a lot of herbs you can use to repel bugs, but the one's I'm going to focus on today are herbs that grow right in your back yard, or in a very easy to set up herb garden, or even in your spice cabinet.
First and foremost, we have to talk about Mugwort. One of my FAVORITE herbs. It grows wild everywhere (a lot of people hate it in their yards, but if you knew everything it was good for, you'd be jumping up and down like me when she starts to sprout in early Spring!)
Mugwort alone can be used as a repellent. It is part of the Sage family, which already makes it a fantastic repellent. My husband and I just spent the weekend in the woods of western New York in a very secluded area, and while mosquitoes weren't really an issue the gnats were! Luckily I brought two big Mugwort Smudge sticks and let me tell you, THEY WORKED! I had that thing burning and not one gnat was in my face or biting my hands! We actually brought one with us on a hike and I just walked through the woods with it burning. It was perfect and this is where we're going to start today!
Start by cutting the Mugwort at the base. I chopped at least 5-6 per smudge stick.
You'll see I added Yarrow to my pickings. Yarrow is yet another herb that grows wild in most yards and is an excellent herb for repelling bugs!
After you've gathered your Mugwort and/or Yarrow, grab about 5-6 stems and bunch them together, Tie a piece of string around the end of the stems.
Wrap your string around and around your bunch til you've reached about 6-8 inches. (Mugwort is tall, so you'll be able to get at least two smudge sticks out of each bunch) With some kitchen shears, just cut where you want your bunch to end, then go back with your string wrapping around until you've reached the initial knot at the top. Tie your string to your original knot and you're done!
Wait a couple weeks for your smudge stick to dry out and then just light and enjoy her scent while she works to keep your area bug free!
Other Herbs to add to your smudge sticks:
Yarrow
Rosemary
Lemon Balm
Catnip
Peppermint
Citronella
Basil
Lavender
If you're feeling adventurous add some Rose pedals around your Smudge and now it makes a really thoughtful gift!
Now is the time to pull out some of the herbs in your spice cabinet and make an incense cone!
These may look a little daunting, but they are really fun to make with the kids and you can literally add anything you want to them!
Start by adding your herbs to a mortar and pestle. If you don't have one, a wooden bowl and a rock work just as well if not better!
I got really nuts with this one and added a lot, not necessarily meant for repelling mosquitoes, but it smells AMAZING!!
A good recipe right out of your cabinet for repelling bugs is:
Basil
Rosemary
Catnip (If you have it)
Or anything listed in the list above!
This is where the kids can help! My daughter loves using the mortar and pestle. You just smash smash smashing the herbs to a literal powder.
When it starts to look like this add in a little water, like very little, just droplets at a time.
What your making is a paste to be able to then mold it into a cone. The consistency should be about the same as play dough, like a soft leafy play dough
Then mold it into a cone and let dry for about 48 hours. You'll know it's ready because it will be hard.
I burned this one in the house because I added a lot of floral scents (rose, lilac, and lavender pedals!) It smelled amazing!
If you're worried about burning plants around the kids, you can easily make a tincture out of any of the herbs listed and use that in your all natural bug spray.
There are a lot of essential oils that work well and adding those to your tincture would work very well
To make a tincture:
1. Gather Fresh herbs of your choice and fill a jar 3/4 with them
2. Pour 100 proof (or as high as you can get for your area) alcohol (vodka works really well and is cheap enough)
3. Let steep for 8-30 days in a dark cabinet, shaking every couple days
Now you can make tinctures with ANY plant! They are so beneficial! BUT for this specific tincture, use in a spray bottle
You can also rub any of the fresh plant matter on your skin as repellent. I usually will only do this in a pinch though.
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