18 g dried senna pods 100 ml boiling water 8 fresh figs, quartered 100 g sugar juice of 1 lemon 1 Place the senna pods in a glass bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave to steep for about 30 minutes, then strain through a sieve or piece of muslin into a blender. 2 Add the figs and sugar to the senna infusion and whizz until smoot...

2 tbsp dried echinacea root 200 ml water, freshly boiled 5 tbsp goji berries, fresh or dried 2 litres chicken stock (homemade or from stock cubes) 3 chicken thighs or drumsticks (preferably organic) 2 large onions, peeled and sliced 12 shiitake mushrooms,thinly sliced 10 cm root ginger, peeled and shredded 2 fresh medium-sized chill...

For a pillow about 32 x 23 cm: 4 handfuls dried hops flowers 4 handfuls dried lavender flowers 1 To dry the hops and lavender yourself, tie them in bunches and hang upside down in a well-ventilated space out of direct sunlight for 2 weeks. Alternatively, place in a low oven (about 100ºC) for 30 minutes or so until dry and crispy. Strip the ...

1 kiwi fruit,peeled juice of 1 lime 1?2 papaya 2 sachets vegetable gelatine 1 Mash the kiwi fruit through a sieve into a bowl. Add the lime juice to the kiwi mixture. 2 Scoop the seeds from the papaya, and mash the flesh on a chopping board using a fork (this makes it slightly easier to press through the sieve). Press the papaya through...

Makes one 150 ml pot 2 tbsp (20 g) viola flowers, stripped from their stems 2 tbsp (20 g) Roman or German chamomile, dried 250 ml freshly boiled water 1 tsp beeswax 2 tbsp almond oil 1 tsp vitamin C powder 1 tsp glycerine 2 tsp emulsifying wax 1 Place the violas and chamomile flowers in a glass bowl. Pour over the water to cover...

10 rose geranium flowers, with leaves and stems 8 marigold (Calendula officinalis) flowers 20 lavender flowerheads 200 ml water 1 sachet vegetable gelatine 5 tsp vodka 20 drops tea tree oil 1 Roughly chop the flowers, leaves and stems of the rose geranium and place with the marigold flowers and lavender flowerheads in a large glass ...

10-15 fresh elderflower heads 12 eucalyptus leaves 2 tbsp linseed 3 tsp dried elderberries 1 cup Gum Arabic 2 cups Icing Sugar 4 cups hot water 1 Firstly, put about 10-15 elderflower heads into 3 cups of freshly boiled water to create a basic infusion. Add 2 tbsp of linseed and 12 eucalyptus leaves and leave for about an hour. It's ...

5-6 fresh lavender sprigs 1 tbsp citric acid powder 3 tbsp bicarbonate of soda 10 drops lavender essential oil 1 tsp plant-based oil (vegetable or almond oil) 1 Heat the oven to 180ºC. Once it has reached that temperature, turn it off and place the lavender, hanging upside down, in the oven to dry for about 2 hours. When dry, remove the...

Makes enough for 5-10 doses 20 tbsp (approx. 100 g) fresh rosemary leaves 20 tbsp (approx. 25 g) fresh lavender flowers 200 ml neem oil 200 ml almond oil 6 garlic cloves,minced 2 tbsp tea tree oil 1 Strip the rosemary leaves and lavender flowers from their sprigs. 2 Combine the neem and almond oil together in a measuring jug. 3 ...

21 tbsp (approx. 50 g) fresh lemon balm leaves 3 tbsp wheatgerm oil 115 ml olive oil 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp beeswax 5 drops tea tree oil 1 Strip the lemon balm leaves and chop finely. In a pan over a slow heat, stir and crush one third of the lemon balm leaves with the wheatgerm and olive oil for 10 minutes, or until it starts to bubble....

4 tbsp fresh plantain leaves 150 ml boiling water 2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil 2 tbsp almond oil 1 tsp beeswax 2 tsp emulsifying wax 2 tsp glycerine 1 tsp vitamin C powder 1 Wash and chop the plantain leaves. Divide into two - put one half in a bowl and the other half in a pan. Cover the plantain in the bowl with the water an...

10 tbsp (approx. 25 g) fresh thyme leaves 10 tbsp (approx. 30 g) fresh mint leaves 5 fresh eucalyptus leaves 3 tsp aniseed 3 tsp cloves 200 ml vodka rind of 1 lemon 1 tbsp sorbitol or other artificial sweetener to taste, if desired 4 tbsp glycerine 1 Strip the thyme, mint and eucalpytus leaves from their stems and chop. Place in a...

50 g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped 50 g fresh eucalyptus leaves, finely chopped 50 g fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper peel of 2 lemons 300 ml olive oil 400 g sea salt (fine-grained) 4 tsp vitamin C powder extra eucalyptus leaves and slices of lemon peel, to decorate 1 Place the chopped...

If using dried marshmallow root: 4 tbsp dried marshmallow root, chopped roughly 2 dried liquorice roots, broken up into small pieces 3 heads/bunches fresh elderberries 1 tsp cloves peel of 1 mandarin 1 tsp aniseed seeds 1 sprig fresh eucalyptus leaves (about 8) 500 ml water 100 ml honey juice of 1 lime 5 tbsp glycerine If us...

Makes 3 cups 3 tbsp fresh valerian root 3 tbsp fresh lemon balm leaves 3 tsp fresh lavender flowers 6 leaves and 3 heads from fresh passion flowers peel of 11/2 oranges 900 ml full-fat milk 50 g dark chocolate (minimum 50% cocoa solids) dash of vanilla extract 1 Chop the top and bottom from the fresh valerian root. Add the valeria...

Makes about 250 g 350 g fresh ginger root golden caster sugar, to match weight of cooked ginger, plus extra for sprinkling 1 Peel the fresh ginger root and thinly slice. 2 Put the ginger in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover with water, adding more to allow for evaporation. Bring to the boil and partly cover with a lid. Boil gently for...

4 artichokes 1 litre water 475 g hawthorn berries (if using dried hawthorn berries, first cover them with water for 24 hours to rehydrate them) 225 g sugar 1 cinnamon stick juice of 1 lime 1 Chop the artichokes, place in a saucepan, cover with the water and boil for 10 minutes, or until cooked. Remove from the heat, then leave to st...

4 tbsp dried sage leaves 4 tbsp dried garlic (commercially prepared is fine) 7 tbsp (70 g) cornflour 7 tbsp (70 g) bicarbonate of soda 24 drops tea tree oil 1 Grind the dried sage in a mortar and pestle, then place in a medium-sized bowl. Add the dried garlic. Sprinkle over the cornflour and bicarbonate of soda and mix well. 2 Add in ...

1 small cucumber,chopped 1 aloe vera leaf 1 sachet vegetable gelatine 50 ml distilled extract of witch hazel BP 1 white tea teabag 3 drops peppermint essential oil 1 Roughly chop the cucumber. Peel and slice the aloe leaf to extract its gel. Put the cucumber and aloe gel into a blender and process until smooth. Strain the mix through ...