The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies Add the remaining salt and the caraway seeds. Pack the cabbage into a large glass jar or crock and add the juices. Cover the top of the shredded cabbage with the whole cabbage leaves. Add a weight to the top of the cabbage to keep it beneath the liquid. Fermenting crocks use fermenting weights, but a clean plate or another dish can be used. Cover the container with its lid. Place the container in a cool spot on a tray or plate to catch any spills. Leave the cabbage
overnight and check it the next day to make sure that all the cabbage is submerged in liquid and skim off any scum that forms. Continue checking the sauerkraut every other day for 4 weeks. Transfer the sauerkraut to the refrigerator and use within 6 months. Sauerkraut can be canned for longer storage. However, I believe this destroys some of the beneficial enzymes as well as the live culture. I recommend using the sauerkraut with live culture.
Calendula, Calendula officinalis Calendula or Pot Marigold is a perennial plant in the Aster/Daisy family that is often grown as an annual. It is not originally native to North America but is widely cultivated in flower gardens, self-seeds, and is easy to grow.
Identification: Calendula usually grows 12 to 24 inches (30 cm to 60 cm) tall with branched sprawling or erect stems. The leaves are oblong and lance-like, approximately 2 to 7 inches (5 cm to 18 cm) long, and hairy on both sides. The margins can be smooth, wavy, or even weakly toothed. The flowers are yellow or orange with a 2 to 3-inch (5 cm to 7.5 cm) flower head with two rows of hairy bracts. Flowers appear year-round in warmer climates. Some flowers have multiple rows of ray florets while others have only one. High resin varieties and multirow flowers are said to be better for medicine. The fruit is a small curved achene.
Edible Use: Calendula flowers are edible raw in salads or dried and used as a seasoning. They can be used as a saffron substitute for color but not taste. Tea is made from the petals. The leaves are edible, but are bitter and unpalatable.
Medicinal Use: Calendula can be used as a tea, infused oil, salve, compress, or poultice.
Skin Diseases, Cuts, Rashes, Wounds, Burns, Cold Sores, Herpes, Chicken Pox, and Irritations: Calendula leaves and flowers are soothing to the skin, and I use them to treat all kinds of skin problems like acne, sunburn, and rashes, including diaper rash. The leaves make a healing poultice for minor cuts, scratches, bites, and skin irritations. 55
Calendula, Betty Cai, CC by SA 4.0
Place the bruised leaves directly on the skin. The leaves soothe inflamed skin and help it heal. I use the flowers to make a healing salve for skin irritations. The leaves and flowers have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and anti-viral effects as well being an immunostimulant. To treat skin infections, including ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, and cradle cap, I use Calendula Oil or Salve applied to the affected area several times a day. Note that Calendula is a tonic anti-fungal, weaker than many. I prefer to use a stronger anti-fungal such as black walnut hull powder, Oregano Oil, or Usnea to treat the primary infection and save calendula as a preventative or for chronic situations.
Anti-aging and Collagen Production: Calendula stimulates the immune system, induces collagen production and inhibits collagen degradation. I make an anti-aging blend with Calendula and Cottonwood Buds infused in organic almond oil and use it on my face and neck every day in place of a commercial face cream.
Soothes Muscle Spasms: Calendula relaxes muscles and can prevent spasms. Calendula tea treats abdominal cramping caused by constipation and menstrual cramping.
