This soothing infusion was created as a remedy to help cure sore throats and coughs. It’s very easy to prepare, all you need to do is put the aromatic plant leaves in boiling water and then sweeten with a little honey.
All the ingredients used in this recipe contain active principles that help soothe the respiratory tract. The essential oils contained in mallow (Malva silvestris) leaves are soothing and anti-inflammatory, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a bland sedative, while mint (Mentha piperita) aids digestion and is a remedy against sore throats. The eucalyptus honey adds a touch of flavour, is a natural antibacterial and manages to relieve bronchial congestion. In other words this soothing infusion is a panacea, it can help cure coughs and irritating sore throats, but it’s also a delicious hot drink, both in winter and in summer.

St. John’s wort oil can be used to cure minor burns and scalds, to moisturize dry skin and to heal small cuts.
The Latin name for St. John's wort is Hypericum perforatum. The story goes that the flowers used to prepare the oil were once harvested on the night of St. Johns day, between June 23th and June 24th, giving origin to the plant’s common name.
This curative oil can be prepared in various ways; you can use olive oil, as in the case of today’s recipe, or almond oil, as I already recommended some time ago here on Grow The Planet. Try using St. John’s wort oil yourself, it’s easy to prepare and, above all, incredibly useful

If you’ve got a cough you can’t get rid of and you prefer to avoid the chemist, here’s an old fashioned remedy that you can make at home, using just two ingredients, sugar and radishes.
You can use them to make a cough syrup, which may not have the best of flavours (cough syrups never do) but is absolutely natural and is sure to work.
Here’s what you have to do.

Aloe vera gel, which must only be used externally, is quite simply the flesh of the leaves of Aloe barbadensis, a succulent plant that’s very easy to grow.
When applied to healthy skin the gel help soften it, it's excellent for soothing small irritations, while in the case of minor wounds it works as a disinfectant, favours the renewal of cells and encourages the wound to heal.

Aloe vera, Aloe barbadensis, is a perennial plant that’s been known since ancient times for its countless curative properties.
It’s a succulent that prefers hot dry climates but can adapt well to living at various latitudes as long as it’s sheltered from low temperatures. Incredibly easy to grow, it requires very little care indeed. If you keep it in a pot (choose one with a diameter of 30 cm) you can easily move it indoors, during the coldest months of the year, where it’ll thrive and look good as ornamental plant too, and then, in the summer, you can choose a semi shaded spot for it outside.