They can be drunk, and directly applied to internal organs
Use them topically
Take a bath

• Great way to absorb herbal constituents through your skin
• Brew a strong blend with about  cup of herbs to 64 oz of water. Strain the tea in to the water & enjoy
• Or, place herbs in muslin, or sock, & toss them in your bath. Use this muslin to scrub your body.
• Breathe in the herbal aromas as you bathe, and benefit from the aromatherapeutic properties
• Consider closing a curtain around to help trap in the beneficial steams
• Take a bath right before bedtime to help you relax. This is great with children!
• Take a refreshing bath in the middle of the day to reenergize your spirit
• Destress in a bath after a long tough day at work
• Soothe inflamed itchy skin

Eye washes

• Soothing for sore, tired, inflamed, or infected eyes.
• Great for eyes that spend too much time in front of a computer or reading
• Make a weaker blend than you would for ingestion. Use a small teaspoon per cup of water
• Simmer at a low boil for 10 minutes to ensure its sterile
• Use a very fine mesh strainer to ensure there are no plant particles floating around
• Get an eyecup, and make sure it’s been sterilized between each use
• Pour the strained tea blend into the eyecup
• Lean back and pour the mixture into one eye. Blink to ensure the eye is being thoroughly washed. Repeat with the other eye
• Make eyewashes daily to ensure you don’t introduce bacteria into the eye.
• Herbs to consider for eyewashes: fennel, plantain, red clover blossoms, thyme and rosemary

Facial steams

• Cleanses the skin, improves circulation, relaxes facial muscles, & gives your skin a gorgeous radiant glow
• Do facial steams once or twice a week
• Wash your face first, and tie your hair back
• Pour one quart of boiling water over a handful of herbs into a glass bowl.
• Lean over the bowl, and drape a towel over your head to trap in the steam
• Inhale the steam for about 5-7 minutes, lifting the towel for the steam to escape when necessary

Hair rinses

• Both therapeutically & cosmetically brilliant
• Use 2 heaping teaspoons of herb to 500ml quart of water. Stir, cover, and let sit for 1 hour. Strain it into a large squeeze bottle and add 2x tablespoon of ACV. Pour the strained tea over your hair. Don’t rinse it out, just let your hair dry naturally
• Consider this for dandruff, oily hair, dry hair, itchy scalp, balding & delightful pampering

Footbaths

• Footbaths can be incredibly therapeutic, due to the many nerve endings in the feet
• Helps with tired achy feet, stinky feet, leg cramps, calluses, swelling, & varicose veins
• When used at the first signs of cold, headache, congestion, or sore throat, the heat draws the congestion away from the respiratory tract, and can prevent onset of illness
• Use foot baths either hot or cold depending on needs
• Make about a gallon of herbal tea, strain it, and pour the tea into a wide basin
• Place your feet in the basin, and relax until the water cools down
• Afterward, pour cold water on the feet, dry them thoroughly, and put on clean cozy socks

Handbaths

• Like the feet, there are many nerve endings in the hands
• Soaking them in herbal infusions can be beneficial for colds, flu, arthritis, & poor circulation
• Make about  gallon of tea, pour into a bowl, and soak for 5-10 minutes
• Can be used to help clear eczema, relieve hand pain, or increase circulation

Mouthwash or gargle

• Prepare an herbal infusion, let it cool, then swish it around the mouth, or gargle, then spit it out
• To be most effective with a gargle, it should be used for 10 minutes
• Try using, plantain, thyme, sage, lemon balm, licorice root, Pako Ata
• Steam inhalations
• Bring 1 quart of water to a boil, remove from heat, and add 4 heaping teaspoons to the water
• Lean over the pot, and drape a towel over your head