Conscious Choice: Herbs Hit Close to Home

August 2002 | Herbs for Health

Herbs Hit Close to Home

by Meg McGowan

Taking care of our environment is an extension of taking care of ourselves. This is true both in the outside world and inside our homes. What then is the attitude with which we care for our homes? Are we driven by fear to clean defensively with an attitude of war toward intruding dirt, bugs, and germs, thereby — consciously or not — turning guests into adversaries who harbor the enemy and whose traces must be scrubbed away? Do we clean with apprehension, concerned with the opinions of others, giving away our power and, again, casting friends and visitors as adversaries in the roles of informants and spies? Do we clean only when company is coming, able to care for the comfort of others as we cannot care for ourselves? Is cleaning last on the priority list because we attach no importance to it? Or is it such an effort that it hardly seems worth it because, perhaps, we feel we’re not worth it? Our style of cleaning can reveal what we believe about self-care in general. (Wait! Stay focused; don’t wander off to analyze your mother, friends, and in-laws just yet.)

Whatever our individual cleaning patterns, it makes sense that choosing environmentally friendly products is a step toward bringing us into balance. By choosing not to use chemicals, we are caring for our greater environment as well as our personal environment, thus taking better care of ourselves. Natural cleaning products lift us out of the battle zone mentality. Several herbal companies are taking the self-care connection one step further. If scrubbing the bathtub is as integral to self-care as taking a bath, why not integrate the same elements into cleaning products that elevate bathing from a utilitarian function to a ritual of nourishment?

Fragrance is important, but try to stay away from useless, overpowering synthetic fragrances. Natural essential oils do not simply cover up odors and anesthetize our sense of smell. They impart fragrance as they clean and nourish the environment. Their scent is simply part of the active whole. Skillful blending of their scents creates not only the aromatic depth of a pleasant perfume, but a synergy of cleaning effectiveness as well. A pleasing presentation also introduces a shift as it sets a tone, directs our focus, and confirms our intention. Are we assembling the tools of a craftsperson, the accoutrements of an artist, or an arsenal?

For the past two years, The Caldrea Company has been devoted to producing high-quality natural aromatherapeutic cleaning products. Its line currently features five fragrance collections. Lavender Pine is a pure, reassuring, comforting scent. Citrus Mint Ylang Ylang adds coolness, depth, and intrigue to the concept of a traditional lemon cleaner. Green Tea Patchouli and Jasmine Lily move beyond tradition with scents that are more body spritz and bubble bath than toil and trouble. White Clover, the exclusive scent of Caldrea’s laundry line, blends air and earth in a scent reminiscent of line-dried freshness. The product line ranges from Dish Soap Liquid to Wood Furniture Cream. My favorite is the Toilet Polish that comes in a clever little covered shaker reminiscent of one used for delicate dusting powder. I also found it to be effective in unclogging the drain in my vintage bathtub (no small feat), though the Powdered Scrub may have worked just as well.

V’TAE Parfum & Body Care has recently expanded to touch the home environment as well. It offers a Linen Mist and Lingerie Wash in five vibrant blends: Daphne for self-acceptance; Orange Blossom for prosperity and good luck; Down the Primrose Path for pleasant dreams; Bed of Roses for love and sensuality; and Green Grass & Sunrise for healing and good health, each as unique as a signature fragrance and available in coordinating body lotions. For the kitchen, V’TAE has cooked up Kitchen Refresher sprays (for cleaning air and counter tops), naturally antibacterial Liquid Hand Soaps and Hand Lotion in Biscotti and Basil & Mandarin scents.

La Bouquetiere imports laundry powder from France in a variety of single floral fragrances such as lily of the valley, jasmine, and violets as well as floral blends. These detergents are 100 percent biodegradable and come in quaintly nostalgic three-pound canisters.

Of course you can experiment with creating your own household blends by adding essential oils to neutrally scented natural detergents or your own naturally created cleansers. For a great summer spritzer, try the Wilted Warrior spray from Seasons of Aromatherapy by Paula Bousquet and Judith Fitzsimmons (Conari, 1998). Combine four drops lavender (Lavandula officinalis syn. L. angustifolia) with two drops each of peppermint (Mentha x piperita) and tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) and shake in a bottle with two cups of water. Spray to lighten the mugginess of summer throughout the house and in the laundry room.

The best thing about the new generation of herbal household products is that they gently challenge our perceptions about cleaning, helping us to put the meaning back in cleaning, as it were. Personally, however, I believe I’ve pondered enough for one month. I am going to take my friend Dawn up on her offer to clean my house in exchange for plants I’ll contemplate what that might mean only after it’s done.

Disclaimer: Choosing a holistic approach to medicine means choosing personal responsibility for your healthcare. "Herbs for Health" offers a doorway through which to enter the realm of herbal healing, an invitation to further investigation on the part of the reader. It is in no way intended as a substitute for advice from a healthcare practitioner.

Get More Info

The Caldrea Company, 877-576-8808, www.caldrea.com

La Bouquetiere Inc., www.labouquetiere.com

V’TAE, 800-643-3011

DISCLAIMER: Choosing a holistic approach to medicine means choosing personal responsibility for your health care. Herbs for Health offers a doorway through which to enter the realm of herbal healing, an invitation to further investigation on the part of the reader. It is in no way intended as a substitute for advice from a health care practitioner.

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