This eczema tea recipe comes from the lovely folks at the Herbal Academy of New England, of whom I have been studying with on my herbalism journey!
Recipe
Equal parts dry herb Calendula, nettle, red clover
8 oz hot water
Treatment
For the treatment of eczema (dry, itchy, scaly skin) patches brought on by dietary or seasonal weather changes. This recipe treats the body from the inside out; focusing on cleansing the lymph.
Directions
After bringing the water to a boil, pour 8 ounces of it over the combined dry herbal mixture. Cover immediately to keep the herbal oils and vapors from escaping. Steep for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, strain, drink. Enjoy! Drink 1-3 cups a day until symptoms begin to clear.
Safety
Red clover is a natural blood thinner due to the compound called coumarin that it carries. People with blood clotting disorders (hemophilia, thin blood, etc.) should not use it. For women who are pregnant, check with your healthcare provider – if she says it’s okay to take aspirin (a blood thinner) you may feel comfortable using red clover on occasion. I have come across no research that says it is harmful to pregnant women.
Using this tea with children: Although I have not used this recipe with my own child (1 1/2 year old at the time of original post), I have used all three ingredients as teas for him in other ways. I haven’t come across any research that says these ingredients are unsafe for children (with the exception of the red clover compound mentioned above). It is generally advisable to wait until children are over the age of one to begin treatment with herbs, and, dosing guidelines are generally followed from something called Clark’s Rule, which is a topic I will cover in another post on another day!
Notes
During the cold winter months, I get a small dry patch of skin on my shin. It doesn’t hurt, mostly itches. When I found this tea recipe, I knew I had to try it! I used one tablespoon of each of the three ingredients; Calendula flower, nettle and red clover blossom. Being a visual learner, I assumed eight ounces of water was going to be a lot. But, it wasn’t. It filled only half of my mason jar. When I make it again, I will double the recipe to 16 ounces of water and two tablespoons each of the herbs.
After steeping for 10 minutes, the liquid took on a light amber color. Some of the herbs began to settle on the bottom, most notably the Calendula flowers.
After steeping for 15 minutes, the herbs had expanded quite a bit, filling most of the top, middle and bottom of the liquid space. They had unfurled; I could see the nettle in longer, unfurled ribbons. The color of the water was a rich, dark tannin color, like on the bottom of a pond that has been covered with leaves.
At the 20 minute mark, I strained the herbs out of the liquid and drank the tea. Look how beautiful the Calendula flowers look all opened up! It tasted smooth and woodsy at first. It had a bit of bitterness but it was noted in the background as a last experience on the tongue while swallowing. It smelled slightly sweet and mostly mossy.
Disclaimer:
All herbal information offered through Divine Lotus Healing is meant for education, information and reference instruction only. Please seek the guidance of a healthcare professional before treating yourself medicinally with herbs.
Where do you buy dry herbs? The stuff on Amazon has bad reviews.
Any suggestions for spring allergies? In addition to the eczema my sons spring allergies has his eyes swollen red and sneezing.
I get all my dried herbs from a few sources: my own that I grow, a local shop in my area called Cambridge Naturals, Mountain Rose Herbs online and Jean’s Greens online. For allergies my family uses a homeopathic spray called Allergy New England Mix made by a company called Natural Creations. I buy the spray at a local natural compounding drugstore. Depending on where you live in the country, the company may make a spray for your region, but I’m not totally sure. Good luck Janice!
Can you provide link for giving this to children? Or give more detail? I have. 5 year old who has been suffering since 3 months old. Not sure if he’d drink tea, especially not sweetened.
Hi Janice, refer to Clark’s Rule for child dosing amounts and add some honey to sweeten the tea for your little one. Best of luck!
Dear Namaste, I am just over 55 years and first time in my life got Eczema for just over 2 months. At first, tried some lighter steroid cream it goes away but came back. I tried TCM but failed even to contain it. I have just applied stronger steroid cream for just about 3 days (one light application per 24 hours) and it seems to be healing and not spreading any more. I am Usui Reiki trained (Level 3A) for about 10+ years now.
Questions:
[1] How may I use Reiki to heal my current condition, with the intend to purge the side effects of steroid out from my body, beside drinking 2lt of water per day?
[2] Can Reiki alone, with proper diet but without your eczema tea recipe rid the Eczema?
Any further points appreciated.
Best regards
Hi Danny, Although I do not have experience treating clients with Reiki for eczema (yet, at the time of my comment) I do recommend that you look at the Usui Guide and the Hyashi Healing manual to see if they discussed this. There is also the book Reiki for Common Ailments by Mari Hall to look into. I don’t know if she covers the topic. And, of course I will refer you back to what Usui himself said: Always treat at the site of discomfort. So put your Reiki hands on the eczema directly if you can, every day for at least two weeks so you can track any changes. You may want to keep a log or record book. Best of luck! -Laura
Are the directions the same for adults as children?
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for asking! Clark’s Rule should always be referred to when dosing for children. I went back and added a bit about treating children to my original post; I appreciate you bringing it up!