My Grandmothers magic pills

A seed was planted... 

Aromatherapy and Homeopathy ran alongside everyday life during my childhood.

Little ‘magic’ sugary pills were put under my tongue when I fell ill, calendula was
rubbed on my grazes, lavender put on my pillow and arnica applied to bruises.

Growing up, I was unaware these rituals were not commonplace in every household.
My grandmother used to do yoga while listening to the Archers…long before yoga
was a staple of daily vocabulary.

She didn’t ‘do’ white bread – oatcakes always, and sesame crackers were her
chocolate cake. Saying that, her favourite expression was, “A day without wine is a
day without sunshine” – wise woman.

Too late sadly, I now have huge gratitude that this way of life was instilled in me.
Admittedly my 20s were not a shining example of how to live holistically - days were
fuelled by a cocktail of caffeine and Paracetamol - nights were fuelled with other
types of cocktails.

However, as that side of life calms down and I have children of my own I find myself
reverting back to the ways of my grandmother. Evening primrose oil, coconut butter and thistle oil are finding their way onto my shelves. I read labels and do not necessarily trust what I’m told. I have a new found interest to understand what I am putting inside and on my body. While a certain product may make me feel or look better, does it have the vitamins and properties to heal, nourish, cleanse, invigorate?

These above words are bandied around carelessly in skincare marketing and the
words therefore lose their significance. However, if we stop to consider these
meanings, they are so deeply fundamental to what our bodies need and if we can
deliver on that naturally – how magical is that?