Well here it is July and the garden is growing well. We put up pickled beets last weekend and we'll be pickling zucchini and cucumbers this weekend. The other day my husband put in an attic fan to help with cooling the house. He banged his head on a nail and cut the skin. We put tea tree oil on the injury neat - kills germs, helps with healing and relieves pain. He's been fighting post herpatic pain in the back after a round with shingles several months ago. We use a product called CM cream that contains estherified essential fatty acids. It's a fantastic anti-inflammatory and we put that on his back regularly to relieve that pain. One of the kids fell on the driveway and scraped up her knees. Out came the tea tree oil again. We also use an essential oil blend called Trauma which helps with the boo boo's. The both kill germs, speed healing and relieve pain. Lavender oil will do this as well, although we usually save that for the burns that happen in the kitchen or around the grill. Blends can be used, but make sure that each individual essential oil they contain is one that can be used neat. Neat means used full strength without diluting in a carrier oil. The picture above is of Arnica - used for hundreds of years for injurys. The flowers are harvested, dried and used to make an oil infusion. A cream or ointment made with the oil makes an excellent compress for sprained or strained joints. Wrap the joint in bandages after applying the cream. The swelling and bruising will be minimized and the healing accelerated. Arnica taken internally as a homeopathic medicine will assist in the healing as well. These are essential elements for any herbal first aid kit. Keeping them on hand is always a good idea.