Geranium: Uses and Lore
Geranium oil is a powerful antimicrobial with other unique properties. It has a long history of usage that stretches back into the mists of time.
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The Geranium is a perennial flowering plant, also known as Crane’s Bill or Alum Root plant, that is known as a powerful antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. It is commonly used by herbalists in the form of a steam distilled essential oil.
It is widely known for its rejuvenating properties. Five to seven drops of this oil in the bathwater can help to revive tired skin. It also helps to reduce the appearance of scars.
Geranium is an astringent. It tightens the skin and helps reduce wrinkling. It is used for this purpose in cosmetic and massage oils and to treat skin disorders, such as eczema and dermatitis.
Geranium’s regenerative properties make it an excellent treatment for acne and burns. In these cases apply the undiluted steam distilled oil directly to the affected area with a q-tip.
Its antimicrobial properties make it a useful ingredient in healing salves for cuts, abrasions and boils. It is also a useful treatment for ringworm.
Geranium has a contracting effect on muscles and capillaries, therefore it is an excellent treatment in the form of a salve for bruises and hemorrhoids.
Geranium oil’s hormone balancing properties, combined with its capillary-restricting abilities, make it an excellent oil for treating menstrual problems involving excessive hemorrhaging. It is helpful for the hormonal imbalance that causes hot flashes. It can be used in a massage oil in cases of mastitis and applied directly to the affected areas of the body.
Because it is helpful in balancing female hormones, it should not be used by pregnant women. There is a great deal of superstitious-seeming lore surrounding the geranium as an abortificant. Some people believe that pregnant women should not be anywhere near geranium plants.
It is one of the herbs sacred to the Old-Anglo Saxons and associated with the god Wotan, the All-Father. Geranium flowers, carried about a person, are an amulet to attract abundance and prosperity. They are also used as fertility charms. Given geranium’s hormone balancing powers, it is easy to see how the plant might be an influence in easing fertility problems due to a hormonal imbalance and how it gained its reputation as an charm to draw fertility and growth.
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