Herbal first aid spray for summer

This is a useful little spray to keep close by through the summer for insect bites and stings, nettle rash, prickly heat, and skin that feels hot or irritated after too much sun.

I usually keep a bottle in the fridge, although one often ends up in my bag or in the campervan beside the plasters and sun cream. The cold spray feels particularly good on hot, itchy skin, and it is easy to use when somebody is uncomfortable and does not want you fussing around with creams or poultices.

The recipe combines yarrow, plantain and rose hydrosol. Yarrow is one of our old wound herbs and has a long traditional use for minor bleeding and damaged tissue. Plantain is cooling and soothing, and is one of the first plants I think of for bites, stings and nettle rash. Rose hydrosol adds another cooling, calming layer and makes the spray smell lovely too. You can use either ribwort plantain, Plantago lanceolata, or greater plantain, Plantago major. Make sure you are completely confident in your identification and gather from a clean place away from busy roads and sprayed ground.

Ingredients for a 60ml bottle:

• 30ml strong yarrow and plantain infusion, cooled and strained
• 20ml rose hydrosol
• 5ml vegetable glycerine
• A suitable preservative, used according to the manufacturer’s instructions

Method:

• Bruise a good handful of fresh yarrow and plantain leaves and place them in a heatproof jug or jar.

• Pour over just-boiled water, cover and leave to cool completely. Once cool, strain it very well so that no small pieces of plant remain to clog the spray bottle.

• Measure out 30ml of the infusion and mix it with the rose hydrosol and vegetable glycerine.

• Add your preservative at the amount recommended by the supplier, then pour everything into a clean 60ml spray bottle and label it with the date.

• Shake gently before use and spray onto bites, stings, nettle rash, prickly heat or hot, irritated skin as needed.

Because this contains a fresh water-based infusion, it will not keep for long without a preservative. If you are not using one, store the spray in the fridge and use it within a week. Throw it away sooner if the smell, colour or texture changes. If you are adding a preservative, follow the manufacturer’s guidance carefully, as the amount, pH requirements and shelf life vary between products. This is intended for minor skin irritations only. Do not spray it into the eyes, and seek proper medical help for deep wounds, infected skin or signs of a serious allergic reaction.

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