The Restorative Bath of Lady Mantle!

Lady's Mantle

Lady's Mantle has a very extensive history of use for healing an assortment of ailments: from wounds and bruises, to vomiting and other stomach problems, as well as many women's complaints.

One of the most curious and funny uses I found was from good old Culpeper who said, 'such women that have large breasts, causing them to grow less and hard, being both drank and outwordly applied'.

In the book Folk-Lore of Women by Thomas Firminger Thiselton-Dyer  (1906) it is said that Lady's Mantle 'was once in great repute with ladies; for, according to Hoffman, it had the power of restoring  beauty, however faded, to its early freshness'.  This last quote of course perked my interest and off I zoomed through the web... Here is a wonderful Eye Bath recipe that I was able to uncover and discover...

Lady's Mantle Eye Pads

To soothe and revitalize tired, inflamed, puffy or watery eyes. Put 1½ tablespoons each of ground dried lady's mantle and ground dried fennel in a bowl and pour in a generous ½ cup of boiling water. Leave to infuse for about 10 minutes. Strain and use while still warm: thoroughly soak 2 cotton pads, or 2 or 3pieces of lint layered together, in the infusion, and place them on the eyes for at least 10 minutes. Gently dab the eyes with cold water. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but warm through before re-use.

Happy Ablution!