Category: S
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Speedwell (Veronica officinalis)
Infusion is useful for coughs and catarrh. As a lotion it is effective for skin eruptions and slow-healing wounds. Low creeping herb with pale blue flowers.
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Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
Effective, reliable remedy for headache and neuralgia. Good sedative for insomnia, restlessness, hysteria and convulsions. The upper round portion of the skull covering the brain. Also called calvaria.
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Scented geranium
Available in a tantalizing array of fragrances, they have charmed window gardeners since their introduction to England in the 17th century. Leaves used in potpourris, perfumes and for flavouring preserves. Scented geranium also known as Pelargonium spp.
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Sweet Fennel
Attractive lacy green foliage. Aromatic. Chopped leaves are excellent with oily fish, such as mackerel, eel and salmon, for they improve digestibility. Also used in soups, salads and stews. Fennel tea is given to infants for its calming and anti-flatulent effects. Sweet Fennel also known as F. Vulgare dulce.
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Sweet cicely
Sugar-saver. Sweet, anise-scented leaves and stalks (fresh or dried) adds delightful flavour to sweets and desserts, saving about half the sugar. Of particular interest to diabetics. This is an herb that is a member of the parsley family and is utilized to season a range of food and beverage items, such as the liqueur Chartreuse.…
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Salad Burnet
Nut-cucumber flavour of leaves is welcome in salads, soups, casseroles, herb vinegars and cream cheeses. Improves the skin if added to facial treatment.
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Sun protection factor
A number that indicates the relative length of time that a sunscreen product will protect you from sunburn compared with using no sunscreen. A product with an SPF of 15, for example, would allow you to stay in the sun without burning 15 times longer than if you didn’t apply sunscreen. A number indicating the…
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Sigmoidoscopy
A screening procedure to detect colon cancer and other abnormalities of the lower portion of the large intestine and of the rectum. The test is done by viewing the area with a long thin tube that is inserted into the rectum. Visual examination of the sigmoid colon with a sigmoidoscope. Examination of the colon immediately…
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Sulfur bath
A warm, therapeutic bath containing minerals.
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Stinging nettle slurry
An herbal slurry used in gardening to encourage beneficial insects.