It is soothing & healing to irritated, inflamed or delicate skin, with some anticeptic qualities. . (Organic Beauty by Josephine Fairley)

This well known garden plant is probably one of the most useful of all herbs. It has valuable medicinal properties, yIelds a yellow dye and can be used in culinary and for cometic purposes. The botanical name comes from the latin calendulea or calends meaning though out the months, which was intended to emphasise the very long flowering period of the marigold.

Anti-inflammatory: antiseptic. (The Encyclopedia of Herbs & Herbalism edited by Malcolm Stuart)

Emollient, Moisturiser. Extracted from the honey comb of the bee. (Cosmetics Unmasked by Dr Stephen & Gina Antczak)

Richly lubricating and emollient. . (Organic Beauty by Josephine Fairley)

It was once believed that growing sunflowers near your home gave protection against malaria, which may be explained by the fact that an infusion of the flowers has weak insecticidal properties. (The Encyclopedia of Herbs & Herbalism - edited by Malcolm Stuart)

Unopened flower buds can be boiled and eaten with butter in the same way as Artichokes. The leaves when dried may be used as a substitute for cigar tobacco. (The Encyclopedia of Herbs & Herbalism - edited by Malcolm Stuart)

Highly compatible with skin, this is an excellent moisturizer with skin healing properties. (Organic Beauty by Josephine Fairley)

For the technical amongst you; Shea butter is an excellent emollient for personal care applications. Its unique combination of triglycerides and minor lipid components make it an ideal choice for functional cosmetic products. Its rich content of bio-active triterpene esters such as lupeol and amyrin cinnamates provide beneficial effects including anti-irritancy, anti-inflammatory and enhanced UV-B protection. (Jarchem Industries inc)

Jojoba (simmondsia chinensis)

Jojoba Oil (pronounced "ho-HO-bah"), is a desert shrub that can reach up to 4.5 metres high and typically lives more than 150 years, producing nuts that yield half their volume in oil.

"Engineers think the oil has potential as a motor fuel because it releases a lot of energy when it burns and is chemically stable at the high temperatures and pressures in a working engine.

To test jojoba in engines, Mohamed Selim and his colleagues at the United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain and at the Helwan University in Cairo, connected an array of sensors to a diesel engine and monitored its performance while burning regular diesel fuel. They then ran the engine on a fuel called jojoba methyl ester, which they made simply by adding a dash of methanol and a catalyst to raw jojoba oil. Selim says jojoba is worth pursuing as an alternative fuel because it contains less carbon than fuels like diesel, which means lower emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and soot." ( scouce - New scientist.com )

Rose Geranium (pelagonium graveolens)

"Rose Geranium has a delightful fragrance, which when applied to the lips is remenisent of old style lipsticks. Apart from all this, just about all essential oils are anti bacterial which is a wonderful bonus!

But best of all, Rose Geranium works wonders on the skin. It is traditionally used for combination skin as it has the ability to balance sebum secretion. It is also said to help balance hormone secretion and as such is often used to counteract pre menstral and menopausal problems."

by Glenda Taylor