Herbs: How Did We Get Here?

People have used herbs for thousands of years, for a wide variety of purposes, including for cooking, perfumes, currency, disinfectants and of course medicinal remedies.

Ancient Herb Garden

You may well have a ceramic or glass jar and/or a herb window box in your kitchen full of herbs from your herb garden. Cookery books nowadays have a myriad of recipes that include herbs.

Commercial Herbs Growing In Pots

People over time have learned to use herbs from ancient chroniclers. Hippocrates, the famous Greek doctor for example, regularly used herbal remedies, as did the Druids long before the Romans invaded England. 

In the Middle Ages monks in Europe grew their own herbs and in the 17th century Nicholas Culpeper published a book showing ordinary people how to prepare their own medicinal herbal remedies.

The value of using herbs for medicinal purposes has long been proven. Drinking herbal tea for example, is one of the most effective ways to treat a variety of common ailments, such as insomnia and indigestion.

Polmac Wooden Herb Pots With Lift-Off Lids

 

Some herbs today are being used to develop affordable, alternative medicines that can fight cancer, stress and other mental health issues, with fewer side effects that are often associated with traditional drugs.

Herbs are used extensively today in food and medicine and are so popular that many businesses grow them exclusively to sell into an ever expanding market.

By using only a small selection of herbs, you can 'spice up' and add more flavour to your food, take charge of your own health, improve the quality of your life and live longer. Isn't that what we all want?

For information about Polmac (UK) Ltd customized, wooden herb boxes and herb pots...CLICK HERE       

Japanese Bowls - Stylish & Elegant Eating!

Ceramic bowls and dishes are used at every meal in Japan and lend a degree of elegance and charm to the eating experience. The Japanese also believe that a beautiful bowl, or dish adds flavour to food and makes eating more of a pleasure.

Japanese rice bowls, 'Miso' soup bowls, noodle bowls, serving bowls and tea bowls make great gifts because all Japanese use them, so they're readily available and inexpensive. They often come in  in wood gift boxes as nested sets, so just shop around and choose the ones that you like.

Japanese Ceramic Bowls

Japanese bowls are made from a variety of materials, like ceramics, wood and even plastic. However,  porcelain bowls are the most popular and these are always at the centre of Japanese meals. 

The Japanese like to eat rice as a staple and they'll often do so separately from the main course but if you like Italian food, just put some pesto, vegetables, or pasta into your bowl and no-one will take any notice.  

Japanese Tea Ceremony

The Japanese 'Chawan' bowl is used to drink green tea called 'Matcha' in the Japanese tea ceremony. This probably originated centuries ago when the first tea bowls and tea were imported from China. However, Japanese tea bowls soon developed their own distinctive style and character. 

Japanese bowls are versatile, elegant and suitable for every day use, so impress your friends and family by giving them meals with that authentic Japanese touch! 

For information about Polmac (UK) Ltd customized, wood presentation boxes for Japanese ceramic bowls and china and glassware, please CLICK HERE     

 

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How Essential Are Aromatherapy Carrier Oils?

Aromatherapy carrier oils are used to apply, or 'carry' essential oils onto the skin. They're often called base oils, or vegetable oils and are extracted from nuts, kernels and seeds. In a practitioners  essential oil carrying case, they're usually kept in large bottles!

Carrier oils are extracted by cold pressing and unlike essential oils are non volatile. In aromatherapy and massage, they're used to dilute highly concentrated essential oils and absolutes, before being applied to the skin. 

Aromatherapy Carrier Oils

Absolutes are concentrated oily plant extracts, similar to essential oils, that are also used in the perfume industry.

Concentrated essential oils and absolutes can cause severe skin irritations and reactions to some people, if applied directly to the skin undiluted. It's therefore important that they're applied by a professionally qualified practitioner!

Different types of carrier oils have different therapeutic properties and characteristics. These will include aroma, colour and shelf life, so the choice of carrier oils will depend on the therapeutic benefits desired. 

Polmac Single-Tier Aromatherapy Starter Kits

What is formulated could be a simple essential oil blend, a more complex natural moisturizing skin care product, such as a lotion, cream or lip balm. 

Carrier oils like essential oils should be kept in dark coloured air tight bottles and stored in a cool dark place, for maximum shelf life. Carrier oils have a relatively short shelf life compared to essential oils, so they must be stored correctly! 

Many practitioners like to keep their essential oils, carrier oils and accessories in a special essential oil carrying case, made from wood, because natural wood compliments the 'essential' organic nature of the aromatherapy business!

For more information about Polmac (UK) Ltd customized, wood aromatherapy boxes, practitioner cases and starter kits, please CLICK HERE

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Tea Caddy Fightback!

Household tea storage was originally supplied in small containers or jars, often with tea caddy spoon. In Europe, the earliest tea caddies were made from Chinese porcelain and also from china clay with classic blue and white designs.

Chinese Porcelain Tea Caddy with Stopper

Later, a variety of materials such as wood, pewter, tortoise shell, brass, copper and even silver were used. From the late 18th century, tea caddies made from exotic hardwoods such as mahogany and rosewood were very popular.

The word 'tea caddy' derived from the Malay word 'kati', which was a measure of weight. However, up until about 1800 tea caddies were called 'tea canisters'.

Polmac Traditional Wooden Tea Caddies

Georgian tea caddies were often embelished with polished brass trim, as well as ivory, ebony and silver inlay, to provide that extra special mark of quality.  

Many earthenware tea caddies were made in Delft, a small town in Holland that had distinctive blue and white Dutch motifs such as windmills and people in traditional national costume. 

Factories in England also produced high quality earthenware tea caddies. However, as jars for green and black teas became less popular, wooden tea caddies with locks and keys were used.  

As the modern era approached, it was important for manufacturers to brand their products, as competition was fierce. This could be more easily achieved using wood tea caddies.  

Polished brass locks are still used today, particularly for high-end tea caddies but they're expensive and labour intensive. Plated metal catches are more often used these days, as they're inexpensive, readily available and do the job just as well! 

In todays disposable society, traditional wooden tea caddies are becoming more and more popular, as people try to find more distinctive and better quality containers for their favourite loose teas!

For more information about Polmac (UK) Ltd tea caddies and tea boxes CLICK HERE

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Horn Cutlery Boxes - Never 'Boaring'!

For centuries, bone, cow and ram horn, boar tusks and deer antlers have been used for making tools and other implements.

Ancient Roman horn clasp knives have been found in England and Chaucer wrote about a 'Thwytel', or knife in the 14th century, which was probably hafted in horn or bone.

Stag Antlers Lock in Battle

From the start, horn cutlery makers obtained their materials from local 'Knackers Yards', slaughter men and / or when cattle were 'de-horned'.

A major trade in stag antlers also flourished between gamekeepers and wardens in England and Scotland, although the main supplies came from London auction houses.

The Victorians substantially improved the quality of horn cutlery and began to sell their products in cutlery boxes and cutlery gift sets. 

 Polmac Abbeyhorn Cutlery Set

The finest horn cutlery was beautifully crafted in polished steel with silver plated ferrules and handle caps. So, horn cutlery became very popular, particularly in England, for all types of cutlery.

Deer horn has always been popular in the cutlery industry, because it has a fine, contrasting appearance and a visually appealing, wire-like texture. Early supplies of deer horn in England and Scotland mainly came from local deer parks.

Unfortunately, fashions changed and in the late 1920's prices for stag horn and bone rose sharply and it became extremely difficult to sell horn cutlery at that time, except in small quantities.

All the major manufacturers started using synthetic materials, like plastic, celluloid, rubber and metal alloys, in place of horn, because they were more readily available and a lot cheaper.

However, the stag horn cutlery and bone cutlery industries never completely disappeared and survived by catering for more discerning tastes.

However, in recent times the use of horn, bone, tusk and antlers in cutlery, particularly in England and Scotland has revived.

More and more people are looking for premium quality cutlery products that are different and more refined, even though the slightly higher prices may be a 'bone of contention'! 

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