LINDEN TREE FLOWERS

The linden tree flowers are an aromatic, sweet, mucilaginous herb with diuretic, expectorant & calming properties, lowering blood pressure & increasing perspiration.

The flowers are traditionally used for hypertension, they have general sedative effect, calming the digestive system, reducing respiratory mucus in colds & flu, boosting the cardiovascular system, as well as to relieve headache & migraine complaints.
It is found by many to be helpful for coughs, fevers, inflammation, general tonic & to soothe nerves.
In general this herb is thought of as soothing, relaxing & promoting feelings of happiness.

RECIPES:

To treat colds, coughs & flu, combine with yarrow, sage, elderflowers.

Warming Happiness Tea:

handful of linden tree flowers
1 orange, wash & slice
sprinkle of cinnamon or bit of cinnamon bark
Place the herbs & orange & cinnamon into the heat proof jug.
Pour over ~1 l boiling water, let infuse, covered 5-10 min. Drink while warm with honey.

For sensitive or tired eyes you can use eye washes made from blueberries, or linden flowers to ease reddening & itchiness.
Take a handful of flowers, add to 1 cup of boiling water, cover & leave for 10 minutes.
Strain & use the liquid to make warm compresses for the eyes.

Calming Linden Flower Bath:

Simmer a handful of linden flowers in 1 l of water for 15 minutes,
cover & leave to infuse for another 10 minutes.
Strain & add to the bathwater.
Linden flowers added to a bath lift depression & calm nervousness.

MAGIC:

Because of the heart shaped leaves, the flowers & wood of linden are used in love spells.
It is also used for protection & good luck purposes.
Growing a linden tree in a garden or near a house keeps negative energies & evil spirits away.
Often times, good luck charms are carved out of the wood of the tree.
In Celtic time right up to the middle ages, the linden tree was considered sacred & it was common for judicial cases to be heard while the court sat under a linden tree as it was said to inspire fairness & justice.
Linden trees were planted by royal decree along many roads to ensure that the harvest of its flowers was plentiful, as it was used a lot for its medicinal properties.
Sitting under linden tree was said to cure epilepsy & other nervous illnesses.
For pre-Christian Germans it was an object of worship since the linden tree was associated with Freya, the guardian of life & goddess of fortune, love & truth. Therefore her tree was considered a tree of peace & it often formed the central meeting place of many villages & rural communities. Furthermore, legend has it that it cannot be struck by lightning since Freya is the wife of Wodan, the main god of the Germanic pantheon.
On a spiritual level, Linden is renowned as a tree herb which can help relieve grief & induce feelings of vibrancy & youthfulness. To appreciate these qualities it is said that you should carry a small bag, filled with dried Linden leaves, or that you place them under your pillow.