#rememberingfuturesinterests

For a long time I've been making experiments in Electronic Music. Many projects have been created and abandoned, as I think is the nature of the work. Often, the work ends up being an experiment, and it is abandoned when the author paints himself into a corner. Other times, I think, maybe I become so sick of working on something that I start to think it sounds terrible, even though it may not be so bad. I dunno. I have done a lot of experimenting, though. That's for sure. It's difficult to evaluate the work when I take so long to create it that I lose my original direction. I'm also an "island", you could say. I have met few people who share my interests in producing electronic music, and even then, only recently, when I've been trying my hand at this for ten years.

I ran across some recent news that experiments with thyme have shown interesting results. The buzz is that thyme is effective against bacteria that cause acne, and it seems more effective than benzoyl peroxide, which is the active ingredient in most acne treatments.

It seems that we've long known about the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of this herb, so the news shouldn't be too surprising. Still, many dermatologists are cautioning against home use of the herb as a treatment, some claiming that we are very far from knowing its effects and being able to use it as a treatment.

This is kind of confusing to me. We know it has historically worked as a general treatment for a long time. I checked toxicity reports and it doesn't seem to be very dangerous. Thymol, derived from the plant, is one of the active ingredients in Listerine. I'm sure there's a ways to go before specifics are determined regarding how it's effectiveness might change in combination with other substances, but the usefulness of the plant seems pretty legit to me.

So I thought I'd try my own experiment.

I get occasional acne when my hair gets longer when I use certain hair products. I've made a thyme tincture to see how it works for this and other general purposes.

Tinctures are easy to make, by the way. All you need is the herb and a solvent for it. I just used a bottle of cheap, 80 proof vodka as a solvent. Put the dried herb in a jar, pour the vodka over it, and leave it in a cool, dark place for about two weeks. Shake it around gently every few days. Make sure that the herb is dried, because sometimes the water in fresh leaves can harbor bacteria. (Though I wonder if that would be the case for an antibacterial herb?)

I'm not pretending to cancel out advances in medicine here by going back to herbal remedies, but sometimes you just don't need much. Maybe a bit of this stuff on a cotton swab will help with acne, and maybe if I have a small cut or wound that might need attention, I can use this as an antiseptic. If I get around to making any body creams or soaps, I might be able to take advantage of the thyme as a useful additive to them. Simple stuff.