Beardy Beard Oil
A good beard oil nourishes facial hair and skin, tightens pores, and moisturizes without leaving behind an oily residue. This blend does just that with the added bonus of a woodsy scent with just a hint of clove. This recipe is designed to make a single small bottle. You can scale up the recipe, store […]
High Ache Balm: Cannabis Salve for Achey Joints
Cannabis makes a terrific topical, especially when paired with Solomon’s Seal. Together, they ease the muscles and tendons and help the body purge inflammation, thus reducing pain while the joints recover. This blend uses a bit of cottonwood or Balm of Gilead both for its anti-inflammatory and its preservative properties. A dash of lavender essential […]
Chai Masala Syrup or Chai Tea Syrup
I love Chai, or spiced tea, especially the home-style kind I learned to make ages ago. It’s sooooo much nicer than the store-bought flavors in part because of its simplicity. Still, there are days when I just don’t have the time or tools to make a good cuppa Simple Chai. That’s when I’m grateful for […]
Saint John’s Wort: Antidepressant and So Much More
Hypericum perforatum – Hypericaeceae familya.k.a.: Klamath weed, Goat’s weed, Qian Ceng Lou, Fuga Daenomun Most people think of Saint John’s wort as an antidepressant. It is, but this herb offers so much more. This durable plant helps soothe the nervous system, bolster the immune system, and battles bacteria and viruses to boot. Saint John’s Wort […]
Ginger: Warming Spice for Health and Life
Zingiber officinalis – Ginger familya.k.a.: Race Ginger, Black Ginger, Zingiber, Jamaican Ginger, Jake Root Ginger is one of those warming herbs we too often take for granted. It shows up in cuisine that covers the globe. Thanks to the Spice Trail and later international spice trade, this anti-inflammatory, warming digestive spice has been working magic […]
Lavender: Perfume with a Medicinal Punch
Lavender’s versatility through the centuries has made it a consistent favorite. Today, its balsamic, earthy, floral scent is added to a variety of beauty and cleaning products for its disinfectant as well as its relaxation properties. It can ward off a variety of bacterias and viruses, including staph, while it calms the nervous system. Lavender soothes as it heals.
Fall to Winter Transition Tea: Build Immunity, Stay Healthy
This is a slow-cooker recipe. You can make it on the stove top as a standard decoction using the same ratio of herb to water. Here’s what’s in it and why: Astragalus – This is a good adaptogen specializing in the immune system and upper body, according to Dr. Courtney Connell of Acupuncture Therapy. It’s […]
Elder: Boundary Keeper
Sambucus canadenses, Sambucus nigra a.k.a. Black Elderberry, Blue Elderberry, North American Elder, European Elder Back in 400 B.C.E, Hippocrates called elder his “medicine chest.” Since then, it’s donned the moniker the “country people’s medicine chest” with good reason. Elder’s skill at tending gateways is more than folklore. Elder keeps viruses at bay by blocking them […]
Dandelion: Herbal Medicine Rooted in Your Front Yard
Taraxacum officinale a.k.a. Fairy Clock, Piss-a-bed, Piscialetto, Pissenlit Few plants can fill the herbalist’s heart with such joy as the common dandelion. Dandelion’s sunny yellow flowers open every morning with a familiarly radiant head on their own hollow stems. The toothed green leaves grow in a rosette form on most lawns and byways. These leaves […]
Build an Herbal First Aid Kit: How to Choose Plant Medicine Wisely
We like to think that first aid kits are universal and you can just put together a list of tools and medicines that’ll cover whatever crisis arises. That is one approach you can take. It may work just fine for you…and it may not. Practical herbalists know that from a very practical and experience-based perspective. […]
Safe and Easy 5-day Cleanse
Fasting and cleansing are a normal and natural part of life for all species, humans included. That doesn’t mean we need to be doing special diets all the time. One to four times a year is plenty to help your body maintain general health through out a lifetime.
Easy Colon Cleanse Formula
Once in awhile, it’s a good idea to offer your large intestine, or colon, a bit of support. One of my favorite ways to do that is to do a simple five-day cleanse and include this Colon Cleanse formula as a part of the fast.