Beating Dandruff with Tea Tree: Melaleuca for Health and Beauty
I totally understand why Tea Tree has been called a panacea herb. I’ve used it for everything from household cleaning solutions to curing infections and driving off flus and colds to clearing the air and setting sacred space. Just this week I added a drop of Tea Tree essential oil to the bit of red […]
Elderberry and Flower Not Just for Flu: Using Elder for a Variety of Complaints
Modern herbalists turn to Elder during flu and cold season as a powerful preventative and cure. Elderberries are added to teas for daily consumption to build the body’s strength, citing scientific studies that show Elderberries help strengthen cell walls by mitigating the damage done by free radicals through the antioxidant constituents anthocyanins (Cejpek). They’re added […]
How the Energetics of Elderberry and Elder Flower Prevent Flu
Modern herbalists turn to Elder during flu and cold season as a powerful preventative and cure. Elderberries are added to teas for daily consumption to build the body’s strength, citing scientific studies that show Elderberries help strengthen cell walls by mitigating the damage done by free radicals through the antioxidant constituents anthocyanins (Cejpek). They’re added […]
Elderberries…Blessing from Elder and a Mighty Tasty Mead
The summer my boy turned four, I answered an ad for work as a part-time gardener, no experience needed. The job was simple, keep the farmer’s personal garden looking good. I was allowed to bring my boy along and set my own hours. It was perfect at the time. I could use some of my […]
Coffee: Myth, Folklore, and Magical Properties
Coffee’s history starts in Ethiopia, where his progenitor, a variety akin to today’s Coffea robusta, grew wild in the low-lying hills. Legend tells that around 600 C.E. a goat-herder named Kaldi noticed his goats became more lively and playful after having eaten the bright red berries of the coffee trees where they grazed. He tried […]
Coffee: Seriously Big Medicine
Grandma’s kitchen was bright. I remember sitting near a formica counter that was light blue, white, and yellow. I was eight. I sat up in my chair feeling very grown up as I requested my very first coffee. “Does your mother let you drink coffee?” Grandma asked. “Oh, yes, with breakfast all the time,” I […]
Hawthorn: Energetic Properties and Use
Hawthorn berry, or Haw, is often included in Western herbal formulas for heart and circulatory conditions. When I first started working with Hawthorn, one of my teachers described it as an adaptogen. Back then, the term adaptogen described an herb that helped the body to balance or normalize it’s systems…any system. Western herbalists have been […]
Hawthorn for a Broken Heart: Family Herbalism for the Soul
A few years ago, my best friend of 12 years passed on. She had been my constant companion, confidant, and biggest supporter, loving me unconditionally even when I made mistakes. Her passing came as a huge shock; she’d been in apparent good health despite her advanced age. Her name was Buttercup, and she was a […]
Pumpkin Spice Soup: Curry-style Blended Soup for Fall
Fall is the time for Pumpkin Spice. Most of the spicy treats you’ll see are sweet takes on this popular blend of cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg. This soup, however, is a far more savory affair strongly influenced by the techniques of Indian cooking. Pumpkins are by nature quite bland. They make a good backdrop […]
113.Herb Lab – Digestive Health with Thomas Easley
Bitters have been heralded as a key for good digestion for millennia and for good reason. Just a few drops of bitters under the tongue can mean a world of difference to gut health. Although herbalists and nutritionists have been talking about their importance, the average person sometimes has trouble incorporating them into everyday life.
Pumpkin Spice Chai: Easy, 5-minute Recipe
I love Chai. Who doesn’t? The challenge with making chai is that to do it right, you’ve got to slow down and focus. Some days, that’s just not viable for me. Fall, when the kids are back to school and Harvest season is quickly winding into winter preparations, is one time of year when it’s […]
Oregon Grape Herbal Remedy: Practical Use of Energetics
Over the past decade or so, Oregon Grape has become the go-to for a lot of herbalists for its anti-biotic prowess. Scientific study has shown that Oregon Grape has a lot of berberine, much like Barberry and Goldenseal, making it a good substitute for either in many minds. The problem is, Oregon Grape Root doesn’t […]