Withanolides in Ashwagandha: How it Works
The key, as far as modern science is concerned, may lay within a chemical structure known as Withanolides. Ashwagandha roots and berries are filled with withanolides.. Traditionally, both have been used as daily tonics, but Ashwagandha roots have always been considered the primary source for good Ashwagandha medicine. Modern researchers have backed this wisdom by showing that Ashwagandha roots, as opposed to the berries or any other part of the plant, contain a very high percentage of withanolides.
How to Make Cavaleras: Sugar Skulls to Make at Home
In my home, we celebrate Dinner with the Dead each Halloween. Our feast includes Ancestors from this lifetime and others as well as a few Folk who may not be as clearly related but are nevertheless dear to me. We honor our departed guests using a patchwork of traditions. The celebration changes a bit each […]
Meadowsweet Myth, Magic, History, and Folklore
Meadowsweet, aka Filipendula ulmaria, has a long history among those who doctor or assist in healing, including Mom’s through the ages. Part of the beauty this stately shrub brings to the stage is an ability to help the body detoxify and alkalize, soothe and tone, and perhaps most especially relieve pain.
Oregon Grape and Burdock Treats for Digestive Health
Oregon Grape is an evergreen shrubby plant that grows through the Pacific Northwest as well as other temperate areas across North America. It’s a strongly protective plant with prickly, Holly-like leaves and a strong does of berberine running through it’s woody parts. It’s best known in popular-herbal culture as a more sustainable substitute for Goldenseal […]
Rose Geranium Essential Oil for Emotional and Physical Healing
I love working with Geranium essential oil, although I am sensitive. For me, Geranium can aggravate my system if I use too much of it, so it’s rarely the dominant energy in the blends I use for myself. Instead, I balance Geranium’s sweet, floral fragrance with earthy scents like Atlas Cedarwood, Frankincense, and Vetiver. Those […]
Umckaloabo, Rose Geranium, and Geranium Herbal Remedies
Umckaloabo sounds like a wonderfully silly remedy you might find in a child’s apothecary, right next to the mini tea set and mud pies. It truth, umckaloabo and rose geranium are powerful home remedies modern herbalists would be wise to get to know. Where does Umckaloabo and Rose Geranium grow? Pelargonium sidiodes, as umckaloabo is […]
Medicinal Mushrooms: Learn about Health Benefits and Use.
Mycellium pack a ton of nutrition and medicine into their fruiting bodies or Mushrooms. Most of us are used to and absolutely comfortable with a few mushrooms on or pizza or added to stir-fry, but we don’t often think of those as particularly medicinal. The real medicine comes from the stuff that tastes bitter and earthy, like Reishi or Turkey Tail, right?
Three Grocery Store Mushrooms with Surprising Health Benefits
What do White or Button mushrooms, Crimini or Brown mushrooms, and Portobello mushrooms have in common?
They’re actually the same mushroom at various stages of development. Agaricus bisporus is the official name for the common grocery store mushroom most of us are familiar with.
Medicinal properties of Shiitake, Lentinula Edodes Health Benefits
Shiitake Mushrooms are not exactly what you think of when an Herbalist starts talking about Medicinal Mushrooms…but they really ought to be! They’re loaded with safe and gentle medicinal properties that the wiser Herbalists use regularly to prevent illness and restore balance when needed.
Lemon Balm History, Folklore, Myth and Magic: Magic of Melissa
Lemon balm has a long history, dating back to ancient Turkey where it was planted near bee hives to encourage the bees to return home to the hive rather than swarm away. It’s name, Melissa officinalis, is derived from the Greek word Melissa, meaning honeybee, and it was planted and used by the beekeepers of […]
Rhodiola rosea Energetics: TCM, Ayurveda, Western Herbalism
Stout, sunny, and strong, Rhodiola rosea or Roseroot is a steadfast friend through cold, dark times. We humans have been partnering with Rhodiola for centuries to help us survive and even thrive in climates and conditions that are particularly cold and weakening, heavy and challenging, dark and unbalanced…in a word: Stressful. Modern herbalists reach for […]
Better Bittering for Beers: Brewing Better Herbal Beers
Hops have been the bittering herbs for beer for a few centuries now. In more recent years here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s as if brewers have gotten drunk off the bitter Hops brings to the feremeter- Extreme IPA has become the standard beer here, with extreme being the important element in that moniker. These beers are quite medicinal in strength. Between the higher alcohol levels that draw higher levels of medicinal constituents out of the hops and the sheer volume of hops brewers are using, Extreme IPA beers are starting to taste more like tinctures than like beers. If that’s your jam, great. But, if hops isn’t the best herb for you, it’ll come as a relief to know that there are a lot of other herbs you can try!