Witch Hazel Lost and Found
My grandmother loved witch hazel. It was one of her cure alls. She had a big bottle of it in her bathroom that she brought out to treat every thing from burns to bites to bruises. As a child of the modern world, I assumed it was up to me to show disdain for these […]
Ballot Box Medicine – The Shoestring Herbalist
To the passionate, politics are a necessary evil. As a passionate herbalist, I find myself drenched with politics on a weekly basis. The free clinic that I volunteer at as an herbalist is political. The workshops that I give on herbs and nutrition are political. Any one that has listened to Real Herbalism Radio podcasts […]
Sugar Plum Fairy Liqueur
I developed Sugar Plum Fairy Liqueur after a friend shared a basket of plums with me. Her tree was producing heavily that year. We both were unsure how to preserve the harvest. After a few batches of chutney and jam, I still had a bowl of plums staring at me defiantly. I chucked them in […]
Flu Fights in the Shadow of EV-D68 – Shoestring Herbalist
Autumn is here and the staff at my clinic are gearing up for a big cold and flu season. Last year we passed out gallons on elderberry syrup in 2 ounce bottles that was donated by a local herb company. This year we plan to follow the same path but with a bit more complexity. […]
Keeping Bugs at Bay – The Shoestring Herbalist
Summer is a buggy time. I love the ones outside. Dragonflies, bees, spiders and butterflies are eye catching beauties. I also like the ones other people disdain – ants, soldier flies, wasps and moths. Many is the time I have discovered a critter that I never noticed before and run to my bug book to […]
Zucchini Bread Extraordinaire
Zucchini bread is the blessing of summer. It is a quick and filling breakfast as well as satisfying dessert. My problem with most zucchini bread recipes is that they are too sweet, too dry or too nutty. I like the flavor of nuts but the texture doesn’t combine well with the a good sweet bread. […]
Busting Out in Blueberries
This month has been fabulous for blueberries in the Willamette Valley: A few weeks of sun followed by rainy days then again by more sun. Usually, blueberries are shriveled by the end of July and it’s time for blackberry picking. This year was great for fruit in general. It’s almost August and there are still […]
Cheating with Ice in Summer – The Shoestring Herbalist
I am a cheater. Summer jumps up from behind me and, suddenly, I have too much food and herbs to put by than time to process it. Sometimes I need a tincture tomorrow I haven’t started today. Sometimes, a plant just holds on despite my coaxing. These are cheatin’ times. My freezer is my partner […]
Rosacea Facial Rinse
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that causes red, blotchy patches resembling acne or sunburn on facial skin. It’s most common for fair-skinned women starting at the age of 30 or 40 years. When it occurs in men, the condition can become more severe. Doctors commonly prescribe antibiotics for rosacea with limited success. Although the […]
Soft Water Blues
I live in a soggy area. Like most continental curls of geography, this section of Oregon does a great job of collecting rain clouds. The soil is rich and spongy due to years of volcanic activity. This is a boon to the farmer and the backyard gardener. The water here is soft. Soap lathers up […]
Cherries with a Side Order of St. John’s Wort
The Practical Herbalist® team headed out to the hills last week to pick cherries at a local farm, Detering Orchards in Harrisburg, Oregon, hosted the latest Practical Herbalist field trip. Cherries were early this year, and we gathered our buckets and bags to collect them. Although cherry is a traditional remedy for gout, our intentions were […]
Lemon Balm Smiles – The Shoestring Herbalist
I work at a free mobile clinic in town. It’s held in a 31 foot Blue Bird bus. Most of the time, patients show up because they have nowhere else to go. We are just a little urgent care unit that sets up camp in the park every Sunday for a few hours. To those […]