Rose Geranium Essential Oil for Emotional and Physical Healing
I love working with Geranium essential oil, although I am sensitive. For me, Geranium can...
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Tag: HNS-Society Articles
Umckaloabo, Rose Geranium, and Geranium Herbal Remedies
Umckaloabo sounds like a wonderfully silly remedy you might find in a child's apothecary, right...
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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?
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Wood Ear Mushroom for Daily Use: The TCM Approach to Yin Er
Before I launch into a detailed discussion of all the lovely health benefits of using the wild mushroom known in English as Wood Ear (Latin name: Tremella fuciformis), I want to talk a little bit about the Chinese name. The Chinese term is Yin Er, which literally translates as Silver Ear. It is worth noting that the word “Yin/银” or silver, in this context, is a homophone for a different “Yin/陰” which is the Yin from Yin-Yang.
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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.
Traditional Chinese Formulation with Poria: Support Digestion, Drain Damp
One of the most commonly used ingredients in Chinese herbal formulas is the fungus known as Poria cocos in Latin, and also called China root, Indian bread, and just poria. It is the primary herb in the “drain dampness” category.
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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.
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Kvass for Beginners: Easy Probiotics for Digestion and Immunity
Full of lactic acid, anti-oxidants, and digestive fire, kvass is an old tonic fermented either from rye bread or beetroot. It’s a household mainstay in Eastern Europe, and is sold commercially in multiple countries. Recipes are simple enough to make at home.
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Rhodiola rosea Energetics: TCM, Ayurveda, Western Herbalism
Stout, sunny, and strong, Rhodiola rosea or Roseroot is a steadfast friend through cold, dark...
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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!
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Making Honey into Wine: Mead for Herbalists
Mead, strictly speaking, is made with honey, water, and yeast. Nothing more. It’s a fabulously medicinal and Divinely Delicious medicine in its own right. Truly, I could write a book just on the virtues of Mead, as have many enthusiasts and experts already done. Mead combines the medicinal properties of Honey, which are plentiful, with the gut-friendly medicine of fermentation. A glass a day of mead can help improve digestive health and prevent a wide variety of digestive complaints.
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Kombucha Howto: Fermented Home Remedies for Herbalists
It’s come to my attention recently that many folks don’t know what Kombucha is. I was shocked, but upon reflecting over the past decade since I first began drinking it I realized that it wasn’t until I moved out to Eugene, Hippy-Capital of the World, that I discovered this amazing fermentation.
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Berries as Herbal Medicine: Links, Videos, Berry Herbal Remedies
Read this article and all of our other Herbal Nerd Society Content. Become a Member Today. Join Us...
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Cranberry for Phytochemical Protection: How it works
Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait) is one of the most cultivated fruits in the western upper regions of North America. Today bogs and terms like “superfruit” are associated with cranberry. But only within the past few decades has the phytochemical composition of cranberry been widely recognized and studied. Now it is known among the scientific community as a viable antioxidant and a treatment for urinary tract infections.
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Schizandra Berry formulas based on Traditional Chinese Medicine
The schisandra berry is a delightful, and delicious, addition to an herbalist’s toolkit. Before I describe in detail all the abilities and applications of this herb, I want to share my personal experience of schisandra.
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