Deep Relaxation
The night after a big test or competition ought to include a good, deep, restful sleep, but in my household, it rarely does. We celebrate, of course, and go over all the details of the victory or defeat many times, reliving it in our minds and speech for hours afterward. By the time I finally […]
Lavender Massage Oil
My favorite way to make lavender massage oil is to steep fresh flowers in olive or almond oil for three to four weeks. But, fresh lavender flowers aren’t available year-round where I live. Too often, I miss my chance to pick them fresh amidst my crazy summer activities. So, I devised this simple recipe for […]
Lavender Goodnight Spritzer Recipe
The isopropyl alcohol in this spray acts as a preservative and helps the essential oils evaporate relatively quickly. In dry climates, like the Mojave Desert, you can reduce the amount of isopropyl alcohol considerably because the spray will be less likely to leave your linens damp. Lavender is a strong disinfectant on its own, so […]
Zombie Nightmares
Episode IV After New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Atlanta fell to Virus Z , people flooded our town. With them came the virus, of course. Just like so many of you, we were shocked when it did. Shocked that the wild news stories we’d heard were real. Shocked that it swept into our […]
Black Eye Treatment – Herbal First Aid
Accidents happen. Most people aren’t lucky enough to go through life without getting at least one shiner. A black eye is basically a bruise around the outside of the eye. Technically known as a periorbital hematoma, it’s basically a facial bruise caused, as are all bruises, by bleeding under the skin.The delicate tissue around the […]
Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman
Best audience for Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long: Gardeners who want to make the most of their year Candace said: I love how Coleman has laid out a surprisingly reasonable strategy for gardening all year long. In the area I live in now, the thought isn’t so foreign as […]
Athlete’s Foot Spritzer
Foot fungus is easy to heal with proactive management. This natural spray is inexpensive to make and easy to use. It combines yarrow with powerful essential oils to dry out the fungus while encouraging our own immune systems to fight against further infection. The vinegar base does wonders to stabilize our natural pH balance. The […]
The Medicine Chest of the Desert: Larrea tridentata
Chaparral, Creosote Bush, La Gobernadora, Hedionillo…the many names of the wonder plant I mostly call Chaparral. Each names refers to some quality of this plant – where it lives, what it smells like (to some people), its governing position over other plants in the Desert Southwest, and the fact that to some it is simply, […]
Poisoning Zombies
Episode III One of my more recent discoveries in the field of Zombie Eradication has been the power of the Old World’s herbal concoctions for killing zombies and the virus that creates them. Take Four Thieves Vinegar, rumored to be the ultimate plague defense in the European middle ages. It was a simple vinegar infusion […]
Caring for Strained or Tired Muscles with Saint John’s Wort
When I started taekwondo, I held onto the fantasy that one day, maybe even before I’d earned my black belt, I would outgrow strained muscles. It got me through those early days when every movement brought on a chorus of painful protest from my poor body. Training has definitely made my body stronger, more fit, […]
How to Make an Herbal Cold Infusion: Moon Tea
There are many ways to make a great cup of tea. Usually, just dropping a bag of herbs into hot water is fine. Those who know their plants realize one brewing technique does not fit all. St. John’s wort flowers, nettle leaves or lemon balm leaves are excellent examples of deeply healing herbs that lose […]
Mushroom Santa Claus – The Shoestring Herbalist
Autumn is mushroom season. The valley I live in gets lots of rain and is surrounded with beautiful forests. This is the valley of fungi. For the Shoestring Herbalist, this means it’s time to get busy. It may seem driving out to the woods to spend hours rooting around on your hands and knees for […]