Results for Category: Botanical
Sage Throughout the Ages: Discover Its History and Uses
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of sage? Food? Herbal support? For many, sage is known as an herb that elicits feelings of warmth and comfort. Its properties can also lower cholesterol, rebuild vitality and strength that has been lost during an illness, and it is a tonic […]
The Transforming Power of Clay for Animals
Clay has long proved a valuable companion to me. It taught me the art of baking delicious muddy pies that my mother would so kindl...
12 Traditional Herbs That Ease Pain
Over-the-counter pain relievers are a modern invention, but before they were available people relied on many different herbs to br...
8 Everyday Herbs of the Caribbean
Three months ago, my son and I came to live in Manzanillo, Costa Rica, a small beach town on the southern Caribbean coast. As a Western-trained herbalist, this for me has meant a daily education on an entirely new materia medica featuring herbs of the Caribbean—virtually none of my familiar temperate-climate plants thrive here! Fortunately, there […]
Creating a Local Materia Medica With Motherwort
Motherwort is the gift that keeps on giving in my garden. A member of the tenacious mint family (Lamiaceae), she self-seeds herself prodigiously. Her tenacity is nothing a little weeding can’t take care of, and in turn, I have set aside a designated patch where she can reseed to her heart’s content. Let’s learn how […]
Is Red Clover Safe During Pregnancy And Breastfeeding?
Sure, it’s a valuable herb for women (and men too), but is using red clover safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding? Genera...
Creating a Local Materia Medica With Plantain (+ Plantain Salve Recipe)
Part of the beauty of a local materia medica is its humility, and you can’t get much more humble than plantain (Plantago spp.). ...
Unlock the Power of Mint: A Family-Friendly Herb
Beautifully fragrant with a delightful taste, amazing mint (Mentha genus) is a helpful and welcome herb for everyone in the family. Right at home in a yummy cup of tea or in an herbal extract, the uses are simple to enjoy! There is a vast variety of mints to savor. Peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint, apple […]
Creating a Local Materia Medica with Yellow Dock
I had originally intended to write this month’s local materia medica about another herb entirely, but then I replaced the fence around the patio and stumbled upon a new plant to my land – yellow dock. Join me as I explain how to identify and use yellow dock in your local materia medica! Discovering Yellow Dock The aforementioned fence […]
How To Stay Cool Using Herbs
Summer is just around the corner, and many of us are looking forward to the seasonal activities that come along with it—grilling...
A Family Herb: Gentle Linden Flower and Leaf
Deliciously fragrant linden trees perfume the air in early summer, beckoning us to come and enjoy their beneficial properties for ...
Reflections of an Herb Gardener
To those who are afraid of starting an herb garden, don’t be. The rewards of having your own fresh herbs to use and dry, the therapy of working in the dirt, the ability to sit quietly and meditate in your own special place far outweigh the “errors in judgment” one can make. Looking back at […]
Creating a Local Materia Medica with Violet
Modern herbalists are fortunate to have access to a vast array of herbs from far corners of the globe. Herbs and spices have long been a significant driver in world trade, and while this looks a bit different in the 21st century than it did in the 17th, we are still often intrigued most by […]
A Family Herb: Helpful Calendula Blossoms
Vivacious, happy Calendula blossoms are a delight to grow and use in herbal remedies for everyone in the family. As a member of ...
Feast on Spring Nettle! Wild Greens with Beans Soup Recipe
Spring is that wonderful time of year when we emerge from our winter hibernation into a fresh, green world. And, as we being to ex...
How To Use Schisandra For The Liver
One of my favorite herbs is Schisandra chinensis (Wu Wei Zi). I don’t think there is anything that schisandra can’t do, and there is no other herb like it. The Chinese name means five taste fruit (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty). Having all these tastes in one herb provide a variety of actions making it a superior […]
3 Ways to Use Cleavers for Spring Cleansing
Herbal greens like plantain and chickweed that begin to emerge as soon as the snows melt are fairly well known, but there is another spring weed that is good to know when you feel the need for a gentle spring tonic. A native of Europe that has spread to many parts of North America, cleavers, […]
A Family Herb: Stinging Nettle Leaf Uses
The first plants to rise up in the spring, gracing the world with green, often include the very herbs we can most successfully use...
A Family Herb: Dandelion
Hillsides and fields awash with vibrant greens and yellow blooms beckon us outside to enjoy warming springtime weather. It’s...
Purslane: A Nutritional Herb
By Nina Katz – Herbalist Purslane is a land-based vegetable that is extremely high in nutrients and makes a great addition to many food recipes. Today I want to briefly speak to you about the nutrients purslane can offer you when eaten as a food as well as share some great recipes from fellow wild-food […]
4 Ways To Fertilize Your Garden With Herbs
We use herbs for nutrition and health but don’t often consider that these same benefits can also extend to our gardens. Fertilizing with many of the herbs you already grow is a simple way to give the garden a boost and reduce the expense of purchased fertilizer. Many of the herbs that are already growing […]
How To Have A Sensational Experience With Oatstraw
by Rebecca Swartwood Salty, sweet, milky, feminine, watery, strengthening, silky, easy… These were my initial impressions after ...
4 Reasons Thyme Is An Herb For Winter Health
There are many herbal allies that you may enjoy working with during the long, cold winter months. Elderberry and elecampane are ...
3 Raspberry Leaf Benefits For Women
When thinking of raspberry, visions of tart, delicious little berries come to mind, yet the familiar raspberry offers us much more than a wholesome snack. When we look beyond the tasty fruits of this hardy plant, we find that the raspberry leaf benefits for women are numerous, including being used as a helpful ally during […]
Heart Happy Herbs for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is upon us and love is in the air! This holiday is a great reminder to enjoy special relationships with loved ones as well as to spend some time caring for what is perhaps the most precious relationship of all—the one with yourself. We have gathered together a lovely assortment of recipes and […]
History and Uses of Common Ivy
Helix hedera, or common ivy, is a familiar garden and houseplant to many people. Sometimes, ivy is used as a greenery decoration d...
Learn About the Mistletoe
Mistletoe, Viscum Album The familiar, white-berried token of the winter holiday season, mistletoe, is a parasitic plant that grow...
Autumn Wildharvesting Guide: Herbal Roots
Fall is the best time to harvest the roots, some berries, flowers, and cold weather herbs that we miss once the heat of summer comes in. This article will act as your fall wildharvesting guide, featuring herbal roots that are available during the season. Get the full Autumn Wildharvesting Guide, featuring fruits, berries, flowers, herbs, seeds, and […]
10 Helpful Tips for Wildcrafting Herbs
Wildcrafting is the practice of foraging for useful plants from their natural, wild habitat for edible or herbal purposes. Wildcrafting for your own herbs is one of the most rewarding things that you can do. Not only is it nice to know where your herbal remedies come from, but it’s fun to learn to identify […]
Finding the Roots of Our Herbal Traditions
Fall is all about root medicine. As our plants ready themselves for winter, many of them draw their energy down into the roots to ...
