Results for Category: DIY
How To Make Fresh Dandelion Blossom Oil
I have many favorite things about spring—one of them being the fresh, sunny faces of dandelion blossoms popping up everywhere. Dandelions are one of my favorite herbs. Not only are they readily available, but they have so many uses such as dandelion fritters, roasted dandelion root coffee, dandelion kombucha, dandelion syrup, floral crowns… even freshly […]
How To Make Pine Resin Salve
One of the thrills of exploring the plants in my local materia medica is stocking my first aid kit with locally sourced herbal pre...
4 Herbal Recipes For Everyday Skin Care
With farm season and warm weather coming our way and the brisk cold winter air at our backs, stocking the bathroom cabinets with c...
How To Roast Herbs For An Herbal Coffee Substitute
If you’re anything like the majority of people in the U.S., you drink coffee on a regular basis—maybe even every day. This isn’t always a bad thing, especially when coffee is consumed in moderation, as it is known to have some health benefits (Liang & Kitts, 2015). But according to the Harvard University Chan School […]
A DIY Herbal Grief Tea For Loss
I can honestly say that I have never experienced raw, breath-taking, life-halting grief as some people have. Yes, I’ve lost friends and family, and while some of these losses have taken time to heal, they have healed. Sure, the memories and the feelings of loss are still there, but the grief itself is not. Over […]
How To Grind Herbs In A Coffee Grinder
As a beginner to herbalism, you will most likely start by learning about common herbs, making basic herbal preparations, and learn...
How To Use Essential Oils For Hair Care
As you walk down the drugstore aisle, you can be overwhelmed with the number and variety of hair care products. Their costs range ...
Nettle Beer: A Delicious, Healthy Herbal Ferment
Registration is open for our new Short Course—The Craft of Herbal Fermentation. Today we want to give you a little sneak peek inside the course so you can get an idea of what to expect. This course teaches you how to make your own herbal beers, mead, kombucha, water kefir, and lacto-fermented foods, and we […]
How To Make Herbal Homemade Wine and Mead
With the explosion of the DIY movement in recent years, more people seem to be returning to old-school food and drink traditions, many of them involving fermentation. The HuffPost’s hilarious list of “The 22 Most Hipster Foods On The Planet” includes a great many of these, from kombucha to pickles, craft beers to kimchee. But […]
Rose Petal and Rhodiola Valentine’s Day Herbal Lollipops
Although sugar shouldn’t be a regular feature in a healthy diet, homemade candy making can be a delightful way to celebrate Vale...
Love Potions, Charms, and Such (+3 Recipes!)
Back in the days when I co-owned an herb shop at a Renaissance faire, a great many of our sales would be used as components of amu...
How To Make Essential Oil Solid Perfume to Warm Your Winter Romance
Winter, in many places in the world, means shorter days, longer nights, and cooler temperatures. We tend to stay indoors more and work on different tasks than we did during the longer, sunlit summer days. This can be a time to slow down, have a cup of tea, and nurture your personal relationships with friends […]
5 DIY Floral Body Polish Recipes
“The earth laughs in flowers” Ralph Waldo Emerson Flowers are delightful, bringing joy to a weary soul. Savor the beauty of flowers and enjoy a bit of summertime in your self-care routine with a floral body polish. Filled with the goodness of flowers, a floral body polish offers sensuous fragrance and beauty while bringing the […]
How To Make and Use Rose Infused Honey
Tranquility, love, and contentment are some of the emotions triggered when inhaling the beautiful aroma of the humble rose. For th...
Homemade Marshmallow Root Lip Balm
Whether it’s the parching of the hot summer sun or the blustering cold wind of our Michigan winters, my lips always seem to be i...
18 Herbal Teas To Help You Stay Healthy This Winter
Keeping our bodies healthy and strong during winter can be a challenge! Thankfully, there many wonderful herbs that we can use to provide the support we need. Prepared as tasty teas, these herbs can help support wellness right in your tea cup! Brewing up a cup of tea to enjoy is a wonderful form of […]
Lavender Sachets and Dream Pillows
A delightful, calming herb, lavender is a great addition to any home during the holidays. Lavender sachets and dream pillows are a very simple yet lovely craft that can be whipped up in a snap as a last-minute gift. Whether used to impart a fragrance to clothes or as a nighttime companion, lavender provides a gentle aroma that […]
How To Make Homemade Fire Cider (With Video!)
While some think of this time of year as the holiday season, I tend to think of it as the season to make homemade fire cider! Fire...
Clove Pomanders: An Old Fashioned Holiday Favorite
Clove pomanders are a seasonal delight! Made with numerous little cloves, pomanders are a wonderfully fragrant addition to holiday...
Homemade Squash Cinnamon Dough for Holiday Decorations and Ornaments
What spice reminds us more of the holidays than cinnamon? The smell of cinnamon cookies baking or perhaps a few cinnamon sticks brewing on the stove instantly brings warm memories to mind. There are many ways to enjoy cinnamon during the holidays and squash cinnamon dough is a surprisingly fun way to welcome this beloved […]
How To Make Your Own Fresh Rosemary Wreath
With its fragrant aroma reminiscent of fresh pine, rosemary is a wonderful herb to enjoy during the winter holidays. Bring rosemary into your home and adorn your walls with this beautiful aromatic herb. A fresh rosemary wreath is easy to make and will add a special herbal flare to your holidays. Be sure to make extras to […]
6 Natural Beauty Herbal Gifts For The Soul
This article is reprinted with permission from the Nov/Dec ’03 issue of The Essential Herbal magazine. Herbal Gifts That Are...
How To Make Immune Stimulating Elderberry Syrup
Holy shi…………itake! We are being invaded by cold and flu viruses! But, that doesn’t mean that we are helpless. Instead, w...
How to Make Herbal Ear Drops
Earaches never seem to happen at a convenient time. They often sneak up on you in the middle of the night causing pain and misery. Thankfully, having a supply of herbal ear drops on hand can help ease pain and support the body when fighting a possible infection. I should know, as I recently found […]
How To Craft Your Own Herbal Smoking Blends
There’s something fascinating about the alchemy of herbs and smoke. Part of it is visual. We can see the plants undergoing a violent physical change as they are transformed into smoke and ash. It’s also something that we can experience as we breathe in. The smoke has a taste and a texture, and it resonates […]
14 DIY Herbal Fall Gift Basket Ideas For Friends and Family
Fall is a time of shifting light, color, and energy. The plants are releasing their seeds and directing their energy inward and do...
How to Make an Herbal Syrup
The cold days of autumn and winter bring to mind cozy socks, warm cups of tea, good books, and for many herbalists, pots of simmer...
3 Balancing Herbal Recipes for Bodies in Pain
Herbs are a time-honored way to comfort and balance bodies challenged by pain. They offer ways to nurture the nervous system, soothe the fires of inflammation, and ease tension. There are many different herbal recipes for bodies in pain that have been used for these purposes down the ages, and we’ve been exploring some of […]
4 Tasty Avena Sativa Recipes To Try At Home
Avena sativa, otherwise known as oatstraw or milky oats, is one of those lesser known, yet powerfully potent herbs. This herb can be a great support to the body through a variety of issues, but no matter how great an herb may be, if it’s lacking in taste, it can be difficult for people to […]
How To Make A Mushroom Double-Extraction Tincture
Although the art and science of making plant preparations can seem to grow ever more complicated the longer an herbalist maintains...
