Results for Category: DIY
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 downward as they prepare for the cold winter months. Our energy is shifting as well, and this is a good season for slowing down and enjoying creative work. Using herbs, we can focus […]
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, soot...
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 a practice, the accessibility of making full-spectrum plant extracts frequently remains within the grasp of do-it-yourself home preparation makers. Today I’m going to share with you how to make a mushroom double-extraction tincture. This […]
How to Make an Herbal Decoction
That simple, tasty cup of tea is only one way of extracting the many virtues of herbs into water. Other ways include the making of...
How To Make and Use Ginger Syrup
Ginger is a great herbal ally that should be a part of every home herbalist’s apothecary. Not only does it have many health bene...
How To Dry Fresh Herbs Using A Dehydrator
Summer is the season of abundance. The days are long, the plants are growing, flowers blooming, and the bees buzzing and dancing in the air. It can be easy to take this abundance for granted, but of course, the world turns, the seasons change, and once again winter will descend upon us. We are fortunate that […]
How To Make Fresh Herbal Sun Tea
It’s an herbalist’s favorite time of year again. The earth has turned green and we have an abundance of plants all around us. What better way to become acquainted with your green allies than by sipping fresh herbal sun tea? Fresh plant teas produce a sparkling crisp drink that feels like sipping in the summer […]
How To Make Calendula Salve
Calendula is a beautiful flower and is well known throughout the world as a powerfully supportive plant. It grows most climates an...
How To Make A DIY Mother’s Day Bouquet Using The Language of Flowers
Mother’s Day is approaching, and what mother wouldn’t be happy with a bouquet her children or other special person picked ...
How To Make An All-Purpose Herbal Cleaning Spray For Spring Cleaning
Once daylight savings hits, bulbs are poking up their leaves in the gardens, and the days warm up enough to open the windows and let the springtime breeze in. This is when I get the hankering to do spring cleaning in my home. Just as we cleanse the heaviness and stagnation from our bodies in […]
How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally
Dyeing eggs for Easter became infinitely more fun and satisfying for me once we ditched the chemical dyes in favor of natural dyes made from herbs, plants, and food. Choosing natural dyes over petroleum-based chemical dye kits might require a bit more planning, preparation, and patience, and natural dyes may be more variable, but the […]
How To Create Simple Perfume Blends Using Aromatic Notes
Essential oils are produced for three primary purposes: flavorings, fragrances, and therapeutic applications. The vast majority of...
Bedtime Herbal Bath Recipe with Linden, Catnip, Lavender, and More
In the very depths of winter, the world becomes sleepy. This cold, dark season is a time for introspection and resting before the ...
A Recipe For Family-Friendly Herbal Chai
Making and drinking herbal chai together is a wonderful way to enjoy herbs with the whole family. After all what could be better than a big mug of sweetly-spiced steamy goodness on a chilly day? Chai is full of healthful herbs that aid digestion, warm the body, and gently boost the immune system. This recipe […]
Herbal Vinegar Hair Rinses
Every season provides a new way to strain and damage your hair. The sand and salt water of the ocean in summer can leave you with lusterless locks. The winter winds and ice leave your hair crispy and exhausted. The humid days bring frizz and fuss to anyone who dares step outside. Whenever I notice […]
Benefits Of Grapes In A Tasty Herbal Syrup
Early fall means that my lovely, vivacious grapevine is heavy with clusters of dark purple abundance. These are the kind of grapes...
7 DIY Herbal Skin Care Recipes for Fall & Winter
As seasons change, so does the way we care for and nourish ourselves, as well as what we put in and on our bodies. Spring and summ...
How to Make and Use Rose Water
There are many well-known herbal flowers I’ve had the privilege of using over the years…lavender, chamomile, calendula…all very popular in any herbal arsenal. But one flower that I’ve often overlooked and kept in the “for decoration only” category, has recently caught my attention for its wonderful herbal properties. The beautiful, fragrant rose. For years I […]
How to Craft the Perfect Herb Planter
Earth is home to an incredible array of natural herbs that have been integral to society for as far as we can see into the past. Herbalism is a proud tradition of knowledge, community with nature, and responsibility. Herbs are available for such a myriad of uses that it is nearly impossible not to encounter […]
Fig Face Mask For Healthy Skin
One of my favorite things about summer in the South is fig season! The abundance of fresh figs makes simple summer meals exciting,...
Recipes Using Bee Balm
As we discussed in our last article, many names have been given to the plant monarda: bee balm, bergamot, or Oswego tea (more on ...
How to Make an Herb and Flower Drying Screen
Growing your own medicinal, culinary, or otherwise useful herbs and flowers is a rewarding experience. The act of planting the seeds, nurturing and watering them as they grow, then harvesting the fruits of your labor for your natural health medicine cabinet is so fulfilling. It’s nice to know that you have all of the great […]
How to Make Herbal Beads
Summer is an exciting time for herbalists, as we enjoy the abundance of plants growing in our gardens and in the wild. Many of us are busy with the work of making tea blends, tinctures, and infused oils to preserve the harvest. Yet another way to appreciate the versatility of herbs is by using them […]
23 Ways to Use Chamomile
Chamomile is one of the most recognized and used herbs in the western world. Many people think of it first for anxiety and insomni...
How to Soothe Sunburns and Stay Cool Naturally
Ouch! Most of us know the tight, red-hot feeling of a sunburn. When the sun gets the best of you, count on these easy and effecti...
DIY Natural Sunscreen Recipe + 2 More Easy-to-Make Recipes for Summer Skincare
Summer is a beautiful season, but it can also bring challenges for our skin. As you enjoy the sunny days, soothe and protect your skin using natural summer skincare with the easy-to-make recipes to follow using foraged wild weeds. Summer Skincare and Sun Protection One of the biggest summer skin issues is sunburns. If possible, […]
5 Ways to Freeze Fresh Herbs
It is high summer, and gardens are overflowing with herbs, many of which are at their peak and ready to harvest. This is the season when many leaves and flowers are most potent, and drying these herbs in bunches or laid flat on screens is one easy way to preserve summer’s bounty for later. When […]
Two Nasturtium Recipes for Summer
As spring turns to summer, gardens and farmers markets are overflowing with beautiful options. In my own garden, the nasturtiums a...