Results for Category: DIY
Lice Home Remedies Using Herbs
It is that time of year: the kiddos are in the full swing of school and bringing home all sorts of things for you to take care of. While you expect your kids to bring home homework and permission slips, the last thing anyone expects is a head full of lice! Let the panic begin! […]
Ten Homemade Herbal Teas for Cold and Flu Season
The changes in the leaves, drops in temperatures, and pumpkin pie-everything are signals to me that it’s time to prepare for...
Calendula Uses: Our 14 Favorite Recipes
There are many, many uses for calendula! Calendula is perhaps most commonly known as a first aid support for cuts and wounds. It&#...
Elderberry Calendula Cold and Flu Elixir
Herbalists need to be good at multi-tasking and planning, like a juggler with three or four balls in the air. Late summer is a good example, when I am simultaneously picking the calendula flower heads daily and setting them to dry, planting another round of cilantro, wildcrafting the last of the mugwort before it goes […]
An Herbal Deodorant That Works… Finally!
I think I’m one of those people who’ve tried every natural deodorant recipe they could find only to be utterly disappointed when they all fail to work… at least the way you expect. When I first became interested in natural living, trading in my old, toxic skincare products for natural ones was the first step […]
Promote Healthy Gut Flora With A Prebiotic Herbal Electuary
As a health conscious person, you are likely aware of the fact that digestive health is directly linked to overall health. This me...
Meet the Mint Family (+ Mint Sun Tea Recipe!)
I walk in my gardens on a July evening, admiring the lush green that abounds in midsummer. The bee balm is chest high and near blo...
A Summer Bitters Recipe with Dandelion, Gentian, and Licorice Root
It goes without saying that most people prefer a sweet or salty flavor over a bitter one these days, but did you know that bitter foods are foundational parts of traditional diets due to their action on digestion? It’s true! Bitter plants were incorporated into the beginning of almost all meals as a way to […]
Lavender-Infused Oil and Sugar Scrub Recipes
Summer has always been my favorite season. I just love the warmth of the sun, the gardens that come alive, the meadows that fill with wild flowers, birds, and butterflies, and the farmers markets that offer the best of the summer growing season. I enjoy tending my herb gardens as well as the perennial and cut flower […]
3 Ways To Prevent A Sunburn Naturally + A DIY Sunburn Relief Spray
Sunburns are such a bummer, but if you’re like me and you enjoy being outside when the weather is nice, getting a sunburn is...
How To Make A Homemade Sugar Scrub with Calendula
Over the last 8-10 years, I’ve become more focused on living a healthier lifestyle and raising my kids with that mindset as ...
DIY Burn Salve Recipe with Comfrey, Calendula, and More
This past month, my four-year-old landed a second-degree burn on his leg, thanks to a cup of accidentally spilled hot cocoa. Thankfully, I had an herbal burn salve in our medicine cabinet that was perfect for this painful situation. The Story Now isn’t that just the way things tend to happen? Kids always seem to […]
DIY Sweet Oranges & Rose Perfume
For Mother’s day this year, I wanted to make my mother something extra special that I knew she would adore. It wasn’t that hard to come up with the scent for this special gift–something with roses and sweet oranges, my mom’s two favorite scents. A Sweet Oranges and Rose Perfume seemed like a good place […]
Homemade Calamine Lotion for Quick Itch Relief
I had been longing for spring to come. Daily hikes through the nature preserve, with our family dog and my four-year-old son, were...
5 Herbs for Healthy Hair
With summer just around the corner, our skin is not the only thing needing some revitalization after a long winter. Our hair, the ...
How To Make Herbal Glycerites: Tinctures Without Alcohol
Glycerites are sweet herbal tinctures which use vegetable glycerin to extract the active constituents and flavor from an herb. Herbal tinctures are typically made from alcohol, but glycerin is a good alternative for children, animals, and adults when palatability and alcohol sensitivities are primary considerations. While not as potent as alcohol-based tinctures, glycerites are still […]
Herbal Remedies for Headaches
Headaches, especially migraines, are no joke. They can strike out of nowhere, rendering a functioning person into a weak, whimpering puddle of misery in no time at all. I should know – I have suffered from them for a good deal of my life! Using these simple herbal remedies for headaches, I’ve finally gotten a hold […]
Dandelion Root Oxymel Recipe
Dandelion can do all sorts of dandy things. This winter has seemed to hang on for dear life, despite the fact that we are now offi...
Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner (9 DIY Natural Cleaners)
Spring cleaning is finally upon us. Now is the time that we’ll purge our garages of unwanted junk, finally throw out that old la...
Vintage Valentine DIY and Morning Latte Recipe
A snow day is a wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Delight in a morning latte while creating something handmade, like vintage Valentine cards for your loved ones, as the snow whirls just outside your window. Vintage Valentine Cards Snow days are also a great time to tap into your creativity. With […]
How To Make A Tincture
An herbal tincture is a long lasting and effective form of receiving an herb’s gift. It has a much longer shelf life than an infusion or decoction and can be stowed in your bag or cupboard for easy access and use. In this post, you will learn how to make a tincture along with the […]
8 Supportive Herbs for Colds and Flu
Colds and flu are at its peak right now and it hits hard and fast. While prevention is the best defense, what do we do when sympto...
How To Make a Homemade Salve
In the Online Intermediate Herbal Course, we study plant energetics and their actions. Many of us in the herbal community share a ...
14 Last Minute DIY Christmas Gifts
Whether you fell behind on your Christmas shopping or are looking for an extra little something to gift to a friend or family member, here is a beautiful list of last minute DIY Christmas gifts that we are sure you’ll enjoy. From the herbalist to the bird lover to the foodie, there is something for […]
Herbal Gift Box
This article is written by Lena Yakubowski, yoga teacher and communications assistant at the Herbal Academy of New England. Photos by Lena. The holidays are creeping up on us, and I know I’m not the only one feeling a financial pinch. It is a year that I’ve decided to tackle making all of my gifts […]
Favorite Homemade Body Butter
Wintertime necessitates the use of double-duty moisturizers that protect us from both the cold wind outside and the heated, super-...
3 Easy Ways To Dry Herbs
As summer winds down, things change. The children go back to school, the days are getting shorter, and gardening season is drawing...
Make It: Flower Water
At this time of year, I am often stopped in my tracks by a sudden sweetness carried by the wind. A quick look around will reveal a blooming delight nearby, spreading its fragrant essence through the air. Today I found the roses outside my house blooming after a long winter’s rest, unfolding their strong petals […]
Nourishing Weedy Tea
Herbalists have an eye for beauty and worth, seeing usefulness inside what others consider useless. Often reviled plants like nettles, dandelions, burdock, plantain, chickweed, lambs quarters, and red clover often grow nearby in favorite fields or woodland paths, or even on our lawns, and make delicious and nutritious teas as well as herbal vinegars, soups, […]
How To Make Herb-Infused Oils
If you have never made an herb-infused oil, you are in for a wonderful treat! These easy herbal preparations are a wonderful way t...
