Results for Category: DIY
Stress-be-Gone Herbal Bath for New Moms
This relaxing herbal bath blend for the new mother is composed of three well-known aromatic nervines: chamomile (Matricaria recutita) flower, lavender (Lavandula spp.) flower, and linden (Tilia spp.) flower and bracts. Nervines are herbs and botanicals that have a direct effect on the nervous system in some way, including reducing stress and anxiety and bringing […]
Mom’s Chamomile Tea Recipe with Lemon Balm and Linden Flower
Chamomile tea made from chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) flower with lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) leaf and linden (Tilia cord...
Best Herbal Oils for Homemade Soaps
In my five years of professional soapmaking, I’ve discovered herbal oils are a true luxury that adds vitality to homemade soap. ...
Mom’s Raspberry Leaf Tea with Lady’s Mantle and Mint
Raspberry (Rubus spp.) leaf mixed with members of the rose and mint families come together in this new mother’s tea recipe, making the most of herbs and botanicals that are known for their association with pregnancy and postpartum health. Mineral-rich and aromatically soothing, this raspberry leaf tea with mint (Mentha spp.) leaf and lady’s mantle […]
Herbal Sugars for Baking
Winter means spending more time indoors, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the abundance from our herb garden long after the last bloom and the first frost. Many of us feel the need to surround ourselves with comfort when snow blankets the ground and the weather turns cold. Baking in the kitchen is one […]
Overnight Hawthorn Infusion
Creating your own hawthorn herbal infusion is a great way to pack a powerful nutritious punch from this member of the rose family....
Soothing Herbal Sitz Bath for New Mothers
You can blend together botanicals celebrated for their relaxing aromas and cooling astringent properties to create a soothing herb...
Herb Stuffing Recipe with Sage and Thyme
A lot of folks wonder how to make stuffing with sage (Salvia officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) in a way that maximizes the herbal properties of these two related plants and enhances the proteins in their main dish. Both sage and thyme belong to the Lamiaceae, or mint family (Ware, 2018), making them complimentary flavors […]
Spiced Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves
Spiced pumpkin bread offers an elevated flavor to a classic fall treat that contains nutrient-filled spices to warm the body and soul. Pumpkin is vitamin-rich, containing A, B2, C, and E vitamins, and, like the spices in this recipe, it’s a source of beta carotene (Raman, 2018). The human body converts beta carotene to vitamin […]
Apple Cinnamon Stovetop Potpourri Blend
If you love the smell of freshly baked apple pie (honestly, who doesn’t?), then this Apple Cinnamon Stovetop Potpourri Blend is ...
3 Stovetop Potpourri Recipes for Winter
Don’t you just love the smell of the holidays? Fresh evergreen trees, cinnamon-covered desserts, and spiced cider all mingle tog...
Woodland Winter Stovetop Potpourri Recipe
A long walk in the woods is good for the body and the soul. If you’ve ever walked through a dense evergreen forest, then you know just how rejuvenating it can be to take deep breaths of the fresh, piney scent. Just the smell itself can boost your mood! To bring the smell of the […]
Easy Cinnamon Homemade Applesauce
A perennial favorite among children, homemade applesauce is simple to make. Adding cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) provides a nutrient-rich warmth that’s sure to help your batch taste and smell like harvest time. This is an easy homemade applesauce recipe that is a great opportunity to get the kids in the kitchen. Children are always more willing […]
Make Your Own Apple and Pumpkin Pie Spice Blends
Creating the best apple or pumpkin pie spice blend for your fall desserts is a simple matter of blending together spices many of u...
Craft Your Own Delicious Hawthorn Berry Cordial
Harvesting hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) berries in late fall can produce a basket of sweet red berries ideal for a vitamin-rich homem...
Herbal Spiced Apple Cider Recipe with Cinnamon, Chamomile, and Astragalus
There’s something comforting about a warm drink on a cold night, making spiced apple cider the perfect beverage for a cool fall evening. It is the ideal way to end a day of apple picking or a fall visit to the local farmers’ market. “Apples are sweet and delicious, but also offer health benefits in […]
French Apple Cinnamon Tea
This French Apple Cinnamon Tea recipe calls for cinnamon, apples, and honey, providing a little crispness with a dash of sweetness and a splash of warmth. Sure sounds like autumn in a cup to me! The wholesome nutrients in apples include beta-carotene, vitamins C and B, calcium, phosphorus, boron, polyphenols, and pectin (Mars, 2004). Because […]
Shelf-Stable Calendula Cream Recipe
As herbalists, we turn to our trusty herbal allies to create simple and safe skincare products. We love our calendula-infused oil,...
Herbal Tea Blends for Morning, Midday, and Night
Timing is everything. This well-worn saying couldn’t be more true when it comes to herbal tea blends. The Sanskrit word kala ref...
Citrus and Spice: DIY All-Purpose Cleaner
Crisp cool air and tree colors turning to auburn and golden hues welcome the arrival of autumn and winter months. Tis the season to enjoy the comforts of home, like a crackling fireplace, a cozy couch, or a clean kitchen that’s ready for cooking up hearty recipes. And speaking of recipes, have you ever tried […]
Floral Mist: DIY Room Spray
A few spritzes of our DIY Room Spray will transport your mind and spirit to bright and colorful gardens bursting with flowers and light. This floral mist is a sneak peek into our Natural Perfumery Course, and it combines the fragrant aroma of jasmine and rose with the citrusy cheerfulness of bergamot. The end result […]
Once in a Blue Moon Milk Recipe with Ashwagandha and Chamomile
This year has been full of surprises, and it would only be natural for the world to give us yet another surprise during the spooki...
What is Enfleurage? Historic Perfumery Technique with Instructions
“Enfleurage” is a French word that you may have seen associated with historic perfumery techniques. If you’ve seen this myst...
Health Benefits of Cinnamon + 2 Warming Recipes
(Excerpted from Spice Apothecary by Bevin Clare. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.) Cinnamon is one of the oldest and most well-known spices. There are four commonly available types of cinnamon, and they can be quite different in taste, chemical composition, and herbal action. All come from the inner bark of several Southeast Asian tree […]
Using Goldenrod: A Late Summer Cordial Recipe
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) flourishes abundantly on roadsides and meadows in late summer and fall. In the plant family, Asteraceae, the genus name “Solidago” is derived from the Latin word “solidare” which translates to, “make whole or heal.” This is a helpful clue into the many ways people have been using goldenrod for centuries. Aptly named, […]
Ginger and Pineapple Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
The following excerpt is from Jill Stansbury’s new book Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 4 (Chelsea Green Pub...
Herbal Arnold Palmer Recipe: Just What You Need!
In the late 1960s, Arnold Palmer, a famous American golfer and humanitarian, was known to request a drink mixture of mostly tea wi...
Vata Massage Oil Recipe (Fall and Early Winter)
Massage oil, especially when infused with herbs, can be more than just a feel-good skin moisturizer. Ayurveda teaches that fat is closely connected to love, satisfaction, and protection (Svoboda, 1999). In addition to nourishing and nurturing the skin, using herbally infused homemade massage oils produces a grounding, supportive, and protective effect on the body and […]
Homemade Massage Oil for Each Season
Massage oil, especially when infused with herbs, can be more than just a feel-good skin moisturizer. Ayurveda teaches that fat is closely connected to love, satisfaction, and protection (Svoboda, 1999). In addition to nourishing and nurturing the skin, using herbally infused homemade massage oils produces a grounding, supportive, and protective effect on the body and […]
Pitta Massage Oil Recipe (Summer and Late Spring)
Massage oil, especially when infused with herbs, can be more than just a feel-good skin moisturizer. Ayurveda teaches that fat is ...
