Results for Category: Herb Talk
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 insomnia, but it’s far more than a gentle nervine. From tea and tinctures to salves and soap, chamomile’s versatility and aroma have long-been welcomed into our lives. To read about chamomile’s use throughout the […]
Get to Know the Versatile Chamomile Plant
From the Astereraceae (daisy) family comes the Matricaria recutita (German chamomile) and Chamaemelum nobile (Roman chamomile). Bo...
9 Ways To Use Valerian, Valeriana officinalis
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a lovely garden plant with pinkish-white aromatic flowers. A perennial to Zone 4, valerian thr...
A Family Herb: Lemon Balm Benefits
Delightfully fragrant lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a wonderful herb for the entire family. In fact, it is one of my family’s favorite herbs! A beloved medicinal herb and a delicious food that has been enjoyed for thousands of years, lemon balm has a wide array of time-tested applications. Lemon Balm Benefits As a gentle nervine, […]
Getting to Know the Valerian Plant
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is on the other end of the fragrance spectrum. Although some people like the smell of the valerian plant (I’m one of them), many say that it reminds them of “dirty sweat socks.” Dioscorides and Galen must have felt the same way, since they referred to valerian as “Phu.” Other common names for valerian include: garden […]
Stinging Nettle Plant: A Spring Favorite
Many herbalists can hardly wait for spring to nourish their bodies naturally with fresh greens from the earth. Much like our ances...
Violet Plants: A Simply Herb for a Healthier Family
Violet plants are a pure delight for the senses, enchanting children and adults alike with their lovely, sweet-smelling purple flo...
Celebrate HerbDay with Herb of the Year™: Savory Monograph
To draw attention to HerbDay 2015, we are celebrating with the reveal of our Savory monograph from The Herbarium, which just so happens to be this year’s International Herb Association’s Herb of the Year™. HerbDay is an international celebration of herbs and herbal products, conceived of by five nonprofit organizations: American Botanical Council, American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, American […]
Oregano for Healing and Nutrition
Oregano is a wonderful plant for healing, nutrition and flavor! Oil of Oregano is derived from the wild oregano plant (Oreganum vulgare), a member of the mint family (Lamiacae or Labiatae). The name oregano originates from two Greek words: oros (mountain) and ganos (joy). Oregano is well known as a culinary herb. The oregano herb has […]
10 Reasons Why Witch Hazel Rocks!
I have been known to buy witch hazel extract by the gallon. I always keep it on hand and substitute it for water in almost all of ...
Looking for Natural Flu Remedies? Woad Works!
Worries about influenza, Ebola, and measles are making headlines. As herbalists, we have many natural flu remedies in our toolkits...
Comfrey Uses + Soothing Comfrey Cream Recipe
I started growing comfrey a couple of years ago, but my reasons were NOT strictly altruistic. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of my herbs, but I particularly love perennial herbs like comfrey that are well suited to a pot and can be brought indoors during our cold Kansas winter. There is Comfort in […]
Mountain Wellness: Yarrow and Arnica Uses
Those of us on the path of studying herbalism will attest that learning about the edible and wellness properties of plants has shifted our view of the natural world around us. Where once we may have identified nature by ecosystem — yard, forest, field, swamp, lake, mountain, desert — we now see the trees, plants, […]
Rose Hips: The Floral Superfood!
What do we typically think of when we see a rose? Usually, we think of a long-stemmed flower used as part of a romantic gesture, o...
The Health Benefits of Neem
Is the world’s number one herb a sleeper? Well, if you have never heard of the benefits of neem (Azadirachta indica) then th...
Health Benefits of Goldenrod (+ Tea Recipe)
You know it’s late summer when you see the beautiful and stately goldenrod plant gracing our yards, meadows, and waste spaces. It mixes in so beautifully with Joe-Pye weed, queen Anne’s lace, and loostrife. I am among the many who grew up thinking goldenrod was ragweed (learn about their differences here) and responsible for the late […]
10 Awesome Uses For Aloe Vera
It’s late in summer, and with the heat bearing down upon us, most of us Americans are dreaming of the impending fall that is just around the corner. At the beginning of the summer, my back patio started with only one aloe plant, but now, over the course of three months, it has transformed into […]
3 Surprising Medicinal Uses of Black Pepper
It’s hard to imagine an American dining table without a black pepper grinder or shaker. A tropical vine native to India, black p...
Oats Benefits: Getting To Know Avena Sativa
Such a beautiful name, Avena sativa, known by most as the common oat. It’s interesting how knowledge of a plant can become lost ...
The Virtues of Violets – Health Benefits of Violets
A few weeks ago, I looked around our 5 acres to see what may be sprouting after a long, cold winter. Soon I saw that my first little escaped and self-sown flowering plant had emerged. Guess which one. Violet! Perhaps cultivated for hardiness as well as beauty, the little johnny jump-up violets (Viola tricolor) had popped up after […]
How to Make an Easy Red Clover Tea: Red Clover, Red Clover, Bring Good Health on Over
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a well-known “weed” introduced to North America by European colonists and is now commonly found in fields, roadsides, and in yards from May until September. This herbal perennial in the pea family (Fabaceae, also known as Leguminosae) roots itself with a long taproot and rises up with a slender, hollow, […]
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...
Benefits of Fennel: Relief for You-Know-What
It happens to all of us. That moment, usually not long after eating, when we realize that we have gas. Whether during a business l...
Do You Know the Power of Mustard Seeds?
Have you ever heard the word “mustard” and thought about something other than a yellow condiment used during summer barbeques? If you’re like most people Stateside, probably not. Our primary association with mustard is that it’s an alternative (or a companion) to ketchup. But did you know that mustard seeds can be of tremendous value—and […]
What Is Clove? A Very Stimulating Herb…
We all know clove is a staple of wintertime recipes, including desserts like ginger snaps and pumpkin pie. Clove is also used as a warming herbal carminative and as a topical anodyne (painkiller) in many healing traditions including Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and western herbalism. Native to Indonesia, cloves are the unopened flower buds of […]
Turmeric Health Benefits: The Golden Goddess
Most of us know turmeric (Curcuma longa) as the vibrant orange powder located in the spice section between thyme and vanilla beans...
Cinnamon for Health: More than Just a Holiday Spice
As a spice, cinnamon plays such a popular role in our breakfast cereals, holiday desserts like pumpkin pie, hot apple cider, and o...
Oats: Herbs We Love For Summer
Oats (Avena sativa) and their versatile components have been used for everything from stuffing mattresses, poultices, facial scrubs, cereal, teas, and baths. This small wonder, native to Northern Europe, packs a powerful nutritional punch with its protein, B-vitamins, calcium, and other minerals.
Catnip: Herbs We Love For Summer
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) or catmint, is probably best known as a stimulant for cats, inducing euphoria and friskiness. The scent alone is irresistible to most felines—my own kitty immediately darts into the kitchen the moment I open my jar of catnip. So as not to undermine her feline superiority, I share a pinch with her before adding […]
Rose: Herbs We Love For Summer
Rose. The Queen of Flowers has origins in the Middle East, and has been cultivated and cherished the world over since antiquity. T...
