Results for Category: Botanical
7 Useful Herbs You Can Harvest In The Fall
It’s autumn, and we’re deep into the annual cycle of harvest at the close of a growing season. Sure, we’ve been harvesting plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and gorgeous leafy aromatic plants for several months now, but when it comes to herbs, fall is a special time for harvest. The plant energy that was devoted…
8 Terrific Ways To Use Pine Needles Right Now
Have you ever wished you could stock your herbal apothecary with only a handful of herbs? Herbs that have so many uses, you’d ne...
Creating a Local Materia Medica with Burdock
Most of us know burdock, even if we don’t realize we know burdock. This plant’s ingenious seed dispersal system—its clingy b...
Creating a Local Materia Medica: Holy Basil
There is an herb in my local materia medica that is not native to my area, does not grow wild, isn’t hardy here in New England, and isn’t perennial—it requires annual seeding in the garden and is sensitive to frost. Despite these limitations, I am undeniably, profusely, and irrevocably in love with holy basil, and…
Sage Throughout The Ages
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of sage? Food? Medicine? For many, sage is known as a medicinal herb that elicits feelings of warmth and comfort. Its medicinal properties can also lower cholesterol, rebuild vitality and strength that has been lost during an illness, and is a…
The Healing Power of Clay for Animals
Clay has long proved a valuable companion to me. It taught me the art of baking delicious muddy pies that my mother would so kindl...
12 Traditional Herbs That Ease Pain
Over-the-counter pain relievers are a modern invention, but before they were available people relied on many different herbs to br...
8 Everyday Herbs of the Caribbean
Three months ago, my son and I came to live in Manzanillo, Costa Rica, a small beach town on the southern Caribbean coast. As a Western-trained herbalist, this for me has meant a daily education on an entirely new materia medica featuring herbs of the Caribbean—virtually none of my familiar temperate-climate plants thrive here! Fortunately, there…
Creating a Local Materia Medica With Motherwort
Motherwort is the gift that keeps on giving in my garden. A member of the tenacious mint family (Lamiaceae), she self-seeds herself prodigiously. Her tenacity is nothing a little weeding can’t take care of, and in turn, I have set aside a designated patch where she can reseed to her heart’s content. Let’s learn how…
Is Red Clover Safe During Pregnancy And Breastfeeding?
Sure, it’s a valuable herb for women (and men too), but is using red clover safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding? Genera...
