Results for Category: Botanical
Seed Soaking: Herb Gardening 101
Seed soaking is a method of preparing seeds, specifically those with hard outer shells, for planting. Seeds that need to be soaked are usually wrinkled on the outside, such as peas, fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). That wrinkling happens as the seeds dehydrate, which keeps them free from rot and safe for storage….
Seed Scarification: What Herb Gardeners Need to Know
Seeds are packaged by nature to survive the elements. A tough outer shell protects the tender plant embryo inside. Some seed coati...
Echinacea and Goldenseal: When to Use One Over the Other
Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) are popular herbal allies during cold and flu season. These plant...
5 Herbs That Thrive in a Southwest Garden
The first step to growing a successful Southwest garden is appreciating the environment in which you are growing. Depending on where you live, you will have a different distribution of the resources you need to grow, like sun, water, and quality soil. In the Southwest garden, gardeners have an abundance of sun. In the heat…
Mugwort Benefits & An Herbal Liniment Recipe
Many people think of mugwort as an herb for sleep and dream support, however, there are many mugwort benefits beyond sleeping and dreaming that are worth exploring. A tall, gangly member of the aster family (Asteraceae), mugwort is the name given to several species in the Artemisia genus, including Artemisia vulgaris, common mugwort, and Artemisia argyi,…
Starting Your Own Herb Seeds? Time for Cold Stratification!
January may not seem like an obvious time for garden work in the Northern Hemisphere, but this is actually a crucial time to prepa...
Evergreen Forest Bath Salts Recipe with Juniper and Pine
As we head into the new year, winter has deeply enveloped many parts of the country. Most plants and animals are dormant or hibern...
How to Recognize and Manage Hormonal Imbalance
Recognizing and managing hormonal imbalance starts with an understanding of hormones and the impact they have on our bodies. Hormones (like cortisol, estrogen, and melatonin) are chemical messengers that are produced by our endocrine system. After producing hormones, the endocrine system then sends them directly into our blood system to glands (like the adrenal, pituitary,…
Your Guide to Winter Foraging
Something magical happens in the winter. Our pace slows, the world grows quiet, and we cozy up in our homes with a more inward focus. We’re inviting you out into the quiet world and beckoning you away from your snug nest to go with us on a winter foraging journey. Despite the drop in temperatures,…
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...
How to Use Mugwort for Dreams, Sleep, and More
When I was camping in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest as part of my studies at the Elderberry School of Botanical Medicine, I ...
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…
De Materia Medica: The Ancient Text that Changed the World
There is a grand mystery and pleasure in reading ancient texts that can still fulfill our curiosities about the human experience. Writings about herbalism are no exception, as they give us a sense of how our ancestors lived, survived, and interacted with the natural world around them. De Materia Medica, Latin for “On Medical Material”…
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 m...
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,...
Queen Anne’s Lace Part II: Traditional Use of Daucus Carota
Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) is a fascinating plant with a long and storied past. Because it has poisonous look-alikes, it’s vitally important that you properly identify Queen Anne’s lace if you’re foraging for any part of the plant. Read the first part of this two-part series in Queen Anne’s Lace Part I: Folklore and…
Queen Anne’s Lace Part I: Folklore and Identification
Do you ever look at herbs growing around your home or in your local area and think to yourself, “I should really learn more about that plant,” or “I wonder how that herb can be used?” I do it all the time. There are so many plants right outside our front door that can be…
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 ...
Student Feature: Cat Seixas (@ The Olive Trees And The Moon)
In the first installment of our Student Feature Series, we chatted with Cat Seixas (@TheOliveTreesAndTheMoon) about how herbalism ...
Roots of African American Herbalism: Herbal Use by Enslaved Africans
This article cannot possibly cover more than 400 years of herbal use and knowledge by enslaved Africans and their descendants. This is just the beginning of my journey as a Black herbalist understanding my own history, the plant knowledge contained within it, and my ancestral connections to herbalism. This post skims the surface of the…
Practices and Herbs for Happiness
Given the drastic upheaval that has touched all of our lives in 2020, feeling a bit more stressed or run ragged than normal is to be expected. We are living in unprecedented times—a time of great hope and potential and also a time of great loss and uncertainty for many. If you wake up most…
A Foraged Feast: Nutritional Value of Edible Wild Food
Since we launched our foraging course, we’ve been fascinated by the nutritional density of edible wild food varieties compared t...
Anise Monograph: Pimpinella Anisum
The following anise monograph is an example of the type of thorough, well-researched monographs available on our membership site, ...
7 Best Plants for a Beginner’s Herb Garden
Growing your own herbs is a time-tested way to deepen your relationship with the plants in your apothecary. I’ll never forget the first time I brushed against sage (Salvia officinalis) in my own garden and was surprised at how cool the velvety leaves felt against my skin. Later, when I learned that sage is often…
Botany Beginnings: Who was Theophrastus?
Approximately 2,300 years ago, a time which we can somewhat imagine through the marble monuments still standing and the relatively few parchments that have survived, a person named Theophrastus (c. 370 BCE – c. 287 BCE) reportedly wrote 227 books about animals, trees, shrubs, fruits, and flowers. Although he wasn’t the only scientific writer at…
Plantain Leaf Benefits and Recipes
Since the launch of The Foraging Course, we’ve had a renewed interest in the humble, helpful herbs that grow right outside our d...
How and Where to Buy Herbs in Times of Upheaval
At the outset of the current global pandemic, herbalists were more grateful than ever for the revered roots in our own apothecarie...
New eBook! Cooling Herbs for Hot Summer Days
Summer days are ripe with joyful pleasures, including fresh lemonade, cool mornings in the garden, and lazy afternoons by the pool or pond. While there are many uplifting moments and simple joys of summer, many parts of the country also endure soaring temperatures that can feel nearly unbearable. Whether you experience jungle-like humidity or bone-dry…
How to Use Herbs to Rebuild from Burnout
Long-term stress takes a huge toll on one’s body and mind. Sometimes that stress can chip away at vital reserves and one’s sense of wellbeing, ultimately leading to a state of burnout. In digging into the exact meaning and causes for burnout, it is clear that its defining borders can be quite nebulous. Unlike depression,…
Calming Canine Herbs for Your Four-Legged Friends
There are a number of things that can cause stress and anxiety for our beloved pets, from separation anxiety to loud noises. Whene...
