Results for Category: Botanical
7 Things You May Not Know About Passionflower
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata L.) has a rich history of use here in the West. Not only has it been used by Native American tribes, early European settlers, and African American slaves, but its uses have varied over time, especially as the Eclectic physicians of the 19th and 20th centuries began to use it more and […]
3 Tips For Foraging Goldenrod This Year
As we move into fall, the colors of the landscape begin to change from the brilliant reds, purples, lavenders, and pinks of summer...
Adding Yarrow To Your Materia Medica
Yarrow grows freely in my gardens and I encourage it to do so, as much for its beauty as its beneficial uses. While the blooms hav...
11 Herbs of King Arthur’s England
In southwest England, in Somerset, sits the town of Glastonbury, a quaint historical town that has been inhabited since 7th millennium BCE (Glastonbury, n.d.). This area has always felt magical to many people as it’s thought by some to be the location of the magical island of Avalon from the famous King Arthur tale that […]
34 Ways To Use Roses
Summer heat means decadently fragrant roses are in riotous bloom! What could be more lovely than the full blossom of a rose? However, roses are more than just beautiful—would you believe that roses hold many beneficial herbal properties? There is plenty to love about this plant, and below we will discover many ways to use […]
10 Summer Herbs to Forage This Year
The “Dog Days” of summer are upon us in the South. The dogs and cats are lazy, the snakes are more prone to bite, the gnats, f...
Keep The Bugs Away With These 6 Natural Pest Repellent Plants
Summer is a great time of year because you can be outside doing lots of fun activities you can’t enjoy when it’s cold out such...
Who Else Wants To Learn About Spanish Moss?
For starters, Spanish moss is neither Spanish in origin, nor is it moss! Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is actually an epiphyte, an “air plant” that grows hanging from tree branches, gathering its nutrients and water from the air. Although it’s native to Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, it has become naturalized in […]
All About Dandelion (For Your Materia Medica)
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is most assuredly a treasured plant in my local materia medica and is appreciated by herbalists throughout temperate regions of the world. Sadly, dandelion is not celebrated by all. Due to its penchant to grow and blossom wherever it darn well pleases, it is loathed and poisoned by those who value a […]
Little-Known Ways To Use Lovage
If we were to walk back in time and enter a medieval medicinal or kitchen garden, in the back we would surely find a relatively un...
Motherwort Through History
Here at the Academy, we often talk about historical knowledge and folk tradition comprising one of the legs of the three-legged st...
7 Things to Keep in Mind When Planning Your Herb Garden
Growing an herb garden is a wonderful way to have fresh herbs on hand for cooking, making home remedies, and enjoying nature for its bounty. If you have a large or small yard, or no yard at all, herbs are easy to grow indoors and outdoors with the right amount soil, sunshine, drainage, and attention. […]
Herbal Myths, Lore, and Legends: Lady’s Mantle, Mint, Fennel, Mandrake, Elder, Thistle, and Belladonna
Every culture offers myths, legends, and folklore to justify some event, instruct us on proper behavior, or issue horrible warnings if a person breaks the rules of proper behavior. Myths are generally about the gods, e.g., Zeus, and are usually a symbolic account of what happened rather than factual. Folklore sometimes has mythical creatures like […]
St. John’s Wort: Not Just For Depression
Stumbling upon a field of wildly growing St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is like discovering a ray of Earth-bound sunshin...
What Everybody Ought To Know About Flower Water
Is it a “flower water,” “floral water,” or a “hydrosol/hydrolat”? Although many herbal and cosmetic retailers and webs...
Pollinator Gardens 101: Helping Mother Nature
Have you noticed less bees buzzing around or a decrease in monarch butterflies in your area? What about a decrease in hummingbirds or moths? Our earth is in trouble, which puts us in trouble since we depend her pollinators for much of our food. Today, I’d like to share some brief information with you about […]
Sweet Violets of Spring
I’m sitting here, looking out the office window over the snow-covered hills and sniffing a wee bottle of violet leaf absolute that arrived a couple months ago in an extravagant birthday basket. It is hard to describe, but Marge Clark of Nature’s Gift has this to say about it: “Intensely green initially, this absolute has […]
DIY Herbal Pet Shampoo and Rinse for Healthy Skin & Fur
As the ground begins to thaw, we will be spending more time outdoors with our pets enjoying the warmth of early spring. And, jus...
3 Easy Herbs to Grow From Seed
Tuning in to the cycle of the seasons is an integral part of wellness, as our connection to the earth roots and nourishes us in my...
6 Spring Herbs You Can Forage Now
Spring is just around the corner and foragers everywhere are looking forward to the first spring herbs you can forage as they burst from the earth. For centuries, humans counted on spring’s nutrient rich plants for food and nourishment after a long winter consuming stored foods. While fresh food is now available all year round […]
Three Herbs to Support Digestion After a Long Winter
Human beings are part of the natural environment. We pass through the same natural and seasonal cycles that affect other living beings—animals, plants, and ecosystems. This is reflected in traditional healing systems the world over. Western herbalism has a long history of practices and remedies that are determined by the season, and older systems like […]
The History of Chocolate – Food of the Gods
Delightful, delicious, delectable, decadent. How we describe chocolate varies depending on how much we’re thinking about it! Wha...
All About Wild Cherry Bark (Printable Monograph)
Wild cherry bark has been used in a variety of ways in years past to support the health of the body. Today, we want to peel back t...
How To Celebrate The Winter Solstice Like The Ancients
The winter solstice is approaching. This year it will be on Wednesday, 21 December 2016 at 4:44 a.m. central time. What is the solstice? It is an astronomical event caused by the tilt of the earth on its axis and its orbit around the sun. The result in the Northern Hemisphere is the longest night […]
15 Uses for Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a much loved staple in our kitchens. Its sweet, floral, clove-like, earthy, and spicy aroma and flavor complement cookies, cakes, pastries, pies, breads, oatmeal, cinnamon toast, applesauce, and mulled wines. Cinnamon is also included in spice blends from many cultures and is used throughout the world. Cinnamon’s virtues extend beyond its taste and […]
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 p...
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 burrs—demands we pay attention eventually, for example, when removing them from our clothes, our hair, or deep in our dog’s plush fur. Inconvenience aside, you’ve got to give burdock credit for ingenuity. Swiss engineer George […]
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: Discover Its History and Uses
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of sage? Food? Herbal support? For many, sage is known as an herb t...
