Results for Category: DIY
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Homemade vanilla extract is worlds apart from the generic imitation vanilla typically found at big box stores. Mmm…vanilla. Its sweet, perfumed aroma and flavor are known and loved around the world. No wonder it has been celebrated and used for hundreds of years, first cultivated by the Totonac Indians in eastern Mexico. While vanilla gained…
Homemade Cough Syrup for a Wet Cough
Late winter is the time of year in which heavy, wet conditions can start to really settle in our lungs. Luckily, nature’s ap...
Nutrient Deficiencies + 4 Vitamin and Mineral-Rich Recipes
The well-known adage “we are what we eat” is so true when we think about our daily needs for vitamins and minerals. Typically,...
Nourishing Herbal Soup Seasoning Mix
A healthy immune system serves as your personal smooth-running militia, with the number one goal of protecting your body from pathogenic invaders. Especially these days, it’s so important to build a stronger immunity and there is a lot you can do so that it can work effectively when you need it. On a cold winter…
Damiana and Vanilla Cordial
Homemade vanilla cordial with damiana is a lovely introduction to using vanilla as a home herbal. While used widely as a flavoring agent and a perfume, vanilla’s other uses are largely overlooked. Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is purported to sharpen the mind and strengthen memory (McBride, 2010). Vanillin, which is the primary chemical constituent in vanilla…
Winter Wellness: Fresh Horseradish Recipe & Benefits
The cold, dry winter weather is here and so is sinus congestion. Prevention is the best approach, but there is also much we can do...
Herbal Throat Gargle Recipe: Triphala, Turmeric, and Licorice
One of the great things about this simple herbal throat gargle is that all its ingredients have multiple uses. So, if you keep the...
Stay Calm Adaptogen Syrup with Ashwagandha and Eleuthero
Provide your body with the tools it needs to improve its stress response through an adaptogen syrup. Adaptogens are those herbs found to promote the regulation of the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal glands (Brusie, 2017). By reducing fatigue and enhancing focus, adaptogens promote a sense of overall wellness. A commonly used adaptogen, ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)…
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 hibernating, and the people have wrapped themselves in their thickest wools. (The lucky ones are reading herbals by the fire while sipping spiced cider!) This time of year calls for an extra…
Mushroom Immunity Broth with Astragalus and Calendula
Make your own mushroom immunity broth by blending nutrient-rich mushrooms with herbs that are well-known for their positive effect...
After-Dinner Tea Recipe: Chamomile, Fennel, and Orange
‘Tis the season for digestive problems and the perfect time to try making your own fennel tea with chamomile, orange, and bee ba...
Spiced Apple Cider Recipe with Orange, Ginger, and Cinnamon
We like to keep mulled cider warming away on the stove or in a slow cooker regularly during the winter months. The intoxicating scent of cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.), allspice (Pimenta dioica), and apples wafting through our kitchens and throughout our homes is nostalgic and comforting. This spiced apple cider recipe is the ideal recipe to…
Cranberry Hot Toddy Recipe with Clove, Cinnamon, and Ginger
Hot toddy recipes are wonderful additions to your winter herbal cocktail lineup. Whether you are planning a holiday party video call this year or you’re cozied around a fire with your family, we hope you make (or share!) this cranberry hot toddy recipe. The ingredients feature warming herbs, which do more than create a little…
Chai-Spiced Apple Cider Mocktail Recipe
The flavor of chai is as festive as festive comes. This particular apple cider mocktail is a great make-ahead recipe if you’re u...
Winter Herbal Cocktails to Toast the New Year
What a year it was! With the ups, downs, twists, and turns of the last 12 months, we’re approaching 2021 head on and with ferven...
Pine Needle Gimlet Recipe
The addition of a conifer simple syrup to any beverage adds a level of richness and earthiness to the recipe. The pine needle simple syrup added to this pine needle gimlet creates a cocktail that’s equal parts bright and decadent. More Winter Herbal Cocktails Cranberry Hot Toddy Recipe with Clove, Cinnamon, and Ginger Herbal Hot…
Herbal Hot Toddy Mocktail Recipe
While traditional hot toddy recipes feature dark liquor like rum, whiskey, or bourbon, you can still get the same warm, cozy effects with a non-alcoholic version! This herbal hot toddy mocktail gives you the spiced flavors of our herbal hot toddy cocktail recipe, but because it’s alcohol-free, you can drink it throughout the day without…
Conifer-Infused Vodka and Simple Syrup Recipes
Evergreens not only provide a much-needed pop of color during the winter months, they are also a wonderful natural source of vitam...
Nettle Leaf Nursing Tea with Oatstraw and Alfalfa
Nursing tea, sometimes referred to as lactation tea, is an herbal tea blend thought to promote milk supply in nursing mothers. Net...
Adaptogen Cherry Bites
Adaptogen cherry bites are the ideal winter snack, blending good taste with good balance. This recipe calls for nourishing ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root powder, immune-boosting eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) root powder, and tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) leaf powder, which is highly respected in Ayurveda for its actions on the nervous and respiratory systems. Adaptogens are a category…
Homemade Nipple Balm with Calendula and Marshmallow
None can know the pain of cracked nipples from nursing, and the overwhelming relief of good nipple balm unless they’ve been there. We’ve been there, and this herb-infused homemade nipple balm uses rich ingredients and soothing botanicals to help the new mother. Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) root is one of the main ingredients in this herb-infused…
Herbal Bath Tea with Chamomile & Rose
Herbal bath tea makes a wonderful homemade gift, especially if that gift recipient is you! By blending together botanicals known f...
2 Herbal Desserts Featuring Pumpkin: Brownies & Pie
Get ready for tasty, seasonal, and surprising combinations of herbal desserts! You may have heard of mint brownies or even lavende...
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 cordata) flower and bract is a relaxing blend for any new mother. Gentle herbs known for their stress-relieving tendencies and nerve-soothing effects are the perfect ingredients for this hand-blended chamomile tea recipe, which can be enjoyed daily. Chamomile…
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, maki...
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. By using the hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) leaf, flower, and berry in a simple but refreshing herbal infusion, you can help prepare your body for the challenges of the winter season. Late fall…
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...
