Results for Category: Live Well
Introduction to Herbs for Kids: Meet My Friend, Herb! Part 2
Meet My Friend, Herb! Part Two Welcome! Thank you for joining us on our herbal adventure! In our last Introduction to Herbs for Kids lesson, we started learning about herbalism by answering questions such as “What is an herb?” and “How can I use herbs?” This week we are going to talk about a very…
Soothing Oatmeal Bath Recipe
My son and I suffer from eczema, and during the coldest parts of winter our eczema tends to flare up more often than usual. It can...
Can You Be Green and Glamorous? Part II
Editorial Note: This is the second part of a two-part post focusing on the use of cosmetics and personal care products. This post ...
Introduction to Herbs for Kids: Meet My Friend, Herb!
Meet My Friend, Herb! Part One Hi Kids! I am so glad you are joining us! We are about to go on an adventure. An adventure into the green world of plants where we will find a magical world of healing and friendship. Here we will start with some basics. What is an herb? How can…
9 Herbal Remedies for a Toothache
If you’ve been plagued with a sore tooth or swollen gums, you know that the pain it can cause is often completely unbearable. Toothache or not, life goes on, making pain relief a necessity. While over-the-counter painkillers are the most popular form of pain relief for many, there are a variety of herbal remedies for…
Natural Homemade Lip Balm for Kids
Do you remember Lip Smackers? I can remember a time in my life as a kid that I had a necklace full of lip balms of every different...
Love It Up With Herbal Aphrodisiacs
In herbalism, aphrodisiac herbs aren’t just a means to an end! Aphrodisiac herbs nourish the nervous, heart, and reproductive sy...
Every Herbalist Should Set Goals
We look out our windows at the bare trees and snow-covered ground, and it is evident that winter is upon us. We’re only a little over a week into the New Year, which can be both an exciting and intimidating season of life. As we map out our calendar year and set our short and…
5 Herbs that Attract Beneficial Insects to the Garden
If you’ve been interested in organic gardening but are wondering what to do about pests, consider planting herbs! Many herbs encourage biodiversity and attract the beneficial insects that keep pest populations down. Herbs reduce pests by encouraging biodiversity In nature, herbs perform a wide range of functions. They provide nectar for pollinators, repel pests with…
5 Natural Ways to Relieve Stress During the Holiday Season
Thanksgiving is over, and we are now officially in the middle of the holiday season. With the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppin...
Bee Warm: Wintering Honey Bees
This time of year, I get a lot of questions about wintering honey bees. Most people are under the misconception that bees hibernat...
A Child’s Winter Herb Garden
One of the things we all miss most once the snows fall in our home town is the bounty of the herb garden. The herbs grow sort of grow thither and yon at our place and the children are very used to munching mint and having sword fights with lavender whenever they please. Well, this…
Green Travel Tips for Happy Vacationing
For me, travel can be a double-edged sword—relaxing and blissful yet stressful and anxiety-inducing. With that in mind, I used a recent vacation as an experiment in being green and staying sane while traveling. Planning ahead may sound obvious, but simple things are often overlooked in the face of excitement and spontaneity. Feeling unprepared can…
7 Tips from Nature for Keeping Healthy this Fall
Ayurveda: the science of life. Not everyone is familiar with the term, but that doesn’t discredit the physical and mental benefi...
A Closer Look at Essential Oils and Safety
Last week, the FDA sent warning letters to two very well-known essential oil companies. Here we would like to take a moment to tak...
Taking Time for Self-Care
Our world is moving quickly. Many of us have very little down time and lots of pressure to constantly perform at a high level. We need to have a great career, be in the best shape, and have a fabulous marriage. Our kids need to be academic geniuses, athletically gifted, and get into Ivy League…
What do you know about the Practice of Herbalism?
Herbalism is so much more than taking herbs to address symptoms. Part of becoming an herbalist is shedding this simplistic mindset, and coming to view health through a holistic lens, in which the body, mind, and spirit are integrated. By having a clear understanding of regulations as well as her rights, studying herbal safety, and…
What do you know about Weeds?
Humans have cursed, pulled, cut, fought, mowed, poisoned, and — yes — even waxed poetic about weeds for centuries. It seems th...
What do you know about Herbal History?
Herbalism is a practice found in every culture around the world, and in some continents up to 80% of people still used herbalism a...
An Ayurvedic Approach to Staying Balanced in Autumn
Fall is such an exciting time of year in New England. Unlike many parts of the world, we get to experience a transitional season, accompanied with explosions of color in Maple and Oak trees. September 23rd marks the Autumnal Equinox where the sun crosses the equator moving southward and summer releases its grip on heat…
What do you know about Tree Medicine?
Trees are a critical member of ecosystems, providing habitat, stabilizing soil, moderating climate, and filtering air. They produce our most basic need — oxygen — and also provide shade, lumber, and food in the form of nuts, berries, and sap. Most often, we appreciate trees for their beauty, shade on a hot summer’s day, or…
How Much Do You Know About Popular Herbs?
Almost everyone has heard of them, the popular herbs promoted in mainstream press and hyped by marketers. But every “herb du jou...
Goldenrod vs. Ragweed: They’re NOT the Same Plant!
Many of us who suffer from hay fever—allergic rhinitis—typically associate this annoying affliction with the spring. And yet, ...
How Much Do You Know About Herbal Preparations?
Making herbal medicine is easy! While it may seem overwhelming at first, a little coaching from a book, friend, or online resource is all you need to get started. Medicine making is not relegated to the domain of the scientist in a white lab coat! The folk method of herbal medicine making is particularly…
Five Fun and Fascinating Facts about Honey Bees
I love honey bees! I love to work around them, talk about them and observe their behavior. When it was suggested I come up with five fun and fascinating facts about honey bees to share in this post, I mentally started clicking off my internal list. As an all around honey bee enthusiast, it was mighty hard to…
Safely Using Essential Oils for Children
With all the conflicting information out there about children and aromatherapy, it’s easy to feel confused. I hope the infor...
Promote Healthy Gut Flora With A Prebiotic Herbal Electuary
As a health conscious person, you are likely aware of the fact that digestive health is directly linked to overall health. This me...
A Deeper Look at Herbal Infusions
Water is a very commonly used solvent that extracts herbal properties in the form of herbal infusions, or tea. Most people associate teas with hot water infusions, but cold infusions are also an easy way to create teas, especially in the summer months when cooling the body is necessary. Each of the methods has benefits…
Understanding The Simplicity Of Herbs
Some herbalists use a healing art called “simpling,” referring to the use of one herb at a time rather than in formulas or in combinations. These single herbs are called “simples” and the people who use them, “simplers.” We can all benefit from learning to understand the simplicity of herbs. No matter how much I…
Flying and Traveling with Herbs
It’s easy to use herbs at home but what about traveling with herbs – especially plane travel when there are restrictions with ...
