Results for Category: Live Well
Cold and Flu Essential Oils for Children
The best way to avoid the tell-tale signs of cold and flu is to deter illness from entering your home in the first place. However, unfortunately, no matter how much handwashing, surface disinfecting, citrus essential oil diffusing, and mask wearing we do, our children may still develop some type of upper respiratory infection during the […]
To Tonify or Purify? That Is the Question
As we bid ado to the year gone by and welcome a fresh new turn of the calendar, it is not uncommon to crave practices that create ...
The Majestic Honey Bee in Ancient Greece + 3 Recipes with Greek Honey to Try at Home
The majestic honey bee (Apis spp.) has been celebrated for thousands of years by civilizations across the world. In ancient Greece...
Embracing the Silence of Winter With Intention
We are now in the heart of the winter season here in the northern hemisphere. With its shorter days, longer nights, and colder temperatures, winter has not always been a season I’ve enjoyed. The lack of sunlight can lead to winter blues, now known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and poor weather can leave us […]
Herbal Wellness Routines On the Go For Travel and a Busy Schedule
Whether you are traveling, hosting guests, or taking a vacation or staycation, most of us experience some disruption to our daily routines during the holidays. It is quite normal for one’s wellness routines to become altered during these busy and festive times. However, in order to keep your balance and optimize your ability to enjoy […]
Holiday Home Essential Oil Diffuser Blend Recipe
Whether we’re baking our favorite pies and cookies, decorating with fresh greenery, or making crafts and gifts using herbs and s...
Herbal Support for Pregnancy Nausea
Pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting can affect up to 85% of pregnancies to varying degrees. Although a small amount of people do...
How to Decorate Your Home With Fresh Greenery
Make your home come alive this holiday season by bringing the outdoors in with fresh greenery! The festive and cozy feeling that lush greens bring is enough to put anyone in the holiday spirit. With a little bit of planning and creativity, you can create stunning displays that you’ll find yourself wanting to repeat year […]
Cannabis and Adaptogens for Stress
When it comes to modern-day living, it can seem like there is no relief in the frequency of life’s demands and the required fast pace to stay on top of things. This go-go-go way of living can wreak havoc on our nervous system. Over time, it can begin to rewire our brain to be in […]
Troubleshooting Fire Cider: Answering Your Questions
Fire cider is a beloved and potent wellness tonic known for giving the immune system a powerful kick. Made from a variety of herbs...
Greek Olive Oil Traditions + How to Do an Olive Oil Tasting and Identify the Best Variety
Olive oil has a rich and magical history in Greece, where the landscape is dotted with millions of majestic olive trees. Derived f...
The Core Carrier Oils: How to Store Them Properly
This excerpt on core carrier oils is from the book The Carrier Oil Palette by Jade Shutes and Sherilyn Siegmund-Roach and is reprinted with permission from The School for Aromatic Studies. Carrier Oil Storage Carrier oils deteriorate via two separate processes: oxidation and spoilage. To prevent such deterioration, you must protect carrier oils from light, […]
Tincture, Decoction, Tea, or Ghee: An Ayurvedic Perspective on Herbal Preparations
We all have our preferred methods of enjoying herbs. Some love hot herbal tea, some like a cool infusion, and others reach for the convenience and potency of tinctures. Or, some may crave the unctuous, nourishing qualities of herb-infused oils and ghee. There are many reasons why one may choose one type of herbal preparation […]
Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint Essential Oils: Boring? Or Powerful Allies?
Do you ever feel that your retailer or favorite essential oil blogger is always touting the benefits of new essential oils you hav...
Summer Solstice: Mark the Changing of Spring Into Summer With Intention
It seems to me as though the more years I accumulate the faster they seem to fly by, each racing past more quickly than the last. ...
Triphala: Time-Honored Digestive Support for All Types
Most herb lovers have their shortlist of herbal essentials. These are the single herbs or formulas that you are sure to keep in stock, the ones that you always throw in the travel suitcase or day bag. If you were stranded on a desert island, which three herbs would you want to have with you? […]
Getting Ticked Off: An Essential Oil Blend to Repel Ticks
Ticks are arachnids from the order Ixodida, divided into three families, the Ixodidae (hard ticks), the Argasidae (soft ticks), and Nuttalliellidae, which contains only one species living in southern Africa (Wikipedia, 2022). These parasitic relatives of mites are vectors for numerous human diseases, the most widely recognized being Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever […]
Agni: Understanding the Digestive Fire
Digestive fire or digestive strength is discussed with some frequency across different herbalism and wellness traditions. However,...
Undercover Women: Historic Botanical Illustrators
In the modern age, the title of “artist” is an acceptable profession for both male and female persons, but it wasn’t always ...
Herbs for Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and the Aging Brain: What the Research Has to Say
Most of us will be touched by the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Whether a parent, life partner, friend, or oneself, we face the slow loss of loved ones and difficult decisions about care. Research on herbs for dementia offers a ray of hope in this dark landscape. Research has focused on plants with […]
Hot ‘n’ Spicy Essential Oils for Winter
Winter season…snow season…holiday season…fireplace season…conifer season…cocoa and tea season…cold ‘n’ flu season. For so many of us in the Northern Hemisphere, winter means cooler temperatures, more time indoors, and more concerns about viral respiratory diseases. In this article, we will go over various essential oils for winter. This time of year is perfect for creating […]
Ayurvedic Holiday Gift Guide
The holidays can be a wonderful opportunity to show your love and thoughtfulness. Homemade gifts, party favors, and stocking stuff...
Essential Oil Perfume: A DIY Gift Idea
The holidays are a wonderful time to give something that the receiver wouldn’t normally indulge themselves in. Something pretty,...
Plant Allies to Prepare Your Immune System for Winter
Winter stirs up nostalgic thoughts of evergreen trees and warm, cozy fires, but it can also cause increased stress and anxiety, with concerns of the approaching cold and flu season coupled with navigating a pandemic. Luckily, plants are available to us to help support the immune system, soothe the nervous system, and promote balance to […]
Balance Your Holiday Menu With Ayurvedic Six Tastes
Ayurveda teaches that all things in nature are made up of some combination of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. This means that our bodies, the food we eat, the herbs that we benefit from, and even colors and aromas—are made of some combination of the five elements. This five-element paradigm is […]
Strange Ways to Heal: Medical Curiosities of Ancient Greece
Throughout history, humans have sought ways to ease many ailments. Some lasted through millennia. Others fell into disuse. The anc...
11 Ways to Save Money on Herbal Supplies
As your herbal studies gain momentum, we know how tempting it can be to purchase brand-new herbal supplies: herbs, books, material...
Essential Oils and Pets: How to Use Them Safely
If you use botanicals for your own health and wellness, you have probably wondered about essential oils and pets. How might you use herbs or essential oils with your pets and animal companions? Veterinary visits are expensive, so keeping our animal companions healthy is also often a financial priority. Yes, you can use essential oils […]
Ayurveda and Yoga: Yoga for Your Constitution
“Ayurveda is a paradigm, not a prescription” is a phrase that I commonly emphasize in my introduction to Ayurveda public lectures. Ayurveda is integrated into the medical system in India and if you work with any ayurvedic practitioner anywhere in the world, they will likely suggest herbs, dietary modifications, and other practical measures. However, Ayurveda […]
How to Use Dye Plants: Plant Projects for the Home
This book excerpt is taken from A Woman’s Garden: Grow Beautiful Plants and Make Useful Things – Plants and Projects ...
