Results for Category: Live Well
Essential Oils in Pregnancy
What makes an essential oil safe to use during pregnancy? Essential oils are potent extractions of the most volatile components found in plant matter. Thus, each botanical species should be carefully considered before use. Further, essential oils should be more heavily diluted for use during this time—one important aspect of safe essential oils for pregnancy. …
How to Schedule Your Day Based on Energy Levels
Ayurveda teaches that one of the root causes of health imbalances is living out of harmony with nature. However, living in harmony...
Bee Propolis: The Honey Bee’s Secret To Hive Health
We all know that honey bees create delicious honey and beautiful wax, but they also make a fantastic substance called bee propolis...
Nourishing Herbs for Optimal Wellness
As mentioned in my previous article, How to Boost Immunity from the Inside Out, one of the best ways to take care of your vitality, longevity, and immunity is with nourishing herbs. These herbs for deep nourishment are not a quick fix, but rather are most effective if taken over long periods of time. The…
Community Herbalism: 3 Ways to Make it More Accessible
Awhile back, I was sitting outside and thoughts tinged by panic began to pop up, seemingly out of nowhere. A voice inside asked, “isn’t your business just participating in capitalism? Is there any community in your community herbalism practice? Do your personal values match your business values? Upon considering this message, I had to admit…
Ayurvedic Tips to Boost Immunity from the Inside Out
Maintaining a healthy immune system has become a high priority for a lot of folks in recent times. If you are inclined toward herb...
Essential Oils for Sleep: Aromatherapy and Insomnia
It’s amazing how certain aromas can help boost our alertness or calm our stress. But is it true that essential oils like lavende...
Herbs and Lifestyle Tips for Work-Life Balance
We live in challenging times; for many, balancing work, childcare, parental caretaking, and overseeing children’s education requirements is exhausting. Over the past decade, we have continued to experience the erosion of boundaries between work and home life. Yet, today, the impact of a worldwide pandemic has compounded the challenges of maintaining this work-life balance as…
Mugwort Dream Pillow for Natural Sleep Aid
Everybody wants to have good dreams, so what about combining good dreams with a natural sleep aid? Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) has been classified as an herbal oneirogen, which is a plant that produces or enhances dream-like states of consciousness (Barrett & McNamara, 2012). Unfortunately, most of the oneirogenic benefits of mugwort have not been scientifically…
Lifestyle and Nutrition Tips for a Vitamin D Deficiency
As we head into deep winter, boosting immunity is on a lot of peoples’ minds. Global pandemic aside, the darker months are the t...
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...
The Highs and Lows of Opening a Brick and Mortar Herb Store
Owning an herbal store is not for the faint of heart, yet I wouldn’t have it any other way. As I began digging deeper into my studies, I kept asking myself, “What do you want to do with this knowledge? Is this something for yourself? Do you want it to supplement your yoga career? Or…
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. Our skin is alive, but lifeless chemicals cannot give back life to the skin. To be “alive,” beauty products and topical formulas should be made purely of plant-based and natural ingredients (Raichur,1997). As the…
Our Guide to Finding the Perfect Gifts for Herbalists
Holiday shopping season is upon us! Do you have an herbalist or two to shop for this season? Or maybe you’re building your own h...
Apple Cinnamon Stovetop Potpourri Blend
If you love the smell of freshly baked apple pie (honestly, who doesn’t?), then this Apple Cinnamon Stovetop Potpourri Blend is ...
3 Stovetop Potpourri Recipes for Winter
Don’t you just love the smell of the holidays? Fresh evergreen trees, cinnamon-covered desserts, and spiced cider all mingle together during this exciting and hope-filled time of year. Unfortunately, these delightful scents are often overpowered by well-intentioned candles and cleaning supplies that are stuffed with synthetic scents. These artificial smells can be nice at first…
Woodland Winter Stovetop Potpourri Recipe
A long walk in the woods is good for the body and the soul. If you’ve ever walked through a dense evergreen forest, then you know just how rejuvenating it can be to take deep breaths of the fresh, piney scent. Just the smell itself can boost your mood! To bring the smell of the…
Citrus and Spice: DIY All-Purpose Cleaner
Crisp cool air and tree colors turning to auburn and golden hues welcome the arrival of autumn and winter months. Tis the season t...
Floral Mist: DIY Room Spray
A few spritzes of our DIY Room Spray will transport your mind and spirit to bright and colorful gardens bursting with flowers and ...
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…
Homemade Sunburn Spray for After-Sun Care (With Video!)
Many a fun summer day has ended with the sting of a sunburn. Maybe you could have seen it coming, but now what can you do? The tight, hot, burning feeling is not only uncomfortable, it can prevent us from savoring long summer days and enjoying further outdoor activities. Thankfully, our herbal allies can help…
Handmade Floral Paper: A Family-Friendly Project
Herbal craft projects help fuel our creativity and reinvigorate our connection with the natural word. Like all plant lovers, our h...
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...
DIY Natural Citronella Candles
We have finally started to feel the warmth of summer. It was 80 degrees Fahrenheit here in the Midwest yesterday, and you can bet we spent the better half of the day outdoors. We welcomed summer with a playful game of baseball, refreshing strawberry lemonade, and s’mores roasted over a bonfire. All the while, our…
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 apothecaries. While treasuring what we already had on hand, we also took note of those less glamorous, generous green allies that grow wildly around us. We collectively found ourselves wondering where to buy herbs…
5 Aromatherapy Mood Sprays for Summer
Summer is right around the corner here in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you can’t wait for it to get here, an aromatherapy moo...
Stress-Be-Gone Balm Recipe (and Video!)
In trying times, it’s inevitable to feel anxious and stressed. When we are burdened with these emotions, everyday tasks often be...
Best Herbs for Lungs and Respiratory Support
When addressing viral respiratory infections, we want to think about herbs that have strong immune or antiviral actions in addition to herbs for lungs and basic respiratory support. During the current outbreak of viral infection, it’s better to use what you already have on hand than to spend an extended amount of time out of…
COVID-19 School Lunch Programs: Keeping Children Fed
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we’ve become particularly aware of the simple, daily blessings that we take for granted, including access to healthy, year-round produce. As we collectively give thanks for what we’re fortunate to have — from a safe home, to a healthy meal, to our ability to care for our families’ wellbeing —…
A Heart-Warming Herbalist Day
April 17th marks Herbalist Day — a celebration of the many teachers, peers, and herbs that have guided you through your journey ...
