Results for Category: Live Well
Mood and Mental Support for Pitta Dosha
Pitta dosha, the most fiery of the three ayurvedic types, relates to solar energy and rules the summer season. Pitta types run warm, tend to have warm-colored complexions, and aren’t afraid of competition and intensity. In fact, they welcome it (sometimes to their own detriment!). These bold, fiery types are naturally intense, driven, and competitive, […]
Strategies for Creating a More Gender-Inclusive Herbal Practice
This post is co-authored by Linden de Voil R.H. You are reading Part 2 of a series on how to make your herbal practice, classes, o...
Growing a Gender-Expansive Herbal Practice
This post is co-authored by Linden de Voil R.H. For most trans/non-binary and gender non-conforming folks, medical care is a horror show. It’s hard to overstate the problem, given the long, ugly history of violence done to trans bodies and psyches under the modern medical system. To this day, trans people in need of health […]
Cooling‌ ‌Recipes‌ ‌for‌ ‌Managing‌ ‌Pitta‌ ‌Dosha‌
“The brilliance of a raging fire dragon in the city of sparkling gems—such is the nature of pitta†(Tiwari, 1995, p. 48). Ayurveda teaches that summer is ruled by pitta dosha, and pitta is composed of fire and water. Temperatures are on the rise, as is the need and desire to stay cool. If you […]
Essential Oils in Pregnancy
What makes an essential oil safe to use during pregnancy? Essential oils are potent extractions of the most volatile components ...
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. Like honey, propolis offers a myriad of scientifically researched benefits. Propolis is a sticky “bee glue†that is used inside honey bee colonies. Composed of tree resins, wax, essential oils, pollen, and other […]
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, â...
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 lavender, patchouli, or marjoram could even help us get a good night’s sleep? There is research to suggest that aromatherapy can help reduce insomnia. In this article, you will learn about the scientific […]
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) ha...
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 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 […]
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 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 for you. With this delightful recipe simmering on the stovetop, your whole home will smell like a freshly baked apple pie—with only a fraction of the work! This dried blend also makes a wonderfully […]
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 kno...
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 light. This floral mist is a sneak peek into our Natural Perfumery Course, and it combines the fragrant aroma of jasmine and rose with the citrusy cheerfulness of bergamot. The end result […]
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 tig...
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 few parchments that have survived, a person named Theophrastus (c. 370 BCE – c. 287 BCE) reportedly wrote 227 books about animals, trees, shrubs, fruits, and flowers. Although he wasn’t the only scientific writer at […]
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 apothecarie...
