Results for Category: Live Well
Safety Discussion: Elderberry and Immune Stimulation Concerns
There has been a great deal of discussion here and elsewhere on whether or not elderberry should be used during the current outbreak of viral illness. For many of us, elderberry is already a common part of supportive care during cold and flu season. Naturally, we’re curious about whether it’s appropriate for use now, and…
5 Herbal Insomnia Options For Better Sleep
If you suffer from insomnia, there are effective, herbal insomnia options available that may help to promote peaceful slumber. Rea...
10 Herbal Crafts for Long Winter Days
There’s nothing better than a hot cup of tea and a winter herbal craft project to help brighten long, cold days in the Northern ...
5 Tips to Becoming a Zero Waste Herbalist
As herbalists, we love and respect the wisdom and wellness benefits of plants. Naturally, we care deeply for the earth and the ecosystems from which herbs come. Learning, practicing, and sharing herbal wisdom is something we do in our efforts to make our lives and the world better. Still, it is often unclear how our…
7 Herbs to Include in Your Morning Routine
Starting your day with a well-planned, thoughtful morning routine that incorporates herbs can help to set the tone for your day, and what better time to create a new rhythm in your life than the New Year? Robin Sharma’s book, The 5 AM Club, touts the benefits of creating a morning routine focussed on what…
5 Tips to Help Ward Off and Manage a Viral Illness With Herbs
Post Updated 3/18/2020 When viral illnesses are running rampant, here are 5 tips to help you ward off and manage viral illness wit...
Ask An Herbalist: Herbal Tonics 101
Herbal tonics, while seemingly simple on the surface, are a more nuanced topic than just “herbs for what ails you!”. In this...
4 Common Types of Tea To Know And How to Enjoy Them
I can’t recall the exact moment when I first began to enjoy tea. However, I do know that even as a child I was drinking strong, unsweetened iced tea. I actually enjoyed (and still do!) the tannin-rich, astringent and slightly bitter taste of the ice-cold drink. However, it wasn’t until adulthood that I started delving…
6 Tips For Creating An Herbal Routine
Whether from the standpoint of client or practitioner, you may have experienced the phenomenon that knowing what to do is only half the battle; getting support on how to do it is the other half. It is easy enough to learn about herbalism from a book, and often times we even know what we should…
8 Ideas to Create a Natural Holiday Home
For many of us, one of the warmest traditions of the holiday season is welcoming in this special time of the year by decorating th...
DIY Herbal Wax Sachets for the Home and Gifting
We, herbalists, are always looking for practical ways to capture the beauty, splendor, and awakening we experience when barefoot a...
How To Stay Energetically Balanced During Winter
When you think of winter, what comes to mind? Sparkling snowflakes, red berries, and evergreens? Hot chocolate and twinkling lights? Or dark, quiet days? For all of the winter lovers out there, this cool, dark season can provide a wonderful opportunity to simplify life and to slow down and reflect on the past year. However,…
How To Stock Your Winter Home Apothecary: Herbal Allies For Colder Months
Depending on where you live, it might still feel like summer or perhaps the colder days of the year have already begun. Our work as herbalists involves tuning in to the seasons, and for those of us who garden or wildcraft, this includes paying attention to the growing cycles and when to harvest plants. Another…
The Best Herbs To Support Active Bodies
Whether you are an elite athlete, avid yogi, weekend warrior, or casual hiker, integrating movement into your daily life is essent...
How to Make a DIY Autumn Root Tonic
When autumn begins to show its signs—earthy colors, golden afternoons, and crisp evening air—it may be a good time to utilize ...
Liver Care 101: Herbs, Foods, And Wellness Practices For The Liver
The importance of holistic liver care cannot be underestimated. Your liver is one of the most multi-functional organs in your body, silently performing a myriad of tasks on a daily basis. Some of your liver’s functions include: Detoxification: Converts drugs and other toxic substances into substances that can be more easily excreted through your urine…
An Aromatherapy Guide for Infants to Elders
Aromatherapy is a topic that is easily romanticized and often lends itself to fluffy writing and dreamy concepts, such as “a drop of this for that” thinking, or even more concerning, using too much, applying inappropriately, or treating essential oils as a panacea. Aromatherapy is a complex subject that requires quite a bit of know-how,…
Our Favorite Herbs to Help You Get Your Study On (Plus, a DIY Memory Tonic Tea Recipe!)
It’s back to school season, and that means kids and adults are gearing up for another year of learning. Here at the Herbal Aca...
The Best Places to Purchase Herbs and Supplies World-Wide
Are you new to herbalism and wondering where to find the herbs you need to get going on your craft? Or perhaps you are looking for...
Clinical Vs. Community Herbalism: Striking A Balance In Your Herbal Practice
As we carve out our individual herbal paths, there are many directions we can choose to go. Every herbalist has their own “way” of practicing herbalism, making the herbalism field vast and diverse. Being an herbalist is certainly never a boring career path for this reason! When choosing an herbal studies program or a way…
4 Everyday Ways To Use Hydrosols
I studied herbalism for nearly seven years before I stumbled across hydrosols! When I finally started researching how to use hydrosols, I was amazed that this safe and versatile product wasn’t more popular. Aromatherapist and herbalist Cathy Skipper calls hydrosols “the quiet revolution in plant medicine” (AromaGnosis, 2019), and indeed, they’ve started to gain more…
How To Manage Burns Naturally From Start To Finish
Burns are a common type of ailment that many of us will experience at least once in our lifetime. While some burns require emergen...
Edible Mushroom Benefits of Six Super Star Mushrooms
Perhaps you are a mushroom lover by nature and incorporating edible mushrooms into your diet comes naturally to you. On the other ...
How To Approach Headaches Naturally
There’s nothing that can make me reach for an over-the-counter pain reliever faster than a splitting headache. Since I want to avoid unnecessary medications as much as possible (saving them for when I need them), I approach headaches naturally through dietary, herbal, and lifestyle methods before medications are required. Over the years, I have not…
8 Herbs That Calm The Anxious Mind
It may feel like today’s world is in a state of upheaval with social, political, and economic issues stirring up emotions inside of each of us. These emotions are often generically labeled as stress, and while that may be the case, acute stress has a tendency to become chronic stress if not properly addressed, and…
5 Multi-Use Herbs for your Herbal Toolkit
The study of herbalism can seem very overwhelming because there are so many herbs out there! For simplicity and practicality, it i...
What Could Changes In FDA Dietary Supplement Regulations Mean For Herbalists?
Herbal preparations, which are regulated as dietary supplements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are popular consum...
Herbal Travel Essentials For The Adventurous Traveler
World travel can be an expansive and exciting experience. Visiting far off places carries the potential to open up your heart, mind, and point of view. Yet, far-flung travels are indeed better enjoyed by the healthy and robust. Being sick at home isn’t much fun; being sick in a foreign land is even worse. Fortunately,…
Herbal Dreamtime: 6 Herbs To Enliven Your Dreamspace
Dreams are often synonymous with magic, personal achievement, and mystery. Although dreams are commonly disregarded, our dreams (both while awake and asleep) can serve as strong symbols and reference points for our personal journeys. For those of you who might have difficulty dreaming or remembering your dreams, there are a number of tools and herbs…
Tips To Finding Balance In Each Stage of Life
According to Ayurveda, each stage of human life is linked to one of the three doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha (Lad, 2009). In addit...
