Results for Category: Live Well
Find Your Way Through Winter With These Herbalism Tips
Winter is often a time of year that people dread. It’s filled with long nights, cold weather, and the pressure to feel connected to others during the holidays. It can be hard to find your want through winter. This combination can put many of us through the emotional ringer, especially if we feel that we…
How To Address Crown Chakra Imbalances For Health Support
We’ve now reached the top of the head where the 7th or crown chakra is located, and today I want to talk about how to address cr...
How To Approach Headaches Naturally With Supportive Herbs And Essential Oils
You might feel pressure behind your eyes. You might feel pain across your forehead or just on one side of your head. The ache may ...
How To Balance the Third Eye (or the 6th Chakra)
From the root or base to the throat chakra, each month we’ve looked at attributes of the first five chakras as well as ways to bring balance to each of them. Today, we will look into how to balance the Third Eye or the 6th chakra. As goes the rainbow, so go the chakras up…
Safe & Powerful Alternative “Thieves” Blends For The 1%
One of the most famous and best-known essential oil blends is the “Thieves” blend and all of its variants. This blend is named for thieves during the Black Plague, who, reportedly, robbed the dead bodies, yet avoided catching the plague themselves because of the herbs they wore. This blend is designed as a powerful antimicrobial…
6 Ways to Display Dried Herbs in Your Fall Home Décor
As the fall months roll around, your herb gardens may be coming to an end. However, herbs aren’t only used for their great taste...
Demystifying Weight-to-Volume Tinctures
Many of us begin our exploration of herbalism by making tinctures using what is often called the Folk Method. And there’s nothin...
Tips on Balancing the Throat Chakra
As we have moved up the body and looked at the main chakras: the root, sacral, solar plexus, and heart, we now encounter the fifth major chakra located at the throat. We’ve learned that in the Eastern traditions, the chakras are our energy centers and each is attached to certain areas of the body. For…
Approaching Inflammation and Chronic Pain Through Diet and Herbs
As we discussed in Herbs and the Chronic Pain Puzzle, sometimes inflammation and chronic pain are interrelated. In this article, we will explore more about the connections between diet, herbs, inflammation, and chronic pain and how herbs can be incorporated into a wellness plan that addresses these connections. At the heart of the matter is…
Lemon Balm: The Immortal Life of Bees
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) goes by many names: bee balm, Melissa, heart’s delight, and sweet balm. Whatever we call it, b...
Lavender Essential Oil: A Must-Have For Every Natural Medicine Chest
The lavender essential oil botanical family “Lamiaceae” is prolific in its production of aromatic and medicinal plants...
How Autumn Energetics Affect Our Self-Care
Summer is officially a wrap. The barbecues and pool parties have ceased, children are back to school, and you might be reminiscing over your vacation experiences (or looking longingly at others’ vacation photos on social media!). Gardeners have harvested their peak season of tomatoes and melons, while the lettuces and leafy greens emerge from their…
Herbs and the Chronic Pain Puzzle
In our series on herbalism and the problem of pain, we’ve already looked at An Herbal Perspective on Managing Pain, and at Herbalism and Acute Pain. Today, we will be investigating Herbs and the Chronic Pain Puzzle. Just like a jigsaw puzzle, there are many smaller pieces that make up the big picture of what…
Tips On Balancing The Heart Chakra
Our fourth or heart chakra is the middle chakra. It brings together the three lower chakras: root (survival), sacral (sexuality ...
Get Cooking With Herbs! (Family Herbal Summer Series: Part 6)
Welcome to the last week of our Family Herbal Summer Series! It has been quite an adventure so far and I am excited to share this ...
How To Use Essential Oils For Scarring
Essential oils are an excellent component in any first aid kit, as their antimicrobial qualities are well known, both traditionally and through scientific research, but their ability to help with wound healing and scar tissue formation, in particular, has not been as well established. While there is some anecdotal evidence that there are helpful essential…
6 Tips for Storing Dried Herbs
When putting together an herbal apothecary, dried herbs take center stage. Dried herbs are the first ingredient in so many different herbal preparations like herbal teas, infused oils, and tinctures. As one starts amassing a collection of dried herbs, it becomes increasingly important to be sure that you are storing dried herbs properly to ensure…
7 Tips That Will Help You Stay Cool During Menopause
Summer can be a particularly rough time for menopausal women who experience menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. Fortunately, t...
Kid-Friendly Body Care (Family Herbal Summer Series: Part 5)
It’s week five for our super fun Family Herbal Summer Series, and I am so glad your family is joining us. This week we get to in...
Herbalism and Acute Pain
The topic of herbs and acute pain is an important one for many herbalists- family herbalists and advanced herbalists alike! After all, everyone gets aches and pains or bumps and bruises occasionally. Generally, it’s much simpler to unravel the threads that lead to acute pain than it is to address chronic pain. Acute pains will…
Essential Oils for Insect Bites and Stings
I love this time of year—the trees, the flower, the sunshine…the bugs. While I accept that they are an important part of our ecosystem, I am not a huge fan of insects. Unfortunately, they seem to love me, which is why I rely on essential oils for insect bites and stings. I am a friend…
Tips On Balancing the Solar Plexus Chakra
Looking at the ancient Eastern chakra tradition, we’ve reviewed some of the basic information about the first or root chakra (re...
Stocking the Family Herb Cabinet (Family Herbal Summer Series: Part 4)
Welcome back to the Family Herbal Summer Series at the Herbal Academy! I am so happy you and your family are here to join us for o...
An Herbal Perspective On Managing Pain Using Herbs
How does an herbalist use herbal theory when managing pain using herbs? Most of the time, people tend to think of pain as a simple experience, one that is isolated within itself. We think to ourselves that “the problem is that I am in pain,” rather than “pain is a signal of something else.” Over…
The Truth About Phototoxic Essential Oils & How To Use Them Safely
As you look out the window, you see that it’s another beautiful summer day! You anticipate feeling the warmth of the summer sun’s rays on your head as you spend the afternoon with your friends who are coming over to share tea with you in your beautiful, blooming garden. Before leaving the house, you smile…
Family Wildcrafting (Family Herbal Summer Series: Part 3)
Welcome to week 3 of our special Family Herbal Summer Series! This week it is time to get out and explore the world of herbalism i...
Tips on Balancing the Sacral Chakra
Last month, balancing the first or root chakra was briefly described. This month, we follow the energy upward from the root chakra...
Introduction to Herbs for Kids
Welcome to our very special Introduction to Herbs for Kids series! Children are often fascinated by the natural world, learning from simple interactions with a puddle or a bug or a tree. This series of lessons caters to that natural inquisitiveness while introducing children to the world of herbalism in interesting and enjoyable ways. Written towards children,…
Herb Gardening With Children (Family Herbal Summer Series: Part 2)
Welcome back to the Family Herbal Summer Series at the Herbal Academy! I am so happy you and your family are here to join us for our second week of camp. This week our Family Herbal Summer Series is all about getting outside and herb gardening with children. Learn about herbs that are useful, family-friendly,…
When Is An Herbalist Prepared To See Clients?
Some of the most common questions that we are asked here at the Academy are, “When is an herbalist prepared to see clients,” ...