A Mother’s Day Tribute to ALL Mamas!
Being a Mom looks different for everyone. Much like our herbalism journey, no two paths are the same. We asked some of our inspiring students and herbalists – How has being a Mom influenced your herbalism journey? We’ve put together a Mother’s Day tribute highlighting a few of these responses. Read the powerful messages below about […]
Make Your Own Herbal Facial Care Kit for Mother’s Day
“The days are long, but the years are short” is a saying so true it can almost define parenthood. Sleepless nights during infancy, navigating the rough waters of toddlerhood, answering the infinite questions of a young developing mind, tending the delicate balance of raising a teen, and managing the worries of a young adult child […]
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Shannon Mulligan-Mayernik (@mayernikkitchen)
For our Student Feature series, we recently interviewed Herbal Academy graduate, Shannon Mulligan-Mayernik (@mayernikkitchen). Shannon and her husband own Mayernik Kitchen, an herbal apothecary located in Northern New Jersey. They grow over 50+ medicinal herbs on their herb farm in Sussex County, NJ, which they use to create plant medicines. They offer a wide range […]
5 Helpful Study Tips for Herbalism
As a new student of herbalism, oftentimes it can feel overwhelming as we try to soak in the abundance of information we are learning. Trying to remember lists of new terms, the benefits of common kitchen spices, and the unique energetics of all the different herbs may feel quite daunting! Much like our time in […]
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 […]
DIY Foraged Chickweed Salve
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is one of the most common medicinal lawn weeds in North America. It enjoys cool temperatures, so it is typically one of the first weeds to arrive in early spring. This common weed has many herbal benefits; it has traditionally been used to soothe skin issues, which makes it a great ingredient […]
Growing an Edible Flower Garden
No garnish elevates a drink or dish quite like an edible flower. While I am sometimes able to find edible flowers among the fresh herbs in my local grocery store, nothing beats the quality and freshness of being able to pluck them fresh from my garden. Growing an edible flower garden is easily done in […]
How To Make A Floral Vinegar Infusion + A Spring Salad Recipe
Spring blooms make their way from the once cold soil, emerging and bringing life back to our gardens. The vibrant flowers and leaves that were deep in sleep are now wide awake, swaying in the breeze, soaking up the warm sun, and ready to be used once more for homemade herbal creations. The particular recipe […]
Chickweed Pesto: How to Make This Wild Greens Recipe
Chickweed (Stellaria spp., including Stellaria media) is one of the first herbs to appear each spring. If you’ve been cooped up inside all winter and you’re ready to hit the forests and meadows the minute the weather warms, then chickweed is a fantastic edible green to learn how to recognize and use in herbal recipes, […]
Prepare Your Herb Garden With These 4 Spring Tasks
Spring is an exciting time in the herb garden! So many beloved herbs are perennials, and as they begin to sprout and grow after the long winter slumber, we may have visions of abundant harvests ahead. By preparing your herb garden for the season with these spring tasks you can make that vision a reality. […]
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Rachel Baker (@3_sources)
For this month’s Student Feature, we spoke with Herbal Academy graduate, Rachel Baker (@3_sources). Rachel has an online business, 3 Sources, to help others maintain optimal health using nutrition and lifestyle as medicine. She is currently enrolled in the Intermediate Herbal Course and Mastering Herbal Formulation Course, and has contributed to Herbal Academy’s blog with […]
3 Best Botanical Illustration Books to Inspire Your Studies
Books have a way of inspiring us to better ourselves. Wouldn’t you agree? They often help us to expand our knowledge on a particular subject or show us how to develop a skill in some form of handicraft. They even provide decor to our homes, which often stimulates good conversation amongst visitors. Botanical illustration books […]
Andean Plants and Their Herbal Uses
The Andes mountains are home to at least 20,000 endemic species of Andean plants (Myers et al., 2000 as cited by Cueva-Agila et al., 2019). In Ecuador, the Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests ecoregion boasts up to 8,000 different plant species (Richter et al., 2009). The southern part of the country, especially the Loja and […]
7 Foods and Herbs to Add to Your Diet for Postpartum Nourishment + A Nourishing Stew Recipe
The first weeks after birth are a very special chapter like no other—this period can be one of the biggest physical, emotional, and spiritual transitions someone will go through in their lifetime. Postpartum is the time to recover, for both parent and child. The baby slowly gets used to the new world and an intimate […]
A Spring Equinox Drawing Exercise with Botanical Illustrator Joséphine Klerks
As we’ve worked behind the scenes on our new drawing exercise mini course, Botanical Drawing for Herbalists, we’ve spent many hours oohing and awwing over the incredible artwork produced by talented botanical illustrators of our day. One artist who regularly catches our attention with Earth-centered illustrations that capture the spirits of medicinal plants is Joséphine […]
A Day In the Life of a Botanical Illustrator With Madison Safer
Madison Safer is a freelance illustrator who beautifully interweaves her creative artwork with her herbal practice. You may have seen her work in Taproot magazine or on social media, where her cozy, nostalgic designs illustrate topics that are near and dear to naturalists and herbalists of all skill levels. We particularly love her Fire Cider […]
How To Make A Kid’s Fairy Garden With Foraged Materials
Raise your hand if you want to live in a tiny mushroom house in a magical forest (ME)! Surrounded by regal trees, waking up to dewy moss, serenaded by nature’s creatures…ah, the stuff fairytales are made of. According to my five-year-old, building a fairy house brings fairies to your house. Naturally, with that profound logic, […]
Agni: Understanding the Digestive Fire
Digestive fire or digestive strength is discussed with some frequency across different herbalism and wellness traditions. However, oftentimes we don’t take the time to really break down our understanding of what is meant by digestive fire. Ayurveda has a unique, well-articulated, and beautifully poetic model for understanding digestive wellness. In Ayurveda, one’s agni (digestive fire) […]
How to Make Oak Gall and Coreopsis Botanical Paint with Rebecca Desnos
With the launch of our new Botanical Drawing for Herbalists Course, we’ve been extra inspired by projects that involve making ink and dyes from plants. For this project, we teamed up with plant dyer and author Rebecca Desnos to learn how to make botanical paint from oak galls and coreopsis flowers. You can start your […]
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 this way. Historically, the art world was a male-dominated one. This was most likely due to the fact that men were considered the “breadwinners” of the family while women tended to more domestic […]
Planting the Rainbow: Incorporate Plants Into Your Garden Based On the Color of the Blooms
Gardening is a hobby that can fulfill both the utilitarian as well as the aesthetic sensibilities within the human soul, but you don’t always find both in the garden. I grew up with gardens that were either designed around production and output or designed for aesthetic purposes. However, you don’t have to choose. Planting the […]
The Father of Medicine: Was Hippocrates an Herbalist?
“Where there is love for mankind, there is love for art of healing.” – Hippocrates Considered the father of medicine, Hippocrates was a renowned ancient Greek physician and teacher born on the island of Kos in the Aegean Sea. He lived during the Classical Period of ancient Greece, which was a time marked by a […]
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Farai Harreld (@thehillbillyafrican)
We sat down with Herbal Academy graduate, Farai Harreld, to learn more about her herbal journey. Farai enjoys teaching folk herbal remedies on her Patreon channel called Folk Herbalism. She has completed Herbal Academy’s Botanical Skin Care, Foraging, and Mushroom courses. You can also find herbal inspiration on her Instagram account, @thehillbillyafrican. HA: Please tell […]
Gardening By the Moon: How Lunar Planting Deepens Your Relationship With the World You Live In
When we hear a phrase like “gardening by the moon,” it can elicit mystical and magical thoughts. However, this is an ancient (rather than new age) method for managing agricultural work that continues to be a tool for farmers today. One of the most popular planting guides ever produced, The Old Farmers Almanac, uses lunar […]
Tribute to Herbal Academy’s Founder and Director, Marlene Adelmann
To Our Herbal Academy Community: It is with very heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of our Founder and Director, Marlene Adelmann, at age 67. For the last year and a half, she bravely battled a rare form of cancer with a strength so characteristic of the woman she was. […]
Reconnecting With Nature Through DIY Skin Care
Now that it’s the wintertime, I’ve had to up my DIY skin care routine due to increased dryness and irritation. At first, it seemed like a chore, but skin care has now become something I find very meditative and relaxing. Being able to source many of these ingredients directly from the earth has allowed me […]
Your Guide to an Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse
Spring is often linked to a sense of renewal. As the daylight hours stretch out longer, temperatures become warmer, and blossoms emerge, you may find yourself with a desire to engage in a spring cleanse or another ritual of renewal. Ayurveda offers gentle and time-tested methods for cleansing and resetting. An ayurvedic spring cleanse can […]
How to Make Botanical Vegan Pancakes Inspired by the Colors of Nature
Today I am sharing a recipe for botanical vegan pancakes made with rice milk, buckwheat flour, and egg substitute. I mixed the pancake batter with different powders to give a variety of colors to the pancakes. The powders I used are: Barley grass Aronia berry Maca Beetroot Rosehip Cacao For the dark green I used […]
Herbal Aphrodisiac Candle: The Perfect DIY Project For a Romantic Evening
You know the saying “love is in the air,” and the feel of a palpable swirling energy, the kind that makes you feel exhilarated? February shines a spotlight on love and as the month bursts with store-bought flowers, chocolate, and heart-shaped trinkets, let it also be a time to reconnect. A reminder to yourself or […]
