What is a Materia Medica?
Every field of study employs its own language, words, and phrases that become an integral part of engaging with the discipline. In herbalism, one such phrase is “materia medica,” which comes from Latin and literally means “healing materials.” More specifically, a materia medica is a body of knowledge that describes how plants have been used therapeutically throughout the…
6 Natural Ways to Ease Poison Ivy Rashes
Sooner or later, many of us will encounter poison ivy, oak, or sumac. Whether you are foraging, gardening, hiking, or just enjoying the warm sunny days, there is a good chance you will see one of these plants. Fortunately, there are several natural wellness options that can help offer you some support in case you…
Summertime Foot Care Tips For Kids (+ 3 Recipes)
As a kid, I believed it was officially summer when I no longer had to wear shoes. Injuries may have been par for the course, but a stubbed toe or a splinter meant I was out enjoying nature, right down to my bare feet, usually while running as fast as I could! As I learned then, summertime–with…
The Limits of Herbalism
Herbs have limits, too. For all the amazing ways that herbs can enrich our lives and help us heal, there are still things for which they should not be relied upon. But that’s not all – there are also legal considerations and limits that herbalists need to know. By approaching herbs with awareness of our limits…
Herbal Allies for Families During Allergy Season
Springtime brings the waking of green things from the Earth. The air is fresh and wild, and we feel called to the out-of-doors, to nature. Yet for some of us warmer weather is also the harbinger of, well, misery. If you suffer from seasonal allergies or someone in your family does, you know that the…
12 Nettle Recipes To Add To Your Cookbook
It is spring, and to many of us that means time to watch for the nettle. Long ago, our ancestors also watched for the first greens of spring after a hard winter with nutritional foods in short supply. As soon as they were able, they harvested nettle and incorporated its revitalizing nutrition into their diets. Nutritionally, nettle is one of nature’s…
Stinging Nettle Plant: A Spring Favorite
Many herbalists can hardly wait for spring to nourish their bodies naturally with fresh greens from the earth. Much like our ancestors, we harvest (learn how) the highly nutritious nettle, incorporate it into our diets, and dry enough to get us to next spring. Nettle (Urtica dioica) has fulfilled many needs for humans in the past. It has…
How to Make a Delicious Dewberry Syrup
Each spring, one of nature’s gifts appears in the form of dewberries. Sometimes considered a weed by those unfamiliar with their benefits, dewberries grow on low, trailing brambles along fences, in woodlands, near roadways, and in other undisturbed areas. The vines are covered with small thorns, which can make it tricky to harvest dewberries. Forage…
Raising Happy, Healthy Chickens with Fresh Eggs Daily
I’ll just say this up front: if I were a chicken, I’d want to be a chicken in Lisa Steele’s flock. Fortunately for the backyard chickens of the world, in her book Fresh Eggs Daily: Raising Happy, Healthy Chickens…Naturally the author shares her unique approach to the care and tending of chickens so we all can…
The Importance of Finding an Herb Mentor
Community is an important aspect of herbalism. Herbalism is all about relationships, after all – the relationships we have with each other and with health as well as the relationships we have with plants. One of the most special relationships within herbalism, though, is the relationship between herb mentor and student. Most herbalists eventually find some…
