Meet Indigenous Ethnobotanist Enrique Salmón
The following book excerpt is taken from the book, Iwigara: American Indian Ethnobotanical Traditions & Science, by Enrique Salmón, and is shared with permission. SAGEBRUSH Artemisia spp. Family: Asteraceae Parts Used: whole plant Season: year-round Region: western North America Some plants are both synonymous with American Indian herbology and icons of a particular geographic region….
Essential Oils and Pets: How to Use Them Safely
If you use botanicals for your own health and wellness, you have probably wondered about essential oils and pets. How might you use herbs or essential oils with your pets and animal companions? Veterinary visits are expensive, so keeping our animal companions healthy is also often a financial priority. Yes, you can use essential oils…
10 Years Strong! Herbal Academy’s Secrets to Success
We’re celebrating our 10-year anniversary this month at the Herbal Academy! Like any new business, it’s been a decade of incredibly exciting highs (like the recent launch of our brand new Business Herbal Course!), intermingled with the non-avoidable, frustrating lows (like the time our new student enrollment spike broke our website during our free course…
Herbal Academy Student Interview: Adriana Jensen (@dandelionandtherose)
We recently interviewed Adriana Jensen (@dandelionandtherose) for our Student Feature Series. Adriana has taken the Natural Perfumery Course, the Botanical Skincare Course, and is currently enrolled in the Mastering Herbal Formulation Course and the Introductory Herbal Course. She enjoys the art and creativity of putting together herbal skincare products and has plans to open her…
Herbalist Interview with lara pacheco, of Seed and Thistle Apothecary
Join the Herbal Academy for an herbalist interview with lara pacheco, of Seed and Thistle Apothecary. In the video interview below, lara speaks with staff clinical herbalist Heather Irvine about their work, Taino-influenced plant use, respecting the many ways of learning about plant use, and recognizing and empowering those who have or seek to carry…
Naturally Tinted Homemade Lip Balm Recipe
Autumn is here, showing its beauty again with warm and earthy colors and accents of red, yellow, and orange—which means time for cozy sweaters, colorful leaves, and final harvests from our gardens. The characteristic colors and flavors associated with this season are what makes it so wonderful. In addition to pumpkin pie, warming spices, and…
Soothing Herbal Cough Syrup with Elderberry, Elecampane, & Licorice
This herbal cough syrup recipe features a lovely and effective blend of elder (Sambucus spp.) berry, elecampane (Inula helenium) root, and licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root, among other herbs. This recipe is a particularly good fit for dry coughs that need soothing or that contain stuck mucus that needs to be expelled without further irritation. Elder…
How to Make a Nutritive Pregnancy Tea Blend
Pregnancy is a really special time of life and so are the needs during this time. Besides a wholesome, colorful diet, and prenatal supplements, a nourishing herbal pregnancy tea blend can boost your wellbeing as well as the health and development of your baby. The nutrient requirements are heightened to properly nourish the body during…
Deep Breath Osha and Echinacea Syrup Recipe
A go-to urban herbalism recipe is the Deep Breath Osha and Echinacea Syrup Recipe below. This formula can be used for acute lung support or as a daily preventative and immune-booster. Although cities are full of exciting opportunities, culture, and entertainment, their industrial nature creates a polluted environment with compromised air quality. While the exact…
Ayurveda and Yoga: Yoga for Your Constitution
“Ayurveda is a paradigm, not a prescription” is a phrase that I commonly emphasize in my introduction to Ayurveda public lectures. Ayurveda is integrated into the medical system in India and if you work with any ayurvedic practitioner anywhere in the world, they will likely suggest herbs, dietary modifications, and other practical measures. However, Ayurveda…
Flower Essence Formula for Healthy Boundaries
Since boundaries are often perceived and felt energetically and emotionally within a person, flower essences are a handy herbal tool to support healthy boundaries from the inside out. Below is a recipe for cultivating healthy boundaries. This blend works over a period of time and offers acute boundary protection when needed. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is…
Nerve Tea With Oatstraw and Skullcap
This herbal nerve tea recipe combines skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), a superior relaxing nervine, oatstraw (Avena sativa), a nervous system trophorestorative, and violet (Viola odorata), an overall nerve restorative, to simultaneously soothe agitation and strengthen the overall function of the nervous system (Holmes, 1989a; Holmes, 1989b). Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) is another go-to herb for nerve support…
Homemade Bug Bite Salve for Itchy Spots
The summertime invites us outdoors to bask in the warmth of the sun and enjoy more physical activity. All of this time outdoors leaves us sunkissed, grounded, and also, in many cases, bug-bitten. Like all the best things in life, there’s always a little bitter with the sweet. A homemade bug bite salve is the…
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Jess Madsen @the.wildcraft
For the fourteenth installment of our Student Feature Series, we spoke with Jess Madsen (@the.wildcraft). Jess has completed Herbal Academy’s Introductory Course. She enjoys making her own herbal creations and works with herbalists and herbal companies as a designer and photographer. HA: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started your…
Motherwort Benefits + Recipe
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) is a striking plant. Growing as tall as 5 feet, it bears the signature square stem and opposite leaves of the lamiaceae family. The leaves of this plant are toothed and palm-shaped, waving a warm hello to all that pass (Chevallier, 2000). In this post, we will discuss gathering and using motherwort,…
In Search of the True Brahmi: Bacopa vs Gotu Kola
Herbs known by the name “brahmi” have an affinity for the nervous system and tend to support memory. There are a few different herbs that go by this name, the most commonly known are Bacopa monniera and Centella asiatica. Given that the name “brahmi” is applied to more than one herb, one may be left…
Holy Basil-Peach Drink to Beat the Heat
There are so many reasons to love summertime, but juicy peaches and fresh herbs are near the top of the list! By combining cooling herbs and fruits, you can easily balance your body temperature in a delicious and nourishing way. Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) recipes are one way to do that. This flavorful holy basil-peach…
Homemade Probiotic Rose Milk Cleanser
When I was writing and creating natural DIY beauty recipes for Hello Gorgeous: 100 Fabulous DIY Facials You Can Do at Home, I focused on the simple idea that most skincare problems can be resolved the natural way: by putting nourishing food on your face. If it’s good enough to eat, it’s good enough to…
How to Harvest and Prepare Prickly Pear Cactus
The prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) cactus is synonymous with the American West, and what a gift she is to desert dwellers. The name prickly pear refers to a group of around one dozen species in the Opuntia genus (Desert USA, n.d.). Every part of this plant is useful, and prickly pear serves a wide range…
Pain-be-Gone Valerian Cordial with Willow
This Pain-be-Gone Valerian Cordial is the answer to what to do with valerian root. Valerian officinalis is known for soothing, relaxant properties in the presence of aches and pains, and for most, it is calming in the face of stress. However, it is also infamous for its unpleasant taste and smell! Thankfully, this valerian cordial…
Stay Cool With A Mint Spritz: A Stovetop Hydrosol Recipe
The sun rises with such force in the summer, sometimes giving off sweltering heat—the kind where beads of sweat drip down your neck, making you uncomfortable and hot. During such hot summer days, the shade is your ally. Much like the trees and their leaves that drape over you help block the sun, herbs are…
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Nana Meriwether (@drinkcale)
For the thirteenth installment of our Student Feature Series, we spoke with Nana Meriwether (@drinkcale). Nana has completed Herbal Academy’s The Craft of Herbal Fermentation, Intermediate Herbal Course, and Making Herbal Preparations 101. In 2019, she launched a company called Cale, which produces herbal wine alternatives that are lower in calories, sugar, sulfites, and alcohol…
How to Use Dye Plants: Plant Projects for the Home
This book excerpt is taken from A Woman’s Garden: Grow Beautiful Plants and Make Useful Things – Plants and Projects for Home, Health, Beauty, Healing, and More by Tanya Anderson, and is reprinted with permission from Cool Springs Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group. Using Dye Plants From archaeological evidence, we know that people have…
Nettle Infused Ice Cubes + How to Make a Super Soda
The familiar sound when you crack open a soda, the release of those tiny little bubbles that pop and dance on the can’s lid. It is such a nostalgic memory. Can’t you just hear it now if you close your eyes? What if I told you there was a way to enjoy that same feeling,…
3 Fun Summer Herbal Popsicles
What is better than having a cold, delicious, and healthy treat ready in the freezer, waiting for you when the weather is hot? Herbal iced teas are awesome, but have you tried to make your own herbal popsicles from infusions, adding fruit or coconut cream? If you have a popsicle mold at home, these are…
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,…
Botanical Vegan Tamales Recipe
This vegan tamales recipe is a fun twist on traditional tamales. I love how the edible flower colors and shapes appear to be painted on the masa after steaming. The spiced and hibiscus-infused jackfruit is a pleasing plant-based close companion in taste and texture to carnitas. You might find it more refreshing as a light…
Tissue-Soothing Mouthwash for Cancer Care Support
Many of us associate cancer care treatment with some truly debilitating side effects, and it can be overwhelming and frightening to look down the long road of treatment. While we don’t want to downplay the enormous impact that chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments can have on daily life, there have truly been some big leaps…
Green Tea Herbal Soap Recipe
The following green tea soap excerpt is used with permission and taken from Easy Soapmaking by Kelly Cable. A beautiful, bright scented herbal bar. This recipe is easy to make using a green tea bag to add the anti-inflammatory properties of green tea and gentle exfoliation to your soap. 10% Superfat, 2 pounds or eight…
An Anti-Inflammatory Approach to Eating + a Wild Greens Smoothie Recipe
Whenever the topic of nutrition is brought up, the conversation usually becomes very passionate. Since we all need to eat, nutrition concerns all of us. As a nutrition and lifestyle practitioner, I am passionate about helping people learn the unique language of their bodies so they can discover what’s helping or heeding them on their…
