Spiced Apple Cider Recipe with Orange, Ginger, and Cinnamon
We like to keep mulled cider warming away on the stove or in a slow cooker regularly during the winter months. The intoxicating scent of cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.), allspice (Pimenta dioica), and apples wafting through our kitchens and throughout our homes is nostalgic and comforting. This spiced apple cider recipe is the ideal recipe to…
Cranberry Hot Toddy Recipe with Clove, Cinnamon, and Ginger
Hot toddy recipes are wonderful additions to your winter herbal cocktail lineup. Whether you are planning a holiday party video call this year or you’re cozied around a fire with your family, we hope you make (or share!) this cranberry hot toddy recipe. The ingredients feature warming herbs, which do more than create a little…
Chai-Spiced Apple Cider Mocktail Recipe
The flavor of chai is as festive as festive comes. This particular apple cider mocktail is a great make-ahead recipe if you’re under a time crunch or want to prepare a big batch. The homemade chai concentrate will keep well for at least a week in the refrigerator. More Winter Herbal Cocktails Cranberry Hot Toddy…
Winter Herbal Cocktails to Toast the New Year
What a year it was! With the ups, downs, twists, and turns of the last 12 months, we’re approaching 2021 head on and with fervent hope. To reflect on a year gone by and to anticipate a year ahead, we’re pouring ourselves some winter herbal cocktails and jotting down what we envision for this new…
Pine Needle Gimlet Recipe
The addition of a conifer simple syrup to any beverage adds a level of richness and earthiness to the recipe. The pine needle simple syrup added to this pine needle gimlet creates a cocktail that’s equal parts bright and decadent. More Winter Herbal Cocktails Cranberry Hot Toddy Recipe with Clove, Cinnamon, and Ginger Herbal Hot…
Herbal Hot Toddy Mocktail Recipe
While traditional hot toddy recipes feature dark liquor like rum, whiskey, or bourbon, you can still get the same warm, cozy effects with a non-alcoholic version! This herbal hot toddy mocktail gives you the spiced flavors of our herbal hot toddy cocktail recipe, but because it’s alcohol-free, you can drink it throughout the day without…
Conifer-Infused Vodka and Simple Syrup Recipes
Evergreens not only provide a much-needed pop of color during the winter months, they are also a wonderful natural source of vitamin C. Conifer needles also have anti-inflammatory properties, and in addition are antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal (Walker, 2015). If you find yourself out foraging this winter season, harvest a cup or two of conifer…
Nettle Leaf Nursing Tea with Oatstraw and Alfalfa
Nursing tea, sometimes referred to as lactation tea, is an herbal tea blend thought to promote milk supply in nursing mothers. Nettle (Urtica dioica) leaf, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) aerial parts, and oat (Avena sativa) leaf and stem, known as “oatstraw,” are often found in nursing tea blends due to their nutritive properties. While many feel…
Adaptogen Cherry Bites
Adaptogen cherry bites are the ideal winter snack, blending good taste with good balance. This recipe calls for nourishing ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root powder, immune-boosting eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) root powder, and tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) leaf powder, which is highly respected in Ayurveda for its actions on the nervous and respiratory systems. Adaptogens are a category…
Homemade Nipple Balm with Calendula and Marshmallow
None can know the pain of cracked nipples from nursing, and the overwhelming relief of good nipple balm unless they’ve been there. We’ve been there, and this herb-infused homemade nipple balm uses rich ingredients and soothing botanicals to help the new mother. Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) root is one of the main ingredients in this herb-infused…
Herbal Bath Tea with Chamomile & Rose
Herbal bath tea makes a wonderful homemade gift, especially if that gift recipient is you! By blending together botanicals known for their nervine effects, this recipe includes chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) flowers and rose (Rosa spp.) petals to combine relaxation with aromatics. Chamomile contains a flavonoid, apigenin, thought to be the source of the plant’s sedative…
How to Recognize and Manage Hormonal Imbalance
Recognizing and managing hormonal imbalance starts with an understanding of hormones and the impact they have on our bodies. Hormones (like cortisol, estrogen, and melatonin) are chemical messengers that are produced by our endocrine system. After producing hormones, the endocrine system then sends them directly into our blood system to glands (like the adrenal, pituitary,…
2 Herbal Desserts Featuring Pumpkin: Brownies & Pie
Get ready for tasty, seasonal, and surprising combinations of herbal desserts! You may have heard of mint brownies or even lavender brownies, but read on for a unique herbal twist on a chocolatey favorite. Perfect for autumn and winter, this Pumpkin and Herbs Brownies recipe contains both fresh thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus,…
Your Guide to Winter Foraging
Something magical happens in the winter. Our pace slows, the world grows quiet, and we cozy up in our homes with a more inward focus. We’re inviting you out into the quiet world and beckoning you away from your snug nest to go with us on a winter foraging journey. Despite the drop in temperatures,…
Stress-be-Gone Herbal Bath for New Moms
This relaxing herbal bath blend for the new mother is composed of three well-known aromatic nervines: chamomile (Matricaria recutita) flower, lavender (Lavandula spp.) flower, and linden (Tilia spp.) flower and bracts. Nervines are herbs and botanicals that have a direct effect on the nervous system in some way, including reducing stress and anxiety and bringing…
Mom’s Chamomile Tea Recipe with Lemon Balm and Linden Flower
Chamomile tea made from chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) flower with lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) leaf and linden (Tilia cordata) flower and bract is a relaxing blend for any new mother. Gentle herbs known for their stress-relieving tendencies and nerve-soothing effects are the perfect ingredients for this hand-blended chamomile tea recipe, which can be enjoyed daily. Chamomile…
Best Herbal Oils for Homemade Soaps
In my five years of professional soapmaking, I’ve discovered herbal oils are a true luxury that adds vitality to homemade soap. Our skin is alive, but lifeless chemicals cannot give back life to the skin. To be “alive,” beauty products and topical formulas should be made purely of plant-based and natural ingredients (Raichur,1997). As the…
Mom’s Raspberry Leaf Tea with Lady’s Mantle and Mint
Raspberry (Rubus spp.) leaf mixed with members of the rose and mint families come together in this new mother’s tea recipe, making the most of herbs and botanicals that are known for their association with pregnancy and postpartum health. Mineral-rich and aromatically soothing, this raspberry leaf tea with mint (Mentha spp.) leaf and lady’s mantle…
Herbal Sugars for Baking
Winter means spending more time indoors, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the abundance from our herb garden long after the last bloom and the first frost. Many of us feel the need to surround ourselves with comfort when snow blankets the ground and the weather turns cold. Baking in the kitchen is one…
Overnight Hawthorn Infusion
Creating your own hawthorn herbal infusion is a great way to pack a powerful nutritious punch from this member of the rose family. By using the hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) leaf, flower, and berry in a simple but refreshing herbal infusion, you can help prepare your body for the challenges of the winter season. Late fall…
Soothing Herbal Sitz Bath for New Mothers
You can blend together botanicals celebrated for their relaxing aromas and cooling astringent properties to create a soothing herbal sitz bath. Both yarrow (Achillea millefolium) aerial parts and St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) flowers have been found to aid mothers recovery from the birthing process. Their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties soothe the skin and stimulate…
Student Feature: Heather Skasick @PantryPotions
For the sixth installment of our Student Feature Series, we spoke with Heather Skasick of @PantryPotions. Heather is a budding herbalist who has felt her creative nature come to life through her herbal studies. As a new mother, Heather found that herbalism nurtured her family’s health, strengthened her confidence, and gave her a passion all…
How to Use Mugwort for Dreams, Sleep, and More
When I was camping in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest as part of my studies at the Elderberry School of Botanical Medicine, I rolled an herbal smoking blend that I made with mugwort (Artemisia sp.) as one of the main ingredients. I shared it with the group while we were sitting around the campfire. That night,…
Our Guide to Finding the Perfect Gifts for Herbalists
Holiday shopping season is upon us! Do you have an herbalist or two to shop for this season? Or maybe you’re building your own holiday wish list? If you’re unfamiliar with herbal practices, or if your herbalist loved one seems to already have everything they could possibly need, look no further! We’ve rounded up the…
Herb Stuffing Recipe with Sage and Thyme
A lot of folks wonder how to make stuffing with sage (Salvia officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) in a way that maximizes the herbal properties of these two related plants and enhances the proteins in their main dish. Both sage and thyme belong to the Lamiaceae, or mint family (Ware, 2018), making them complimentary flavors…
Spiced Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves
Spiced pumpkin bread offers an elevated flavor to a classic fall treat that contains nutrient-filled spices to warm the body and soul. Pumpkin is vitamin-rich, containing A, B2, C, and E vitamins, and, like the spices in this recipe, it’s a source of beta carotene (Raman, 2018). The human body converts beta carotene to vitamin…
Apple Cinnamon Stovetop Potpourri Blend
If you love the smell of freshly baked apple pie (honestly, who doesn’t?), then this Apple Cinnamon Stovetop Potpourri Blend is for you. With this delightful recipe simmering on the stovetop, your whole home will smell like a freshly baked apple pie—with only a fraction of the work! This dried blend also makes a wonderfully…
Holiday Stovetop Potpourri Recipe: The Smell of the Season
Stovetop potpourris, also known as “simmering spices,” have been used for centuries to fill homes with the comforting smells of local fruits, spices, flowers, and herbs. Unlike most store-bought candles, incense blends, and cleaning supplies, homemade stovetop potpourri is entirely natural and free of chemical additives and synthetic fragrances. This Holiday Stovetop Potpourri recipe features…
3 Stovetop Potpourri Recipes for Winter
Don’t you just love the smell of the holidays? Fresh evergreen trees, cinnamon-covered desserts, and spiced cider all mingle together during this exciting and hope-filled time of year. Unfortunately, these delightful scents are often overpowered by well-intentioned candles and cleaning supplies that are stuffed with synthetic scents. These artificial smells can be nice at first…
Woodland Winter Stovetop Potpourri Recipe
A long walk in the woods is good for the body and the soul. If you’ve ever walked through a dense evergreen forest, then you know just how rejuvenating it can be to take deep breaths of the fresh, piney scent. Just the smell itself can boost your mood! To bring the smell of the…
