5 Multi-Use Herbs for your Herbal Toolkit
The study of herbalism can seem very overwhelming because there are so many herbs out there! For simplicity and practicality, it is helpful to become knowledgeable about some common herbs to have on hand that have multiple uses. In this post, we will focus on five soothing, multi-use herbs that can be supportive of multiple…
Urban Herbalism: Herbal Recipes For Life In An Urban Environment
Some of the most courageous herbalists are the ones who choose to live in cities and share their skills with the community-at-large. Urban herbalism is not always easy. The act of harvesting plants is less accessible and growing herbs is more challenging due to limited space. Not to mention, living in an urban environment presents…
Spiritual Heart Medicine: How To Use Herbs for Emotional Self-Care
Humans are emotional beings, though, in our modern society, we often place importance on the physical body. This focus can lead to ignoring the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, messages from our emotional body. While it may feel easier to put attention on the physical body, tending to emotional self-care is necessary for overall…
DIY Firming Wild Rose Undereye Cream
This recipe for undereye cream is from a book excerpt from The Backyard Herbal Apothecary by Devon Young. My slow evolution into “becoming an herbalist” started with a love of plants and a love of knowledge. My earliest memories are a library of pretty plants and heavenly aroma, diverse textures and pleasing flavors. To say…
What Dosha Pain Type Are You?
Ayurveda is the ancient healing tradition of India, and in the ayurvedic philosophy, all things in nature are comprised of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. These elements combine together in various ways to form the three doshas, known as vata, pitta, and kapha. Air and ether combine to make vata dosha….
A Delicious Tummy Tamer Glycerite for the Whole Family
Like me, you may periodically experience trouble with digestion after a big meal with symptoms including stomach cramps, gas, pain, bloating, and general unease. For many years, I searched unsuccessfully for a formula to ease my stomach and gastrointestinal issues. I found that over-the-counter formulas were too harsh and contained unwanted side effects. Unfortunately, some…
What Could Changes In FDA Dietary Supplement Regulations Mean For Herbalists?
Herbal preparations, which are regulated as dietary supplements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are popular consumer products for those interested in a holistic approach to wellness. Herbalists, who may use herbs and natural ingredients to make their own holistic preparations for clients and herbal products businesses, must keep informed about FDA dietary…
Seaweed 101: What You Need To Know And Why You Should Add It Into Your Materia Medica
Although seaweeds are not technically considered “herbs,” these aqueous plants have recently begun to receive attention in the eyes of herbalists for their high nutritive value, wellness-promoting qualities, and distinctly tasty nature. Although a variety of seaweeds have been consumed across the world for thousands of years, only recently have they begun to be referred…
How To Use Low-Dose Botanicals Like Lobelia Safely
Plants are complex, and they have profound effects on the human body. Paracelsus said, “What is there that is not poison? All things are poison and nothing is without poison. Solely the dose determines that a thing is not a poison” (Grandjean, 2016). For the herbalist, knowing how to use low-dose botanicals without causing harm…
Herbal Travel Essentials for the Adventurous Traveler
World travel can be an expansive and exciting experience. Visiting far off places carries the potential to open up your heart, mind, and point of view. Yet, far-flung travels are indeed better enjoyed by the healthy and robust. Being sick at home isn’t much fun; being sick in a foreign land is even worse. Fortunately,…
Enter To Win Enrollment To The Craft Of Herbal Fermentation Short Course
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, spring has finally arrived and summer is just around the corner! As the plants bloom and grow throughout these seasons, we are constantly looking for ways to use the abundance nature provides through plants. One of our favorite ways to do this is by using herbs in fermented drinks. Fermented…
5 Herbs To Support A Body in Pain
Pain is a common symptom of many acute and chronic conditions—one that often leaves us searching for natural solutions to our problems. Thankfully, herbs can assist us during these times, and with the right mindset, herbs can be an effective piece to the pain puzzle. Herbalist Maria Noël Groves has written a new book, Grow…
How To Honor Your Herbal Teachers With Your Stories
We couldn’t have herbalism without each other. Through relationship, we learn the art of herbalism—humans sharing with one another, plants teaching us directly, and even animals showing us the way as we observe and learn. This tradition has likely nourished and supported us for as long as humans and plants have coexisted. No matter where…
Is a Hobbyist Herbalist the Right Path for You?
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about the various kinds of herbalists one can become—explaining what they are, things each type of herbalist may do, links to helpful resources and inspiration, and what type of Herbal Academy courses can help each type of herbalist on their journey. Today, we’re talking about the Hobbyist…
10 Amazing Mushrooms For Wellness (+ Free Mushroom Chart Download)
I live in the mountains of East Tennessee, deep in the southern half of the Appalachian mountain range. My home is surrounded by trees, ferns, and mushrooms, and no matter the season, I feel the pull to venture outdoors into the peaceful forest that waits to be explored. Here, a vast world of woodland plants…
Is Becoming A Clinical Herbalist In Your Future?
In our Herbalist Profile Series, we’ve been giving you glimpses into the various types of herbalists we find in the world today. There are dozens and dozens of ways you can use your herbal education for personal enrichment or professional pursuit! So far in our series, we’ve talked about the profiles of a Family Herbalist…
Herbal Dreamtime: 6 Herbs To Enliven Your Dreamspace
Dreams are often synonymous with magic, personal achievement, and mystery. Although dreams are commonly disregarded, our dreams (both while awake and asleep) can serve as strong symbols and reference points for our personal journeys. For those of you who might have difficulty dreaming or remembering your dreams, there are a number of tools and herbs…
Can You Make A Career Out Of Herbalism?
In our last post, we talked about what a Family Herbalist is and what that could look like in one’s life as an introduction to our Herbalist Profile Series. A Family Herbalist will often stick close to home, applying their herbal knowledge and resourcefulness to good use in order to support their family’s overall wellness….
How To Use Rose for Grief Support
I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love. –Wendell Berry I’ve been thinking a lot about the briar lately—or more specifically, the rose. I see a need for the actions…
How To Care For Your Family Naturally As A Family Herbalist
Herbalism comes in many shapes and sizes—there is certainly no one-size-fits-all for how you can practice and explore this lifestyle. There are many ways one can practice as an herbalist—one very popular way is being a Family Herbalist! A Family Herbalist is one who prefers to stay a little closer to home when putting their…
Tips To Finding Balance In Each Stage of Life
According to Ayurveda, each stage of human life is linked to one of the three doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha (Lad, 2009). In addition, the rhythm of our lives is characterized by cycles such as sleep cycles, the turning of the seasons, and the daily transition from night to day. Each of these cycles plays…
The Beginner’s Guide to Making Money as an Herbal Writer
If you enjoy writing, and you’re looking for creative ways to make money from your herbal know-how, then submitting articles to magazines and reputable online platforms may be a great option for you. For seven years, I worked as the health editor for a well-known sustainable lifestyle magazine. I received dozens of pitches per week…
How To Cope with Cabin Fever at Winter’s End
The last weeks of winter can oftentimes feel the most challenging. The initial brisk excitement of winter is behind us, and the frigid days seem longer and more bone-chilling than ever. At this point in the season, we can start to feel a little “stir crazy” in anticipation of the warmer spring days ahead, when…
Essential Oil Bath Safety: What To Do & Not Do
We are all well aware that the modern American lifestyle is very stressful. When you look up stress management techniques, you will find that a soothing evening bath is frequently on the list. As herbal practitioners, we may use a full, soaking bath, or we may use a smaller version of the bath such as…
Introducing The Most Complete Herbalism Textbooks in Beginner and Intermediate Levels
There’s nothing better than walking into the library or a bookstore and experiencing the joys of the printed word with one’s senses. Your eyes take in row upon row of books of various sizes, shapes, and colors. You smell the faint scent of ink and paper when a book is cracked open or flipped through….
5 Daily Self-Care Practices to Implement This Year
The start of the new year is a wonderful time to reset intentions and adopt new and better methods of self-care. Also, Valentine’s Day may provide the inspiration to not only express love outwardly but to also give yourself a little self-love and extra care as well. Daily self-care practices are more than pampering or the…
Herbal Academy: The Journey
One thing we can always count on is change! For us at the Herbal Academy, change usually means progress, an upward movement, a reach farther, a goal realized. With the recent changes and forward movements we’ve made (and continue to make) to the Herbal Academy web platform and our online foundational herbal courses, we thought…
Adaptogen Bliss Balls Recipe & Video
Adaptogens are a category of tonic herbs that are often used to keep the general terrain of the body healthy and functioning properly. While there are many types of tonic herbs, adaptogens are often classed as endocrine system tonics, though they can have an effect on other body systems as well. While we’re not going…
How To Use The “Folk Method” To Make Herbal Preparations
When it comes to making herbal preparations, one of the simplest ways to go about it is to use the folk method. The folk method is often used by beginner herbalists because it’s a simple and easy method to follow, but that doesn’t mean it’s for beginners only. Many experienced herbalists continue to prefer this…
Free Ebook: Top 10 Herbalism Articles of 2018
Although the new year has already begun, some of you may still be looking back on 2018, reflecting on experiences had or lessons learned. Some of this reflection may revolve around your herbal journey and how it’s progressed or changed over the year. If this is you, we have something to help you with your…
