Nettle Plant Walk Video: Identification, Uses, Preparations, & More!
Join herbalist and Herbal Academy Assistant Director, Jane Metzger as she explains how to identify and use nettle in this plant walk video. Not only will you learn how to identify this plant in the wild and some common ways to use it, but you’ll learn a bit about nettle’s energetics and actions as well. Just…
10 Simple Vitalist Practices To Support Well-Being
We are a part of nature, and nature is wise. The Vitalist tradition of herbalism honors this innate wisdom and connection. The Vitalist tradition is a type of herbal practice that looks at the whole person — deeply investigating, looking beyond surface symptoms alone, until the root cause of why a client has come to…
This Versus That: How To Choose The Best Herbal Preparation For Your Needs
One of the most commonly asked questions new and old herbalists ask themselves is “what is the best herbal preparation to use in this situation?” With so many traditional and modern ways to prepare herbs, determining the best herbal preparation to use can feel overwhelming. In this article, we’re here to help break down some…
5 Herbs To Help You Transition Seasons From Summer To Fall
Although the days still feel long and hot, the crisp air of fall is right around the corner. There is a tendency for many of us to say that fall simply “snuck up” on us! Since weather patterns can be somewhat unpredictable at times, it can be helpful to utilize herbs that ease the transition…
Find The Right Herbal Course For You With This Herbal Academy Course Comparison Chart!
There is one week left during back to school season, so it’s decision time! Which Academy course is right for you? Deciding on a course can feel like a difficult choice, but it doesn’t have to be! We are here to help you find the best program fit for your educational needs. In this post,…
What Every Herbalist Should Know About Herbal Preparation Shelf Life
Have you ever pulled an older herbal salve out of your bathroom cabinet and wondered if it was still effective? Or perhaps you’ve thought about making a large batch of herbal tea to store in the refrigerator and drink over the course of several days, later second guessing yourself because you weren’t sure how many…
8 Of Your Most Frequently Asked Herbal Questions, Answered
In the spirit of Back to School Season, we thought it would be fun to take on common student questions in a really quick Q&A fashion. We know you’ll find these topics helpful because we get questions about them all the time! Grab a box of #2 pencils or your favorite ballpoint pen, a notebook,…
Strawberry Basil Infusion: A Last Taste of Summer
Who says tea always needs to be sipped hot? Infusions, like the one below, are a great way to rejuvenate your body after a hot day in the sun while also imparting the flavors and benefits of these hydrating summer edibles! August is a busy time of the year! Harvests are gathered and prepared for…
Ayurvedic Guide to Building Digestive Power
If you consult with an Ayurvedic practitioner, don’t be surprised if she asks you a hundred and one questions about the state of your digestive system—no matter what brought you into her office! Regardless of where your imbalances manifest, Ayurveda places incredible emphasis on the state of digestion, also known as agni. According to the…
8 Best Herbs For Seasonal Lethargy & Fatigue
With the summer heat waves starting to set in, there is no better time to turn to herbs that can cool us down and help re-energize the body for all of our hot weather adventures! During the hot months of summer, we can accumulate excess heat in the body, resulting in symptoms such as hot…
Urban Farming in Nashville, Tennessee: A Family Lineage
If you find yourself in Nashville enjoying one of its hippest neighborhoods, East Nashville, you may stumble upon an unexpected, yet welcome, attraction: Double N Urban Farm, home to Stomping Ground Herbals. Amidst this growing city that draws new inhabitants estimated at close to 100 people a day (Reicher, 2018), Nashville native, Nicole Mattingly, runs…
5 Herbal Lifestyle Books To Read This Year
There are many paths to herbalism. Some of us may have had a more direct path stemming from a pure interest in botany, foraging, or making herbal preparations. Others, in efforts to nourish our bodies with more natural, simple ingredients, may have stumbled across the herbal approach as a happy accident. As our understanding of…
Turmeric Lemonade: Health Benefits & How To Make It
There is something so beautifully simple about using herbs and roots to live a healthy life. The familiar adage, eat the rainbow is apropos – it is not hard to imagine the health benefits of ground beet root powder with its bright red color or the beautiful blue-green shade of the superfood spirulina. Turmeric is…
3 Steps for an Herbal-Infused Pedicure for Beautiful Nails and Soft Feet
Do you live in a warm climate and sport sandals daily or tread often in bare feet? Regardless of the climate you live in or the frequency with which you walk barefoot, your feet can easily become tired and worn. Don’t neglect the bottom of your soles, heels, or nails! Each can truly benefit from…
Curious About Becoming An Herbalist? Here’s What You Need To Know First!
Have you ever daydreamed about becoming an herbalist? Perhaps in your dream, you’re standing in your herbal garden, basket in hand, wind blowing through your hair as you gather flowers, leaves, and roots to take home and prepare for later use. Maybe you’re standing in your kitchen, your counters covered with supplies and materials to…
How To Make Framed Botanicals to Decorate Your Home
Framed botanicals in your home can conjure up memories of summer’s floral bounty, even in the depths of winter. Try framing a collection of wellness supporting herbs to serve as a decorative herbarium or frame culinary herbs to hang in the kitchen or give as a gift to a food-loving friend. Framed botanicals can also serve…
5 Best Places to Sell Herbal Products
One of the biggest questions facing an entrepreneur is, “How do I make money?” The key difference between being a hobbyist and an entrepreneur is just that: money. If you are an herbalist, you most likely didn’t get into this line of work for money; you came into this field with a passion for plants,…
12 At-Risk Plants NOT To Harvest This Year
Late spring and summer are ideal times for harvesting plants. This is because, by this time, most plants have developed to the point where their identifying characteristics are obvious—leaves are often fully grown, flowers have blossomed, and some plants are already forming seeds, each of which makes plant identification easier. While most in the herbal…
Free Ebook Download: Herbal Tea Throughout The Seasons
Do you love drinking herbal tea? Or perhaps you’d like to incorporate a daily tea ritual into your routine? If so, you’ll love our newest ebook offering: Herbal Tea Throughout The Seasons, which is now available as a free download! No matter what the season, sipping a cup of tea can allow you to pause…
Learn To Identify Cleavers In Our Newest Plant Walk Video
We’re back with another plant walk video from Herbal Academy Assistant Director, Jane Metzger. In this video, Jane will be showing us how to identify cleavers as well as sharing some common preparations this plant is used in. Just click play on the video below or watch it on our YouTube channel. Cleavers Name/Family: Cleavers, Galium aparine…
FairWild Week: Go Wild for Wild Plants
You may not realize just how many plants you come into contact with on a daily basis, but for most people, it’s a lot. Whether it’s food, drinks, cosmetics, medicines, or lifestyle products, wild plants can be found in hundreds of thousands of products worldwide. In fact, around 30,000 different plant species have been documented…
5 Ways To Use Hollyhock In Your Materia Medica
You may have admired hollyhock (Althaea rosea) already in gardens, along bike paths, or in other sunny locations as a beautiful and commonly used ornamental. After all, its gorgeous tall stalks with large and vibrant rose-esque blooms tend to demand attention! But did you know that these stunning blooms are also an herb that can…
Join Us For A Yellow Dock Plant Walk!
We’re in the midst of growing and foraging season here in the Northern Hemisphere. If you’re feeling the tug to get outside and enjoy the plants as they flourish, we hope you’ll join us today for a plant walk video with herbalist and Herbal Academy Assistant Director, Jane Metzger. Jane will be showing us how to…
The Top 5 Ayurvedic Kitchen Spices to Keep In Stock
If you love spicy food, then perhaps you instinctually appreciate the aromatic, colorful allure of well-spiced cuisine. For some, the draw is innate; there is something so enticing about the crimson kick of cayenne (Capsicum annuum) and the warming brown of cinnamon, not to mention that lovely golden hue that turmeric brings to a curry….
How To Make DIY Herbal Culinary Salts
So many recipes instruct you to “add salt and pepper to taste” or “finish with a sprinkle of sea salt.” But what if we could add herbs with every finishing touch? And what if this practice made the flavor of our dishes all the more complex and delightful? Herbal culinary salts are incredibly easy to…
5 Herbal Cookbooks For Your Kitchen
Cooking with herbs can be one of the more delicious and rewarding ways to integrate herbs into our daily life. In fact, herbs have held a place in the kitchen through the centuries, and are integral to cultural culinary traditions. Many of our first interactions with herbs may have been a garnish of parsley, meats…
Inside The Herbarium Membership!
Welcome to The Herbarium — a membership site for herbalists! Inside this space, you will find a collection of herbal monographs, photographs, articles, videos, tutorials, teaching charts, and more. These resources are available here in an effort to share herbal wisdom, discoveries, lessons, and beauty that will enrich this life-long journey into herbalism. Inside The…
How To Stay Calm and Cool with Lemon Balm Lemonade
Are you ready for the summer heat? In this post, I’ll show you how to make lemon balm lemonade. Stay calm, cool, and hydrated all summer long with this herbal twist on an old favorite. Summer Days While summer is a time of lazy days and longer nights, it can also be busy and full…
How To Use Morphology to Describe Plants
With an awareness of the many forms that plants, flowers, and leaves come in, a hike in the woods or a stroll through a garden can transform from a blur of green to a diverse exhibit of morphology. With attention to morphology, along with an understanding of binomial nomenclature and the evolutionary relationships that plant…
How To Use Flower Essences for Emotional Support
How do you feel when you notice spring and summer flowers in bloom or the trees budding and bursting with life? Do you feel energized, hopeful, or at peace? Flower essences capture this subtle seasonal energy, and they are used to support the emotional side of wellness. Flower essences are created by infusing newly opened…
