Rose and Vanilla Honey Recipe
Rose and vanilla honey is a wonderful gift idea for someone you love. Containing ingredients known for their association with romance and love, this simple honey is sure to be a hit to the heart. Rose (Rosa spp.) is such a loving plant and is a wonderful addition to any love potions meant for others…
How to Make a Succus
A succus is the freshly expressed juice of a plant or its fruit. If you aren’t familiar with this kind of herbal preparation, that is probably because it hasn’t been as widely offered by producers in the herbal industry. Home herbalists tend to reserve this type of preparation for fewer plants, or those that will…
Plant Personalities: How Growing Plants Deepened My Relationship With Them
I can proudly shout from the rooftops that I am a giant nerd! I am obsessed with herbalism, plant personalities, and creating deeper connections to the earth. This path is a lifelong study, which is one of the many reasons I am drawn to it. As an herbalist, I can continually read, study, play, and…
Transform Your Land Into a Botanical Sanctuary
Native plants and their habitats are under threat. These threats come from overharvesting caused by the demand of the herbal market, and land development as more housing and other developments pop up around the country. As herbalists and plant enthusiasts, part of our journey is learning how to be stewards to our plant allies with…
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Kendra Payne @the.herbal.scoop
For the eleventh installment of our Student Feature Series, we spoke with herbalist Kendra Payne (@the.herbal.scoop). Kendra writes for the Herbal Academy blog and has completed the Herbal Academy’s Introductory Herbalism Course, Intermediate Herbal Course, Natural Perfumery Course, and Mastering Herbal Formulations Course. She owns The Herbal Scoop, a discovery-based herbal botanical shop where she sells…
DIY Spring Herb Salve With Lavender, Calendula, and Rose
Fresh slow-infused calendula drips through a strainer sending drops of gold liquid splashing to the bottom of the glass. Next to it a jar filled with sweet lavender oil fills the room with a soothing aroma. A glittering of copper paints the wall as the sun hits the lid to my rose-infused oil. This right…
How to Source Sustainable Seaweed
Seaweed has been farmed in Japan since at least the 17th century (“Seaweed Farming”, n.d.), when farmers cast bamboo branches into shallow waters where seaweed spores would collect. But its use as a food source stretches back much further, with archaeologists discovering that the coastal people of Monte Verde, Chile harvested and consumed seaweed as early as 21,000…
Meet Hawaiian Ethnobotanist Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott “The Seaweed Lady”
Isabella Aiona Abbott—the seaweed lady, First Lady of Limu, Izzy, or we might even call her Abottella after a seaweed that was named after her—is one of many remarkable people whose story absolutely calls to herbalists. Her story is less often told than other famous names of botany or herbalism. She was a botanist and…
All-Natural Pest Control Treatments
This excerpt is from Tammi Hartung’s book Homegrown Herbs and is reprinted with permission from the publisher. There are numerous methods for controlling insect pests in the garden, field, or greenhouse. Prevention will always be your best approach, but if that fails, consider beneficial insects or nonchemical pest controls. Do your best to address problems…
Moon Cycle Tea for Painful Period Cramps
Many people have experienced painful period cramps at some point. Period cramps may be anywhere from mild to debilitating, making someone want to stay in bed all day long. Severe period pain is not normal and warrants a professional assessment as it can be a sign of conditions such as endometriosis. Mild to moderate pain…
