Autumn Wildharvesting Guide: Herbal Roots
Fall is the best time to harvest the roots, some berries, flowers, and cold weather herbs that we miss once the heat of summer comes in. This article will act as your fall wildharvesting guide, featuring herbal roots that are available during the season. Get the full Autumn Wildharvesting Guide, featuring fruits, berries, flowers, herbs, seeds, and…
Strengthening The Roots of Our Herbal Practice
We can work on many levels as herbalists, but at some point it becomes important to go deep down into the depths of our tradition and root ourselves firmly so that the personal practice of herbalism in our lives can flourish and blossom. The rich ground of historical herbalism and the new frontier of modern…
Herbalicious Homemade Granola
Crafting a big batch of homemade granola is such a treat. Pans thinly layered with the goodness of rolled oats and nuts slowly roasting in the oven is wonderful and homey. This not-to-sweet recipe uses only dried fruits along any goodies that you choose to include for sweetness. It is rich in fiber, whole grains,…
Connecting With The Season of Roots
The herbs in our gardens and the wild places around us live a year that is marked by the ritual of necessity. Each season has unique blessings and challenges for our plant allies, and learning these rhythms gives us a deeper insight into the natural world and our own health. Spring is marked with new…
A Recipe For Family-Friendly Herbal Chai
Making and drinking herbal chai together is a wonderful way to enjoy herbs with the whole family. After all what could be better than a big mug of sweetly-spiced steamy goodness on a chilly day? Chai is full of healthful herbs that aid digestion, warm the body, and gently boost the immune system. This recipe…
Herbal Vinegar Hair Rinses
Every season provides a new way to strain and damage your hair. The sand and salt water of the ocean in summer can leave you with lusterless locks. The winter winds and ice leave your hair crispy and exhausted. The humid days bring frizz and fuss to anyone who dares step outside. Whenever I notice…
Save Money by Buying in Bulk
We have already discussed the possibility of purchasing fresh produce in bulk while it is in season. Aside from produce though, many other items can be purchased in bulk to ultimately save money. Buying In Bulk Food Dried goods such as beans and grains are a common example of this. If you include beans and…
The Most Magical Spring Harvest
Over the month of September, we challenged our readers, students, and herbal community to connect with the WILD side of herbalism –sharing pictures about foraging and using wild herbs! We enjoyed seeing so many wonderful, inspiring pictures. We enjoyed previewing your apothecary, foraging adventures, medicine making experiences, and new wild discoveries. So many beautiful entries, but there can only be one winner……
Benefits Of Grapes In A Tasty Herbal Syrup
Early fall means that my lovely, vivacious grapevine is heavy with clusters of dark purple abundance. These are the kind of grapes that are so flavorful it is almost painful to eat more than a few. For years I have grappled with finding a way to harness and enjoy the benefits of grapes from our…
10 Helpful Tips for Wildcrafting Herbs
Wildcrafting is the practice of foraging for useful plants from their natural, wild habitat for edible or herbal purposes. Wildcrafting for your own herbs is one of the most rewarding things that you can do. Not only is it nice to know where your herbal remedies come from, but it’s fun to learn to identify…
Finding the Roots of Our Herbal Traditions
Fall is all about root medicine. As our plants ready themselves for winter, many of them draw their energy down into the roots to wait out a season of cold and rest. Burdock, dandelion, butterfly weed, angelica, and licorice are just a few of the herbs we cherish for their medicine underground. With roots at…
DIY Harvest Time Apple Recipes
Each autumn I look forward to crisp days filled with riotously colored leaves and the richness of harvest time, especially the coming of apple season. Apples have always been a favorite fruit in our house. And as a family, we love to get cooking in the kitchen and enjoy the bounty of the season with…
Plantain, A Story
We have plantain growing all over our yard. I’m a new, not yet budding herbalist, and I have yet to use it. I have been lying in wait for someone in my household to get a bug bite so that I could try crunching up a leaf and making a spit poultice. I have been…
4 Methods of Seasonal Food Preservation
Eating foods that are produced locally is a wonderful way to eat well without spending a lot. Eating locally often means eating seasonally as well, and prices are often lower for fruits and vegetables that are in season. If you are open to exploring methods of seasonal food preservation, you have the option to buy more food…
7 DIY Herbal Skin Care Recipes for Fall & Winter
As seasons change, so does the way we care for and nourish ourselves, as well as what we put in and on our bodies. Spring and summer bring fresh, cooling foods, while autumn and winter introduce heavy, nutrient-dense foods that warm and fill the body and spirit. Spring is often a time of rebirth, activity,…
An Introduction Into Canine Herbalism
If you have dogs, you probably cannot count the times you’ve seen them run to a patch of something green and begin to consume it ravenously. You might wonder when, and more importantly, where the consumed forage will represent itself again, which always seems to be in the middle of your dinner party on your…
12 Best Botany Words for Your Herbal Studies
Most of the time, the words we use to describe our herbs are fairly straightforward: calendula petals, mint leaves, and ginger root. Leaves, petals, and roots are parts of plants familiar to most people, even if they aren’t gardeners, herbalists, or botanists. And for most purposes, that’s as technical as you need to be. Other…
A Family Herb: Chamomile Flower
The lovely little chamomile flower is reminiscent of peaceful sunshine filled days, which speaks to the gentle power of this plant for easing discomfort and bringing happiness. In herbalism the two most commonly used chamomiles are the German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla syn. Matricaria recutita), which may be the most familiar, and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)….
Giving Thanks for the Fall Harvest
The time has come again. Fall is right around the corner and it is time to start collecting and harvesting what Mother Earth has given to us. She has been very good to us this year, here in Michigan, with all the good heavy rainfall that we had at the beginning of spring which has…
My Wild Life Giveaway with Traditional Medicinals
As summer turns into fall, many herbalists and students of herbalism revel in the splendor of this turning of the seasons. As the nights become longer and the days become crispy, we work to harvest all of the lovely botanicals that have thrived and grown during those long, hot summer days. Harvest time is filled…
Relieving Stress through Yoga – 9 Useful Tips
For me, setting aside every task and “to-do” I have for the day to take a yoga-break is indispensable. Sometimes, I wonder what is so magical about this activity that makes it the best part of my nerve-racking day. When yoga was developed several thousand years ago, few people had the answer to what makes…
Herbs Underground: Tubers, Corms, and Roots
Roots are out of sight, out of mind. They work behind the scenes, powering the ability of a plant to use nutrients from the soil, and sometimes even enriching the dirt for other plants by pulling up nutrients from farther underground or using special nodes to fix nitrogen in the soil. To herbalists, though, roots…
Health Benefits of Popular Autumn Spices
Soon the air will turn crisp and the leaves will begin to change colors. And along with these wonders of fall come the smells of apple and pumpkins as well as cinnamon, nutmeg, sage, and other popular autumn spices. In addition to the fact that these spices are delicious and autumnal, they also boast some…
How to Make and Use Rose Water
There are many well-known herbal flowers I’ve had the privilege of using over the years…lavender, chamomile, calendula…all very popular in any herbal arsenal. But one flower that I’ve often overlooked and kept in the “for decoration only” category, has recently caught my attention for its wonderful herbal properties. The beautiful, fragrant rose. For years I…
A Special Herbal Resource
As we’ve been talking about this year’s Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, we wanted to be sure to tell you more about The Herbarium as we realize some of our readers may not be familiar with this herbal resource! The Herbarium membership is an extension of the Herbal Academy; our virtual and vibrant collection of herbal…
7 Herbal Preparations For Kids
Delightful herbal preparations make using herbs pleasant and fun. Every parent knows that it can be difficult to get kids to try new things, let alone to consume something that may be less than enjoyable. We are lucky indeed that there are many wonderful herbal preparations that will leave your kiddos asking for more while…
97% Off Herbal Resources
As they say, there is a first time for everything! We’re beyond thrilled to fill you in on a “hush hush” project we’ve been cooking up this summer. We’re excited to announce a new deal for our membership program, which may be a one time savings; so tune in and get the scoop… Here at…
Healthy Food on a Budget
One of the most common difficulties on a journey towards a more holistic life is the cost of nourishing foods. While it is true that unhealthy foods carry other costs such as illness and inflammation, for those of us living on a tight budget the reality is often that these lower quality foods are more…
Motherwort: The Plant World’s Mama Bear
Motherwort is the plant world’s mama bear. Or mama lion, from its Latin name Leonurus cardiaca, which translates to the Lion-Hearted One (Bennett, 2014). Motherwort Plant Profile This mint-family member has the ubiquitous square-stems that run in the family. Motherwort’s miniature blooms are delicately painted soft pink, and resemble the healthy womb and reproductive system…
Choosing Safe Herbs for Your Kids
Herbs and kids go together like two peas in a pod, with many lovely, gentle herbs that children readily respond to. These botanicals can be used to not only bring aid to little ones during times of illness but also to inspire children with the wonders of nature and the plant world. Yet, if we…
