Black Herbalist Spotlight: Emma Dupree
The woods gal. Little medicine thing. Granny woman. Aunt Emma. To the question, “what’s in a name?,” I would argue that Emma Dupree’s many given nicknames help to tell the story of who she was. Emma Dupree (1897 – 1996) was a Black herbalist whose work touched countless lives in her rural North Carolina community. …
Essential Oils for Sleep: Aromatherapy and Insomnia
It’s amazing how certain aromas can help boost our alertness or calm our stress. But is it true that essential oils like lavender, patchouli, or marjoram could even help us get a good night’s sleep? There is research to suggest that aromatherapy can help reduce insomnia. In this article, you will learn about the scientific…
Herbs and Lifestyle Tips for Work-Life Balance
We live in challenging times; for many, balancing work, childcare, parental caretaking, and overseeing children’s education requirements is exhausting. Over the past decade, we have continued to experience the erosion of boundaries between work and home life. Yet, today, the impact of a worldwide pandemic has compounded the challenges of maintaining this work-life balance as…
Mugwort Benefits & An Herbal Liniment Recipe
Many people think of mugwort as an herb for sleep and dream support, however, there are many mugwort benefits beyond sleeping and dreaming that are worth exploring. A tall, gangly member of the aster family (Asteraceae), mugwort is the name given to several species in the Artemisia genus, including Artemisia vulgaris, common mugwort, and Artemisia argyi,…
Starting Your Own Herb Seeds? Time for Cold Stratification!
January may not seem like an obvious time for garden work in the Northern Hemisphere, but this is actually a crucial time to prepare the seeds of certain plants for the spring thaw. Successful germination in a controlled environment, like a garden, requires that seeds go through conditions similar to what they would experience in…
Winter Wellness: Fresh Horseradish Recipe & Benefits
The cold, dry winter weather is here and so is sinus congestion. Prevention is the best approach, but there is also much we can do once discomfort hits! Luckily, there is one powerful root you can use to soothe sinus pressure and shorten the duration. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is not only a delicious condiment for…
Mugwort Dream Pillow for Natural Sleep Aid
Everybody wants to have good dreams, so what about combining good dreams with a natural sleep aid? Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) has been classified as an herbal oneirogen, which is a plant that produces or enhances dream-like states of consciousness (Barrett & McNamara, 2012). Unfortunately, most of the oneirogenic benefits of mugwort have not been scientifically…
Student Feature: Katie Woods @ritual_skincare
For the seventh installment of our Student Feature Series, we spoke with holistic esthetician and massage therapist Katie Woods. Katie is enrolled in our Advanced Herbal Course and she applies her herbal knowledge toward running her business, @ritual_skincare. She’s passionate about helping her clients use herbs to find inner health and balance, which translates to…
Lifestyle and Nutrition Tips for a Vitamin D Deficiency
As we head into deep winter, boosting immunity is on a lot of peoples’ minds. Global pandemic aside, the darker months are the time of year in which many of us are thinking more about nutrition and lifestyle practices that support a robust immune system. One nutrient that people commonly turn to for immune support…
Herbal Throat Gargle Recipe: Triphala, Turmeric, and Licorice
One of the great things about this simple herbal throat gargle is that all its ingredients have multiple uses. So, if you keep these herbs in your travel kit, you may be able to use them for other purposes in addition to a throat gargle. Triphala (Emblica officinalis), a combination of three fruits, is a…
