Learn About Essential Oils for Free: EO Summit
Want to learn more about essential oils? You’re going to want to mark May 11 – 18 in your calendars for the FREE Essential Oils Revolution Summit. Being the first, non-brand-specific essential oil summit, tens of thousands of attendees from around the world will gather together with experts in the field, from medical professionals and researchers to health care practitioners and herbalists! The line…
DIY Fine and Dandy Facial Serum
My son and I were out on our walk the other day, and I realized we’re full blown in the middle of spring here in Texas. Everywhere I turn, I am seeing dandelions pop up all over the place! Last spring I taught you how to Sweeten Your Breakfast with Dandelion Flower Syrup, so I…
Seasonal Allergy Support With DIY Aromatherapy Shower Tablets
Spring is finally here and it is so beautiful! Gardens are waking up and bees are searching out all the flowers that have suddenly bloomed. It really is a magical time of year and a great season for outdoor activities such as gardening and foraging. However, many of us deal with seasonal allergies during spring…
Turn These 7 Herbs and Flowers into Country Wine
Country wines – wines made from anything other than grapes – have been traditionally made by many cultures of the world. Here are seven herbs and flowers that can be turned into a delightful wine with a simple home fermentation process. Country Wine Country wines have been made from many different combinations of fruits, herbs,…
A Guide to Essential Oil Safety
This post is the third in a weekly, multi-part series on using essential oils. We started by discussing Basic Essential Oils for Daily Living and How to Choose High Quality Essential Oils, and continue here with a discussion on essential oil safety. What are some general safety rules? How can you use essential oils safely aromatically, internally, and topically? What are…
Herbs Work as a Lifestyle
Herbs work, but they work best if we do a little work, too! In order for us to receive the most benefit from the herbs we use, we need to focus on right living – on developing a lifestyle that allows us to grow into our best health. Herbs work their best work within the framework…
Introduction To Herbs For Kids: Start Your Herb Garden
Make a home for your new best friends! Have you ever watched a little seed sprout into life? Have you seen a baby plant grow into a big, beautiful plant? It is magical! You can be a gardener and help little plants grow! Invite some of your newly found herb friends to grow in your…
Oregano for Healing and Nutrition
Oregano is a wonderful plant for healing, nutrition and flavor! Oil of Oregano is derived from the wild oregano plant (Oreganum vulgare), a member of the mint family (Lamiacae or Labiatae). The name oregano originates from two Greek words: oros (mountain) and ganos (joy). Oregano is well known as a culinary herb. The oregano herb has…
Foraged Skin Care Remedies
Early spring is a wonderful time for foraging. After winter, it is refreshing to finally get outside and gather some healing herbs. Foraging for plants is an easy way to enjoy the benefits of herbs, and to learn more about the gifts that nature offers us. Gathering free wild plants to add to our creations…
How to Make A Child’s Herbal Sock Bath
Do your kids love bathtime? You can make it extra special by crafting an herbal bath together. For those kiddos who resist bath time, perhaps this craft will help coax them into the tub. I love using bath herbs and other nourishing things like oatmeal in the tub, yet it can get very messy. And…
How to Choose High Quality Essential Oils
This post is the second in a weekly, multi-part series on Using Essential Oils. Last week we discussed Basic Essential Oils for Daily Living – how to get started using essential oils in your daily life. Here we will explore considerations to help you choose high quality essential oils. What should you look for? How can you…
Herbs Work As Our Companions and Allies
As herbalists, it’s important for us to learn about plants through hands-on experience, and we are richly rewarded for the time we invest in learning to live side-by-side with our herbs. As we grow them in our gardens and help the continuation of their species, they nurture our health in return. Because of the nature…
Introduction To Herbs For Kids: Keep It Simple
Make A Special Friend Do you want to become really good friends with herbs? One simple way to do this is by spending special time with each plant as you are learning about it and using this time to create a relationship together. It is like when you spend an afternoon with just one friend…
4 Easter Egg Decorating Techniques
Easter is right around the corner, and dyeing eggs is a much loved tradition on this holiday. This spring, add some herbal fun to your celebrations with these ideas for natural egg decorating techniques! Using natural dyes for eggs is a great way to offer children an opportunity to connect with herbs and nature. Involving…
Skin Care Tips and Simple Recipes for Spring
Although you might feel energized by the warmer weather when spring comes around, your skin could be suffering. Here are some springtime skin care tips to help you prettify your skin. Get Rid of Winter in Your Spring Beauty Regimen Before you can focus on gorgeous spring beauty, you first need to get rid…
Basic Essential Oils for Daily Living
This post is the first in a weekly, multi-part series on using essential oils. Here we will start with some basic essential oils. What are essential oils? How can you use essential oils? Which essential oils could you start with? We invite you to learn some basics here and then join us weekly for additional articles on…
Herbal Remedies for Dry Skin: 3 Simple Recipes
Most of us have dealt with dry skin at some point in our lives, and for many of us, this concern intensifies during winter. Even though spring is just around the corner, if you are still dealing with the drying effects of cold air and indoor heat on your skin, here are some natural options…
Herbs Work For Our Highest Good: Tonics, Adaptogens, and Alteratives
One of the views that sets herbalism apart as a philosophy of the human body is the way herbs teach us to see our relationship with wellness. Rather than seeing the body as irreparably broken when chronic illness unfolds, herbs teach us to see the body as having come out of balance within itself. Balance…
Introduction To Herbs For Kids: A Kid’s Herbal Pharmacy
An Overview of Simple Herbal Preparations Using our gentle herbal friends is simply a lovely part of life. Herbs can be used to keep you healthy and make you strong. They can also be used to help you feel better when you are sick. Creating herbal remedies is a way to show gratitude for the herbs…
Herbs Work With Us
Herbs work with us, not against us. They can be subtle as they build us up over time, but they stand with us as we move forward. They support our health rather than mask our symptoms, and require that we are honest with ourselves as they give us the support we need. Herbs like elderberry…
10 Reasons Why Witch Hazel Rocks!
I have been known to buy witch hazel extract by the gallon. I always keep it on hand and substitute it for water in almost all of my homemade beauty products. I got to thinking the other day about the many ways that it can be used, and as my list grew longer, I realized…
Spring Reads for Children
Reading with children is a wonderful way to feed their imaginations and open their eyes to new ideas. Reading about the natural world with children — well, that’s just magical. There is something about the way their eyes light up and their natural curiosity is piqued that makes exploring nature with children through books especially…
Making Herb Paste: An Easy Way to Preserve Fresh Herbs
Have you noticed tubes of herb paste in the fresh produce department of your grocery store and wondered if there was an advantage to using an herbal paste over fresh or dried herbs? The truth is it’s not really a matter of better or best. Herbal pastes complement the more traditional fresh-or-dried approach. Even though dried…
How to Make Your Own Soap + Herbal Recipes
One of my favorite ways to utilize herbs and essential oils is by adding them to my handmade soap. Soapmaking is a great skill to learn on your journey to a healthier life, as you control what goes into it so you know exactly what you’re putting on your skin. It can also be a…
Introduction to Herbs for Kids: Meet My Friend, Herb! Part 2
Meet My Friend, Herb! Part Two Welcome! Thank you for joining us on our herbal adventure! In our last Introduction to Herbs for Kids lesson, we started learning about herbalism by answering questions such as “What is an herb?” and “How can I use herbs?” This week we are going to talk about a very…
Soothing Oatmeal Bath Recipe
My son and I suffer from eczema, and during the coldest parts of winter our eczema tends to flare up more often than usual. It can get pretty itchy and all I want is some relief! During these times, I love to make us a soothing oatmeal bath. It’s super simple to make, and you’re…
Can You Be Green and Glamorous? Part II
Editorial Note: This is the second part of a two-part post focusing on the use of cosmetics and personal care products. This post examines natural products and environmental impacts; the first part explored the subject of animal testing and cruelty-free alternatives. For many people, the idea of natural health and beauty products conjures up images of hippies…
Support Herbs and United Plant Savers with Your Herbal Studies
The Herbal Academy of New England is a proud supporter of United Plant Savers, which is why we have joined with them in their Partners in Education (PIE) program. Formed in the spirit of hope, UpS is a group of plant enthusiasts committed to raising public awareness of the plight of wild medicinal plants and…
Introduction to Herbs for Kids: Meet My Friend, Herb!
Meet My Friend, Herb! Part One Hi Kids! I am so glad you are joining us! We are about to go on an adventure. An adventure into the green world of plants where we will find a magical world of healing and friendship. Here we will start with some basics. What is an herb? How can…
What is Bouquet Garni?
Bouquet garni is a fancy word for a simple, useful concept. It refers to a seasoning bundle of herbs tied together with string or placed inside a square of cheesecloth, with origins in French cuisine as a way to flavor sauces, soups, stews, and other simmering pots. Tying the herbs together is a clever way to…
