Safely Using Essential Oils for Children
With all the conflicting information out there about children and aromatherapy, it’s easy to feel confused. I hope the information in this post will help you to feel confident about using essential oils for children safely. What’s the big deal about using essential oils for children, anyway? Children are more sensitive in general to aromas…
How to Plan and Plant a Fall Garden
Believe it or not even in cold weather climates, you can plant a fall garden and watch it grow. While the thought of a lush, vibrant garden typically conjures up images of summer, with the right planning and the right planting, you can achieve autumn abundance. In fact, depending on where you live, many plants…
3 Surprising Medicinal Uses of Black Pepper
It’s hard to imagine an American dining table without a black pepper grinder or shaker. A tropical vine native to India, black pepper (Piper nigrum) is reported to have become a staple of the American table after it found its way over from Europe where it was highly prized several centuries ago. And yet, is the…
Summer Corn Salad Recipe
Driving on a familiar road, I saw the long-awaited “Corn for Sale” sign propped up against the side of a tree. It took me no time at all to change the direction I was going and make a quick pit stop at the farm. You see, every spring I start pining for the first load…
Promote Healthy Gut Flora With A Prebiotic Herbal Electuary
As a health conscious person, you are likely aware of the fact that digestive health is directly linked to overall health. This means that keeping our digestive systems healthy must be a priority in our lives if we want to be healthy and feel good. You may also know that a diet rich in probiotics is…
Starting a Keyhole Garden
Gardening is a passion that has resurfaced with a vengeance in recent years. Whether it’s to save money on veggies and fruits, or a purposeful garden to avoid GMOs, getting dirt under your fingernails in the garden is catching on. With so many newcomers to the gardening game, it’s no surprise that there are many…
How To Start An Indoor Herb Garden
Have you ever wondered about the bounty that nature gives us each and every year? If you’re here, I’m betting you have. We do love wildcrafting here at the Herbal Academy of New England, but we understand that maybe you need some herbs that don’t naturally grow in your backyard or down the local nature trail….
Using Flavorful Culinary Herbs
There is so much information to consider when you cook with herbs. Not only should you consider the herb’s actions, benefits and constituents, there’s also the taste and feel of the herb to consider, and how well it pairs with a given food. Now some people are naturals, and can keep all that information in…
A Deeper Look at Herbal Infusions
Water is a very commonly used solvent that extracts herbal properties in the form of herbal infusions, or tea. Most people associate teas with hot water infusions, but cold infusions are also an easy way to create teas, especially in the summer months when cooling the body is necessary. Each of the methods has benefits…
Understanding The Simplicity Of Herbs
Some herbalists use a healing art called “simpling,” referring to the use of one herb at a time rather than in formulas or in combinations. These single herbs are called “simples” and the people who use them, “simplers.” We can all benefit from learning to understand the simplicity of herbs. No matter how much I…
Meet the Mint Family (+ Mint Sun Tea Recipe!)
I walk in my gardens on a July evening, admiring the lush green that abounds in midsummer. The bee balm is chest high and near blooming, the lavender, catnip, and oregano are in full flower; the sage, rosemary, thyme, and basil are growing tender new leaves almost daily; and the peppermint and lemon balm are…
5 Simple Ways to Conserve Water for Your Garden
Much of the country, including the Southwest and northern Texas, are currently experiencing significant drought. This is not only an alarming situation, but it can be a frustration to those who enjoy long showers and like to keep their lawns a perfect shade of emerald green. But it’s also a problem for those of us…
A Summer Bitters Recipe with Dandelion, Gentian, and Licorice Root
It goes without saying that most people prefer a sweet or salty flavor over a bitter one these days, but did you know that bitter foods are foundational parts of traditional diets due to their action on digestion? It’s true! Bitter plants were incorporated into the beginning of almost all meals as a way to…
Flying and Traveling with Herbs
It’s easy to use herbs at home but what about traveling with herbs – especially plane travel when there are restrictions with space, weight, and size? How can you fly with enough herbs to address your needs and stay healthy while traveling without weighing you down? It’s easier than you think! I’ve been flying a…
Lavender-Infused Oil and Sugar Scrub Recipes
Summer has always been my favorite season. I just love the warmth of the sun, the gardens that come alive, the meadows that fill with wild flowers, birds, and butterflies, and the farmers markets that offer the best of the summer growing season. I enjoy tending my herb gardens as well as the perennial and cut flower…
The Shakers and our First Herbades
Who Were the Shakers? The Shakers were a religious sect of “believers” who established agriculturally-based and independently functioning communities in America ever since their arrival in 1774. Twenty-four villages in all were established by the end of the 19th century. Currently, two villages remain which are considered “active.” Many of the villages have become museums…
3 Ways To Prevent A Sunburn Naturally + A DIY Sunburn Relief Spray
Sunburns are such a bummer, but if you’re like me and you enjoy being outside when the weather is nice, getting a sunburn is a likely possibility. Today I’m sharing some tips that could help you to naturally prevent a sunburn as well as sharing a DIY herbal sunburn relief spray with you that you…
The Nature of Herbalism
In today’s world of processed food and manufactured drugs, a growing number of idealistic individuals have eschewed the mass-produced mainstream options to embrace the benefits of the natural, organic, and traditional. In particular, more and more people are recognizing that herbal remedies, compared to many conventional medicines, are often safer, easier to use, and simply…
The China Study: All-Star Collection Review & Giveaway
When I was younger, my mother had a cookbook in the kitchen that she’d pull out every week to try something new. It’s a fact that when we cook our foods from scratch, we have to think more about what we’re putting in our bodies. In today’s day and age where we unconsciously shove highly…
How To Use Lemon Balm As A Natural Bee Sting Remedy
When it comes to natural bee sting remedies, what herbs do you think of? I’m sure there are many, but the first one I’ve always thought of right off the bat is plantain…until recently that is. Plantain is a great natural bee sting remedy, but I recently learned about lemon balm and its amazing ability…
Yarrow as a Natural Support for Fever and Flu
Yarrow is a lovely wildflower. You can find it growing on roadsides, fencerows, fields, and meadows, the white bobbing flowerheads buzzing with butterflies and bees. It is often overlooked and that is rather unfortunate, as it is a natural support and one of the most useful, potent herbal allies that I can think of! It…
How To Make A Homemade Sugar Scrub with Calendula
Over the last 8-10 years, I’ve become more focused on living a healthier lifestyle and raising my kids with that mindset as well. Because of this decision, I’ve had to change a lot of things in my life–things that most people may see as harmless, but I can see that they do more harm than…
How to Use Chamomile to Reduce Stress
In our crazy, stressful, overly-busy and hectic lifestyle, people have lost the ability to slow down, relax, and nourish themselves. We keep trying to please everyone – our bosses, spouses, children, and random strangers on the street – to the point that we live in a constant state of agitation and hyper-defensiveness, and we lose…
Herbal Burn Salve Recipe with Comfrey, Calendula, and More
This past month, my four-year-old landed a second-degree burn on his leg, thanks to a cup of accidentally spilled hot cocoa. Thankfully, I had an herbal burn salve in our medicine cabinet that was a perfect remedy for this painful situation. The Story Now isn’t that just the way things tend to happen? Kids always…
DIY Sweet Oranges & Rose Perfume
For Mother’s day this year, I wanted to make my mother something extra special that I knew she would adore. It wasn’t that hard to come up with the scent for this special gift–something with roses and sweet oranges, my mom’s two favorite scents. A Sweet Oranges and Rose Perfume seemed like a good place…
Crafting a Natural Bug Repellent with Essential Oils
The warm weather has finally arrived. And so have the bugs. What kind of bug repellent do you wear? If you’re the type of person who prefers to use products with plant-based ingredients, then you may just want to craft your own with essential oils and other simple ingredients. I have enjoyed crafting my own…
Bee Informed: The Bee Population Decline and What To Do About It
There are blares from car horns in the lines of traffic that stretch endlessly along paths of asphalt. We travel to and fro: to work, to school and to leisure. The sights, scents and sounds of everyday life consumes us, leaving little time or energy to notice the natural world that teems around us. We are…
Sweeten Your Breakfast With Dandelion Flower Syrup
Everywhere that I turn, dandelions are popping up out of the ground. Many find them a nuisance, thinking they are just weeds, but dandelions are a wonderfully nutritious herb! Rich in vitamins and minerals, dandelions are known for not just for their medicinal properties, but also their delicious taste in salads, cookies, and syrups. You…
Cool as a Cucumber – 5 Ayurvedic Tips for Summer
June 1st marks the start of a new seasonal cycle in Ayurveda. We’re transitioning out of the thaw of spring and lightening the load, but we should also be preparing for nature’s warmer months and its more sharp and penetrating qualities. According to Ayurveda’s elemental theory, Fire and Water are most at play during the…
How to Harden Seedlings and Protect Your Garden
Gardening is a popular past-time, and many people invest a large amount of money every year in plants and seedlings, only to be rewarded with droopy, wilted, dead plants within a few weeks. Fix.com has created an infographic entitled 9 Steps to Harden Seedlings, giving you all the info you need in order to give…
