Bedtime Herbal Bath Recipe with Linden, Catnip, Lavender, and More
In the very depths of winter, the world becomes sleepy. This cold, dark season is a time for introspection and resting before the life bursts forth again in the spring. Taking good care to get healthy sleep is an important part of self-care. Use this herbal bath recipe which is filled with relaxing herbs to help provide gentle…
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…
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…
Prepare for Fall with an Herbal Transition Kit
Late August is a time of transition, as summer is drawing to a close and a new school year begins. We know that many herbs are important allies during transitions, easing the stress and helping us settle into new routines. Creating an Herbal Transition Kit With that in mind, we can assemble an herbal transition…
The Benefits of Elderberries Sambucus nigra and Sambucus canadensis
Across the country, the elderberries are turning dark purple or black and herbies everywhere are harvesting them, drying them, and formulating their favorite elderberry preparations for the seasons ahead. In my blog in June, we talked about the plant, the flowers, and some of the wonderful lore and magic that surround the elder. The flowers…
Cooling Down with Summer Rose
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, summer is the season of yang and is associated with the fire element, the Heart, and Small intestine. Energy peaks and it is the time of growth, light, and abundance. Summer is the season of joy and for most of us, it is a more relaxed and fun time of year….
23 Ways to Use Chamomile
Chamomile is one of the most recognized and used herbs in the western world. Many people think of it first for anxiety and insomnia, but it’s far more than a gentle nervine. From tea and tinctures to salves and soap, chamomile’s versatility and aroma have long-been welcomed into our lives. To read about chamomile’s use throughout the…
9 Ways To Use Valerian, Valeriana officinalis
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a lovely garden plant with pinkish-white aromatic flowers. A perennial to Zone 4, valerian thrives in sun to partial shade, is easily propagated, and requires little care. Plant it in the back of your garden, though, since it can grow up to six feet tall! Valerian is more than a garden…
DIY Natural Sunscreen Recipe + 2 More Easy-to-Make Recipes for Summer Skincare
Summer is a beautiful season, but it can also bring challenges for our skin. As you enjoy the sunny days, soothe and protect your skin using natural summer skincare with the easy-to-make recipes to follow using foraged wild weeds. Summer Skincare and Sun Protection One of the biggest summer skin issues is sunburns. If possible,…
Natural Allergy Support: Nasal Rinses, Eyewashes & Herbal Steams
Natural allergy support is something that many of us seek, often with desperation during the spring and summer months. I had the worst allergies imaginable during both of my pregnancies—it was so bad that people would stop and stare at me, often with sympathy and sometimes with alarm. Going outside for as little as 5…
6 Natural Ways to Ease Poison Ivy Rashes
Sooner or later, many of us will encounter poison ivy, oak, or sumac. Whether you are foraging, gardening, hiking, or just enjoying the warm sunny days, there is a good chance you will see one of these plants. Fortunately, there are several natural wellness options that can help offer you some support in case you…
Herbal Honey Recipes For Kids
Do you love honey? Believe it or not you can make honey even more tasty by infusing it with your favorite herbs. Making your own delightful herbal honey is great to try out with kids and share with family and friends. Herbal honey this is one of the most delectable ways to preserve and enjoy…
5 Herbal Body Care Products to Buy or DIY
Do you enjoy making your own herbal bath and body care products at home? Making luscious lotions, healing salves, heavenly soaps and other goodies can be rewarding, but usually DIY instructions are for bulk batches that make several bottles, jars, or bars of one recipe at once. Sometimes it’s nice to have a favorite herbal…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
Looking for Natural Flu Remedies? Woad Works!
Worries about influenza, Ebola, and measles are making headlines. As herbalists, we have many natural flu remedies in our toolkits, including a repertoire of immune boosters, cold remedies, and digestive aids to help with viral symptoms. Wouldn’t it be helpful if there were other plants, like elderberry, that work at the cellular level to prevent…
9 Herbal Remedies for a Toothache
If you’ve been plagued with a sore tooth or swollen gums, you know that the pain it can cause is often completely unbearable. Toothache or not, life goes on, making pain relief a necessity. While over-the-counter painkillers are the most popular form of pain relief for many, there are a variety of herbal remedies for…
Natural Homemade Lip Balm for Kids
Do you remember Lip Smackers? I can remember a time in my life as a kid that I had a necklace full of lip balms of every different flavor and color of the rainbow. It was the cool thing to have all your favorites on hand and my mom, always wanting to substitute real gifts…
Comfrey Uses + Soothing Comfrey Cream Recipe
I started growing comfrey a couple of years ago, but my reasons were NOT strictly altruistic. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of my herbs, but I particularly love perennial herbs like comfrey that are well suited to a pot and can be brought indoors during our cold Kansas winter. There is Comfort in…
Love It Up With Herbal Aphrodisiacs
In herbalism, aphrodisiac herbs aren’t just a means to an end! Aphrodisiac herbs nourish the nervous, heart, and reproductive systems on both physical and energetic levels. Physically, they tonify the body and support balanced function, enhance physical desire (libido), and improve performance. Energetically, they balance and love up the heart and sacral chakras and increase…
A Simple Cold and Flu Recipe with Ginger, Lemon, and Garlic
Like many families, each winter we struggle through cold and flu season; fortunately, it’s usually just a cold. I have a pretty basic natural protocol I follow at the first sign of illness. Therapies like elderberry tincture or syrup, salt baths, lots of warm soothing liquids, and rest can really help support your body to…
Wintertime Herbal Infused Whipped Body Butter Recipe
‘Tis the season for cold and dry winter weather, which also is synonymous, in our world, with dry cracked hands and feet. My husband has worked for a prominent coffee company for as long as we have been married, and every winter his hands take a huge beating because of all of the numerous hand-washings…
Vanilla Recipes: Three Ways To Bliss
Mmm…vanilla. Its sweet, perfumed aroma and flavor are known and loved around the world. The rich but subtle complexity of vanilla’s flavor is exotic and luxurious, yet at the same time comforting and gentle. No wonder it has been celebrated and used for hundreds of years, first cultivated by the Totonac Indians in eastern Mexico,…
Making Sage Honey
Sage. One of my favorite culinary herbs and one of the herbs people have easy access to no matter where they are. Salvia officinalis – even the Latin name gives us an idea of the respect this Mediterranean beauty has earned. Salvia in Latin derives from the word salvere which means, “to save.” Historically, it…
