How to Make a First-Aid Kit Yarrow Tincture
Yarrow, and especially yarrow tincture, is a wonderful herbal ally and addition to your first-aid kit to help you stay well prepared for any unfortunate bump in your herbal adventures! Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), known also as woundwort, staunch weed, nosebleed, and carpenter’s weed, is a rather common herb that can be wild foraged in many…
Moon Cycle Tea for Painful Period Cramps
Many people have experienced painful period cramps at some point. Period cramps may be anywhere from mild to debilitating, making someone want to stay in bed all day long. Severe period pain is not normal and warrants a professional assessment as it can be a sign of conditions such as endometriosis. Mild to moderate pain…
Homemade Nipple Balm with Calendula and Marshmallow
None can know the pain of cracked nipples from nursing, and the overwhelming relief of good nipple balm unless they’ve been there. We’ve been there, and this herb-infused homemade nipple balm uses rich ingredients and soothing botanicals to help the new mother. Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) root is one of the main ingredients in this herb-infused…
DIY Fever-Cooling Tea for Uncomfortably Hot Bodies
When cold and flu season arrives, herbs can help to support the body in a number of ways. One way herbs offer support is through strengthening the immune system so it can better defend the body against viruses. Another way they can offer support to the body as it deals with common symptoms is to…
Adding Yarrow To Your Materia Medica
Yarrow grows freely in my gardens and I encourage it to do so, as much for its beauty as its beneficial uses. While the blooms have just gone by in my garden, the harvest is drying on the herb rack and macerating into a potent tincture in the herb cupboard. And while yarrow has long…
11 Herbs of King Arthur’s England
In southwest England, in Somerset, sits the town of Glastonbury, a quaint historical town that has been inhabited since 7th millennium BCE (Glastonbury, n.d.). This area has always felt magical to many people as it’s thought by some to be the location of the magical island of Avalon from the famous King Arthur tale that…
5 Child-Friendly Herbs For Topical Use
If you have children (or if you’ve ever been a child, for that matter), you’re familiar with all of the common childhood ailments, from colds and flu to basic boo-boos (like cuts, scrapes, and bruises). As a mother of two, there are a handful of herbs and very simple-to-make topical remedies that I like to…
Mountain Wellness: Yarrow and Arnica Uses
Those of us on the path of studying herbalism will attest that learning about the edible and wellness properties of plants has shifted our view of the natural world around us. Where once we may have identified nature by ecosystem — yard, forest, field, swamp, lake, mountain, desert — we now see the trees, plants,…
Yarrow: The Plant That Made Achilles Invincible
Yesterday, we harvested our first yarrow of the season. Yarrow is one of my favorite plants, and its uses are legion. It makes a nice cooking spice, effective bug spray, slows bleeding, brings down temperatures and activates the immune system, soothes sore throats, supports the digestive system, and promotes labor. Not only that, it’s a…
