’Tis that time of year. You know… When all of your best intentions about not scarfing down mass quantities of holiday delectables go out the door. What to do when you’re at a holiday gathering and your belly is starting to bloat like a hot air balloon, but you forgot to wear stretchy pants? Well, if you planned ahead, you take out your little brown bottle of digestive herbs.
Wait, you might be thinking, mints can be bitter? Yup…not all mints have a lovely aroma and flavor. But this doesn’t mean they aren’t great medicine. Some of my favorite all-time herbs are bitter mints. In fact, I just processed pounds-worth of one of them, motherwort, yesterday with my herb-growing friend.
For those of us with cold winters, cold fingers and toes are often a problem when we’re outside playing or working. For lots of us, this can be downright painful, aside from the fact that our hands don’t seem to want to work properly when cold.
It doesn’t even have to be winter to notice poor circulation to the extremities. Some folks seem to always have cold hands and feet. I’ve even had elderly clients whose frigid feet kept them up at night.
Many do it yourself herbal beauty and health products start with herb-infused oils. From lip balms to massage oils, the backbone of any herbal, oil-based product is a well-infused oil. While essential oils add a particularly aromatherapeutic effect, herb-infused oils tend to add a more deeply healing quality to your herbal products.
How many of you as a child used to drink the tiny drops of nectar from honeysuckle flowers? How many still do? [Raises hand…]
Arthritis can strike at any age—the condition doesn't reserve itself to the elderly. And the pain this condition causes can be considerable. Medications can help alleviate the suffering, but they tend to come with a host of unpleasant side effects, rendering the remedy worse than the cure.
I’ve written before about some fantastic plant allies for dealing with panic attacks that are also helpful for day-to-day anxiety and tension—though some of these botanicals may be a bit too sedating when you’re trying to shave off some tension and relax
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is an often-overlooked medicinal weed (or, it’s a weed if you don’t live in Europe or Asia). “Stellaria” refers to flower appearance while “Chickweed” refers to the fact that chickens and other birds like to eat it.
As the cool weather is setting in for some of us, now’s the time for some hearty and grounding recipes.
Many folks get gardening on the brain as spring kicks in, but did you know that fall is a fantastic time to start or add to your medicinal plant garden? Growing your own medicine is one of the more empowering things you can do while also adding a bit of beauty to your life.
If you’re not sure where to start, no worries! Here are a few considerations on what to put in your medicinal plant garden…