herbs

Hair Care 101: How To Make Dry Shampoo

My hair tends to be pretty oily if I don't wash it (even after one day!). But here's the thing: When I do wash it every day, it dries out! That's why I've found the perfect solution: Dry shampoo. Every other day I'll use dry shampoo instead of washing my hair. This keeps my hair in balance and allows it to not look too dry or too oily. Dry shampoo is great for people like me who have very sensitive, fine hair, but you can still use it on thick hair, too.

Easy Weeknight Vegan Rice Pilaf (No Box Needed!)

Growing up, my sister and I were vegetarians, which means we learned how to cook meals together that we could both enjoy. This sisterly bonding usually meant that we were about to indulge in a whole lot of carbs. A sodium-filled box of rice or pasta mix accompanied by a frozen vegetable, such as fake cheese sauce-drenched broccoli, was a typical go-to meal for us. So, claiming that we were cooks may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the end result was always fabulously tasty nonetheless (and rather unhealthy).

DIY Healthy Homemade Electrolyte Sports Drink

Although conventional electrolyte drinks, otherwise known as sports drinks, seem innocent enough, their ingredients are not. Most of them contain a lot of unnecessary chemicals like food coloring, artificial flavors, and processed sugars. The main purpose of electrolyte dinks is hydration, replenishing electrolytes, and energizing the body.  These drinks are great to have with you during sweaty workouts.

Mother Earth's Medicine Cabinet: 7 Medicinal Uses For Gotu Kola

Gotu Kola: a small plant with big healing potential.

Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) has been considered a cure-all for thousands of years. It is considered to be an herb of longevity in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine with good reason. This slender, tiny herb is packed full of some truly amazing health and healing benefits.

Organic Home Garden Series: 10 Tips For Garden Planning

Garden planning can be exciting, fun, and challenging all at the same time. It requires us to map out and strategize the what, where, when and how of our garden.  When done correctly, the process can help us yield an awesome harvest. Whether you are designing a simple flowerbed or a complex veggie garden, here are 10 important tips that will help make your garden planning a little easier.

5 Ways To Improve Your Menstrual Cycle

I envy the women who are lucky enough to experience a pain-free menstrual cycle each month and essentially go about their daily lives with little to no interruption as their monthly moon waxes and wanes. 

My experience has been quite the opposite for as long as I can remember.

Mother Earth's Medicine Cabinet: 7 Medicinal Benefits Of Betony

Wood Betony (Stachys betonica or Botanica officinalis) is an edible herb that’s packed full of alkaloids, tannins, saponins and several medicinal healing benefits. Wood Betony has been a part of traditional medicine for centuries. In fact, during the Middle Ages it was considered to be one of the cure-all herbs. It was once one of the most used medicinal herbs by the Anglo-Saxons.

Mother Earth's Medicine Cabinet: The Healing Benefits of Sassafras

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is actually a really versatile healing plant, and it looks really interesting, too - often times one bunch of this herb can contain different types of leaves!  This tree smells so amazing -- every part of it has a strong, sweet aroma that’s almost relaxing.

Herbal Tea Blends for Menstrual Relief

For as long as I can remember, my menstrual cycle has been a source of pain, fatigue, and emotionality. While I consider this monthly process of the body to be a sacred one, the disruption that it causes due to the pain and fatigue that I experience during this time is at the point of needing to plan events and trips around my cycle, and sometimes needing to cancel events when it arrives. Needless to say, for the majority of my life, I have overall not ‘enjoyed’ my menstrual cycle, and it is something that I have come to dread and feel powerless to the effects of.

Cooking With Spices 101: DIY Homemade Teas

Waking up in the morning or winding down from a long day, there is nothing like a good cup of tea. Good quality teas, however, can be expensive and hard to find. What's worse is when you go to reach for a bag, and realize the bag is empty. While most consumers rely on purchasing pre-blended tea bags, you can make your own tea using fresh ingredients already in your kitchen. A little creativity and prep is all it takes to be minutes away from a soothing mug. Here are a few tips to follow when delving into homemade teas.