herbs

Teas might feel more like a winter drink—something to cozy up with on a cold night, or wake up to on a crisp morning—but they’re just as good in spring as in winter, and sometimes even more beneficial. After several months of less sunshine, less time spent outdoors, and too many tuber and starch-heavy meals, our bodies are likely craving bitter tonics to cleanse ourselves and aid in digestion. Spring teas are often the perfect choice for this, and they offer a wide variety of benefits outside of simply being tasty and comforting.

I am making my way through my mid-40s and live in a dry, intensely sunny mountain town. This has been a wakeup call to start caring more for my face. I wasn’t bad before. After a couple of awkward teenage years, I’ve generally not used unhealthy cosmetics, harsh cleansers, or even soap on my face. But at a certain point, it may be good to put in a bit more effort.  Not just for those of us of a certain age who’ve suddenly become vainer, but also to prevent cancer-promoting changes in the skin.

Want to avoid catching a cold or a flu?

Do you ever find yourself realizing mid-recipe that you’re missing a key ingredient? Or, any ingredient, for that matter? Sometimes I do, and get a little frantic, mostly because I usually don’t want to drive to the store before I eat a warm homemade cookie…

The May Tree in the Celtic calendar, Hawthorn is the powerful grandmother of the Rose family and was thought in Europe to be the home of faeries. “Haw” means berry and “thorn”—well, that’s pretty self-explanatory. “Crataegus” derives from Greek…”kratos” means strength and “akis,” sharp.  The thorns can be an inch long. Ouch!

There’s nothing more disappointing than cooking a beautiful meal, only to find out that the flavors are bland. Sometimes, there’s just something simple missing that could turn the dish into something special.

With springtime fast approaching, let’s look at the spring ingredients that can give your next brunch or dinner an incredible burst of flavor.

The eyes and our other senses are our windows to the world. Vision is a powerful sense that we often take for granted. And this particular window is sensitive…to dryness, dust and other irritants.  There are some simple steps you can use to support the health of these valuable portals of information and beauty. I’ve found all three to be useful for myself, for friends, and for clients in my wellness practice.

Why am I bringing up spring allergies in January??? Because now is the time to start getting ready for them!  Don’t have seasonal allergies but are allergic to Fido?  No problem…keep reading—this is relevant to you, too. 

In today’s modern world, stress is part of our daily lives. We are constantly moving from one task to the next. By the end of the day, our bodies and our minds are exhausted. That kind of stress is causing people to get sick more often and it’s lowering their life expectancy as well. It’s incredibly important that we meet stress head on and not ignore it.

When you think of berries, you probably imagine plump blueberries or succulent strawberries picked at the peak of perfection. It is not often that juniper berries, which are not truly berries at all, come to mind. These antioxidant-rich, heart-healthy “berries” are actually a bitter spice originating from the female seed cones that come from juniper plants, a type of conifer, which is a cone-bearing shrub or tree.