The Ancient Aztecs used the Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp.) as food and medicine. I know it doesn’t look like something you’d want to grab – or even eat – but it’s packed full of powerful properties.
Tea is, and has always been, far more than just something to quench the thirst and please the palate. For thousands of years, tea has been one of the go-to medicines for many ancient healers. Not only can different teas provide healing properties, they also provide preventative means for the body. For instance, green tea is packed full of antioxidants, which oxidize and help repair any damaged cells that could cause potential health issues.
Long before the compass was created by humans, people used nature to find their way around the lands and across the waters. Sailors still use a special instrument called a sextant to navigate the seas. The sextant is designed to measure the angle of the stars above the horizon to find accurate direction and position in terms of the latitude and longitude. Before the sextant was used, Vikings used Sun Stones similar to a sundial that helped them maintain a proper course.
When cold and flu season strikes Chicken Noodle Soup is usually on the menu. If you look at some of the good old-fashioned, and even more modern versions, you will see these 4 herbs. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme are all very well-known herbs used for holistic and ancient healing. Each of the herbs contains healing benefits on top of great taste. If you don’t already have these 4 herbs in your arsenal – whether it is the kitchen cabinet or the medicine cabinet – I suggest you add them! These aromatic herbs are wonderful for aromatherapy too.
Healing our spirit is just as important as healing physically and mentally. Our spirit can get injured, sick, and tired just like our body and mind can. It is important to know what you can do to help heal yourself in all aspects.
The Indigenous and Native peoples of North America, as well as other those from other regions around the world, used what is referred to as The Four Sacred Medicines. These medicines consist of Tobacco, Sage, Cedar, and Sweet Grass. All of these plants are considered to be spirit medicine.
Summer can be one of the most amazing times of year to go foraging, especially if you’ve never been before. There is so much food available for the picking in the summer months that it is hard to be disappointed; it’s almost a guarantee that you will find something tasty wherever you are.
If you don’t know what herbal tonics are, winter is a really great time to learn about them. They are easy to make and simple to store, but the benefits are incredible.
What Are Tonics?
Herbal tonics consist of an infusion of herbs mixed with water, consumable alcohol, vinegar, or oil. Tonics are used to restore and refresh our bodies, as well aspromote our general health and well-being. There are various ‘tonic herbs’ that will increase your overall vitality, improve longevity, invigorate the internal systems, and even strengthen the spirit.
The arrival of the Spring Equinox is very exciting for foragers. We watch as the snow begins to melt away, looking for any signs of plant life. Our eyes scan looking for bright baby green shoots and any sign of blooming color.
Spring’s bounty can be incredible if you know what to look for and where to find it. As we walk through spring’s edibles, I will show you some of the more basic plants to locate, identify, and harvest. It is difficult to choose just a few to fit within these pages, because there are books’ worth of information on the food in different areas.
Mother Nature literally provides us with everything we need, in every aspect. This first aid kit is made from simple plants or plant products that are easy to come by and well-known.
These 7 items I am going to discuss are the very basic components of Mother Nature’s First Aid Kit. It’s possible you have all of these items in your kitchen or growing out in your yard already. That’s right, the very weeds along your sidewalk could be benefiting you in a big way!
We all know that composting is a good thing. But why is sending food scraps to the landfill a bad thing? Don’t they simply become compost there?