natural healing

Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotis) and others are both a delicious edible mushroom and a great medicinal as well.  The wild ones are the tastiest, if you’re lucky enough to find them, though you can often find them at the grocery store or even grow your own with one of the many commercial growing kits available.  I found a small cluster this summer during what was an otherwise dismal mushroom season here in the Southern Rockies.  They smelled like aniseed…something

Your lymphatic system is a network of vessels, glands and lymph fluid and is a critical part of immunity, the transport of hormones and other bioactive molecules, and detox (think “vacuum cleaner”).  Herbalists have traditionally turned to “lymphatic herbs” to assist the body during

Many folks aren’t in the habit of paying attention to the lymph system. Hopefully, that changes, because the lymph system is critical for dealing with infections and for recycling multiple substances (hormones, antibodies, plasma, and more) back into the bloodstream. Our cells expel wastes into the surrounding fluids, and the lymph system is important for soaking these and other toxins up for elimination from the body.

Say the word “menopause” and you might create extreme fear. Night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings, and even depression are all symptoms of this very common, and generally inevitable, issue. Menopause affects most women over the age of 50, and is more clearly defined once a woman has stopped menstruating for at least one year. Along with the loss of menstruation comes a decline of hormones—specifically, estrogen and progesterone, as Dr.

I always say that my favorite way to use medicinal mushrooms is to eat them.  Sometimes we need stronger mushroom medicine or are working with one that isn’t edible (ever tried biting into Reishi?).  In these instances, concentrated mushroom powders are a great way to go.

Many people experience anxiety, sometimes on a daily basis regarding work, relationships, school, or other factors. For those who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), ranging from mild to severe, daily tasks can be paralyzing. Dr.

There’s little better than fresh lavender, whether as an essential oil, an herb for cooking, in a fresh bouquet, or, my personal favorite, growing abundantly on a local farm.

With all of the devastating wildfires ravaging California, the western United States, and much of Europe, thousands of people have been affected by wildfire smoke. Unfortunately, much of the smoke produced during these wildfires contain enormous amounts of toxins. 

Frankincense (Boswellia) is best known as incense to most folks. It’s been used for thousands of years as a wonderful aid for mood, medication, ritual, and prayer. As such, frankincense was extremely valuable in the ancient world and was a key part of the spice trade 2000 years ago, making the folks who controlled frankincense trees in the Southern Arabian Peninsula and East Africa extremely wealthy (1).

Frankincense is also great support for the digestive tract.  More on this in a moment…

Bitters hold their history in old European herbal medicinal traditions and used to serve the same purposes that tinctures do today. Tinctures are herbal extractions made by steeping dried or fresh herbs in a highly pure form of alcohol. Any part of the plant can be used to make tinctures, although some parts may render different effects than others. Commercial processes use ethyl alcohol, but for home crafted tinctures, 100 proof vodka is the best choice.