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Fresh herbal teas are fantastic, and they have been used over many centuries to improve people’s emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. Herbal teas can be the most beneficial and delicious when brewed from fresh herbs, and nothing beats an herbal tea made from freshly grown herbs you’ve produced yourself. So, why not try growing your own herbal tea garden? Most of the herbs used in teas are easy to begin and continue growing.

Peppermint is in the genus Mentha which includes more than one hundred species, and is thought to be a natural hybrid of spearmint and forest mint. Its origin is believed to be in North Africa and the southern Mediterranean basin, and has been used in recipes and as a medicinal herb since 1500 B.C.E.  It found its way as far north as Scandinavia and was mentioned in the Icelandic Pharmacopoeias in the mid-13^th Century.

Plucking dead plants out of your garden because of frost damage can put a damper in your day, especially when they started out doing well before the first frost hit. Stay positive! These things happen, but gardening is a learning experience that can teach us about hoping for the best and being prepared for the worst. Speaking of being prepared, here are 3 ways I suggest to avoid frost damage to your home garden!

Cocoa is the bean from the cacao tree which is a native plant in the Amazon region of Brazil. It made its way throughout Central and South American during ancient times. The seeds are contained in a pod and were ground into powder. Today the food is known as cocoa powder. 

Candy canes are a wonderful holiday treat to enjoy this time of year, but they're not always healthy. They're loaded with sugar and corn syrup: Try making these as a healthy, fun alternative. This recipe in particular will make you approximately 18 sticks. If you wish to make more or less, just double or halve the ingredients. The finished result won't look as perfect and flawless as pe-made candy canes, but they'll definitely be healthier.

Ingredients:

The hemp plant has been cultivated for approximately 12,000 years and is one of man’s earliest crops. The benefits of the seeds have been known for about 3000 years, where it has been used medicinally and is a dietary mainstay in China. Hemp seeds are a compete protein containing all twenty amino acids.

As someone living in Boulder, Colorado, consulting a Naturopathic Doctor for health issues (be they acute or chronic) is as common as going for a hike, seeing an acupuncturist, attending a yoga class, or attending a meditation retreat. We as a city tend to lean towards natural and holistic healing as a rule.

Just over a year ago, I changed my grocery shopping habits. Instead of looking for the best deals, I began looking for the best options for my health. I was already buying quite a few organic packaged products, but not as much organic produce. Now, I buy fewer packaged products overall and 100 percent organic produce whenever possible. Why? After taking a few food and environmental politics classes, I was enlightened about how unfortunately detrimental to one’s health pesticides truly can be.

If there is one thing I have learned about gardening, it is how useful gardening tools can be. At times, some tools have been more useful than others. Depending on your gardening needs, you may need anything from small hand-tools to larger tools for your home garden. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out which tools you need for your garden. So, to help you out a bit, here are 6 tools that I have found to be very useful when working in the garden.

1. Gardening Clippers*

Need some help with your skin woes this winter? Try Ayurvedic TLC.