|
Essences can be used in wildly creative ways. Here are some suggestions to encourage you to experiment:
Internally:
• Add to herbal tinctures to augment the benefits. Ex: if you are taking a tincture to help you sleep, add Dandelion to help your muscles relax or Aquamarine to calm your mind....( Continued )
|
|
|
There is something about Calendula flowers that make me happy. Just looking at a jar of the vibrant yellow and orange buds lifts my spirits and reminds me of summer.
Calendula officinalis, the botanical name for calendula, is in the composite, or sunflower family. It is an annual, growing up to two feet tall. It will bloom the entire season, especially if the flowers are harvested at regular intervals. It is native to South Central Europe and North Africa.....( Continued )
|
|
|
Chocolate cake is a popular home remedy for depression, but it comes with some unwelcome side effects. Sweet treats don't just pack on the pounds; they give us a sugar high that's inevitably followed by a demoralizing crash. Still, there's growing recognition in the medical community that the right food choices can improve your mood.
Though drugs are often considered the first line of treatment for depression, a dietary change might be all you need, says James Gordon, a psychiatrist who advocates non-drug approaches to depression....( Continued ) |
|
|
Skullcap is smaller than most mints standing
an average of 18 inches tall. It has square stems and opposite
lanceolate leaves. The flowers are what help differentiate
Skullcap from the other mints. They are small, bright blue
and grow from stems off the axils of the upper leaves. The
seedpods look like a cap, which is how this herb got its name.
They bloom form late spring to midsummer.
Skullcap likes rich moist soil with full sun to partial shade.
A pH of neutral to slightly alkaline is preferable. The roots
are racemes and will spread to form a colony. Space plants
about six inches apart....( Continued
) |
|
|
A short-lived perennial, motherwort grows easily from seed.
It is native to Europe and has become naturalized in the US.
I have seen this herb growing happily in both the plains and
the mountains. In the mint family, motherwort will grow profusely,
so plant it cautiously. Motherwort grows two to four feet
tall with stout, branching, four sided stems. .( Continued
) |
|
|
With its long nights and shorter days, winter is a time of
reduced activity. We tend to be more sedentary and spend more
energy on simple things like tying to stay warm. It makes
good sense to the body to sleep a little more, eat a little
more and get some rest during the wintertime. Then spring
arrives, stirs our blood and bodies, and awakens our dear
plant friends! The promise of new potential arrives. There
are many ways that we can help our bodies adjust well to the
changing of the season. You know, spring-cleaning isn't just
for our houses!....( Continued
) |
|
|
Mullein is a biennial originally from Europe but naturalized
in the United States. The first year it grows a fairly large
rosette consisting of large, light green, soft, flannel-like
leaves. The second year it grows a long straight stalk that
is usually four to six feet tall with small yellow flowers
towards its top....( Continued
) |
|
|
Are you one of the hundreds of people who dreads that fine
spring day when pollen starts to fly? In addition to what
you breathe, you may be allergic to what you eat or touch.
There are two main types of allergic reactions -- innate and
acquired.
Innate allergies consist of substances to which a person
is inherently allergic. Some people can't take penicillin,
are allergic to bee stings, or do not have the enzymes to
digest dairy products. These allergies are part of the body's
make up and, although there may be ways to modify an allergic
reaction, the allergy generally cannot be eliminated....(
Continued ) |
|
|
Echinacea is a perennial herb that grows from one to four
feet tall with cone shaped rose or purple colored flowers.
Most species are easy to grow by seed or root division. All
are drought resistant and need full sun although purpurea
can grow in dappled shade. This is a sadly over harvested
plant in the wild so it is especially wonderful to grow in
one's own yard.....( Continued
) |
|
|
Marshmallow is a perennial herb is native to Europe. It grows
up to four feet tall with soft, velvety, maple-shaped leaves.
It usually grows with one to several stalks coming from its
base and has flowers along the stem, similar to a hollyhock.
The whole plant can be used medicinally. Harvest the leaves
in the summer after blooming has occurred. The root is best
harvested in the late fall because the mucilage content is
higher. It can be used fresh or dried.....( Continued
) |
|
|
As we learn more about the risks of hormone replacement therapy,
it is an exciting time to explore herbal remedies for menopause.
Menopause is not a disease. It is not an illness and does
not need, nor have, a cure. Like puberty, the hormonal
changes during menopause are not always necessarily pleasant
or easy and can get out of balance. Nevertheless, menopause
is a natural phase of a woman's life cycle.....( Continued
) |
|
|
Ah, summertime! A wonderful time to enjoy outdoor activities
such as picnics, hiking, barbeques and sports. The perfect
season for spending time outdoors, summer also brings more
scrapes, bruises, bug bites and injuries. Luckily, it is the
season when nature grows its own herbal first aid kit......(
Continued
)
|
|
|
Although Echinacea and Goldenseal may be the first herbs
you think about when catching a cold, there are many herbs
that are useful for the different stages of a cold or flu.
General immune strengtheners can be used over fairly long
periods of time to strengthen and build the immune system.
If you tend to get sick easily or if you are dealing with
or recovering from an illness or long term ailment you might
consider some immune tonics such as Astragalus, Reishi, Marshmallow,
Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng) or Green Defense......( Continued
) |
|
|
Every season the sun beckons us outdoors to enjoy its warmth
and light. While sunlight is life giving, evidence that sun
exposure has negative effects on skin has steadily grown.
Once thought to be the natural result of aging, wrinkles and
loss of elasticity are now being linked to sun damage. Skin
cancer is on the rise and experts believe long term, cumulative
sun exposure is a major culprit. Nothing can reverse years
of tanning and sunburning, but we can and certainly should
protect our skin from further damage......( Continued
) |
|
