My readers will all likely be very familiar with my fondness for any and all Rosa species, and most especially for my local wild Rosa woodsii. There’s no doubt that Rose is a popular plant among herbalists across the globe. Often though, I notice that it tends to be primarily known for emotional issues. While [...]

With the current drought here in southwestern New Mexico only getting worse right now, I have never been so grateful for widely available, locally abundant, feral as all hell weeds. So much of the land in every direction is eerily brown and dormant despite the warm weather. There are very few birds or insects compared [...]

Redroot: Blood Medicine
by Kiva Rose
Botanical Name: Ceanothus spp.
Botanical Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn)
Common Names: Redroot, Redshank, Buckbrush, Mountain Lilac, Desert Buckthorn, New Jersey Tea
Taste & Impression: Sweet, Aromatic (some species), Astringent
Energetics: Neutral-Warm, Dry
Vital Actions: Lymphatic Alterative, Astringent, Expectorant, Relaxant, Nervine
Used As: Antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic
Indications: Fibrocystic breast disease, mastitis, lymphadenitis, tonsillitis, mononucleosis, splenitis, hepatitis, bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis
Tissue State [...]

Yes, it is January here in the mountains of New Mexico.
Yes, it does get to less than -10F out there some nights.
And why yes, that is a lovely new vivid green leaf from a picture I took just yesterday.
Specifically, it is the leaf of a Wax Currant (Ribes cereum) growing down by the river among [...]

Pantry Medicine: Onion Poultices, Syrups & Tinctures
by Kiva Rose

Botanical Name: Allium cepa
Botanical Family: Alliaceae
Taste: Spicy, sweet, acrid, diffusive
Energetics: Warm, dry
Vital Actions: Diaphoretic, diuretic, rubefacient, expectorant, circulatory stimulant, smooth muscle relaxant
Therapeutic Effects:  Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cough suppressant (not a true suppressant, but does usually reduce frequency and intensity of spasmodic and insistent lingering coughs)
As a little [...]

Common Name: Virgin’s Bower, Traveler’s Joy, Love Vine, Lady’s Bower, Sugar Bowls, Devil’s Darning Needles, Pepper Vine, Leather Flower, Vasevine
Botanical Name: C. neomexican, C. chinensis, C. virginiana  and other related species.
Botanical Family: Ranunculaceae
Botanical Description: Generally semi-woody climbing vines with opposite leaves, trifoliate. Dioecious flowers with four sepals, no petals and numerous stamen. Achene fruits that [...]

There’s nothing quite like the sound of a warm spring wind rustling through a vibrantly green patch of Oats. Bowed with the weight of their ripening fruit, they nod and toss their heads with each breeze. Their sweet smell and long smooth leaves certainly invite us to sit down and get acquainted with them. In [...]

Botanical Name: Salvia subincisa
Botanical Family: Lamiaceae
Common Name: Sawtooth Sage
Energetics: Cool, dry
Taste: bitter, aromatic (skunky)
Actions: Relaxant nervine, nervous system trophorestorative
Parts Used: Flowering tops
Come August and our annual summer rains, a lush abundance of flowering plant will grow in the cool shade of Alder trees. Among these will be a diminutive and graceful plant with tiny [...]

From the Lion’s Mouth: Dancing A Weedy Revolution
by Kiva Rose Hardin  http://animacenter.org

Common Name: Dandelion
Botanical Name: Taraxacum spp.
Taste: Bitter, sweet
Energetics: Cool, dry
“It gives one a sudden start in going down a barren, stony street, to see upon a narrow strip of grass, just within the iron fence, the radiant dandelion, shining in the grass, like a [...]

Common Names: Mullein, Punchón, Gordolobo, Wild Ice Leaf, Our Lady’s Flannel, Hag’s (or Hedge) Taper, Torches, Candelaria, Quaker’s Rouge,
Botanical Name: Verbascum spp.
Parts used: root, leaf, flower, flower stalk resin
Energetics – Root: neutral, sl. drying. Leaf: cool, sl. moistening. Flower: cool, neutral
Taste: salty, bland, vanilla
This velvet leafed plant with its brightly bloomed flowerstalk is one of [...]

I don’t find the idea of magic bullets to be very effective in healing, and find that the most successful therapy always originates in tailoring the treatment to the individual person and situation. For this reason, you’ll rarely see/hear me recommending a set formula or list of herbs for any given diagnosis. In fact, my [...]

Common Names: Goldenrod, Blue Mountain Tea, Liberty Tea
Botanical Name: Solidago spp.
Taste & Impression: Bitter, Aromatic, Astringent, sl. diffusive
Energetics: Warm, Dry
Parts Used: Flowers & Flower Buds, Leaves, Roots
Actions: digestive bitter, alterative, stimulant and relaxant nervine, diaphoretic, astringent, digestive aromatic (and carminative), diuretic, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, bacteria-balancing (often termed anti-infective)
Specific Indications: Red, inflamed eyes, “bad skin” related to [...]

This is for the October blogparty on Bioregional Cold/Flu Herbs, hosted by Rosalee of Methow Valley Herbs.

As the colder weather begins to move into the northerly reaches and higher eleveations of the Western hemisphere, there’s been much talk of the dreaded H1N1 as well as other virulent strains of cold and flu. The most important [...]

Common Names: Silktassel, Bear Brush, Quinine Bush, Fever Bush
Botanical Name: Garrya spp.
Energetics: Cold, dry
Taste: Bitter, bitter, bitter
Actions: Very Strong Relaxant (anti-spasmodic), uterine stimulant, febrifuge, anodyne
Parts Used: Twigs & Leaves
Preparations: Tincture for the most part, as I’ve yet to meet a person, including myself, who can get the tea or infusion down. Fresh plant 1:2 95% [...]

This is for the September blogparty, hosted by Henriette, with the theme of Herbs Don’t Read Books!

Open the herbal book nearest to you, pretty much ANY herb book. Find the section on wild cherry or chokecherry, if there is one. Now check out the contradictions or warnings. It will almost certainly command you in [...]