Summer’s Spice: Beebalm Flower Infused Honey
It won’t be long now until the first brilliant purple flowers of Beebalm explode into bloom here in the Canyon. Locals call this gorgeous wildflower either Oregano de la Sierra or just Wild Oregano. Because yep, it tastes spicy and rather Oregano-like. The botanical name of this particular species is [...]
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 [...]
The taste of a drop of rich wildflower honey, a lick of peach elixir or a sip of spice infused cordial is sensual, comforting and ecstatic all at once. Humans crave and love all things sweet, and while it’s clear that this is the taste most easily overdone and abused, it still retains its own [...]
The Preamble
I consider myself a simpler at heart, meaning I prefer the use of one herb at a time, chosen specifically for the individual and issue at hand. I find this approach encourages intimacy between person and plant, and allows for a clearer dynamic between the two that helps me to better see what’s happening [...]
My version of pastilles are little balls of herbal powder held together by something sweet. They’re ideal for sore throats but can be used as a tasty dose of herbal medicine for many different issues, including belly troubles, anxiety or any number of other things. My original recipe came from the wonderful Herbal Home Remedy [...]
Let me begin by saying that I recommend gathering your own herbs if at all possible, in part because this is the only way to really ensure the quality and treatment of the plants is truly optimal. And do realize, that pretty much wherever you are, you have the ability to collect some of your [...]
I do a lot of brewing here. This is in part to compensate for the lack of refrigeration at the center but also just because I love the process of fermentation. I make homemade wines and ales of all kinds, but want to start here with a basic primer for Lacto-Fermented Herbal Brews because they’re [...]
Last night I found myself wandering in the moonlight, perched barefoot on the edge of an ancient Mogollon indian pithouse where the most vibrant of the Wild Honeysuckle grow. I chose each bud, blossom and leaf carefully, grateful for the magic and medicine of these twining, woody creatures. When I brought my apron-full of [...]
I tend to cover every level of herbal therapeutics, nutrition and materia medica that I feel qualified to talk about. I know this can be overwhelming for beginners who may feel completely intimidated by the sheer volume of information and plants here (though I do tend to talk about the same plants over and over [...]
I really like to use simple, downhome remedies whenever possible, preferably made up of weeds and food. Here’s great poultice for swelling and inflammation can be rigged up with common items from your pantry and weeds from your yard. It can also be easily customized to individual needs.
Ingredients
1 Cabbage leaf
1 small Potato
Cooling, anti-inflammatory weed (like [...]
Note: If you read this post, please be sure to read the followup post as well which give further important information on the treatment of cellulitis and other infections of the skin.
I have recently attended to a great number of acute injuries to the hands and feet of various family, clients, students and assorted other [...]
Note: I made a correction to my fresh plant tincture example in the last paragraph of the Standard method section, that should have been 10 ounces not 25. Thanks for spotting that, Susan!
To make a tincture, you need only a few ingredients: an herb, a menstruum and a container with airtight top. Optionally you might [...]
There’s this little herbal misunderstanding that has become a pet peeve of mine. Some people seem to think that grain alcohol (also known under the brand-name of Everclear) is somehow evil or unsuitable for medicine because of how strong (evidently this is equivalent to harsh). But really, it’s only as strong as you make/need it.
So, [...]
Making most all of my salves in animal fat is this past year’s herbal experiment. Lard is an interesting substance, lovely and white and creamy and… so very smelly. At the moment, I’m having to use plain ol’ storebought lard since I haven’t found a good source for easily obtainable and affordable organic lard and [...]
I’ve learned this one from hard experience, over and over again. I’ve more than once picked up a jar of neutral green tincture and discovered it had no label. So I open it and sniff, also neutral green (thank goodness so many plants have distinctive tastes and smells). Uh oh. The next step is tasting, [...]
