Chestnut Herbal School

Medicinal Herbs

Herbal Aphrodisiac Shortbread Cookies

Herbal Aphrodisiac Shortbread Cookies

Aphrodisiac herbs are plants that elevate, nourish, or sustain our sexual or sensual desires. This Herbal Aphrodisiac Shortbread Cookie recipe is delightfully decadent and not too sweet. The cacao nibs, which are small pieces of the cacao bean, provide a rich and nutty crunch, while the rose water adds the lightest floral note. The rose petals contribute a splash of alluring color to entice the eyes along with the nose. These cookies are tasty as a stand-alone treat, but we also love them biscotti-style, served with coffee or tea.

A bowl of pomegranate molasses compound butter.

Herbal Compound Butters for Festive Feasting

Rich and sultry, compound butters generously lend a delectable flavor and silky texture to almost any dish. They can be slathered onto baked roots, fresh bread, and crackers or used to roast veggies or meat. Fruity, sour, and sweet butters are delicious with pancakes, muffins, or waffles. When you set the table with buttery herbal spreads, every occasion instantly feels special—from Sunday brunch to your best friend’s birthday dinner.

The roots of a freshly harvested ashwagandha plant.

The Medicinal Benefits of Ashwagandha

If you experience overwhelm in your life—whether from insomnia, anxiety, or burning the candle at both ends—the medicinal benefits of ashwagandha bring many blessings. Ashwagandha calms and heals your nervous system, refreshes sleep cycles, invigorates immune resilience, and infuses your entire being with strength. This charismatic herb heralds from India, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. Ashwagandha’s medicinal use in the Western world is thanks to the traditional healers of these regions, who cherish its healing root for countless ailments.

Glass jars containing Ashwagandha, Lavender, and Vanilla: The Dreamiest Herbal-Infused Ghee Recipe.

Ashwagandha, Lavender, and Vanilla: The Dreamiest Herbal-Infused Ghee Recipe

Preparing herbal-infused ghee recipes is a wonderful way to enjoy herbs and easily incorporate them into your daily rhythm. There are several methods to craft medicinal ghee, but in this recipe, we’ll follow a simple formula: infusing dried herbal powders into hot ghee, followed by cooling and whipping the herbs and ghee together. Beware of herbal-infused ghee recipes that cook the herbs with the butter during the ghee-making process; this method burns the delicate herbs and spices.

A person wearing an apron holds two jars filled with dried herbs, standing in front of a home herbal apothecary cabinet.

10 Best Herbs to Start Your Home Herbal Apothecary

Our apothecary at the Chestnut School is no mere medicine cabinet; it holds the stories and healing signatures of herbs gathered from local wildlands, cross-country travels, and our school gardens. The medicine in its bottles is much more than roots, leaves, and bark. It’s the essence of fields and forests, birdsong and butterfly kisses, babbling streams and fertile dirt, sunshine, and cool afternoon breezes. Are you curious about how to start a home apothecary of your own? We’ve simplified the process by choosing the ten best herbs to start your home herbal apothecary.

Three bin compost system built from reclaimed lumber.

Compost Magic for the Medicinal Herb Garden

Can you believe that you have the ability to turn garbage into beautiful soil? Well, with the help of millions of microorganisms, you can turn your waste into an incredibly useful material. Composting can be a magical art of transforming garbage into black gold. How sweet is that? Being a soil-builder instead of a landfill-contributor is righteous work for the times! Be a Green Magician! Both your herbs and the earth will thank you.

Harvesting chickweed with the haircut method.

The Medicine That Grows In-Between: Lamb’s Quarters, Plantain, and Red Clover

Your garden wants to feed you—not just with the cultivated plants you tuck into the soil, but with a profusion of wild greens and herbs that spring up of their own generous accord. These feral guests surpass domestic veggies in nutrition and are often brimming with medicine, which makes them worthy of our attention and care in cultivated spaces.