11 Tonic Herbs for Stress and Anxiety
Because so many of us experience chronic stress, we also require chronic (aka tonic) support. Tonic herbs are remedies that can be taken safely over a long period of time.
Medicine Making
Topical Benefits of Calendula: How to Make A Soothing Herbal Poultice with Fresh or Dried Herbs
Herbal poultices are simple, traditional remedies used topically on the skin to relieve pain, infection, and swelling.
Herbal Digestive Calendula Tea: A Remedy for Heartburn and Peptic Ulcers
If you’re looking for an herb to soothe and repair digestive issues, the cheery flowers of calendula (Calendula officinalis) will be one of your primary allies. Calendula tea is commonly used to help remedy peptic ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Calendula’s Benefits for the Skin: How to Make Calendula Oil and Salve
Calendula’s sunny blooms are an external remedy for practically every manner of skin complaint. The flowers are used topically as a wound healing, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory herb.
The Best Herbal Immune Stimulants for Cold & Flu Season
Winter is rife with viral booby-traps—there’s a head cold and cough waiting at every gas station pump and pin pad across the land. A strong immune system is adept at navigating pathogenic obstacles, but some scenarios call for a boost, herbal-style. When I know I’ve been exposed to a cold or the flu, I don’t waste a moment in reaching for my tried-and-true immune stimulating herbs.
5 Tonic Herbs to Boost Immunity This Winter
The cold months of the year bring a flurry of beastly germs to our doorstep. These wee-but-wicked pathogens must sense that our immune systems are vulnerable—especially during the holidays, when rich food and drink prevail. I like to start bolstering my family’s immune systems early in the cold & flu season; well before everyone around us is sniffling and sneezing. Practices like eating a nourishing diet; getting plenty of sleep, sunshine, and water; and proper hand washing are essential, but I also rely on a handful of tonic herbs to keep us healthy and resilient.
Herbal Infusions and Decoctions – Preparing Medicinal Teas
If you’ve ever made a cup of tea with a teabag then you’ve made an herbal infusion. Teabags are certainly convenient, but if you want to prepare your own herbal blends or concentrated medicinal teas, then learning how to use dried herbs, in the form of infusions and decoctions, is indispensable.
Partridge Berry
Partridge BerryWritten and Photographed by Juliet Blankespoor Mitchella repens in fruit; notice the two "eyes", which are the evidence of the two flowers sharing an ovary to form one fruit. - Partridge berry is an evergreen trailing vine which stays close to the ground as it weaves its way over the roots of hemlocks and [...]