Well, here it comes – the grey, cold, rainy days of late fall and early winter. For many, this can be a challenging time: the days are shorter and darker, there’s less to do outside, and the cold can really get to you. Seasonal depression, whether it’s a mild case of the blues or a…
When cooler, drier air comes rolling in, sometimes drinking more water isn’t enough to stay hydrated. If you’re like me and lack a humidifier, these simple self-care techniques help make the cold months of the year much more enjoyable! Here are a few easy ideas to soothe the senses and stay supple this season, inside…
The first herbs to come up in the springtime are bursting with cleansing chlorophyll and lymph-moving moisture. They flush out metabolic wastes that have accumulated over the long winter and bring life, moisture, and movement to the winter-worn system. Taking advantage of these seasonal green allies can result in a glowing complexion, luxurious hair, elevated…
When it comes to herbs, sometimes 1+1 is greater than two. In the science of herbal formulations, synergistic combinations of herbs are discovered in which the herbs enhance each other’s activity to achieve a specific medicinal purpose. In these formulas, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Lemon Balm and St. John’s…
There can be a lot of pressure to jump-start a new diet or cleansing regimen in the month of January. But if you ask your body, you might end up hearing it say that it wants to hibernate just a little longer, that it’s still winter. Just like spring and fall cleaning, physical cleansing is…
With the cold weather arriving, I’ve been thinking about food. I love warm, nourishing, soothing foods, and these are some of my favorites. It’s a great time of year to enjoy hot food and good company!
Dried and Fresh Mushrooms in the Heart of Winter by Jared Urchek, L.Ac, CZB It can be easy to assume that Winter is just a time where everything is in hibernation. The sap has sunk into the deep roots of the trees – nothing looks as if it is growing, and nothing seems to be…
Tea has become more popular in recent years and now it a popular drink for almost anyone. Part of tea’s resurgence as a popular drink is because of its health benefits – both physical and emotional. With winter coming, tea season is once again at hand. If you enjoy tea or would like to use…
Here comes the season that brings strong feelings about food to just about everyone: The Winter Holidays! The holidays come with feasting and all manner of special treats and temptations, which both bring us great happiness and sometimes stress and digestive upset. Ideally we can enjoy the former with a minimum of the latter, but…
Reishi’s Chinese name translates as “Spirit Plant”, or “Herb of Spiritual Potency”. It is a remarkable, adaptogenic mushroom that has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Like all adaptogens, Reishi has a normalizing effect on our overall physiology, and it can help restore us to health from a truly incredible range of…
We’ve all seen Burdock’s large, green, slightly fuzzy leaves, in the woods or in the park. If you have pets you may have spent long hours, as I have, picking pesky burrs out of fur (or clothes, or hair *sigh*). It is a hardy, stubborn plant that will grow just about anywhere. And I have…
We’ve had a few mild sunny days here in the Mid-Atlantic, and it’s easy to get over-excited about Spring gardening. But the final frost date in our area is May 15th, so it’s not quite time yet to go full tilt into digging and planting. Still, if you’re eager to get out there and get…
By: Yah-elle (Yaya) According to Ayurveda, Autumn and early-winter are associated with the Vata dosha. Vata is characterized as creative, quick-witted, dry, light, mobile, subtle, and changeable. A Vata imbalance may result in an increase in anxiety, dry skin, brittle hair, and arthritic symptoms. We may find ourselves naturally gravitating to heavier food and sedentary…
By: Meredith Morckel Wintertime means less daylight, colder temperatures, and holiday celebrations. It’s a time of joy for many. For others, it’s a season of stress and sadness. If you feel “down” sometimes and sleep and eat a little more than usual, you may be experiencing the “winter blues.” This is common, and not alarming.…
To gain confidence as an herbalist, Jim McDonald suggests picking just one or two herbs and focus on them completely– Grow them, eat them, read about them, make medicine with them, etc. If you really got to know, say, Peppermint and Chamomile, you could work with an enormous variety of health problems with those two…
If you’re looking for a fun, simple, at-home project right about now, why not try your hand at making ghee? Ghee is the result of cooking unsalted butter to separate the pure butterfat from the milk solids. It’s an ancient superfood that can be used for cooking, cleansing, and body care alike! Making ghee at…
When thinking about herbs for memory and concentration, Turmeric might not immediately spring to mind. I tend to think of Holy Basil, Bacopa, Milky Oat, and other adaptogens that slowly nurture the brain and nervous system over time. However, research has indicated that Turmeric prevents plaque build-up in the brain and can help prevent the…
“Collectively, these diseases where the immune system attacks itself affect more than 24 million people in the United States. An additional eight million people have auto-antibodies, blood molecules that indicate a person’s chance of developing autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are affecting more people for reasons unknown. Likewise, the causes of these diseases remain a mystery”.…
In the Autumn, with Winter approaching, it is a perfect time to give our immune systems a little extra nourishment and support. Taking good care of ourselves now can help protect us from colds and flus as the weather changes.
By Tom Wolfe, RH “It is also well worth notice that, although grief involves great departures from the normal attitude to life, it never occurs to us to regard it as a morbid condition and hand the mourner over to medical treatment. We rest assured that after a lapse of time it will be overcome,…
