Ashwagandha: Herbal Support in These Stressful Times

by Susan Wolfe and Tom Wolfe R.H. (AHG) are both Smile Herb Shop Herbalists What a 2024 world we live in … I cannot speak for you, but I certainly appreciate any herbal help in safely reducing anxiety and helping sleep. Let us begin with an Ashwagandha story from the history of Smile Herb Shop. Back…

Triphala Mouthwash

by Susan Wolfe Recently some interesting findings were released linking gingivitis to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Pretty scary, since about a third of us have gingivitis to some degree or another. The long-term effects of inflammation of the gums is also known to stress the cardiovascular system, so those are two strong reasons to…

Early Spring Gardening

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…

5 Yoga Poses to Balance the 5 Elements

It can be a challenge to find an at-home Yoga practice that works for you. Poses that feel wonderful when your instructor is right there to support you may be too much to do on your own. In our Introduction to Ayurveda classes here at Smile, we teach a simple routine of five poses that…

Nutritive Greens

It’s Greens season! This is the time of year when the first green leafy wild foods are starting to poke their heads out of the soil to enjoy the spring sunshine! Wild foods like chickweed and lamb’s quarters, as well as domesticated greens like kale and arugula, which can “go wild” in a garden like…