Burdock Spring Soup
As the spring herbs start to make their appearances, burdock root will soon be among them and ready for digging. Like astragalus, burdock’s rich, earthy flavor lends itself well to cleansing soups and nutritive broths.
Myrrh Medicine
With spring cleansing on my mind, I found myself thinking of how much I value myrrh as an incense for purifying the air. It has a unique ability to cleanse a space and inspire new beginnings. Its powerful antiseptic qualities are comforting and extend to the emotional realm. The effects are the same when this…
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Signs of Spring
The grackles have arrived. I seem to forget, each year, how early they come, well before the green herbs or tree buds come out to show their delicate spring beauty. In my neighborhood, the grackles come in a large flock along with almost as many cowbirds, and their combined calls fill up my yard with…
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Herbs to Wash the Winter Away
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…
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Herbs to Clarify the Mind
I know it’s not quite Spring yet, but I’m spending a lot of time with gardening books and seed catalogs, thinking about what I’d like to get done in March. With all this plotting and planning, I’d like my mind to be as sharp and clear as it can be. But to be honest with…
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Getting the Gut Ready for Spring
It’s not quite time yet for full-on spring cleansing, but if you’re anything like me, you may be getting eager to make some changes from the early winter/holiday diet and start getting ready for spring! It may not be a good time to cleanse or fast intensely, but we can start to prepare our digestive…
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Getting To Know Reishi
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…
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An Uplifting Winter Tea
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…
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Sensible Winter Cleansing
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…
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New to Vegetarian Cooking?
Lots of people these days are trying to reduce, or eliminate, meat from their diets. This may be for health reasons, for environmental reasons, or for other personal reasons. For many folks, used to a certain way of cooking, it can be hard to figure out how to have balanced, satisfying meals without meat. I…
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Healing the Whole Heart
You may know of hawthorn as the “heart herb”, and for good reason. It strengthens the heart muscle, regulates the heartbeat, and raises or lowers blood pressure depending on the need. Clinically it is used with heart problems such as angina, mild congestive heart failure, and recovery from/prevention of cardiac arrest. But hawthorn has another…
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Getting the Most Out of the New Year
Patience in the New Year January marks the beginning of a new year, and for most of us it brings on thoughts of new beginnings, new resolutions, new plans. We promise ourselves we’re going to eat better, exercise more, be more organized, more efficient, more fabulous. It is tempting, at this time, to start a…
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Nourishing Hot Drinks
There are many ways to take your herbal supplements, but in the Fall, one of my favorite ways is in hot drinks. Not just herbal teas, which are wonderful, but also herbal powders cooked into milk for a rich, frothy, rejuvenative treat. Here are a few of my favorites!
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Mistletoe Medicine
Mistletoe has been part of human culture and medicine for millennia, appearing in mythologies and medicine books across the world. There are hundreds varieties of mistletoe with different medicinal qualities, and today the focus is on the European variety, Viscum album– Viscum for the viscous stickiness of mistletoe berries, and album for their whiteness. Before…
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Easy Digestive Remedies for Travelers
‘Tis the season for joyful eating, and for doing it at other people’s houses and far-off places. Big meals and travel can put stress on the digestive system, and a stressed out digestive system can really ruin a good party. Here are some simple, easy, and portable remedies that can help not only with the…
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A Quick and Dirty Recipe for Pain
I’ve had plenty of experience with pain, and plenty of opportunity to experiment with herbal preparations to relieve pain. This simple tea is incredibly effective for most things you’d take Aspirin or Tylenol for: headaches, backaches, menstrual cramps, minor arthritis pain. I originally developed it years ago for myself, and found that it works for…
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Rosemary for Remembrance
Rosemary has been used throughout the ages as an herb to promote memory and mental clarity. It was used by ancient Greek scholars during examination times and worn by newlyweds to ground them in fidelity, loyalty, and the happy memories of their wedding day. Rosemary’s health benefits for the mind and body are far-reaching, but…
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Early Winter Recipes
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!