I love to see the crocuses blooming, a sure sign that winter is finally on its way out. The lovely spring crocus is cousin to the fall-blooming saffron crocus, which gives us the wonderful, subtle spice known as saffron. Saffron threads are the dark-orange stigmas of the crocus. The saffron crocus produces three stigmas per…
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…
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…
In Ayurveda, Vata dosha is characterized as “dry, light, mobile, subtle, rough, hard, changeable, and clear.” Sounds a lot like Fall, doesn’t it? The leaves dry out and a cool, dry wind blows them away, the days become colder and shorter, the air is more subtle and changeable. In Ayurveda, Fall is the Vata time…
Naturally fermented vinegars are medicines in and of themselves, and they are also an excellent medium for extracting the medicinal properties of herbs. In fact, vinegar facilitates and strengthens the effects of the herbs extracted within it, especially stimulant and expectorant herbs, and we’ve been using vinegar in this way since the days of ancient…
Shilajit Benefits Shilajit is a rock-like substance that is found in the mountainous regions of Asia. When the weather gets hot, this tar-like substance oozes out from the mountains. Shilajit takes hundreds of years to form, and comes from plants that decompose combined with the activity of microorganisms. It is incredibly mineral-rich and known for…