Dandelion is an excellent herb for cleansing the body, especially the liver, kidneys and intestines. Often just seen as a common weed, it’s unbeknown that dandelion has many medicinal properties and has been used by herbalists for centuries to address ailments such as high blood pressure, kidney and liver issues, constipation and acne. Both the…
Mint grows like weeds once it takes hold…You can use mint in tea, it is especially nice fresh. It makes a nice garnish for food, fruits, and fruit punch, etc. You can also use mints in homemade cosmetics, for mouthwashes, hair rinses, facials, and more! Peppermint is more acidic and has a darker leaf. It…
Why herbal syrups? When you need to reach for a soothing cough syrup or something to heal a sore throat, syrups are ideal. The sugar coats the mucous membranes of the throat and chest, attracting water to it to cool inflammation. The sugar also helps to preserve herbs so that you can have some on…
Horsetails are a weird plant. They have not changed much since the time of dinosaurs and they can be poisonous. Some kids died from using them like straws by hollowing out the stems. You need to be very careful when using herbs. Horsetails are most commonly used for hair tonics. Horsetails are known to be…
Something that I have loved since childhood is “potion” making—mysterious liquids and substances being mixed together to create something new holds a very particular appeal to me. Of course, as a kid it was both the allure of creating something magical and the allure of creating messes that endured the activity. As an adult the…
Homemade, refreshing lemon syrup… Ingredients Preparation Grind the lemon in a blender or meat grinder. Place in a large bowl, add water and sugar. Leave to stand for 24 hours, stirring occasionally to melt the sugar. Add lemonade the next day. You may need more lemonade, it depends on the lemon. Try it, then rate…
Calendula (also called pot marigold) flowers are bright yellow and orange, they are easy to grow and they bloom all spring and summer. Calendula is an amazing herb for SKIN. It is easy to dry calendula flowers and they retain their colors beautifully. Just lay the flowers out to dry on any surface, or string…
The herbal remedy for stress…There are many herbs that are not only extremely nutritious, but they also have affinities for certain organ systems. With stress, we are mostly dealing with the nervous system. You may have heard of valerian. This is a sedation herb. A powerful and useful herb if you are stressed out and…
If you look at the ingredients list for most of the Celestial Seasonings Teas, you will see blackberry leaf is a predominant ingredient in most of their tea blends. You can dry your own blackberry leaves for tea! Boil some water, take it off of the stove, add some blackberry leaves, let it steep a…
Strawberries and elderflowers are the quintessential flavor pairing for a refreshing and romantic beverage and a blend I enjoy a lot. I hope you enjoy, too! Ingredients/Materials Directions Add strawberries and dried elderflowers to a quart-size glass jar.Pour apple cider vinegar until it reaches about 3/4 of the jar.Top off with honey.Add parchment paper in…
