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Herbal Baths for Self Care
Thanks to Alexis from Worts & Cunning for this beautiful article. A few years back I was exposed to the work of Maurice Mességué via Rosalee de la Floret’s blog post on the famous French herbalist. I love reading biographies and autobiographies of herbalist – their stories of becoming herbalists and practicing their craft are always illuminating and inspiring. I especially appreciated Mességué’s approach to herbs which generally involved little to no alcohol-based remedies and a lot of hand and foot baths. As someone who doesn’t use a tremendous amount of alcohol-based remedies in my practice, I am always interested in learning about the herbalists who use alcohol-free alternatives…
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Elder
Latin Name: Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis Common Names: elderberry, American elder, common elderberry, tapiro, sauco, Mexican elderberry, blue elder, American black elderberry, tree of music, pipe tree Family: AdoxaceaeHabitat: This perennial shrub grows all over the eastern US and is also native to FL and found across the state. It prefers riparian areas and edges of habitats, and is commonly seen growing along roadsides at the edges of wooded areas. Elderberry commonly grows up to 12 ft. high and often higher if not maintained and pruned each year. Leaves are opposite and pinnately compound with ovate leaflets usually in pairs of 4-6 with the terminal leaflet being the largest. It…
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Beauty from your Backyard: Facial Care
Hair, face, and skin care from our backyard is one of the gifts the garden shares in beauty and generosity. On July 11, Herbalist Emily Ruff will be offering a Backyard Beauty workshop online, full of recipes and tips for finding radiant glow from your backyard garden. Emily’s herbal mentor, Rosemary Gladstar, is legendary in the herbal world and serves as a source of inspiration for many of Emily’s personal beauty care recipes. One of Rosemary’s tried and true recipes is her cleansing Miracle Grains, a simple blend of kitchen ingredients that brings softness and healing to the face as a daily cleanser or a mask. Rosemary writes “cleansing grains…
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No Florida Bear Hunt in 2016!
We are elated to hear the news that this year the Florida Bear hunt has been called off this past Wednesday evening. We’re humbled and proud of our community that rose together to have their voices heard in honor of our black bears. Craig Pittman of the Tampa Bay Times writes..”..in a surprise move, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-3 late Wednesday to hold off on having a second bear hunt later this year. The vote marks a major change from last year, when the wildlife commissioners voted 6-1 to go ahead with Florida’s first bear hunt in 21 years, which was held in October despite strong…
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Addressing the Root: Smoke Alarm Analogy
How does holistic health address concerns differently than the modern medical paradigm? One example is the holistic approach of addresses root causes, not just symptoms. Learn more about this perspective in this week’s video on the ‘smoke alarm analogy’. This video is from our Roots of Herbalism home study course. If you like what you hear and are craving more, join us for our March Roots of Herbalism in Orlando, our April Roots of Herbalism in Fort Lauderdale, or enroll in our home study course to learn more about healing herbs any time from the comfort of your own home.
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Herbal Holiday Gifts
The holidays are fast approaching, and it’s a great time to get busy in the kitchen apothecary! Herbal holiday gifts are a great way to share personalized presents with loved ones that will support their health through the holidays and beyond. One of my favorite herbal holiday gifts to make are sleep pillows. Sleep pillows smell divine and are fun to blend and package. So many of my friends have trouble sleeping, I know that I’m giving a gift that will be used and bring benefit. SLEEP PILLOWS from Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health 1 part dried chamomile 1 part dried hops 1 part dried lavender 1 part…
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Ursus Issues – Or Why The 2015 Florida Bear Hunt Is So, So Wrong
On June 24th, 2015 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a state wide hunt from October 24-30th to kill Florida’s black bears. The reasons stated for the approval were “population control” and “to reduce human/ bear confrontations”. More than 175,000 people reached out to the commission in opposition to the hunt. About 250 people indicated support of the hunt. These 250 supporters of the cruel hunt primarily consisted of trophy hunters and weapon and gun interest groups. Many reputable organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and The Center for Biological Diversity publicly stated their concern about the hunt and presented multiple scientific studies showing that…
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Dental Herbalism: Four Natural Remedies for a Healthy Mouth
Oral health is ultimately linked to our overall health and well-being. The new guide to herbal dental care, Dental Herbalism(Healing Arts Press, 2014) by herbalist Leslie Alexander and dental hygienist Linda Straub-Bruce, details 41 safe and effective herbs to improve oral health. This excerpt from chapter 11, “An Herbal Materia Medica for the Mouth,” outlines four herbal remedies for dental health: Homemade Toothbrushes, Tooth Powder, Scrubs, and Mouthwash. Turn to these safe and effective ancient herbal remedies for modern-day dental care. This excerpt first appeared in Mother Earth News. Join Leslie Alexander in Orlando at the Florida School of Holistic Living April 1 for “Kitchen Herbs for the Mouth,” a…
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Warming Nourishment for Winter
While many of us in Florida experience winter a bit differently than our neighbors to the north – it is, ahem, eighty degrees in January as I type this – our bodies still experience the seasonal slow downs that the shifts in light and dark invite. Even in a mild winter, it’s ideal to give our bodies a break from the extra energy it takes to digest raw foods, and to warm our body, mind, and spirit with nourishing foods. Unfortunately, the trend these days is to “detox” after a long holiday, and oftentimes those “plans” and “programs” promote raw, uncooked foods – that is, foods that are cooling to…
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Setting New Year’s Intentions
This year, I invite you to set aside New Year’s resolutions. That’s right. Toss ’em aside. Instead, I invite you to set New Year’s intentions. Yes, this may sound like one and the same: but the distinction lies in the dictionary and is mirrored all around us in the mass media. The definition of “resolution” includes one’s resolve to make change – a valiant virtue, indeed – and concurrently, also indicates the act of resolving a problem – emphasizing we are starting from a problem, rather than focusing on the solution we hope to birth. This view of the world is echoed throughout mainstream magazines, movies, and music, where even…
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