• Arrowroot

    Maranta arundinacea, commonly known as Arrowroot, is a beautiful herbal ally to grow here in sunny Central Florida. It loves our tropical weather and thrives in humid environments. The rhizomes of this plant have been used across the world as a thickening agent in foods and medicines as well as a carrier powder for pigments in makeups. The common name, Arrowroot, comes from the long history of the rhizomes being used as an antidotal poultice for poison arrows in the jungles of South America! This nourishing herb can be really helpful with upset stomachs, sunburns, and even wounds. Margaret Grieve of A Modern Herbal has a great materia medica on…

  • MM elder

    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…

  • MM Aloe

    Aloe

    Summertime and the livin’ is easy, that is until you get an awful sunburn from the scorching Florida sun! One of our favorite herbs to help ease the sting of a sunburn is Aloe vera. Not only does Aloe grow really well here but it will multiply for years to come. This plant is special because has adapted to a variety of climates and terrains. It can grow almost anywhere! (It sure does love Florida though.)   This amazing mucilaginous plant calms down any sort of heat in the body. But isn’t just for burns; the glorious goo of this plant can condition hair, ease bug bites, and soothe upset…

  • 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…

  • Anamu

    Anamu Petiveria alliacea is an herbaceous perennial that grows up to 1m in height. Indigenous to the Amazon rainforest and tropical areas of Central and South America, the Caribbean and Africa. Anamu, aka Guinea Hen Weed, has a long history in herbal medicine in all of the tropical countries where it grows. Anamu grows in full sun to share, and prefers well drained soil. It is a cold-hardy tropical, that has colonized as far north at Hawthorn and Alachua, Florida. Medicinally speaking, Anamu is used for treating infectious pathogens and respiratory congestion. It’s spicy leaves have also be used in small quantities for flavoring. Anamu is commonly used for spiritual…

  • Vetiver

    Vetiver grass is used both as a hedge against erosion in permaculture colonies, and also a medicinal herb! It forms narrow, dense hedges when planted along the contours of sloping land, slowing down run-off and helping the water soak into the soil rather than washing off the slope. The stiff foliage also blocks the passage of soil and debris which gradually builds up a soil terrace. It’s roots yield an aromatic and medicinal essential oil, it sequesters excess atmospheric carbon, and Vetiver mulch is mycorrhizal-rich. Check out this amazing article about how Vetiver is used around the world to restore the land. Here is an entire podcast devoted to the…

  • Camphor Basil

    Camphor basil or Kilimanjaro Basil (Ocimum kilimandscharicum) is a heat-hardy, perennial basil. It has a rich flavor and aroma, and attracts pollinators. Unlike many annual basils, this plant will grow incredibly tall and fast. It is an anti-inflammatory herb that can be used in food or prepared as tea. Kilimanjaro Basil grows long flowers spikes with small white to pale pink flowers and oval, pubescent leaves with a strong camphor fragrance.  African Blue basil, a popular ornamental, which is a hybrid between O. kilimandscharicum and O. basilicum ‘Dark Opal’, is extremely attractive to bees, especially non-native honey bees, and native bees like green sweat bees, leaf-cutter bees, and miner bees.…

  • 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…

  • 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.

  • Black Cohosh

    In this week’s blog post we take a visit to Rosemary Gladstar’s Sage Mountain Herbal Center in Vermont from Summer 2015 and visit one of our northern plant allies, Black Cohosh (Cimcifuga racemosa)   More info on Black Cohosh can be found at this Materia Medica monograph from David Hoffmann.   How have you used Black Cohosh? Let us know in the comments below.

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