Silvery Leaves: A Lunar Materia Medica (Renaissance Medicine Conference 2017)
From anti-spasmodics and nervines, demulcents and emmenagogues, there are a wide category of herbal medicines which are considered to be ruled by the Moon. As the Moon is the closest planet to the Earth, its effect upon our bodies and minds is oftentimes easier to recognize and become aware of than some of the further…
The Importance of Moistening Remedies
From a constitutional perspective, it appears that most herbal medicines have a drying effect upon the tissues. Whether it’s from increasing urination, exocrine gland secretions, sweating…. there are many ways that herbs lead to fluids leaving the body and this ultimately has a net drying effect. Thus, knowing your moistening materia medica is critical for…
Clinical Patterns vs. Herbal Uses
We’ve all seen it before. You get super excited about a new herb and want to learn more about it. So you pull your herb books off the shelf and open it to the monograph on that plant. Unfortunately what you end up with is oftentimes only a few paragraphs, many of which begin with…
What Exactly is Herbal Energetics?
It’s common for people to conjure up images of plant spirits or think that energetics is some far out there esoteric “woo-woo” concept in herbalism. This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, before modern science came into fruition and chemical theory of medicinal plants came into being, energetic models permeated literally every…
Why You Should Stop Taking Everything for 6 Weeks!!
Okay okay, I know the title of this post seems really weird coming from an herbalist. But here me out on this one, because I think there’s some important stuff to consider here. People are taking more vitamins, minerals, supplements, and herbs than ever before, and I sometimes wonder as to whether this could be not as healthy as…
My Top 5 Herbs for Mental Clarity
When our minds aren’t clear it’s hard to accomplish anything- we scatter into the winds or sink down into the low energetic state of brain fog. But when our minds are clear, focused, disciplined, and engaged, we tend to feel uplifted, positive, productive, and more present. There are definitely certain plants that we can…
Medical Astrology for the Practitioner of Botanical Medicine
Recently Whitney and I were super blessed to have the opportunity to head out to the east coast and participate in the 2017 International Herb Symposium. We’ve been to A LOT of herb conferences, and this one is hands down one of our favorites. I mean how amazing is it to stand in a room…
The 5 Keys for Using Herbs Holistically
In the modern world of herbalism, strongly influenced by information from Google and the phytopharmaceutical and supplement industries, there is an increasing lack of traditional knowledge in the common mindset and usage of plant medicines. This had led to an allopathic approach to herbalism and “holistic amnesia,” where we treat plants like drugs and not…
Spagyric Pharmacy for the Practitioner of Botanical Medicine
Many modern practitioners of herbal medicine have a calling to heal not on the body with plants, but also the more subtle levels of the mind, emotions and spirit. While many reach for flower essences to work on this vibrational level of the human, this form of preparation is lacking in the physiological attributes of the…
The Elements in People and Plants (Part 2)
In part 2 of The Elements in People and Plants, we explore some the Elemental patterns as they exist within the botanical kingdom. From the perspective of ancient traditions, everything in the manifest universe contains all of the four Elements of nature: Earth, Water, Air and Fire- that is, the only way something can physically exist…
