The Seasonal Allergy Strategy Part 1
Spring has officially sprung. The birds are chirping, the plants are waking up, and the earth is on the move again. It’s a beautiful time of year—and here in the Pacific Northwest, we welcome the lifting of the cold, the retreat of the rain, and the chance to head back outside to enjoy nature’s splendor […]
Interview with Pam Montgomery
Have you ever wondered how to understand plants on a deeper level, beyond “This herb is good for that thing?” If so, you won’t want to skip this post! I am excited to be joined today by my colleague, friend, and teacher, Pam Montgomery. Pam is an herbalist, author, international teacher, earth elder, and new […]
Top 3 Spring Tonics
Spring is the season of renewal—and the perfect time to support your body with cleansing and nourishing herbs. Last week, we covered the overall concept of the spring cleanse and whether it’s a good thing for us to do in our modern culture. We got a birds-eye view of the qualities and characteristics of herbs […]
Mugwort: The Herb of Dreams
Mugwort is a plant famed for its effects on dreaming, but its medicinal properties and actions do so much more than that. With a distinct effect on the nervous, digestive, hepatobiliary, and reproductive systems, Mugwort navigates, regulates, and balances the highways that connect them all. In today’s plant profile, you’ll discover: Mugwort’s unique flavor profile […]
5 Ways Vitalism Transformed My Life
Diving into the world of herbal medicine and the traditions that have carried it for a long time often introduces us to new concepts, principles, practices, and ways of seeing the world around us that aren’t often taught to us in our modern world. And sometimes there’s something there that changes your life forever. For […]
The Danger of Herbal Fads
If you walk into a hip smoothie shop or health food store, you’ll undoubtedly be flooded with the newest “superfoods” and cure-all herbs. Like so many things in our modern culture, herbal medicine also has its own “fads,” as it seems as if there’s almost a new one in style each season. Although it may […]
Phytopharmaceuticals, Standardized and Whole Plant Extracts
These days, supplement shelves are filled with all kinds of different products based on plants. Tinctures, teas, whole plant preparations, standardized extractions, phytopharmaceuticals . . . but what’s the difference between them? These are the most common types of herbal extracts you’ll encounter, and they all have their own unique properties and uses. Each of […]
Herb-Drug Interactions: Fact Fiction or Somewhere Between
Have you ever felt anxious about giving herbs to someone who’s already taking medications? Many herbalists feel hesitant to help people taking prescribed drugs because of concerns about herb-drug interactions. But how much do we really need to worry about this? Herbs can impact how drugs are absorbed and metabolized, which can actually be helpful […]
Meadowsweet: Not Just “Herbal Aspirin”
Meadowsweet is often thought of as herbal aspirin. Even though it’s no secret that its compounds were originally used to formulate and synthesize aspirin, can you really use it in the same way? If you want to get the same results from Meadowsweet as aspirin, you would have to drink quarts of the tea, which […]
