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 […]

Elecampane: The Deep Breather

Elecampane has become one of my personal favorite respiratory remedies over the years, not just for its medicinal benefits for many of the common respiratory woes people face today, but as a choice restorative agent. Whether you make it into a tincture or enjoy the syrup, Elecampane is a remedy every herbalist should know.  In […]

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 […]

Jesse Wolf Hardin Interview 

In today’s blog post you’ll learn: The importance of creating roots in life, and how grounding in a physical location opens your world to forming deeper connections to your local environment Everyone has a gift and a calling in the world, and advice for how you can find yours How approaching nature with curiosity, wonder, […]

Interview with Margi Flint

Margi Flint is a practicing herbalist, registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild, and herbal mentor from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Margi’s wisdom spans over 20 years of labor coaching certification, polarity therapy, and Reiki, alongside 40-plus years of clinical herbal practice. She teaches at Pacific Rim College in Victoria, British Columbia, and has lectured at numerous […]

The Truth About Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are natural compounds found in certain herbs. Despite their long history of safe use in herbal traditions, they are often misunderstood and feared, discouraging people from working with these potent medicinal herbs. By learning more about these compounds and how to safely use herbs containing them, you can confidently incorporate them into your […]

Do You Need to Know Botany to Be a Great Herbalist?

Do you need to know botany to be a great herbalist? Since learning botany is like learning a new language, it’s a fair question. After all, if you won’t use it, is it worth becoming fluent in it? Being an herbalist means a lot of things: Working with people, plants, and being the bridge between […]

Why I Wish What I Did Wasn’t Called Medical Astrology

Medical astrology is one of the most misunderstood assessment tools available in herbalism, with many flat out rejecting its usefulness or efficacy because of preconceived notions of astrology in general.  Despite its spiritual or “woo-woo” implications, astrology has practical therapeutic applications. By learning how to use this tool correctly, you can pinpoint an imbalanced organ […]

Vitalism is NOT just about Herbalism

The vitalist approach to healing is like an ecosystem, and herbalism is only one aspect of it. At its heart, vitalism is about living in accordance with nature. This means living harmoniously with it and learning to support your body’s natural intelligence through nutrition, hydration, rest, and other lifestyle habits. By understanding how vitalism extends […]