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 […]
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 […]
How to Strategically Study Herbs
Have you ever crammed for an exam, only to forget everything a few weeks later? Cramming never works, especially in herbal medicine. Memorizing facts might get you through a test, but it won’t prepare you to help real people. If you want your knowledge to stick—not just in your mind but in your heart—there’s a […]
Keeping Warm: Countering the Cold with Warming Herbs
There’s something about winter that makes us want to bundle up and get warm. And while many of us do this with sweaters, a beanie, and thick wool socks, there’s another critical way we stay warm: Through the herbs and food we eat. In many herbal traditions, plants are often split into warming or cooling. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Do You Need to Know Phytochemistry to Be a Great Herbalist?
Phytochemistry is a fascinating study, but it can be incredibly complicated and confusing at times. Understandably, there are many herbalists who’d prefer to avoid learning it all together. The big question is: Do you really need to know phytochemistry to be a great herbalist? There are many paths you can take as an herbalist. You […]
Is All Herbal Research Trustworthy?
Is all herbal research trustworthy? If you’ve ever Googled an herb to learn more and saw lots of research papers about it, can you trust them? Herbal research is tricky since there are a lot of things that can go wrong and right with them that make the results tricky to decipher. Even though understanding […]
Your Plant Path
Do you ever feel lost in your herbal studies? The journey as an herbalist can seem long and daunting. There are so many books out there, courses, traditions, and of course – herbs to study. When your path ahead is unclear, it helps to pause and make a plan to figure out where you want […]
