Spotlight on the Herb Garden

I have been a busy little bee this spring!  Finally I have pics to show off.
Here is the herb garden, where most of the herbs call home.  I have nettle in pots WAY away from traffic flow.  Just yesterday I was reminded what a nettle sting feels like - it's been 10+ years, but oh yeah... I remember now!  It turns out that lemon balm pretty much instantly relieves the pain and itching... I just plucked a leaf, chewed it once or twice, held it on the "nettled" area for a moment and then rubbed it in a bit.  Nearly instantaneously I was all better!  There are a few herbs in this picture that are still quite small, but I'm sure as the spring and summer progress, this area will fill in nicely.  
In this patch: Feverfew, Lemon Balm, Catnip, Burdock, Chamomile, Lavender, Hardy Hill and Arp Rosemary, Milk Thistle, Clary Sage, Hyssop, Thyme, Echinacea, Oregano, Peppermint, Chives, Dill, Parsley, Calendula and Valerian.
So far, I have only used a mixture of rosemary and peppermint essential oils in warm water for keeping insects at bay.  I am hopeful that I won't have to use anything more than this.

Here is a corner with potted peppermint, dill and chives planted in pots in the ground and a glimpse of hyssop, valerian and calendula.

A lovely calendula blooming!

A great view of the feverfew, lemon balm, chamomile, burdock, rosemary and thyme :)

Lovely, but sometimes quite painful, milk thistle near the top of the photo.

It bites if you let it :(

Another view

Tiny echinacea try to grow big enough to show up in photos!  They are SO slow growing.

Notice the kitty on the left.  She is eye-balling the area where she knows the catnip to be.  It's between the burdock and lemon balm... out of view in pics for now.  She has already somehow broken in and eaten the plants down to almost nothing!  We had to seal all of the possible infiltration areas of the fence and hope that the catnip would make a comeback.  It's getting there - but there are only 2 plants left and they are rather small for now.  Patience, Miss Kitty.  There will be more catnip for you later.

Next post will be a spotlight on the vegetable garden... you didn't think that I was only going to grow herbs, did you?

Why should you listen to the Herb Lady?

Have you asked yourself the following question yet?
"Why should I listen to what Mary the Herb Lady has to say?
What makes her qualified to put together these wellness "concoctions"?

Well, if you have not asked yourself this question yet, you really should.  Just because you have a duty to yourself and your health to question what's best for you.

Let me start by saying this:  You should not trust me to be your doctor.  You should not trust the information that I give to you on blind faith.  I encourage you to do your own research - and LOTS of it.  The more sources you can compare and contrast, the more likely the information that you end up with will be accurate.

That's where I come in.  I think I'm pretty good at digging deep enough to weed out the information that appears iffy or stated by only one person or group who stands to gain financially from the information.  I have the following in my arsenal currently:
(First and foremost) The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook - A Home Manual by James Green (whom I consider one of the most knowledgeable and gentle herbalists of our time)
The Aromatherapy Bible
Bach Flowers for Crisis Care
Herbal Antivirals and Herbal Antibiotics - both by Stephen Harrod Buhner
The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood
Surviving When Modern Medicine Fails by Dr. Scott A. Johnson (not the most impressive literary work, but has lots of great straightforward recipes for tons of ailments)
Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar (probably the most famous herbalist today)
500 Formulas for Aromatherapy by Carol and David Schiller
The Essential Guide to Herbs
plus lots of books on gardening and organic body care and that sort of thing.  The point is that I didn't pick up a dollar store book of recipes and decide to repeat them for personal gain.

I started more than 10 years ago - probably closer to 15 now... with essential oils.  I have never been a proponent of prescription medication for pain or emotional troubles or days where I'm down, or allergies or even my chronic acne and eczema.  More often than not, the side effects of whatever medication I would take would be worse than the original problem.  I read everything I could get my hands on.  Back then it was still books - we didn't have a computer in every household just yet - DAMN, I feel old all of a sudden!!!

I digress.

I began to treat myself, physically and emotionally, with essential oils.  I would experiment, usually using only my trusty sniffer as my guide :)  If it's offensive to your nose, it's probably not going to be very helpful overall is what I've found.  Some may disagree, but I personally am very sensitive to scents - especially artificial ones.  If you want to know if an essential oil is pure, just let me take a sniff - if there is anything synthetic in it, my nose knows.  Over the years, I have developed a strong sensitivity to scents, so I use only therapeutic grade essential oils and only from Aura Cacia at the time being.  Why Aura Cacia?  Because I have always gotten great quality oils from their company and I inherently don't trust "The Big Two" companies that seem more like pyramid schemes to me than a source for good quality oils.  I haven't tried them, so I cannot say whether I personally like them or not - I just don't agree with people making money off of other people selling products... that seems to me like someone is ending up paying too much so that someone else can make money for doing nothing.  Are the prices too high or is the quality of the oil compromised?  To me, it has to be one or the other.  Maybe I'm wrong - it wouldn't be the first time and certainly won't be the last!

After years of dabbling in essential oils, I discovered Elderberry syrup.  That's all it took, folks. I was hooked on medicinal herbs.  Elderberry cures anything bacterial or viral that ails you (as far as I know, anyway).  I have used it time and time again with enormous success.  From there, I again jumped head first into books on the subject (as you see above) of medicinal herbs and natural wellness in general.  This all fit right into my wheelhouse of wanting to avoid prescription and even over-the-counter drugs as much as possible for my day-to-day ailments.  Not only do I have my library, but we're smack-dab in the middle of the information age now.  I hit the internet - hard.  Now, it turns out that you can't believe everything you read on the internet.  Being a "distance learner" - meaning I go to college online - I have learned that there are websites that are more dependable than others when it comes to cold hard facts.  I try to lean more heavily on .org and .gov sites, and if I find interesting information on someone's blog here or there, I try to back that up using more sources.  If someone cites a medical study, I oftentimes check out that study.

So I personally put in a lot of work trying to sift through the bullshit to get to the nitty gritty, but you should do the same!  Remember - we're in the information age... all of this information is at your fingertips if you just take the time to do some searching.

The take-away here; you can listen to me if you want to because I do put a lot of time and effort into my research, but you should not listen to me as if I were the source for all sources... not only can I be wrong (after all, I am human), but not everyone is the same.  Catnip tea may make me drowsy, but it may keep you up all night (not very likely, but it's an example).

And a very important note: PLEASE talk to your doctor about ingesting herbs.  When he or she asks you what you are taking, don't stop at your blood thinners, high blood pressure medication, or even Advil.  Make sure you tell him or her that you plan on or are currently taking whatever it is that you plan on or are currently taking.  These are the guys and gals who went to medical school.  They may know something about an interaction between prescription drugs and herbal supplements that isn't widely known, or they may know that taking a certain herbal supplement may decrease the efficacy of another medication you are on.  While herbs are most often very gentle and benign, there are exceptions to all rules.  Keep your doctor informed, people.  They are there to help and they cannot make accurate judgment calls on your behalf if they don't know the full story.

Please always feel free to ask me any questions - I am more than happy to do my best to answer any that you may have!

Garlic

Garlic

Although there has not as of yet been an outpouring of vampires in our area, let's not be naive in thinking that it's not going to happen at all!  If (when) it does, we're all going to be in deep doo-doo if we don't have lots and lots of Garlic!








Besides fending off bloodsuckers, Garlic also touts some pretty awesome every-day benefits. These include:

*Ability to grab hold of and flush heavy metals from our bodies

*Safely and naturally lowers cholesterol levels

*Enhances the immune system (I have seen TONS of recipes for cold and flu remedies that use minced garlic as one of the main ingredients - I'm just too chicken to try it yet... probably because I'm so infatuated with the powers of Elderberries)

*One of the best detoxifiers of all of the herbs

*Lowers blood pressure

*It's antibiotic and antimicrobial - again, one of the main ingredients in lots of general herbal antibiotic formulas that I've seen.

In addition to the healing benefits that Garlic offers, it's also quite delicious!  If the taste of garlic turns you off, try roasting it to get a much sweeter and more delicate flavor :)

Garlic has also been given credit for fending off nasty mosquitoes.  If you are blood type O like I am, you likely have to deal with being a walking buffet when those suckers are present - they especially like our blood type :(  Old wives tales consistently say that eating raw garlic produces a scent that is released from your pores that mosquitoes really don't like.  Now, keep in mind, this scent coming from your pores might drive away more than just mosquitoes, so you may want to try a simple topical spray with essential oils like Eucalyptus and Citronella if you're going to be around your sweetheart!
(Insert shameless ad for product here) Ask me if you'd like a purse or pocket sized spray bottle of natural, organic bug repellent for the low low price of only $2.50 ;)

Here's hoping that everyone has a stellar day today!
Cheers!!

Tales from the herb garden - Part 1

So yesterday I took the big brother and sister herbs outside to begin their hardening process... I sat them in a chair to discourage our kitty "Miss Kitty", from digging or pooping or whatever it is that she may feel inclined to do.

It took a good 3 hours for her to notice the herbs in the chair and she slinked toward them like a Puma stalking her prey.  She snuck up, began to sniff, and proceeded to hop up with her front legs so that she could get a better view.

Luckily I was watching from a distance.  I "psst"-ed her, and gave an "ack - ack - hey!  get outta there".  She listened - after all, she's a pretty good kitty.  But it wasn't long before she was snooping around again.  I knew what she smelled - it was the Catnip.

I chuckled to myself and walked over to the little plants.  I carefully pinched a leaf off of one of the heartier-looking Catnip plants and presented it to Miss Kitty.  She immediately grabbed the leaf and wolfed it right down.  She then "meowed" at me, quite loudly, which is very unusual for our shy little kitty.  She obviously loved the Catnip and wanted more.



After 6 leaves and laughing my arse off at how the cat was acting, I came to the definite conclusion that the Catnip will need to be grown indoors this year...
...otherwise, it'll look like this...



... and that's the BEST case scenario!

It could turn out like this:







... and I can't have THAT on my conscience!!!

(Disclaimer - none of these pics are my kitty.  In fact, my kitty is not my kitty - she's just a stray that never went away and won a place in our hearts - now we belong to her).

Nettle

Nettle

You definitely don't want to brush up against this innocent looking plant!  It's not called "Stinging Nettle" for no reason ;)

Luckily the "stingers" on the Nettle leaves only "bite" when the plant is flowering and the sting can be taken out of the leaves for human consumption by either heat or drying.  It's a good thing, because Nettle has all kinds of great benefits!

For instance:
*It helps to cleanse your bladder and kidneys (that's a big one for those who have frequent UTIs and kidney infections!)
*Helps to relieve gout
*Soothes arthritis pains
*Calms eczema
*Treats anemia
*Increases circulation
*Reduces inflammation of the prostate
*Reduces severity of progressive baldness in men

It is note worthy that Nettle naturally stimulates the bladder and kidneys to rapidly remove excess toxins... there's not much better than mother nature helping our organs to take better care of themselves!!!

Many people around the world drink tea made from steeped nettle leaves.  It is touted to be a very effective aid for those who have trouble winding down to go to sleep.  I'll let you know what I think when I try this for myself :)

They grow up so fast...

Lemon Balm

It's amazing that some of the kids are already going off to larger pots!

The transplanting went well - all seemed quite happy to be moving to more roomy homes :)
I'm pretty sure a couple of them smiled at me after their gentle watering through the cracks between my fingers.

Valerian

Catnip

Hyssop

Burdock

The Lemon Balm (above) is absolutely amazing - looking like little versions of their full grown counterparts... much like little baby boys look like little old men!










I was only able to get one at a time on the Valerian (above) and Burdock (far below) pics because the pots are larger and I wanted to get as much detail as possible.








The Valerian and Hyssop (right) started to grow so fast that I had to scramble to get them in pots before they fell over from their own weight!








There are many more in line for their own roomy vessels - it won't be long at all for the rest of the transplants.  I can only hope that they go as well as these have. I'll be sure to report back in a few days with updated pics of how the babies are faring after their move.



Thanks to all for checking in and joining me on this wonderful and very enjoyable venture :)

Be good to yourself and each other.

Licorice

Licorice

  ~~~ Licorice ~~~

Oh, the things that Licorice can do!  The hubby had an ulcer a while back, and, instead of hitting it with eleventy-billion types of antibiotics, we decided to try the homeopathic path first.  A big part of this was Licorice root.  The healing was slow, but, from what I understand, ulcers are just slow to heal.  The important part is that, with a handful of herbs, we were able to get him healed and we never had to turn to antibiotics.

Not only does Licorice help to heal ulcers, it also:
*Enhances your immune system
*Eases heartburn
*Helps to calm bronchial inflammation
and related to that...
*Soothes respiratory ailments
*Treats Herpes simplex 1 and 2
*Neutralizes toxins in the body

This may seem like a short list, but each of the attributes are highly valuable in our day to day lives.

A note about Licorice:
There is a compound in Licorice that can, especially with long term use, exacerbate high blood pressure issues.  There is a supplement out there that has this compound removed and is safe to use long term even if you do suffer from high blood pressure (just ask me and I can tell you more about this), but if you're using 100% natural, untouched herbs, please consult your doctor, especially if you plan on using Licorice long term (like to treat an ulcer).

Well, boys and girls - I think that's all for today... tomorrow we talk about Stinging Nettle. You may want to think twice before you go waging war against this little bugger if it's on your property ~ there's more to Nettle than meets the eye ;)

Hyssop

Hyssop

I have never run across Hyssop, that I can think of, before starting my research on what to grow in the herb garden this year.  This seems really surprising, given the glorious beauty of this plant, combined with the plethora of health benefits that come along with it.




Hyssop is another cleansing herb.  I'm going to have to do some research on combining these cleansing herbs - maybe this will turn into Herb Lady Detox!!

Not only it is internally cleansing, but you can make an effective, yet gentle and soothing wound cleaning wash from Hyssop.  I'll be trying that :)

In addition to its cleansing capabilities, check out what else Hyssop can do (haha - look what I can do!)

Hyssop is:
*Antiseptic
*Antiviral
*Antimicrobial
*Anti-inflammatory
*An expectorant (Bye-bye mucinex.  who needs you?  You make me feel icky and dry my face out anyway!)

and it also:
*Helps regulate blood pressure (Heck yeah ~ have you seen the list of side effects associated with most blood pressure medication?  My husband had a cough for over a year that we finally figured out was caused by his blood pressure medication... and that's probably one of the more benign side effects)
*Calms nerves and nervous tension
*Soothes arthritic pain
*Rejuvenates aging skin, reducing wrinkling and sagging (you had better believe I'll be coming out with a lotion that incorporates this!)

Our Hyssop babies are super healthy and screaming to be let out of their little pots and put into the garden. Unfortunately they will need to wait a little while if they're going to survive :)

Hyssop is another herb that is supposed to release its benefits into wine really well, so this will be a good candidate for a nice tonic wine.  I sure do hope that these tonic wines (and the infused vinegars) make a comeback.

Happy Friday to those of you who read this the same day it's posted.  If not, Happy whatever day it is to you!

Dandelion

Dandelion

Dandelion.

Dandelion?

Yup!  That weed that everyone wants to kill, kill, kill!  Believe it or not, Dandelion is one of the most beneficial herbs out there.  

A weed?  Maybe.  

But there are lots of great plants and herbs that are considered weeds.  

First and foremost:

Nutritionally, Dandelion is high in:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Potassium

Zinc

Iron

Calcium

Seriously???  Dandelion is chock full of all of these?  Yes.  It really is.
So, why are you not plotting and planning how to get your hands on the first delicate Dandelion greens of the season?  I don't know - I'll play your silly game.  Why aren't you?

:-D

In addition to touting all of these great vitamins and minerals, Dandelion can also say that it:

*Purifies your blood (more later on this - I could take up a whole post just for this attribute!)

*Cleanses you liver and gallbladder (again - a huge attribute that could take up the entire blog post - more later)

*Clears your acne

*Heals eczema

*Heals warts

*Repels mosquitoes

*Treats kidney problems (gosh, there sure is a lot to go into more detail about later with Dandelion)

No wonder it's known as a powerful cleansing herb! 

Knowing all of this, I can hardly believe that we have all been conditioned to kill off this little weed that could be keeping our organs free of toxins and running more efficiently.  

This, folks, is a great example of getting back to our roots.  People have known about the many many benefits of Dandelion for CENTURIES... why are we not taught these essential tidbits anymore?  

I, for one, think it's time to bring back the tried and true remedies.  My own personal experience has shown me that natural remedies, pulled from Mother Earth's vast medicine cabinet, really do work.  

Calendula

Calendula

          ~~~Calendula~~~

It's considered a protective herb and it's anti-everything!

*Antimicrobial

*Anti-inflammatory

*Antiseptic

*Anti-fungal

*Antioxidant

*Antibacterial

Calendula also heals and protects the skin better than most anything else out there, and gentle enough even for babies :)

Since Calendula has antibacterial properties, it becomes useful in helping to speed healing for those who may have compromised or sluggish immune systems.  Calendula is also able prompt the body to boost production of collagen at wound sites, which minimizes scarring.  We will be making lotions, salves, balms and lots of other great stuff.  

According to WebMD, Calendula is also routinely used to treat pain and inflammation, and for treatment of stomach cramps and even ulcers.  WebMD confirms the information above that there are chemicals in Calendula that helps tissue to grow in wounds.

Calendula should not be taken by mouth by pregnant women.  It could possibly cause miscarriage, so this is a clear case of better safe than sorry - leave it be.  (We'll have precautions about this on any labels of Calendula products meant to be taken internally as well.)

Tomorrow: Dandelion :)

Have an excellent day!

Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle

 

Milk Thistle looks a lot like Burdock - as you can see here.   

But Milk Thistle can say something that Burdock cannot...

"I can prevent or treat a hangover"

Milk Thistle, 2015

That's a mighty big statement, Milk Thistle!

So here's the skinny on that statement, miraculously made by my tiny little Milk Thistle plants ;)

Milk Thistle contains the active ingredient Silymarin, which has the ability to alter the actual surface of the liver.  Doing so keeps toxins from entering, or, if some get through or are already present, Silymarin is able to neutralize these toxins.  The same Silymarin also enhances liver cell regeneration.

You can see where this information is leading...

Can't you?

Milk Thistle can reduce damage done to your liver; whether this damage is caused by drug or alcohol use, heavy metals and pesticides, and even hepatitis.

You can bet your boots that we'll be making products to prevent and cure your hangovers and to heal and repair your liver.  I think of all of the herbs that we're nurturing and growing I am most excited about Milk Thistle.  

In addition to basically detoxifying your liver and improving its overall function, Milk Thistle also aids digestion.  This is not to be down-played, as digestive issues are no fun to deal with and they oftentimes keep your body from properly utilizing vitamins and minerals.  

Improving digestion improves your immune system as well.  Combine a pumped up immune system with better absorption of vitamins and minerals and you're well on your way to greatly improved health overall!

I hope that you all have a most-terrific day... whatever day it is that you may be reading this ;)

Burdock

Burdock

Isn't she beautiful?
Too bad after all of the flowers wilt they become those troublesome burrs that stick on your socks and your dogs and anything else they can get their little velcro-balls to attach to!!

Burdock is classified as a cleansing herb.
It touts the following benefits:

*Blood detoxifier
*Antibacterial
*Anti-fungal
*Hair growth stimulator
*Cleanses the skin
*Clears acne

In addition, there is growing evidence (more research currently underway) that Burdock Root could possibly inhibit the growth and spread of cancer cells.  More on this later, as we'll be doing an in-depth spotlight on each herb later in the season when we're making healing products with them.

Tomorrow: Bergamot

Make it a great day - and try to help those around you do the same :)   Just remember... we're all in this big weird game together!

Peppermint

Peppermint

Peppermint ~~~ yummy for my tummy for so many reasons!

*Stimulates digestion

*Reduces IBS symptoms

*Eases indigestion

*Reduces flatulence

In addition to tummy taming powers, Peppermint also:

*Prevents microbial spread

*Improves memory

*Increases mental focus

*Relieves headaches (like a champ!)

*Soothes colicky babies

*Inhibits histamine release (controlling hay fever in some!)

*Reduces pain associated with shingles 

*Inhibits herpes simplex 1

*Expectorant and decongestant

*Prevents and heals dandruff

Peppermint does everything except make me coffee in the morning!  Not only is it another super star of the herb garden, but it also tastes wonderful.  Adding Peppermint to other herbs not only improves the overall taste, but look at all that it brings to the party itself :)  

Feverfew

Feverfew

Hello, boys and girls!! "What are we going to learn about today?", you ask?  Why, let me tell you!

It's Feverfew!  Hooray!!!  

OK - maybe that's a bit too excited about Feverfew at 8:25 in the morning...  

In any case, Feverfew is still an awesome herb with some really great qualities.

Feverfew is a protective herb.  Most commonly it protects against migraine headaches.  Yup.  You heard me right.  It prevents migraines when taken regularly.  Having been a chronic migraine sufferer in my younger days, I cannot express how important a natural preventative is... I wish I had known about this back then!  

Not only does Feverfew prevent migraines; it also:

*Reduces frequency and severity of migraines should you happen to get one

*Reduces fever - hence the name :)

*Aids in digestion

and... here's the really cool attribute:

*Helps to expel worms 

"wait- did she just say..." yes... I said worms.  

Ewwww!  I know!!!!!!!  This wasn't the first herb on the list to fight parasites and it won't be the last.  Sorry to say it, but we all have so many parasites that if we talked about it out loud, we would probably just walk around barfing from being so grossed out.  So let's not talk about that anymore - k?

Not only does it help humans with unwanted guests for their host bodies, but you can also use Feverfew to control both mites and lice for your chickens (assuming you have some).  

So a definite three cheers for Feverfew - or at least one since it's so early in the day.  

~~~~Hip hip - hooray!~~~~~

Babies are here!

       ~Babies!! So many babies!!!~

Most of our herb seeds have already sprouted.  In fact, they are ahead of schedule according my the germination tables :)     

They sprouted so quickly, in fact, that they already started to get a little bit spindly before I could scramble to get them under lights!!  Have no fear - they are under lights and very happy now ~ ta da!

We still have Echinacea and Lavender moistly cold stratifying in the fridge... hopefully they will all sprout too and we will have our full season's crop ready (from seed) to go into the garden after last frost... with the exception of Rosemary ---------

Rosemary - thou shalt be the death of me! 

Does anyone know where I can buy Arp Rosemary plants?  Here in zone 6, there are very few Rosemary species that will survive our winters.  I hear that Arp is the best variety and I will be needing to find it soon.  Please comment to let me know if you know of someone who carries it (organic, please).  

I have not posted to the blog for a few days, as I have been fawning over these babies and also getting my vegetables going.  I planted 4 varieties of tomato, 2 sweet peppers, 2 hot peppers, and broccoli.  50 cells total.  Still lots to be seeded directly into the garden.  

I cannot express how exciting it is to me to have my vegetable garden going again (I took the last couple years off due to hectic and stressful schedule, but have decided that without gardening, life is hardly worth living), and to finally be starting my own medicinal herb garden.  I hope to have a spectacular perennial paradise here on the homestead within the next couple of years!  And it will be so nice to open a quart jar of Brandywine tomatoes in the dead of winter and have them taste as fresh as the day that they were picked!

Next post: back to details of herbs going into the herb garden :)

Have the most splendid day ever!!!

Herb Lady Remedies Products for Sale :)

Herb Lady Remedies is proud to offer the following handmade products - please check back periodically, as we will be adding to it quite often!

**Everything you see here is on Etsy, but you can email me at 
marytheherblady@gmail.com  to order and save on shipping.
You can also email me if you have requests for products that you don't see here.  If you can think of it, we can probably make it... and if you can't think of it, let us know what ails you and maybe we can help you to find a natural solution :)

Lip Balm!!!! $2.50 each - buy 4, get one free!!!
So smooth and silky, warm beeswax tones and any (or none if you prefer plain coconut and beeswax) of the following flavors:

Coconut Oil and Beeswax Lip Balm

Blueberry
Butterscotch
Cherry
Coconut
Grape
Key Lime
Lemonade
Cherry Lemonade
Strawberry Lemonade
Blueberry Lemonade
Orange Cream
Peach
Strawberry
Tropical Punch
Watermelon

Elderberry Tincture 1oz. and 2oz. bottles available, at $12.00 and $20.00

This is the miracle cold and flu prevention and remedy that I have talked about in my previous posts.

We take organic Elderberries and coat them with raw honey from Ashland, Ohio and then add 100 proof vodka and allow the Elderberries to macerate for 6 weeks or more.  The result is a tincture that is both antibiotic and anti-viral, preventing and killing both bacterial and viral infections.
In recent studies, Elderberry was more effective than Tamiflu for shortening the duration of and easing the symptoms of the flu virus.  And I'm not talking a little bit better, but 3 times as good.  In the study, those who took a placebo took approximately 6 days to recover from the flu.  Tamiflu recipients got well 1-1.3 days faster (and had side effects of nausea and vomiting!), while the Elderberry recipients recovered 3-4 days faster than the placebo group.  That, my friends, is a huge difference when you're spewing only your-mom-knows-what!!!
This tincture has a shelf-life of basically forever - we're talking decades on the low end.  1 dose is about 20 drops or 1/2 dropper full.  For prevention - when those around you are sick and you don't want what they've got - simply take 1 dose per day.  If you start feeling icky yourself, start by taking 1 dose (I usually put it in a small glass of juice) IMMEDIATELY when you feel a scratch or tickle or whatever is alerting you that you might be catching something, and then continue every 4 hours or so (3-4 times per day) until you feel better - normally overnight if you catch it early enough, but it may take up to a couple of days.  Once I found this miracle of a berry, I never turned back.  I keep it on hand and use it just as described above... It has been a very long time since I've been sick :)

Thyme

    I hope that our Thyme turns out to be this beautiful!

For those of you who only know our good friend Thyme from grandma's chicken recipes, let me introduce you to one of the hardest working herbs in the garden....

Not only is Thyme delicious - it has more benefits than you could ever imagine.  It's really the all-purpose cure-what-ails-you herb.

For example, Thyme is:
*Antiseptic
*Antibacterial (Antibiotic)
*Anti-fungal
*Anti-microbial
*Anti-spasmatic
*Expectorant
it also:
*Stimulates the memory
*Prevents bad breath
*Aids in preventing gum disease
*Promotes healing
*Stimulates the Thymus gland (which regulates T-cell production)
*Is great for whooping cough

One of the first formulas that I whipped up many many moons ago when I began my natural-wellness journey was a healing thyme tonic, which is an all around miracle tonic.  I was using good old rubbed thyme from my pantry at the time and it was still good stuff, so you can only imagine how great it works when you use the real deal straight from the garden to your glass apothecary bottle!

As always, please feel free to ask any questions... if I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does!!

Have a splendid day and enjoy the sunshine - Spring is right around the corner!!!!!!

Meet the Elderberry bushes!

Say "hello" to our little friends!
These are the Elderberry bushes that I have been caring for over the winter :)

Only a few more weeks and they can start going outside for the first time in their lives... this must be SO exciting for them!!!!

According to "they" and "them", these bushes should bear fruit this fall.  We have 3 of them - the 3rd little bugger didn't want to be in the picture so it was hiding a bit.

They look healthy and seem to be very happy to be alive and thriving.  Hopefully the transplant will go well and we can get them in the ground by mid-April so that they can flourish and get super big in the next couple of years.  Eventually we will get a full 15 pounds of berries from each bush every year.  We are starting several more from seed as well - we can only hope that they do as well as these have.

Hooray for Elderberry bushes!!!!

Lavender

Lavender

Another superstar to go into the herb garden is Lavender.  I consider Lavender to be the Robitussin of herbs - just use it for anything and everything.  I swear at some point during my life I was told to put some 'tussin on an open wound!!

I digress...

Where were we?  Ah, yes ~~~~~ Lavender :)

Not only is its aroma intoxicating... it's been scientifically proven to relax you as well - yes - just the smell!

Some of the other benefits that Lavender touts:

*It helps to balance your emotions

*It eases stress

*Helps to sooth tension headaches

*Alleviates the pain of a burn (better than anything else I have ever tried including those over-the-counter sprays)

*Speeds cell renewal (aha... healing powers!)

*Antiseptic

*Antibiotic

*Great for acne-prone skin

*It's calming effects are said to be one of the best sleep-inducers around

I carry a tiny dropper bottle of Lavender essential oil everywhere I go.  You say you cut yourself?  Let me just drop some Lavender on it!  You burned your finger?  Lavender.  You're stressing over this or that?  Take a quick whiff of... oh yeah - Lavender!  Do you have an inherent desire to take over the world?  Lavender!  No -wait... I went too far.

...but the rest is true :)

We already use Lavender essential oil in many different products.  It is so gentle yet effective and its scent is wonderful on its own or mixed with lots of other scents... it plays very well with others in an olfactory way!

Can't wait to have the chance to use the whole plant to make oodles of wonderful concoctions.

Hope you all have a glorious day ~~ 

Valerian

Flowering Valerian

Although it will be a couple of seasons before we can harvest any of the root, we'll be gently plucking beautiful blooms to make flower waters and essences, which have benefits all their own!  The leaves and stems also carry benefits of their own - didn't want to leave them out :)

Valerian is known to be one of the most relaxing herbs available.  Some call it nature's Xanax or Valium.  In today's hectic world, who couldn't use something like that?  

Some of the benefits of Valerian are:

*Calming nervous tension

*Improving sleep quality

*Encouraging drifting off to sleep

*Lowering blood pressure

*Easing PMS symptoms

*Treating muscle cramps

*Great treatment for IBS 

*Heals wounds

*Soothes and heals ulcers

*Soothes and heals eczema

*Eases irritability

Although Valerian can safely be taken long term, many studies have shown, and most doctors will tell you that one should stop taking it for about a week every 6 weeks.  So take it for 6 weeks and then take a week off, then resume as normal.  If you're interested in learning more about this, simply let me know and make sure I have your email address and I'll go into more detail :)

Valerian is also a great candidate for a good old fashioned tonic wine - the kind your great grandma used to keep in the pantry and break out to sip out of a tiny cordial glass.  

The drug industry (Big Pharm) nixed the use of tonic wines waaaaay back when they first figured out that the healing qualities of herbs could be coaxed out of the plant parts and used widely in the mainstream - wine was too unpredictable and would create slightly different tonic strengths depending on the amounts of tannins, alcohol percentage, and many other factors of the wine itself.  

This was not good for Big Pharm, as they needed to ensure exact proportions in order to administer doses of drugs to patients.  It was just too difficult to get the consistency that they needed.  

The good news?  I am an herbalist - not a doctor.  I don't use a prescription pad to get you access to FDA approved medicine with exact amounts of active ingredient and fillers and who-knows-what-else... I use the old folk methods along with tips from older and up-and-coming lay herbalists alike to ensure that I am using the best and safest methods available to naturally coax the medicinal benefits from the herbs that we'll be working with.  

We purposefully left out a couple of herbs this year - like St. John's Wort and Yarrow.  This is because there are possible drug interactions and side effects that I would rather not deal with at this stage.  My point here is that I am using very safe herbs - ones that if the concentration varies a bit from batch to batch, nobody is going to get hurt.  

So we'll be bringing back tonic wines, as they are a very effective method of extracting medicinal qualities from certain kinds of plants and plant parts (again - if you want more info. on this, just be sure I have your email address and ask away - I am happy to elaborate but don't want to bore everyone to tears on our blog!).  Perhaps more about tonic wines in another post.

On to my day - lots to do today... and we should be seeing tiny little sprouts popping up within the next few days... I can't wait to get pictures for all of you!

Have a splendid day ~ more tomorrow!!!

Chamomile

Chamomile

Finally a weather forecast we can look forward to!  The 10 day forecast has all 50's and 60's after tomorrow ~~~  ah, SPRING... how we welcome you with open arms!

Today's feature is chamomile - a beautiful daisy-look-a-like. 

Chamomile has such a vast array of benefits, including:

*Anxiety reduction

*Digestive aid

*Hay fever reliever (even better when they rhyme!)

*Anti-inflammatory 

it can also:

*Treat skin problems of all sorts

*Help with indigestion

*Sooth and heal ulcers

*Helps those with insomnia to drift off to dream-land

*Eases cramping muscles

We'll be making so many products with fresh and dried chamomile - from teas that will be truly enjoyable to sip to infused lotions to soften every skin type.  

The seeds are in soil and I eagerly watch them do absolutely nothing - I'll post pics of tiny baby seedlings as soon as they are available!  

Happy weekend everyone.  I thank you for checking in and wish you all a warm refreshing spring week ahead :)

Until tomorrow...

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm Tea

I am so excited to finally be growing lemon balm!  It has SO many uses and unlike some other herbs, this one has a lovely taste.  I'm sure that many of our fresh tea recipes will include lemon balm, not only for its medicinal value, but to improve the taste of other herbs.

Some of the benefits of lemon balm are:

*Eases stress and tension and helps one to relax

*Settles an upset stomach

*Lowers stress-related high blood pressure

*Cleans and heals wounds

*Used to attract bees to empty hives!

*Antiviral

*Antihistamine

*Good for topical treatment of eczema

*Externally treats shingles outbreaks, lessening severity and recurrence

... and look how pretty it is when it is flowering:

I hope to see the little sprouts within the next 2-3 weeks - the seeds are nestled in the soil :)

Stay tuned - tomorrow - Chamomile!

Have a splendid day ~~~~~~~

Echinacea

Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)

Oh, I hope my Echinacea patch is as lovely as this picture!!

Echinacea is a super star ~ both antibiotic and antiviral, you get a batch of tincture made with this beautiful plant and you can conquer the world!!!!  OK - maybe I got carried away... but I'll bet you could conquer a cold ;)

Our super star is known for its ability to jump start your immune system so that it can better take care of you.  It stimulates antibody production too, so if you feel a sniffle or a scratchy throat coming on, turn to the Echinacea to pump up your own little bacteria and virus army.  I'll bet that paired with Elderberry, these two would make your immune system unstoppable!

In addition to being great at fighting a cold or the flu, Echinacea is also an anti-inflammatory.  This is HUGE!  Do you know how many ailments are thought to be rooted in inflammation?  Let me name a few:

*Chronic pain

*Migraine headaches

*Arthritis

*Diabetes

*Acid reflux

and some doctors will say that inflammation causes ALL disease - including cancer.

As we progress, I'll have lots of pictures of our baby Echinacea plants to share.  

Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!!!!!

Catnip - benefits galore!

Catnip!

Loved by kitties and in-the-know humans alike - catnip is the bomb! ...unless you currently take lithium... in which case, talk to your doctor before sipping on some catnip tea :)

It's a natural mosquito repellent - for this reason alone it deserves a place in my landscape.

WebMD says that you can use catnip to get rid of intestinal worms - ewwww!

Catnip helps some people to relax, has been known to reduce anxiety and to help those with insomnia to drift off to dreamland.

Also said to be helpful with stomach upsets such as indigestion, cramping and gas.

It's a beautiful perennial plant and is a native herb to my growing zone 6a.
It doesn't have many side effects, other than the mild sedative quality that it is likely used for in the first place, although all of the sources that I have reviewed say that not enough research has been done to say that it's safe for pregnant women to ingest catnip, so I wouldn't recommend it... this would definitely be a case of "better safe than sorry"!

So catnip made its way into the top 20 list and into the herb garden this year.  I can't wait to share photos and let you know all of the wonderful products that we will be making with catnip!!!

Tomorrow: Echinacea :)