Category: health
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Benefits of American Reishi Mushroom: A Complete Guide
The American native Reishi mushroom, also known as Ganoderma tsugae, grows on the Eastern white hemlock tree (Tsuga canadensis.) If you wild harvest some of this amazing mushroom, be sure to slice it up within a few days after you cut it off the tree. Reishi dries as hard as wood VERY quickly and once…
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Herbal Remedies for Back Pain and Inflammation
Are you in pain today? I am. Pain is caused by inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injuries or infections. The inflamed tissue swells up in an effort to heal itself and as a result, presses on the nerves in that area. Pressure on the nerves causes pain. There are two types of…
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Grateful for Water: Lessons Learned During a Drought
In case you missed the news, I have no water at home. It’s been nearly two weeks now. At first, I called the local well company and they changed my tank. A day later, I called them again because there wasn’t enough water to shower. The sediment filter was filling up with dirt from the…
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Garlic: A Powerful Food and Medicine Combination
I finally got my small garlic crop into the ground this past week and I thought it would be a great time to talk about why I think EVERYONE (who isn’t allergic) should be eating garlic. I’ve come a long way from the time some garlic bulbs sprouted in my pantry and I dug a…
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Why Integrity Matters in Herbal Business
I got a message from a good acquaintance yesterday asking me for my opinion on whether he should craft a specific herbal remedy to sell. It’s a very trendy thing that has gone viral over the last year and made some people millions of dollars with zero medical or scientific evidence to back up their…
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An Uncomfortable Truth
You’re probably reading my blog because you’re interested in finding natural ways to heal yourself, particularly with herbs or wild plants. It’s very possible that you are also a Healer of some kind, or an aspiring Herbalist. You’re looking for answers to help stop the pain, whether that’s for you or for a family member…
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Herbs to Combat Stress and Anxiety Naturally
I have been stressed as hell for months now. Thankfully, I have not experienced any debilitating anxiety. However, I know lots of people who deal with that every day too. I can’t even imagine how tough my life would feel if I was dealing with anxious feelings or panic attacks on top of what I’m…
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Why Tinctures are my favorite
There is a time and a place for each and every different medicinal preparation. Each remedy can be helpful for multiple reasons. Tea is excellent and my preferred method for healing upset stomach, digestive problems, stomach flu, or simply to warm a body up in cool weather. Flower essences are super helpful at changing your…
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Is Foraging Safe? You Decide
I started foraging on purpose back in 2006 when I went out picking blackberries along the side of the road and brought them home to make jam. Foraging wild fruits is a great way to get started because there are many fruits that we can all recognize easily (blackberries, raspberries, apples, rose hips, and more)…
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Preparing yourself for fall
It’s late August now, which in the northern hemisphere signals the high point of the harvesting season. I’m still planting some of my fall crops and I’m thinking about which herbs are the most important for me to get picked before the bugs eat what’s left and the frost arrives. Autumn is my favorite season.…