Category: herbalism
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Favorite Herb This Week: Ginger
Ginger is the herb I’d like to highlight this week, as I have started working with it more frequently since growing my own last season. Zingiber officinale is the official Latin name, and the plant is native to somewhere in Southeast Asia. You CAN, however, grow it here in Connecticut if you play your cards…
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Bone Broth Revisited
You’ve likely heard various diet fads touting the incredible benefits of bone broth: a slow-cooked broth made with animal bones. You can purchase jars of bone broth at most health food stores for anywhere from $9 to $20 a pint. But do the physical benefits your body gets really merit that kind of expense? If…
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Fighting Cancer Naturally
As far as I can tell, I don’t have any more cancer. Yet. I felt a lump on my neck a few months ago and decided to have it checked out at the doctor. They ended up doing an ultrasound of my thyroid gland, which led to a biopsy, which eventually led to a very…
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Black Walnuts!
If you live anywhere in the Eastern or Central United States, you have probably seen a black walnut tree. Black walnuts (juglans nigra) grow from New England through Wyoming and are wildly prolific. Just try digging up a sapling somewhere… they root in like a badass and if you don’t want that tree to grow…
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Herbal Smoke and Smudging
Cleansing your body and your space with herbal smoke has been practiced by many cultures all over the globe for centuries. There is quite a lot of controversy over the word “Smudging,” as it originates from the Native Indian tribes of the Southwestern United States, where white sage (salvia apiana) grows wild. I personally use…
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Cleavers is Galium, but not all Galium is Cleavers
That title statement may not mean much to you unless you’re into herbs or foraging, but Cleavers are a common herbal remedy in much of North America and the UK. For the past two years, I have been operating under the exciting assumption that cleavers had graced me with their presence in my back yard…
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Favorite Herb This Week: Black Birch!
Black Birch (betula lenta) is definitely one of my Top Ten favorite herbs of all time. And luckily for me, it’s ALL OVER the place here in Northeastern Connecticut! Black birch and it’s brother, White birch (also known as the Paper Birch) can pretty much be used interchangeably medicinally speaking, so I have been trying…
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Herbal Experimentation
While I have had some herbalist education, listen to educational podcasts, and look through my herbal healing books on a regular basis, I do not consider myself an expert. I am more knowledgeable than most, and I continue to learn something new about herbs and the way they work every day. Part of this learning…
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Steamin’ and Dreamin’
Oh man. Being sick sucks! I’ve had some kind of respiratory thing going on for over a week now, causing mucous in my sinuses to increase to disgustingly high levels. I feel like the snot troll monster from Earnest Scared Stupid. At this point, the mucous has decided to leave my sinuses alone for awhile…
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Fire Cider Time
It’s that time of year again! I was always taught that you only harvest horseradish (the key ingredient in fire cider) in months that end in an “R”, and since September was still hot and dry, I waited until early October to harvest my root crops. Unfortunately, my attempt at growing ginger this year was…