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Herbal Holiday Gifts
The holidays are fast approaching, and it’s a great time to get busy in the kitchen apothecary! Herbal holiday gifts are a great way to share personalized presents with loved ones that will support their health through the holidays and beyond. One of my favorite herbal holiday gifts to make are sleep pillows. Sleep pillows smell divine and are fun to blend and package. So many of my friends have trouble sleeping, I know that I’m giving a gift that will be used and bring benefit. SLEEP PILLOWS from Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health 1 part dried chamomile 1 part dried hops 1 part dried lavender 1 part…
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Ursus Issues – Or Why The 2015 Florida Bear Hunt Is So, So Wrong
On June 24th, 2015 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a state wide hunt from October 24-30th to kill Florida’s black bears. The reasons stated for the approval were “population control” and “to reduce human/ bear confrontations”. More than 175,000 people reached out to the commission in opposition to the hunt. About 250 people indicated support of the hunt. These 250 supporters of the cruel hunt primarily consisted of trophy hunters and weapon and gun interest groups. Many reputable organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and The Center for Biological Diversity publicly stated their concern about the hunt and presented multiple scientific studies showing that…
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Dental Herbalism: Four Natural Remedies for a Healthy Mouth
Oral health is ultimately linked to our overall health and well-being. The new guide to herbal dental care, Dental Herbalism(Healing Arts Press, 2014) by herbalist Leslie Alexander and dental hygienist Linda Straub-Bruce, details 41 safe and effective herbs to improve oral health. This excerpt from chapter 11, “An Herbal Materia Medica for the Mouth,” outlines four herbal remedies for dental health: Homemade Toothbrushes, Tooth Powder, Scrubs, and Mouthwash. Turn to these safe and effective ancient herbal remedies for modern-day dental care. This excerpt first appeared in Mother Earth News. Join Leslie Alexander in Orlando at the Florida School of Holistic Living April 1 for “Kitchen Herbs for the Mouth,” a…
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Warming Nourishment for Winter
While many of us in Florida experience winter a bit differently than our neighbors to the north – it is, ahem, eighty degrees in January as I type this – our bodies still experience the seasonal slow downs that the shifts in light and dark invite. Even in a mild winter, it’s ideal to give our bodies a break from the extra energy it takes to digest raw foods, and to warm our body, mind, and spirit with nourishing foods. Unfortunately, the trend these days is to “detox” after a long holiday, and oftentimes those “plans” and “programs” promote raw, uncooked foods – that is, foods that are cooling to…
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Setting New Year’s Intentions
This year, I invite you to set aside New Year’s resolutions. That’s right. Toss ’em aside. Instead, I invite you to set New Year’s intentions. Yes, this may sound like one and the same: but the distinction lies in the dictionary and is mirrored all around us in the mass media. The definition of “resolution” includes one’s resolve to make change – a valiant virtue, indeed – and concurrently, also indicates the act of resolving a problem – emphasizing we are starting from a problem, rather than focusing on the solution we hope to birth. This view of the world is echoed throughout mainstream magazines, movies, and music, where even…
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Preparing for Winter Solstice
“There is a tendency to want to hurry from autumn to spring, to avoid the long dark days that winter brings. Many people do not like constant days bereft of light and months filled with colder temperatures. They struggle with the bleakness of land and the emptiness of trees. Their eyes and hearts seek color. Their spirits tire of tasting the endless gray skies. There is great rejoicing in the thought that light and warmth will soon be filling more and more of each new day. “But winter darkness has a positive side to it. As we gather to celebrate the first turn from winter to spring, we are invited…
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Herbal Healing Gift Recipes
We had a wonderful time at our first Herbal Holiday Giftmaking Playshop of the 2014 season. A beautiful group joined us, including a bright eleven-years-young herbalist-in-the-making, came to gather for an evening of herbal craft and fellowship. We made herbal sachets, herbal tea blends, herbal seasoning blends, mulling spices, simmering scents, bath salts, and one of everyone’s favorites, aromatherapy sprays. Aromatherapy sprays are simple to create and versatile to share! One of our favorite essential oil spray recipes is an all purpose holiday scent to inspire, uplift, and relax all at the same time. It brings in a holiday scent to any room with a cinnamon base, while citrus notes…
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Making Your Own Herbal Tinctures
From our Roots of Herbalism Home Study video, we explore Tinctures today – how to make your own concentrated, liquid herbal extracts using alcohol like brandy or vodka, vegetable glycerine, or apple cider vinegar. In today’s video, we explore making tinctures using the Simpler’s method. If you enjoy this video, you can learn more about tinctures in our Roots of Herbalism class. The next live session will be held November 14 & 15 in Orlando, and we also offer the course as a home study curriculum. Register for our November live course using the code ROOTSDISCOUNT before November 5th and receive a $50 discount off tuition PLUS Rosemary Gladstar’s book…
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Outreach continues at Coleman Correctional Complex
In 2014, we are proud to have continued our outreach program at the Coleman Correctional Complex, reaching hundreds of female inmates with empowering herbal health education. This service program has been a solely volunteer effort among many of our team members, and has provided immense benefit to the women it reaches.
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Water Prayers
Herbalist Emily Ruff brings her reflections on the healing powers of water, and the power of focusing our collective energy on gratitude and healing the Earth’s waters, in this video from a spring atop Sage Mountain in Vermont. Looking for more information on Water Justice after watching this video? Visit www.FoodandWaterWatch.org, or see our review of the movie FLOW. One of our favorite groups, Rising Appalachia, recently shared a new song in collaboration with The Dogon Lights that celebrates the beauty, mystery, and healing power of water. “Water she gathers on solid ground Water a memory yet to be found Water she wanders through my bones Water she dances, dances…
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