Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Herbal Tuesdays- Week 1

I've decided to start writing more about my personal herb week on Tuesdays in honor of my apprenticeship!! (It will be a simple and completely random bullet list.)

My hope is by posting weekly I will update here more often as I often cycle out of touch with my blog and I really want to post more consistently!

So, I'm really enjoying my apprenticeship thus far! It's been really awesome and I am learning a lot. I am feeling much more connection with my surroundings as well. Looking forward to whats to come!

Things I've learned & done herbal related this past week;


-There are many, MANY umbel shaped white flowers.

-Lemon balm continues to be my favorite plant in my personal garden for the second year in a row. We have a huge stand of it in the herb garden and I've been harvesting and drying it daily and trying to find as many ways as I can to use it! Thus far I've made tea, lemon balm pasta with a cheese sauce, vinegar, pesto, lemon balm berry pie, elixir & honey! Plus there is more to make. My next post will be a roundup of lemon balm recipes I've collected!

-Rose honey is addictive. So is handmade cocoa/rose lip balm!

-Plants I discovered in my yard this week; rosa rugosa, valerian (lots!), evening primrose, wild indigo, mugwort, a hidden red raspberry leaf patch, cinquefoil, goutweed and wood betony.

-Plants I harvested and processed this week. Rose, oregano, lemon balm, sage, thyme & lady's mantle.

- I long for more gardens and specifically a women's health and wellness themed garden, a garden for nervines and also an immunity and children's section. But I am just not there yet. Doing a little at a time though. I'm so glad I have the space here!!

-I started an herb blog for kids. Well really for MY kids but I thought it would be fun to share. They are really into "helping" so we might as well make it into a learning experience just for them & maybe share ideas, right? I am just starting it really, so stay tuned!

-Planted some more seeds. Yes, even though it is late June. Crazymaking I tell ya! ;)

- I'm wishing for a greenhouse this fall. Hoping to pull that together money and time permitting.

-Registering for Botany 1 this fall.

-Made a list of herbal & food galactagogues.

-Harvested and in the midst drying a small batch of red clover.

-Studied marshmallow, elder, elecampane, meadowsweet & vitex.

-Tried my first herbal Ghee! MMMM!! (Putting on the must make list!)

-Made a supply list. Need to buy a stash of alcohol, bulk honey, containers, etc. as I have used up every last drop of menstruum's in the house this past weeked! Of course there's much, MUCH more potions and goody making to be had this summer! I also need a couple of random things like another blender, large glass jars and a new cutting board. A sun hat and a harvesting basket for treks through meadows & woods is also on the list among other random items!

-Made a reading list of herb related books I want to read for the duration of my apprenticeship.









Sunday, June 24, 2012

25 Medicinal Uses for Lemon Balm



I really can't get enough of lemon balm these days! I'm so thankful to have a huge stand of it in the garden! It's really such a versatile plant and there are so many ways to use it.

Here are 25 uses for lemon balm medicinally;

1- Anxiety
2- Mild depression
3- Colic
4- As a facial steam for dry skin & stubborn acne
5- As a galactogogue to increase a nursing Mother's milk supply
6- Hyperthyroidism
7-Promotes menstruation(good for bringing on a cycle)
8- Analgesic (good for painful periods, headaches, general aches and pains)
9- Nourishing
10- Allergies
11- Fatigue
12- Relieves stress & hypertension
13- Nightmares
14- Indigestion & digestive issues caused by stress
15- Heart palpitations
16- Mildly sedative (good for sleep issues)
17- Herpes sores (both oral and genital)
18- Nausea
19- Has memory improving qualities
20- Wound repair and insect bites
21- Stimulates the appetite
22- Flatulence
23- Coughs, colds, flu, bronchitis, laryngitis asthma (antiviral)
24- Fevers (promotes sweating)
25- Grief

Monday, June 11, 2012

Apprenticeship

I've been sort of MIA these last few weeks. I am trying to finish up one class before another begins and my herbal apprenticeship at Blazing Star Herbal School started as well! It's been so fun and Tuesdays are quite literally the highlight of my week these days! I'll write more soon but wanted to give a quick update!