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Herbalism Homesteading Wild Foods

Native Harvests: Lambs Quarter (Chenopodium Album)

Lambs quarter is one of the most common garden and backyard weeds. Don’t let its commonplace fool you, this plant is a force to be reckoned with. It is one of THE most nutrient dense wild foods available, even out performing many common vegetables in both vitamin and mineral content. With high levels of phosphorous, […]

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Herbalism Homesteading Wild Foods

Native Harvests: Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

Many of our common weeds and herbs are transplants from colonial settlements, but Oxalis Stricta, or common yellow wood sorrel is native to North America. It’s a beautiful summer plant often mistaken for clover. It grows to an average of 10 inches tall and enjoys partial shade. Has three heart shaped leaves and dainty five […]

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Herbalism Homesteading Wild Foods

Herbal Actions: Adaptogens

This is probably the most popular herbal action heralded right now.  Every new herb lately is touted as an adaptogen. So, what is it and why are they being recommended for everything lately? An adaptogen is an herb that doesn’t have a SPECIFIC action. Overall, they increase the body’s resistance to stressors. How many ads […]

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Herbalism Homesteading

How to Start Understanding Herbs as Medicine

As I revealed in my last article, I went through an extreme health journey as a doorway to natural healing and natural living.  When I began, you could say that I was practicing “allopathic” herbalism.  In and of itself, an oxymoron. I was stuck in that Western medicine thought process of searching for herbs for […]

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Herbalism

A Deviation from Allopathic Medicine: How Herbal Medicine Saved my Life

Most people who start looking into herbal medicine do so because modern or western medicine has failed them or someone they love in horrible ways. I started my “divorce from western medicine” almost 5 years ago. Even though I knew about the dangers of the standard American diet many years before, as a single working mother of 2 special needs children, I had neither the time nor the energy to investigate it properly.

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Herbalism Homesteading Wild Foods

Kid Friendly Herbal Preparations

The mention of medicinal herbs often conjures up a picture of a steaming cup of tea or a dropper full of essential oils. While both are worthy ways of using herbs, there are so many other ways to enjoy their benefits. When it comes to herbs and their abilities, much is still not understood. We […]

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Herbalism Homesteading Wild Foods

Elderflowers and their Many Uses

The majestic Elder has been held in high regard by many people’s for centuries as food and medicine. Most think of the berries but the flowers themselves have many benefits, and unlike the berries you don’t have to be so selective. The flowers can and have been used interchangeably. Elderflower pollen has natural yeast and […]

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Herbalism Wild Foods

Wild Foods: Raw Honey

Honey is a staple that deserves a place in both the pantry, and the medicine cabinet. Humans have been using it as food and medicine for 8,000 years. This makes it an old and trusted friend, however, not all honey is the same. Most people today are familiar with the pasteurized, and ultra filtered honey […]

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Herbalism Paganism

A History of Beltane: How Modern-Day Pagans Celebrate

Beltane has a long been celebrated due to its association with fertility and the success of agrarian cultures. In the northern hemisphere it is celebrated on May 1st (October 31st in the Southern hemisphere). It marks the halfway point between the Spring Equinox (Ostara) and the Summer Solstice (Midsummer).

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Herbalism Homesteading Wild Foods

The Process of Ice Water Distillation:Rose Hydrosol

Since ancient times roses have been known to be, not only beautiful, but a nutritional and medicinal powerhouse.  It was also used as a constituent in perfume. Greek, Romans and Phoenician cultures considered large gardens of roses to be as important as orchards and wheat. The oil used in perfume was the essential oil of […]