School of Botanical Medicine
From the category archives:
This summer, my apprentice spent long nights pickling and canning in my kitchen. Watching her work to store food for winter reminded me that summer’s heat is fleeting. That even when the sun is hot and the days long we should prepare for cold. In this article, I will provide my version of an old [...]
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Spring planting time is nearly here. This month, I’ll mention 4 of my favorite plants to grow and harvest here in the Midwest. Each one is uniquely beautiful, and makes an excellent addition to the medicine chest. Gardening is a moving meditation that engages our senses, thankfully distracting our overly conscious and busy brains. It [...]
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This Fall we were posed with a problem. Mice were getting into the kitchen drawers and lower cabinets. Yes, it was gross. There was mouse poop Everywhere and it was a lot. As my husband knows, I am anti trap. I figure either the cats will get them, or they’ll find their way out. Perhaps [...]
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Holiday times are for sharing and giving. And in recognition of this generous season I thought it fitting to share two of my favorite product recipes. They are simple, tried and true. You can stow them away for a rainy day or produce them in copious amounts to be gifted to the herbal enthusiasts on [...]
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The approach of environmental sustainability is one of reusing, reducing and recycling energy. This redirection supports a longer and healthier life of our planet, and makes us more conscious consumers and spenders, both energetically and financially. We can take the same approach of redirecting and rebalancing energy with our health. Ill health is a result [...]
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Gifts that make an impression come in all shapes and sizes. And, while it is nice to give something fancy or electronic, it is also nice to consider something homemade. For things are easy to buy, but the energy we put into something crafted with our own hands is truly lovely. The impression left makes [...]
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Plants soften the heat of summer. They create a more cooling environment as they don’t absorb and emit heat the way concrete does. And they cool us through our senses. It may be the color of a flower that cools and calms, or the look and texture of the leaves. Perhaps it is the song [...]
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Madison’s Farmers market arrived with spring. The community flocked to greet vendors whose freshly grown food and plants reflected a new and warmer day. Though my trip to the market on the second Sat. of its opening was far from warm, the colorful flowers looked healthy and happy, the herbaceous plants smelled heavenly, and the [...]
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Magic is an important element in healing. It is as important as the clinical. As humans, we need to believe in our capacity to heal on a magical level, to break the boundaries of the linear and the expected – whether it comes from insight or life’s experiences. Experiencing magic shows us a place where [...]
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Before I began my studies as an herbalist, I learned a lesson about treating ailments through the feet. One hot summer night, I played an outdoor concert with the orchestra. The temperature outside that night was in the low 90’s, and it was over 100 on stage. By the end of the evening my head [...]
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