Category: Herbal Remedies
-
How Long Do Homemade Herbal Preparations Last?
One of the easiest mistakes to make when creating homemade herbal products is assuming that because something is “natural,” it lasts forever. It doesn’t. Herbal preparations can spoil. And different preparations have dramatically different storage lives. Dried Herbs Properly dried herbs generally maintain their best quality longer when stored somewhere cool, dark and dry in… Read more
-
How to Label Your Homemade Herbal Preparations
You will remember what’s in that jar. At least that’s what you tell yourself. Then six months later you’re standing in front of three mysterious jars of brown liquid wondering: Was this calendula? Lemon balm? Did I make this last year? Label everything. Seriously. What Should Be on an Herbal Label? At minimum, I like… Read more
-
How Much Dried Herb Equals Fresh Herb?
We’ve all done it. You find a recipe calling for fresh herbs… and all you have is a jar of dried herbs. Or your garden is overflowing with fresh herbs while the recipe calls for dried. Can you substitute them? For ordinary culinary cooking, there’s a useful starting point. The Common 3-to-1 Rule A frequently… Read more
-
Fresh Herbs vs. Dried Herbs: When Should You Use Each?
You walk outside and harvest a beautiful handful of herbs. Then the recipe you’re following says: Use dried herbs. Can you just use the fresh ones? Sometimes—but fresh and dried herbs aren’t always interchangeable. Fresh Herbs Contain Water Fresh plant material contains substantial moisture. That affects its weight, concentration and shelf stability. It’s also why… Read more
-
5 Ways to Preserve Fresh Herbs Before Winter
Fresh herbs are one of the easiest things to overlook when you’re rushing to prepare the garden for cold weather. Then frost arrives. And suddenly all that basil you meant to harvest is gone. Before cold weather settles in, here are five ways to preserve herbs for winter. 1. Air Dry Them Air drying works… Read more
-
Tincture vs. Tea vs. Salve vs. Infused Oil: What’s the Difference?
When I first started learning about herbs, one of the most confusing things wasn’t the plants. It was figuring out what I was supposed to do with them. Should you make tea? Put them in oil? Make a salve? What’s a tincture? Here’s the simple version. Herbal Tea Herbal tea uses water to extract compounds… Read more
-
Herbalism for Beginners: Where Do You Even Start?
Herbalism can feel overwhelming when you first start. Tinctures. Infusions. Decoctions. Salves. Herbal oils. Then there are hundreds of plants you’re apparently supposed to recognize. But you don’t need a cabinet filled with 100 herbs to start learning herbalism. Start with a few plants and learn them well. What Is Herbalism? Herbalism is the traditional… Read more
-
How Nursing Changed My View of Health
People are often surprised to learn that my passion for natural living didn’t begin in the hospital—it began long before I became a registered nurse. I grew up on a small farm where life revolved around the outdoors. We spent our days gardening, caring for animals, exploring the woods, and appreciating the simple things. Looking… Read more