Recipes & Formulas

Many people struggle with food during the holiday season that runs from late November through early January. During this season, the issues that come up most often in my herb practice are: -The quality of food goes down -The quantity of food goes up -The ability of the digestive system goes down This article gives tips for making better choices and ways to avoid overindulgence when temptations run high. Increase Healthy Fats to Reduce Cravings Fat has a satiating effect in the diet. When one feels satisfied, overeating is less common. Research shows low fat diets actually lead to overeating […] See More

Botany:
 Melissa officinalis (Laminaceae) Common Names: Lemon Balm Southwest Habitat:
 Commonly cultivated. I have never found it growing wild. The best place to look for it outside of cultivation is near old homesteads like those in Oak Creek Canyon. Energy & Tastes:
 A delightful lemon-y taste. The energetic view of sour varies by herbal tradition. 
Ayurveda considers this taste warming which is true for vinegar. However, many sour herbs in the Western tradition are definitely cooling. Lemon Balm is a classic mildly cooling sour. Drying. Ayurveda It relaxing effect is beneficial for Vata. Its cooling effect is beneficial for Pitta. […] See More

Late summer in the ponderosa forest, after the monsoons have taken effect, is my favorite time for wild greens. The two primary greens found here are goosefoot and amaranth. A nutritional profile from the USDA lists these two greens, along with dandelion leaves, as the three healthiest ‘weeds’ available to us. Besides the nutrition, another bonus is that they are quite palatable; foods I would gladly choose to eat. (Plus they are free and they get us out into nature, which is nutrition for our soul. But that isn’t the point of this post.) In addition to eating them raw […] See More

Valerian is a well known and commonly used plant in western herbalism that has been categorized as a sleep herb. Many people have used it late at night when they are tossing and turning and are disappointed when it doesn’t provide the sleep results they were hoping for. This article provides further information on this plant and some ways to combine it that may provide better results for the sleep deprived. Botany The common valerian in commerce is Valeriana officinalis. It is native to Europe and has naturalized in wetter areas of North America. It is commonly found in cultivation […] See More

This Plant Profile is longer than usual for a few reasons: 1. Turmeric is a polycrest herb, meaning it has multiple uses. 2. The traditional and complete uses of turmeric have largely been lost as it has gained popularity in the inflammation supplement market in the US. 3. Much of the information available in the mainstream health food community is either incomplete or incorrect so I decided to write a longer monograph in the hope that it shows both the breadth and depth of this amazing plant. There is still more to share and this article will be revised as […] See More

Calendula is one of my favorite herbs and definitely at the top of the list for topical applications. It has all the attributes of a top quality herb: safe, effective, easy to grow, inexpensive to purchase, and it possesses a wide range of uses. For folks looking to build a basic home pharmacy with a select group of botanicals, this plant should be high on your list. The botanical name is Calendula officinalis. The species name of officinalis means it was designated the official medicinal species of that genus when botanists were assigning names. There is a definite Euro-centric flavor […] See More

Many people wish to use turmeric for its wide ranging therapeutic benefits of which modulating inflammation is the best known. The quickest and most convenient way is to use turmeric concentrated extract in capsule form. This is also the most expensive approach and only uses the curcuminoids that make up 5% of the rhizome. Short of learning how to prepare traditional Indian cuisine, what else is available to the person who is aware of the potential benefits of using herbs but lacks the training to create more involved herbal pharmacy at home? The following recipe is affordable, quick and easy […] See More

One of the most common health issues we experience each winter is dealing with the congestion that accompanies the common cold. It makes our nose tips red and irritated, it makes our voices sound funny and it makes breathing enough of a challenge that we often feel tired and rundown. The spices used in this formula are universally known for being warming which means they stimulate movement in the body. In this case, the stimulation is getting the congested mucous to start moving, hence the decongestant label. Recipe for Decongestant Honey ½ C honey 1 T turmeric powder 1 T […] See More

This article shares both basic and in-depth information for the How and Why of making traditional bone broth.  Broth is best prepared at home. One issue I have seen is the tendency in our hurried modern life is to “instant-ify” everything. I have recently come across bone broth that was processed into a powder and marketed as protein powder and came in either vanilla or chocolate flavors. This is most definitely not what is being recommended in this article. What if I Ruin It? Another issue I have encountered is that some people are intimidated with making this dish the […] See More