Caring for Our Broken Hearts

Herbal Remedies and Practices for Heartbreak and Grief by Atava Garcia Swiecicki Loss and grief are an inevitable part of being human, and we all will experience both in our lifetimes.   Modern westernized culture doesn’t offer many tools to support us when we are...

Calendula: Ally Against Gut Inflammation

Calendula: Ally Against Gut Inflammation by Dr. Marija Helt   You may be noticing a lot of talk about gut health lately. There’s a reason for this. The health of the gut is key to the health of the rest of the body. An unhealthy gut is a drag on overall health....

The Nerve Of It All

 Embodied Self-Care for the Nervous System  by Asha Canalos A 1543 woodcut by Andreas Vesalius illustrating the human nervous system Ten years ago, in a time of relative personal adversity and general emotional funk, I ran across the following quote, and it sent weird...

The Orientation of Russian Olive

by Jennileen Joseph  Russian Olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia This blog post is about orientation. I’m going to talk about who I am, where and who I’m from, and how that particular vantage point factors into all things I do as a plant medicine practitioner. And then I’m...

Herbal Bathing: Maurice Messegue, Master of the Art

by Donna O'Donovan  Maurice Messegue, French Herbalist (photo credit) "To know a river you have to know its source.” For Maurice Messegue that source was his father. In his autobiography: Of People & Plants, Maurice describes his father as a cherished wellspring...

The Tagetes Genus: Two Key Herbs in Mexican Herbal History & Tradition

by Atava Garcia SwiecickiMexican and Mexican-American communities have a rich and vibrant history of herbal medicine traditions.  Mexico has incredible biodiversity, with ecosystems that include both Pacific and Atlantic coasts, deserts, jungles, plains, valleys, and...

Rocky Mountain Mushrooms: Hawk’s Wing (Sarcodon imbricatus)

Rocky Mountain Mushrooms - Hawk's Wings (Sarcodon imbricatus) by Dr. Marija Helt   With its brown cap layered with dark, protruding scales, this large mushroom does indeed resemble a hawk’s wing. As for the botanical name, sarco is derived from Greek for “flesh”,...

Anthropocene Apothecary

by Dara Saville  Native Medicinal Plants That May Proliferate with Disturbance Events: . Recent news cycles have been dominated by stories of climate change including floods, extreme heat, and wildfires. Disturbance events such as large-scale and high-intensity fires...

Bokashi! The Fermentation That Builds Soil

by Donna O'Donovan  The Ubiquitous Microbe Lactobacillus: . Cabbage leaves provide good habitat for air borne Lactobacillus. Lactobacillus also stars in a compost method known as bokashi, where food waste and scraps become "pickled" via the bokashi process. And,...

Rocky Mountain Mushrooms: A Lot About Artist’s Conk

Rocky Mountain Mushrooms - A Lot About Artist's Conk by Dr. Marija Helt   Artist’s Conk. People actually do create art on it. More on this momentarily. But first… A conk is a shelf fungus. “Shelf” because the fruiting body (aka. the reproductive bits) sticks...
Caring for Our Broken Hearts

Caring for Our Broken Hearts

Caring for Our Broken Hearts Herbal Remedies and Practices for Heartbreak and Grief  by Atava Garcia Swiecicki Loss and grief are an inevitable part of being human, and we all will experience both in our lifetimes.   Modern westernized culture doesn’t offer many tools...
Calendula: Ally Against Gut Inflammation

Calendula: Ally Against Gut Inflammation

Calendula: Ally Against Gut Inflammation by Dr. Marija Helt   You may be noticing a lot of talk about gut health lately. There’s a reason for this. The health of the gut is key to the health of the rest of the body. An unhealthy gut is a drag on overall health....
The Nerve Of It All

The Nerve Of It All

The Nerve Of It All  Embodied Self-Care for the Nervous System  by Asha Canalos  A 1543 woodcut by Andreas Vesalius illustrating the human nervous system Ten years ago, in a time of relative personal adversity and general emotional funk, I ran across the following...
The Orientation of Russian Olive

The Orientation of Russian Olive

The Orientation of Russian Olive by Jennileen Joseph   Russian Olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia This blog post is about orientation. I’m going to talk about who I am, where and who I’m from, and how that particular vantage point factors into all things I do as a plant...
Herbal Bathing: Maurice Messegue, Master of the Art

Herbal Bathing: Maurice Messegue, Master of the Art

Herbal Bathing: Maurice Messegue, Master of the Art by Donna O’Donovan   Maurice Messegue, French Herbalist (photo credit) “To know a river you have to know its source.” For Maurice Messegue that source was his father. In his autobiography: Of People &...
Rocky Mountain Mushrooms: Hawk’s Wing (Sarcodon imbricatus)

Rocky Mountain Mushrooms: Hawk’s Wing (Sarcodon imbricatus)

Rocky Mountain Mushrooms – Hawk’s Wings (Sarcodon imbricatus) by Dr. Marija Helt   With its brown cap layered with dark, protruding scales, this large mushroom does indeed resemble a hawk’s wing. As for the botanical name, sarco is derived from Greek...
Anthropocene Apothecary

Anthropocene Apothecary

Anthropocene Apothecary by Dara Saville   Native Medicinal Plants That May Proliferate with Disturbance Events: . Recent news cycles have been dominated by stories of climate change including floods, extreme heat, and wildfires. Disturbance events such as large-scale...
Bokashi! The Fermentation That Builds Soil

Bokashi! The Fermentation That Builds Soil

Bokashi! The Fermentation That Builds Soil by Donna O’Donovan   The Ubiquitous Microbe Lactobacillus: . Cabbage leaves provide good habitat for air borne Lactobacillus. Lactobacillus also stars in a compost method known as bokashi, where food waste and scraps...
Rocky Mountain Mushrooms: A Lot About Artist’s Conk

Rocky Mountain Mushrooms: A Lot About Artist’s Conk

Rocky Mountain Mushrooms – A Lot About Artist’s Conk by Dr. Marija Helt   Artist’s Conk. People actually do create art on it. More on this momentarily. But first… A conk is a shelf fungus. “Shelf” because the fruiting body (aka. the reproductive bits)...