It’s no secret that our dedicated team of Prairie Star herbalists believe that humans should follow the path (and wisdom) of the seasons. It’s key to thriving in our particular prairie environment, but the lessons apply regardless of what latitude and longitude you call home. Seasonal change moves in a circle, following the pattern of the sun. Indigenous peoples had no choice but to live their lives according to this movement. Some associated the north point of the compass with winter, the direction of the cold winds that bring snow to the prairie. Winter is also associated with the element of water, and the conditions of cold and damp. We might also consider winter as symbolic of a dormancy or...
We are water beings! Every cell in our bodies need water for overall good health and to properly function. Water helps to maintain our body temperature, to remove waste and toxins, and to lubricate our joints, for example. Proper hydration also improves our quality of sleep, our mood, and cognition.Physical manifestations that you’re not getting enough water may include dark urine, dry mouth, headache, lightheadedness, or muscle cramps, for example. “Hydration truly is life. You can survive weeks without food, but only around 3 days without water. Humans are 70% water, and the earth is covered in 70% water, a beautiful reminder of our connection to nature,” states herbalist Dawn Lusk of Raven’s Moon Holistic Wellness. Dawn Lusk of Raven's...
During the Winter months, my skin takes a dry transformation. You may find me rubbing my itchy back along my office chair in resemblance to a bear rubbing his/her back along a tree. A few years ago while researching ways to help control my bear shape shifting, I found information on dry brushing the skin. What is dry brushing? I immediately think of brushing a horse: watching the dust rise up, the horse quiver in pleasure, and the sound of the dry brush against the horse hair. This care practice is not just for horses. While most practices of exfoliating the skin are using water and/or products, dry brushing is using a brush with out water or products. Pictured ~Benita...
We often wax poetic about the change of seasons here at Prairie Star. While winter didn’t always rate as my most favorite, I’ve started to really appreciate it. In the seven years that we’ve been processing herbs, I’ve become even more aware of the beautiful rhythm of seasons – and the changes that accompany the calendar. Spring has us focused on plant starts, conversations with our amazing group of local growers, and planning for our own gardens; summer is full of early season wild-crafted herbs and the bounty of summer aerials; fall is a time for digging roots, harvesting the last of cold weather aerials, and tidying up the garden beds; leaving winter as a time for putting things in...
One of the first things I always tell customers, clients, friends, family...is that food is the first medicine you take. No matter who you are, where you live, what foods you eat, food is always your first method for taking care of your body. Food or drink of any kind will have an affect on your body, all foods have different energies, different nutritional components, and different actions on the body. If you do not give your body the proper fuel and nutrition that it needs, your bodily processes start to go awry.
