Pictured above are the cuttings from the farm. They have grown tall and lushes. One of the closest emotional connections to memory is through scent. Each Summer Solstice I take this journey while brushing my nose upon a cluster of elderflowers, and inhaling the sweet delicate scent. As a young child I spent hours exploring the forest of our rural home usually arriving back at the house with my feet covered in dirt, because in the summer, I did not wear shoes. My mother scolding me as I try to walk in the house. We were suppose to wash off our feet at the wellhouse hand pump. I would forget many times for I was in deep thought floating through...
As part of a wellness regime, some folks participate in cleanses. You may have heard of cleanse or tonic, but what does that exactly mean? We asked Clinical Herbalist, Paige Hill from Oakleaf Herbal, "What is the difference between a cleanse and a tonic? How do I know if I need to cleanse or tonify?" "Cleansing is removing things, while tonifying is adding things back." according to Paige. She goes on to further explain why someone would need to tonify or cleanse: "Some people need to cleanse because they have excess of heat, toxins and other things that impede normal bodily functions. Some people need to tonify because their organ systems are weak, cold or needing nourishment." Paige...
Pictured from left to right - Aaron, Beth, and Mo (Clothing coordination not planned, we're just awesome like that!) Meet Beth! Have you ever wondered what it might be like to see a Practicing Herbalist?? One of Mo's clients, Beth, has graciously allowed us to interview her and share her story of herbal healing.Beth has been visiting us at PSB for a couple of years now and over time, we have become great friends. Laughing about spilling tinctures, reminiscing on gardening during Winter, and supporting each other while we go through the tough times. About a year ago, Beth started seeing one of our practitioners - Ramona (Mo for short) Horner:"I started going to see Mo as I had just been through a...
Let's talk...GARDEN CLEANUP & THE BENEFITS OF WAITING Do you know...Spring garden cleanup actually begins during the previous autumn? Because many wonderful pollinating insects overwinter among dried leaves, inside hollow plant stems and general garden debris, as well as burrow beneath exposed soil, NOT cleaning it up but leaving your garden to stand "messy" or "as is" instead until mid-spring will do so much in supporting struggling pollinator populations. By letting plants die back during autumn and stay in place through winter, you'll be providing habitat for hungry birds to forage seeds and desired shelter for hibernating insects. If you absolutely have to tidy things up before winter, you might gently gather up and leave the garden or yard...
The formula is a special combination of herbs that are "adaptogens". Their is a long tradition of their use as restorative, tonic, and rejuvenating. Plants deal with stressors too (bugs, microbes, heat, cold, drought, etc.), although we rarely think about it...
