Cleansing is a traditional practice that allows our body to reset through the use of gentle herbs, healthy seasonal foods, and restorative lifestyle practices. For many, this is related to eliminating metabolic toxins that accumulate as a result of the hectic pace and irregular eating of our modern lives. Based on Ayurvedic, European and Chinese traditions, cleansing allows us to adjust how, when, and especially what we eat, with special attention to the function of specific organ systems related to each season. Cleansing helps us work with our body’s natural resources to prepare for the challenges of each season, and to treat our bodies, emotions and spirit with love. While many cleanse protocols focus on the liver...
Winter begins on December 21, with the celebration of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the yearly calendar. On the prairie, winter often means wind + snow + cold...
Summer is already waning here on the prairie. For me, like many others, it has been a fast-paced blur of activity, even though I tell myself that it’s a time to relax and be still. My inner compass also tells me that summer is a time of education, although, even at my age, it rarely follows the path that I’ve planned. Perhaps it’s like that for you, too; so let me share a little about my summer. I just returned a few days ago from a weeklong bicycle ride across the state of Iowa. I sometimes have difficulty explaining to the uninitiated why I would choose to spend my vacation riding 60-70 miles a day for 7 days. ...
The word “access” seems like a common, everyday, utilitarian kind of word. Look it up in the dictionary, and you’ll find the following definitions: To obtain, examine, retrieve. A way or means of entering or approaching Opportunity or ability to use The right to obtain We prefer this very simple definition, Being able to get what you need As a student of herbalism, I often found myself searching – for information, for fresh herbs, for formulas, for recipes, for photographs, for descriptions of plants, for tools, for books. Often the answer seemed just beyond my reach. For me, the journey has often taken me beyond my comfort zone – to a place where I become as a child, learning to...
Winter begins on December 21, with the celebration of the Winter Solstice. We bid adieu to the season of fall. Here on the prairie, it has been mild and dry. And windy – very windy. The door of our shop opens, summoning our attention. We look up again, and again, as the wind is a bit of a trickster. It announces itself - “I’m here. Slow down. Pay attention to me. Winter is coming.” At Prairie Star, as herbalists, we move and dance with the seasons. Winter signifies a time of rest and preparation. For us, our compass points north. It is a magical and reflective time, where we follow the direction of the prairie and its native plants...
