When I think about my experiences living in and traveling to various parts of California, one of the things I fondly remember is the smell of eucalyptus trees. Maybe it’s because I have had respiratory problems for much of my life, but I really love standing in a grove of eucalyptus trees and just smelling the fresh quality they bring to the air.Eucalyptus is a genus containing about 700 species of trees, most of which are native to Australia, and are now grown all over the world. Most people know…
This wintertime tonic can be used to fortify your lungs and immune system to help ward of illness and is a pleasant tasting remedy that can be used as a food.
I don’t know about you, but I love raspberries. They are wonderfully tasty fruits native to both North America and Europe. They have been cultivated since the 16th century and in many places they can also be gathered in the wild. But, as much as I love to eat raspberries, what I want to talk about today are the leaves, which are a wonderful herbal medicine. Raspberry leaf is primarily used as a tonic for the female reproductive system. The English herbalist Henry Box said,” A tea made from red…
Highly prized as a health tonic in both North America and Asia, ginseng can help the body cope with stress and counter the effects of aging, aid reproductive hormones, boost immunity, and more.
Also known as squaw root or papoose root, blue cohosh is a Native American herb that is important tool in aiding childbirth. It is a strong medicine that has an oxytocic-like effect stimulating uterine contractions.
My earliest knowledge of field botany came directly from trying to identify plants in the wild. With no formal training in botany, and only relying on various field guides, even when I didn’t know the plant I was seeing, I gradually came to recognize members of various plant families. One of the families I learned to spot early on was the evening primrose family. Later, when I took a field botany course at the University of Utah, I learned the botanical language to describe the characteristics…
Often cursed as a weed, blessed thistle is valuable remedy for nursing mothers, balancing hormones, liver cleansing, and aiding digestion.