Making a Healing Scar Salve w/ Gotu Kola & Comfrey

It’s not such a coincidence that many of the same herbs that are beneficial to keeping aging skin healthy and happy are also useful for healing wounds and minimizing scarring — it’s all about skin repair!

Infusing & Using Herbal Vinegars

Once upon a time, before the advent of distilled alcohol, liquid herbal extracts were made one of three ways: with water, wine or vinegar.

As a menstruum, vinegar is nowhere near as effective as alcohol at drawing out an herb’s medicinal properties; however, it can assist alcohol in extracting certain plant constituents.

Natural Insect Repellant (that Doesn’t Stink)

jump to the recipe Between my herbalist apprenticeship and getting my gardens planted, I’ve spent a great deal of time the last few weeks outside donating blood to the no-see-ums. I have a hard time finding insect repellant that I don’t mind wearing. Natural products can be hit or miss, and even when they work, […]

Using Plantain to Make an Herbal ‘Sting Stick’ for Insect Bites

My herbal apprenticeship spent this week out in the woods, learning about identifying conifers, digging up and processing arrowleaf balsamroot… and feeding the mosquitos.

Fortunately for my itchy self, I developed a recipe for an effective bug bite remedy a couple summers ago. This Sting Stick has been a life saver.

Willow Wildcrafting & an Herbal Apprenticeship

I’m excited to announce that I just began a 4-month apprenticeship with the wonderful Suzanne Tabert of Cedar Mountain Herb School. I’m literally vibrating with excitement over all I’ll learn in the coming months.

Making an Herbal Tincture

Next to tisanes (aka herbal teas), tinctures are probably the most commonly used therapeutic herbal preparation. They’re a convenient way to incorporate herbs into your daily routine — effective, portable and easy to dose since you typically only take a few drops at a time diluted in water.

“All the Lipids” Facial Oil with Sea Buckthorn

Awhile back, I was given a sample of Skin Active’s Every Lipid Serum to try out and really liked it. So of course, I immediately set out to make my own version. It started out as a pretty solid dupe, but true to form, I ended up going a bit rogue. (*squirrel!* *shiny ball!* *herbs!*)

Alcohol Intermediary Herb-infused Oils (& why understanding phytochemical solubility matters)​

Are you ready to kick your oil infusion skills up a notch? An alcohol intermediary oil infusion harnessing the solvent powers of alcohol might sound a bit intimidating, but it’s surprisingly simple to do. Before we get to the hows of making an alcohol intermediary oil infusion, let’s take a quick look into the whys.

Herbal Water Infusions

One of the oldest, simplest, and some would argue, most effective ways to incorporate herbs into your daily life is in a water infusion, also known as tea. Or, if you’re fancy and drink your tea with your pinky out, a tisane.

Marshmallow Root & Green Tea Makeup Finishing Spray

jump to the recipe The more *ahem* mature I get, the more I’m realizing that setting powders, a longtime beloved makeup staple, are no longer my friend. Powder can highlight fine lines and appear cake-y on drier skin… and it boy howdy, it can really catch you off guard when glimpsed under the evil, unforgiving […]