Morning Glory: A Flower With a Past From Aztec ceremony to Victorian garden walls — the surprisingly rich history of a humble bloom If you’ve ever watched a morning glory unfurl its trumpet-shaped blooms at dawn only to close them by afternoon, you’ve witnessed one of nature’s tidiest little dramas. But this garden-fence staple has […]
Hibiscus helped save our puppy We found a pedigree Golden retriever for sale for $50 in the local paper. At the time, they were selling for $500. Bringing Tyler home, we were surprised at how mellow he was. Turned out he had distemper, a viral disease causing high temperatures and nerve derangement that are an […]
Hawthorn Berry Hawthorn is known as the heart herb for its many benefits as a heart tonic. The berry has been a key part of traditional Chinese medicine since at least 659 A.D. Hawthorn, scientifically referred to as Crataegus species, comes from a thorny shrub that belongs to the rose family. From Old English haga (“hedge”) The […]
Can you take herbal supplements to arm your immune system? You probably know that zinc, vitamin D and vitamin C are gotta-have-its. How about herbal supplements such as echinacea, believed to boost the immune system and reduce symptoms of infections and other illnesses, including the common cold. Echinacea (eh·kuh·nay·shuh) is a genus of herbaceous flowering […]
While attending San Diego State College in the early seventies, my work-study job was in the vivarium, a room for keeping and raising animals for observation and research. We called it the animal room. I fed them and cleaned their enclosures daily, getting to know some of them intimately. One behavior I learned from the […]
Although I had been vaccinated, I recently tested positive for Covid. One of the herbal remedies I took was an amazing desert evergreen shrub, chaparral herb, Larrea tridentata which I ground up and put in 00 capsules and took internally till I was well, a few days later. I have been employing this herb for […]
🌱Herbal Allies for the Holly Daze🌱 Starting with Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis Lemon Balm is my first favorite herb that everyone should have on hand for the Holidays. Sweet Melissa has a lovely delicate lemony taste and is good for everyone from babies to Great Grandmas and is a definite calming mood uplifting gift […]
A Summer Miracle We usually offer a workshop in the Summer, Summer Herbal Home Spa, in which I demonstrate making a waterproof natural sun block incorporating zinc oxide. One year, as I was pouring it into silicon tubes, it was too hot and it melted the tube and flowed down to burn my leg. It […]
As the opioid epidemic worsens, people are desperate for natural pain relief options. A local herb, wild lettuce has been used for millennia as a natural herbal pain reliever, and now survivalists are touting it as a form of morphine that grows in your backyard. A house up the street from us has been being […]
