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 […]
Lemonade berries, Rhus integrifolia, are the fruits of a native Southern California species belonging to the Anacardiaceae family. They have been growing wild since ancient times. The shrubs are primarily found from Santa Barbara County south to Baja California and thrive in coastal sage scrub and chaparral regions. We are blessed wit h several in […]
There’s Something About Comfrey A tour of an herb garden to meet the plants and do some collecting is always an adventure. If the borage and comfrey are flowering, there’s a real treat for the senses- sweet and tasty flowers possessing a vibrant, yet simple, beauty. Knitbone Comfrey’s traditional names’ are knitbone, boneset and the derivation of […]
Sign up for Self-Heal School's newsletter to hear about upcoming classes and other school updates.
Get John’s Ebook “Herb Talk Anthology”
(check the Welcome email for your download link)
Copyright 2025 Self-Heal School of Herbal Studies & Healing
