Filed under herbs …

Black Walnut: the fungal fighter

Common Name:  Black walnut Latin Name:  Juglans nigra Family:  Juglandaceae (Walnut family) Parts used:  green hulls, nuts, leaves, bark Tissue or system affinity:  skin, intestines Taste:  bitter, astringent Energetics:  cooling, drying Actions:  vermifuge, astringent, anti-fungal, mild laxative Uses:  all references here to use are associated with the green hulls => topically as tincture, salve or … Continue reading →

Holy Basil: clear mind & heart

Common Name:  Holy Basil (Tulsi) Latin Name:  Ocimum sanctum Family:  Lamiaceae (Mint family) Parts used:  all above ground Tissue or system affinity:  heart, brain, circulatory system Taste:  sweet, slightly bitter, aromatic Energetics:  cooling, drying Actions:  adaptogen, antibacterial, antiviral, carminative, hypotensive Uses:  internally as a tincture or tea; a very tasty and delightful Ayurvedic herb from … Continue reading →

Sweet Gum Tree: the warm protector

Common Name:  Sweet gum Latin Name:  Liquidambar styraciflua Family:  Hamamelidaceae (Witch hazel family) Parts used:  green balls, leaves, bark, resin Tissue or system affinity:  lungs, throat, joints, immune system Taste:  aromatic, slightly bitter Energetics:  warming, slightly drying Actions:  anti-viral, expectorant, astringent, drawing Uses:  topically, the resin can be used to draw out infection; topically, the … Continue reading →

Insomnia or Natural Biorhythms?

This is a post for all of the folks that inquire about sleep and insomnia…  I suspect, that a decent amount of you actually have nothing wrong with you.  And, more importantly, the 8 hours of *uninterrupted* sleep a night thing is a myth! What I view as sleep problems are the following: can’t fall … Continue reading →

Mimosa: If Happiness Was a Tree

I knew this was going to be my last article in the wonderful, local Mississippi magazine, Catfish Alley.  I’ve moved to Tennessee, so we knew we had to part ways…  However, I didn’t know that this was going to be Catfish Alley’s last issue. I’ve loved getting to know the publisher, Birney Imes and the … Continue reading →

Poke: a Deep South Herb for Deep Work

The Spring 2017 issue of Catfish Alley is now available!  And, as usual, I submitted an article on a local plant that I like to use as medicine.  As you can already tell by now, the article was on poke or Phytolacca americana. A fun twist this quarter, is that my article on poke was … Continue reading →

Rose Medicine: Cooling and Comforting

Here’s an article I just wrote for the Catfish Alley Magazine, my favorite local Mississippi magazine which covers soulful things here in the state.  They, of course, tightened up and edited the article.  Here is the unedited version (smile).  ENJOY! “Where, you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.”  ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, … Continue reading →

Goldenrod: A Plant That Makes us Whole

The Fall Catfish Alley magazine is hot off the press and with that, my recent article on goldenrod.  And, perfect timing, because she will be blooming soon!  In this post, I’ve shared the original article that I submitted to the magazine.  Of course, they had to edit it a bit and tighten up the language … Continue reading →

Herbal Allies for Cold & Flu Season

  Is it a cold or flu? similar in their manifestation and are both respiratory viruses colds tend to last a shorter amount of time & express mildly with runny nose, sore throat, a wet cough flus tend to last longer & have more severe symptoms (fever, sudden symptoms, body aches, chills) one can also … Continue reading →