Poplar Medicine | From Winter to Spring

In this post I share about harvesting, medicine making, and working with the spirit of Western Balsam Poplar (Populus trichocarpa), aka Black Cottonwood, one of three species of Poplar native to Western Canada.

Western Balsam Poplars are the tallest deciduous trees in our PNW forests. They have one stately central trunk that grows straight up toward the sky, with an open crown of smaller branches that are often sprinkled down the trunk in downward arching patterns. This display of branches so low on the trunk is unique to Poplars, and can be a distinguishing characteristic when the trees are viewed at a distance or in silhouette. 

Around the world, there are about 30 different species of the genus Populus, many of which are used medicinally for their bark, leaves, or dormant leaf buds. Different species of Populus are referred to by the names Cottonwood, Aspen, and Poplar. These trees belong to the Willow Family, and contain many similar pain-relieving constituents that the plant family is famous for. 

Young Western Balsam Poplars in the woods behind our farm on Vancouver Island.

The smaller, shrubbier, Northern Balsam Poplar (P. balsamifera) is commonly found all across northern Canada in the Boreal forest. Like the buds of the Western species, Northern Balsam Poplar buds are large and can be collected to use in medicine making. Also native to our region and across North America is Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides). The twigs and inner bark of Aspen are used medicinally, but its buds are very tiny and not harvested for medicine.

The different Poplar species have a valuable role in the ecosystem as pioneering plants. They are tenacious at covering disturbed areas that have ample moisture. They act to build and stabilize soils, altering the ecosystem to make it more habitable to other successive plant species. There is an adaptability and element of self-sacrifice to these trees that is admirable. 

The Scent of Spring

I was first introduced to Poplars as a child living in the Yukon. The pathway that led to our cabin up the Dempster Highway was lined with Balsam Poplars and Trembling Aspens. Both Poplar species have leaves that shimmer in the slightest breeze, their silvery undersides catching the light of the summer sun.

There is something about Poplar that has always reminded me of wildness. Of something untamed, raw, mysterious and free. For us as modern humans, it can sometimes be hard to connect with a sense of wildness, as the more ‘cultivated’ we become, the more we may disconnect from the primal parts our ourselves. For me wildness isn’t something to be feared, instead I view it as synonymous with ‘oneness’. The feeling of belonging to a universal aliveness, something so far beyond what we can measure or control. 

To feel this aliveness is to feel the sun and the moon reflected in the cells of our bodies. To feel the seasons shaping not just our moods, but the manifestations and evolution of our inner worlds; it is to share this journey with each and every living thing in our local ecosystems. It is a journey that all of us, plants, animals, rocks, and water, move through together as we cycle through the seasons along the wheel of time.

I left the Yukon, and a certain sense of wildness behind, when we moved to British Columbia in my early teens, eventually ending up in Victoria once I’d left home. I recall taking a walk one spring at a wetland park just outside the city. As I passed over a small wooden bridge I noticed a sweet resinous scent in the air. It brought me instantly back to spring in the north as a child. I was not initially aware of the source of the scent that so sweetly lingered on the air, only that it was the one true smell of spring implanted in my heart.

Soon, on the damp earth below my feet, I discovered the small sticky bud sheaths that had fallen from the Poplar branches above, dropping off as each tender new leaf emerged exhaling its sweet scent on the breeze. A love for these trees was kindled in that moment, and in the years ahead I would begin to make my own oils and salves, capturing the magic of Poplar in a bottle, anointing my self with the scent of so many childhood springs. 

A Portal to peace

Plants can teach us many things; each with their own unique personalities and medicines for our spirit. Many plants are quick allies, easy to understand and be with, while others may hold a mystery just slightly out of reach until the time we are ready to receive their potent medicine. I’ve come to know Poplar as one of the mystery medicines. Poplar is enigmatic and oracular; able to act as a healing guide into the darker places within us.

During the winter it is easy to observe that Poplars are dark and witchy trees with their gnarly jointed twigs, dormant leaf buds pointed and in small clusters on the branch tips reminiscent of little demon creatures claws. Dwelling on the interface between land and water, these trees are magical; shapeshifters. The perfect medicine for winter time shadow work. As guardians of the watery realm of emotion, Poplars can help bring light to the darker parts our of selves.

The large heart-shaped leaves of Western Balsam Poplar slowly turn from green to bright gold on the trees in fall, and then turn orange-rust to black on the ground in winter, slowly returning nutrients to the earth.

Poplars are symbolically associated with the transcendence of fear. Highly sensitive, fluid and responsive, the slightest breeze makes them tremble. The trembling itself doesn’t harm us, rather it releases us from fear. It is a primal impulse to a stressful situation. Animals naturally shake to release tension after a life-threatening event. It dissipates stress and helps the body to return to living in the moment.

Unfortunately as humans, we’ve lost so much of our wild, primal instinctual nature. We’ve been socially programmed out of this natural way to recalibrate our nervous system. In our modern world, we don’t really have a rubric on what to do with our emotions when they arise. Most of us have been encouraged to repress our feelings from a very young age, trapping the stress within the muscles, tissues, and organs of our bodies. 

This holding on to trauma in our bodies results in chronic emotional and physical tension, and mental distress. It is often accompanied by a sensation of being immobilized by our emotions. The unreleased energy makes us more hypertensive to stress, and we can become frozen in a sort of anticipatory stress response. In this state the even most minor stressors can easily upset us and at times trigger a sensation of fear that is largely out of proportion to the stimulus of the moment.

Sitting with Poplar this winter I was begged the question “what is on the other side of the thing that you thought would break you?” I’ve had to meditate on this question for many weeks, returning to Poplar again and again to find an answer. And in the end, I think the simplest answer is “a gathering of wholeness…”.

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” – Mary Oliver

On the other side I will know myself that much better, and become that much closer to experiencing a wholeness within myself. By facing my fears, I am holding space for the darker, more uncomfortable parts of my self, and in doing so I can begin to hold space for those parts in others too. Evolving my potential as a healer, and creating a medicine in my character so that I may be of service to others.

What I’ve come to know about fear as I move through my life, is that the courage to face fears is found in desire to live in and embrace the full spectrum of experience life has to offer. Courage can be fuelled by the desire to evolve ourselves to our highest potential and make the most of this one precious life. It also can be found in the desire to heal, for when we meet our fears and hold space for them, our bodies may begin to let go of stored trauma, and feel at ease and present again.

Working with the spirit medicine of Poplar can help transmute deep emotional pain, and bring in adaptability, lightness, and change. It can help us to face our fears by helping us move through the dark sticky spaces that lay within us each of us. And like the shimmering of the leaves in the slightest breeze, and the dropping of branches in the wind storm, it can help us to release those fears, shaking off and leaving behind what no longer serves us.

When I am overwhelmed with a sense of fear, face to face with my own inner animals of prey, I find it helpful to envision myself as a Poplar tree. With my imagination I become the tallest and strongest tree in the forest, its buttress roots my feet sinking into the earth, its trunk my legs and torso, its branches my arms and upper body. I fill the space around my upper body with a sea of shimmering leaves. I let the breeze stir me, shimmering until the movement cleanses me and all is released. 

Even when all the other trees of the forest quiet and still, Poplars aren’t afraid to dance, even if someone is watching. This special dance, the optical shimmer and the rusting of leaves like the sound of a moving river, opens portals of peace in the heart of the listener. Guiding us in the movement from dark to light, and from winter to spring.

Harvesting Poplar buds & bark

Where there is water you will likely find Poplar. Balsam Poplars inhabit the riparian zone along seasonal flood areas, wetlands, streams, lakes, and rivers. Often you will find Poplars interspersed with other moisture loving deciduous trees such as our native Red Alder, Big Leaf Maple, and Trembling Aspens. 

The sticky goo inside a dormant Poplar leaf bud, this aromatic tree resin is full of wonderful healing properties.

The leaf buds of Balsam Poplar are harvested during winter and early spring when the buds are dormant and are still closed tight. The sticky medicinal resins contained in the dormant buds are the plants protective mechanism against predators, infection, and environmental damage. The resins become most concentrated during the cold months of winter. I find any time during the months of January and February to be most favourable, and sometimes with a late spring you can find the buds still closed and harvestable as late as early April.

The largest buds are up in the higher branches of the trees. It isn’t all that worthwhile trying to collect the tiny slender buds from the lower branches of the trees (that is, if you can find any lower branches). Instead, wait until after a winter wind storm and you will find twigs laden with the largest plump buds fallen to the forest floor from the crown of the tree. 

Poplar hunting can be a long process. It can take many many walks in the woods to find enough fallen branches to fulfill your medicine making needs. Once you’ve found the branches, the actual bud harvesting is a slow process as well, as each bud is hand gathered one by one off the branch, it takes many tiny buds to fill a basket.

Bees harvest resin from Poplar buds to make medicine too. They use it to make propolis, a substance that they use to seal their hives and prevent unwanted bacterial and fungal growth. Propolis is collected from bee hives, diluted in alcohol to make a tincture-like extract and sold as a health product known for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. 

The inner bark of Poplar is also used for medicine and can be harvested in early spring, February until the beginning of April is a good harvest window. It’s best not to harvest by peeling bark from the living tree, but rather by pruning off 1-3” diameter twigs and peeling them. These can also be the branches that you found during your bud harvest in the winter. Smaller twigs can also be used and simply chopped into small pieces whole. Poplar twigs cut in cross-section reveal a magical star-shaped pith that is fun to observe.

The leaves can also be harvested, are best in early summer, and contain a combination of medicinal properties which includes the healing and antimicrobial resins found in the buds as well as the pain relieving glycosides found in large quantities in the inner bark, but the buds and bark are more commonly used and considered much stronger.

Making Medicine with Poplar

There is a wonderful warm, resinous and sweet scent emitted from snipping the young twigs into workable pieces. The Poplar inner bark and twigs can be made fresh or dried into a pain-relieving tincture, or made into a tea by decocting a handful of the chopped twigs or bark in water. Simmering on the stove the decoction smells like a yummy cross between maple syrup and caramelized brown sugar. To keep the tea palatable, don’t make it too strong; simmered past a few minutes the tea begins to turn dark and incredibly bitter.

Poplar bud infused oil has a distinctly warming energy. The beautifully fragrant oil has a soothing and pain relieving effect when applied tropically to sore muscles, sprains and strains, or arthritic joints. It is also expectorant to help ease coughs, and can be used as a wonderful as a chest rub for unproductive coughs.

The oil is superior at healing burns, as it is antiseptic and encourages skin cell proliferation. I recall one of the first times I used Poplar for a burn with starting results. I came home from the farm with a surprise spring sunburn on my back, applied a nice layer of Poplar bud oil to the sore reddened skin, and proceeded to take a nap. When I awoke, the oil had very remarkably brought down the pain and inflammation, transforming the burn to a golden tan. 

We created a formulation, Burn Remedy Salve, specifically to use on minor burns that might come about from activities around the house, such as cooking or using the wood stove, or from time outdoors in the sun. Burn Remedy has Poplar bud oil with the addition of St. John’s Wort and Wild Bergamot, a trio of herbs we’ve found helpful for healing burns. We also have pure Poplar Bud Salve available as well.

One of my favourite uses for Poplar bud oil is as a daily skin beautifying oil. Extracts of Poplar bud have been well studied for their anti-aging properties, which are said to be attributed to in part to their high antioxidant content. Poplar imparts a healthful glow to the skin, and is especially healing to blemishes and acne. High in antimicrobial compounds, the oil can be also applied to wounds, or used to help heal fungal infections on the skin such as Candida and Tinea.

Poplar bud extracts have a very long shelf life and can be used to preserve other more perishable herbal infused oils and salves. Poplar bud infused oil can be used in place of Vitamin E as a preservative. Add 1-3 tablespoons to a quart of another infused oil to help extend shelf life.

We have fresh batches of Poplar Bud Infused Oil available for sale in the shop. You can also learn to make your own out of fresh wildcrafted buds by following the recipe at the bottom of the page.

Poplar bud also makes a good tincture for pain and inflammation, it can be used for gut healing and reducing candida infections, healing lung infections and reducing coughs, and as a bitter and carminative digestive aid for after heavy meals. The tincture can be diluted in water (watch it magically transform the water to make it milky with resins!) to make a sore throat gargle, or a healing mouth rinse to help heal infections, reduce pain, and encourage healthy gums. We have prepared a small batch of Poplar Bud Tincture which is now available in the shop for purchase. 

And lastly, one of my most favourite things to do with freshly harvested Poplar buds is to infuse them into honey! Our Poplar Bud Honey is loaded with all the medicinal properties, and delightful by the spoonful, in tea, on toast, or drizzled on anything you fancy. The honey is my favourite preparation to use for sore throats.

Fresh Poplar buds infusing in extra virgin olive oil.

Poplar Bud Oil Recipe 

1 part fresh Poplar buds
3 parts extra virgin olive oil

1) Rinse your freshly harvested Poplar buds in a few changes of cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Strain the buds and place them on a screen for a day to let the residual water evaporate off completely.

2) Place buds in a wide-mouth mason jar. If using weight-to-volume method, weight out 1 part buds (in grams), and pour in 3 parts oil (in mls). If using folk-method, simply fill the jar 3/4 full with buds and fill to top with oil. Make sure to leave enough room in the jar to allow for stirring.

*note that what ever tools you use to make your oil with will be covered in sticky resin that is really difficult to remove. These will become your permanent ‘poplar tools’.

3) Place the jar with buds and oil, uncovered, in a hot water bath. A crock pot on the very lowest setting works well for this. Make sure to place something in the bottom of the pot to lift the jar off the bottom, a veggie steamer or a couple canning jar lids work ok.

4) Gently heat the oil in the hot water bath on low heat for approximately 2-3 days or 48-72 hours. If you are doing this on the stove, just turn it on when you are home, off and on for a few days. Make sure to keep an eye on the water level so that it doesn’t run dry and overheat your oil.

5) Stir many times through out the day to help the resins dissolve, and encourage any water in the fresh buds to rise to the top and evaporate. Make sure to check the oil occasionally to make sure it isn’t getting too hot, you don’t want to deep fry your buds! The oil should still be aromatic and sweet smelling like the fresh buds, if not, you may have overheated it or heated it for too long.

6) As soon as the carrier oil turns from transparent to opaque, you’ll know that the resins have incorporated into the oil and your oil is ready to strain. Strain out the buds through a wire sieve, and pour the finished infused oil into a clean glass jar. Store in a cool dark place. Fresh Poplar bud oil has a shelf life of 2-3 years.

Dreaming your Herb Garden | A planning guide for the home grower

Growing your own medicinal herb garden can be a rewarding and connecting experience that will provide an abundance of natural remedies to support yourself, and your friends and family through the seasons. It is a great way to connect more deeply with the herbs that you love, and cultivate medicines that are fresh, vibrant and potent. In this article I will share with you some tips and considerations to get you started in visioning and creating your dream herb garden.

Though many medicinal herbs have been in cultivation for thousands of years, the vast majority of these remarkable plants have changed very little from their wild ancestors that exist in nature. Unlike our familiar vegetable crops, which have been bred over countless generations to be virtually unrecognizable to their wild ancestors (and are now heavily dependent on us for their survival), most medicinal herbs are essentially still wild plants.

Since medicinal herbs are wild plants that evolved independently, they are able to adapt to a wide variety growing conditions and thrive with very little tending on our part. Ease of growing is one of the great appeals of herb gardening. Medicinal herbs are resilient and adaptable, and often have many additional virtues, such as their ornamental aesthetic, their attractiveness as pollinator plants, and value as companion plants in the garden.

To help you choose the herbs that are right for your site, I have put together quick planning and harvesting guides for common annual and perennial herbs. In the guides you will find a selection of herbs that are easy to grow and can help support a wide variety of ailments. To view these handy resources, click the links in this paragraph, or scroll to the end of this article to access them there.

A mixed bed of perennials, and self-sowing annuals and biennials. This south west facing bed at our farm is naturally quite dry due to the large Fir trees that pull up many gallons of water each day. The sun-drenched bed is home to a variety of drought tolerant plants, such as Mullein, Weld, Anise-Hyssop, Teasel, Hollyhock, and Yarrow, and is left unirrigated through the growing season.

What herbs will you use?

To set yourself up for success, when starting your herb garden for the very first time consider starting small with a dozen or less varieties. Think about choosing a handful herbs that you will find useful, are suited to your growing site, and that require minimal care. You can add to your garden as you gain confidence and experience, and can begin introducing more challenging, or new and interesting herbs over time.

Consider what herbs you will use on a regular basis. If you are an avid user of herbal teas, tinctures, salves and other products, what are the products/herbs you rely on most often throughout the year to support yourself and your friends and family? If you are new to using herbs as medicine, you may wish to think about what some of the common health issues that come up regularly for you and your family, and research what herbs are good for those ailments.

Common ailments that pop up for most families include colds and flus, headaches, body pain, insect bites, burns, wounds, infections, digestive upset, anxiety, and stress. Since these ailments are bound to come up now and then, planting herbs to support them is a sure bet and will give you a powerful tool kit when they arise. It can feel very connecting and empowering to be able to walk out to your garden and find simple and effective remedies to these common conditions.

Many herbs have multiple uses and can treat many different issues that come up, so it is wonderful that you only need a very small collection of herbs to cover all a very wide range of issues. For instance Yarrow, which is an entire medicine chest in one single herb, will help with all of these common ailments listed above. Other popular herbs that help support a very wide range of common ailments include Holy Basil, Chamomile, Mugwort, and Wood Betony…and there are many more.

The next step in planning your garden is to discover if your desired herb can grown in your local climate and in the natural conditions available at your growing site. Where there might be herbs that can be challenging to grow in your location, you might find alternatives that can be swapped in in their place. For example Turmeric is commonly used for general inflammation and joint pain, but it requires a long growing season and a greenhouse to be productive, conditions which might not be available to every gardener.

If it is difficult to create the ideal conditions in your garden for a certain herb, research other herbs that can be grown easily in your local climate. A few other herbs that are amazing for inflammation and join pain, and can be grown in cooler zones, include Fireweed, Meadowsweet, Solomon’s Seal, Mullein, Horsetail, and Arnica (topically). It can be exciting to discover local options, and it may help you find powerful and effective remedies that you may not have explored otherwise.

A perennial boarder featuring Echinacea, Marshmallow, Blue Vervain and Elecampane. This naturally boggy corner of the farm with loose loamy soil, was utilized to establish perennials that need a bit more moisture during the growing season and room to spread their medicinal roots. Planting them up against a fence helps shelter the plants and trap heat, making the most of the Southeast exposure.

Finding your niche

Each garden site has its own little microclimate that forms from a combination of factors such as sun exposure, drainage, soil type and quality, existing trees and shrubs, and the climate of your region. An important step in planning your garden is to take the time to understand the basic growing conditions that are naturally available to you in your yard or garden plot. Knowing these conditions helps you pick plants that will thrive in your area with little effort from you.

Sun exposure. Since most herbs need to be grown in full sun (6+ hours of direct sun during the day), sun exposure can be the main limiting factor that one might run into when hoping to grow a herb garden. There are a few exceptions, but it is important to note that even if a plant will grow or survive in the shade or part shade, that doesn’t mean it will be potent medicinally. The energy of the sun is needed to stimulate and concentrate the potent medicinal constituents in many herbs, and without the needed sun exposure the constituents won’t be produced by the plants in any meaningful concentration.

Our farm is tucked away in on a well-drained slope surrounded by mature forest. The exposure provides for ample sun thought the day, with the trees creating pockets of partial shade. This provides us with multiple growing zones around the farm, allowing us to grow a wide variety of herbs that thrive under different conditions.

Generally south-facing gardens receive full sun all day, perfect for most medicinal herbs. West-facing gardens usually provide part sun (3-6 hrs of sun per day) and can also provide the right habitat for medicinals, these gardens usually have shade in the morning and then get bathed in the strong sun of the afternoon and evening. East-facing gardens get morning sun and evening shade, and may allow for some of the herbs that enjoy part-sun to thrive. North-facing gardens are more shady during the day, making them less ideal for most herbs.

While most herbs will do well in full sun, a few examples of herbs that may do well in part sun, or sometimes even part shade, include Cleavers, Chickweed, Skullcap, Comfrey, Nettle, and Marshmallow. If you have a primarily shaded garden you may want to consider growing native woodland herbs such as Western Bleeding Heart, Sweet Coltsfoot, or Wild Ginger.

Soil quality. Fortunately soil type and quality aren’t going to be a major factor for a large number of herbs, as many will grow in very poor soil with very little organic matter or nutrients. In fact, for many herbs, such as Yarrow, St. John’s Wort, Mugwort, Motherwort, Wood Betony, and many others, the more deficient the soil the more potent medicinally the plant will be. The stress caused by deficient soil will stimulate the plants secondary metabolites - these metabolites are the chemicals the plants produce to survive in harsh conditions and ward off predators, and are also the same chemicals we value as the medicinal constituents of the plant.

There are a few herbs that do benefit from fertile garden soil, and the easiest way to improve soil is to add compost, use mulches, cover crops, or add seaweed in fall. Herbs that enjoy fertile soil include Echinacea, Valerian, Skullcap, Nettle, Marshmallow, and Elecampane. These are examples of herbs that can be interplanted amongst the veggies in a sunny veggie garden.

Moisture availability. This is another factor that isn’t going to be massively limiting for your ability to grow a large number of different medicinal herbs. The vast majority of herbs are very drought tolerant and once established will thrive exclusively on the natural precipitation available through the growing season. As long as there is ample sun, many drought tolerant herbs can adapt to locations that are more moist or recieve regular water.

Herbs that will thrive in a moist spot include Fireweed, Goldenrod, Skullcap, Nettle, Mint, and Marshmallow. Some factors that will effect the moisture content of your site include the slope of the land and elevation of the beds, any large trees and shrubs that may hog moisture, the soil type (clay soil holds more water than sandy soil), and the sun exposure. Mulches go a long way to holding moisture in the soil, and many herbs are adaptable to a wide variety of conditions.

On our farm we have separate beds for perennials and annuals. The annual beds are planted with new crops each season (in the photo above we have a large row of Milk Thistle, annual flowers for seed, and a small patch of Milky Oats). Having all of our annuals together in rows and separate beds allows up to better tend to them and meet their needs for water, weeding and other maintenance. Perennials on the other hand need very little tending and do well in various permanent sites around the farm.

Try to utilize the natural growing conditions inherent to your property by selecting plants that are naturally well-suited to your specific site conditions. Keep in mind that all of your medicinal plants don’t have to be confined to a single herb bed. In fact, since each plant has its unique needs for soil, sunlight, and nutrients, it can be more beneficial to distribute them in suitable spots throughout your yard. You may wish to integrate them with your ornamental perennials, annual flowers, or in the veggie beds. This approach allows each plant to thrive in its ideal environment while enhancing the overall beauty, diversity and ecological harmony of your garden.

How much space do you need?

The answer to this question is going to be quite personal, depending on which herbs you’d like to grow, thier size, the volume of harvestable herb per plant, and what types of preparations you wish to make. How much space do you have to use? If you have unlimited space you’ll want to consider how much time will you have to maintain the garden, harvest and process the herbs. Keep in mind that a herb that can take 20 minutes to harvest can then take many hours to process!

If limited on space, consider the types of preparations you will be using. One Motherwort plant can have a foot print of 1.5’-2’ wide and provide enough tincture for one family for many years. On the other hand, you’ll find the same plant won’t go as far if dried and used for tea, and a family might use that amount of herb up in less than a year if taken daily. If you are growing to mainly make tinctures and salves for yourself, and your close friends and family, a 10’x20’ plot may be all you need; if you are growing herbs to supply the same group of people with tea herbs for the year you may need double that space depending on the herbs chosen.

The growth habit and the part of the plant used are also considerations. If a herb is big and leafy like Motherwort, you’ll get a quite lot of useable herb off each plant. Other herbs that provide a lot of harvestable plant material are leafy herbs like Fireweed, Goldenrod, Anise-Hyssop, California Poppy, and Borage. Agrimony, one of my favourite tea herbs, also has a big leafy growth habit. To have enough dried herb to blend casually in my personal tea blends all year long I might need 3-4 plants, whereas to provide myself with enough tincture for the year I probably wouldn’t even need to harvest half of one plant.

Herbs that you harvest only the flowers from will require more space to provide a useable volume of harvestable herb. Chamomile should be sown in a minimum plot of 2’x2’ to provide enough flowers for a single person to have tea throughout the year. Calendula for a single person’s needs would be similar, as would be the area needed for enough St. John’s Wort flowering tops.

A basket of freshly harvested Chamomile flowers. One plant may only provide a dozen or so of these tiny flowers every few days, making them time consuming to harvest and a variety that requires a larger patch to be grown to provide a good harvest.

Aesthetic appeal & function stacking

Is creating a beautiful space that invites and inspires you important? Or is your main focus to grow as many herbs as possible in the most efficient manner? The simplest way to manage and harvest your herbs for efficiency and space is to plant them in tidy blocks and rows. If aiming for beauty, consider planting your herbs as you would an ornamental perennial bed. Plant in groups of 3-5 plants per variety with varing bloom times, colours and textures. Consider the mature height of each variety and make sure to plant the tallest plants at the back of the bed, with medium sized and successively shorter plants in front.

When planning your garden consider what other functions the medicinal plants might serve. Perhaps you wish to create a bee and butterfly garden, or interplant them in your veggie beds or around your fruit trees to attract pollinators or repel harmful pests. Do some of the medicinals you wish to grow also double as culinary herbs or have edible flowers? It may be helpful to have these near where you harvest your kitchen herbs or salad greens. If you love making fresh flower bouquets you may wish to choose herbs that also make wonderful cut flowers (view the guides at the end of the article for ideas!).

Russian Comfrey is an example of a herb with many uses. An important medicinal for healing torn ligaments, broken bones, and soothing skin irritations, Comfrey is also a favourite nectar plant for bees. A stately and ornamental plant, the roots travel deep into the soil bringing up nutrients and making them available to other plants, additionally Comfrey leaves can also be used as a garden fertilizer or green mulch.

Echinacea is harvested for its immune boosting medicinal flowers and roots. It is also a wonderful pollinator plant, and an incredibly beautiful ornamental perennial.

Let the plants do the planning

Try as we might, we are never going to be able to fully stamp our ideas and ideals on a living garden that has needs and ideas of its own. And for me, one of the most delightful things about growing any kind of garden is watching how the plants will choose where they like to grow best. I prefer to be a co-creator in the garden, letting wildness play a role in the way the gardens take shape. The garden becomes a creative entity that responds on it own to the elements and evolves from season to season and year to year.

To be a gardener is to be a student of nature, and it is exciting to discover what each garden would like to be and observe who wants to be there. Co-creating with the land and its inhabitants in this way is deeply informative and rewarding; the resulting garden may not be the picture-perfect dream you initially imagined, but the result is a living breathing delight and sanctuary to many.

Medicinal plants are resilient and forgiving. If you find that a certain variety is struggling where you planted it, give it a season or two to get established. If it just doesn’t like that spot, the wonderful thing is you can just dig it up and move it somewhere more suitable. To not risk stressing the plant during its peak window of growth, make sure to do this during the dormant season (late summer and early spring are the best times to move plants).

Our wild and wonderful farm in the peak of summer. Wood Betony is pictured in bloom in the foreground with a cascade of Weld, Teasel, and Sweet Fennel volunteering behind.

Harvesting & Planting Guides

These two quick reference guides can be used as resources to help you choose herbs that are easy to grow, and select them by medicinal use, growing conditions, and more. Click on each guide to download a PDF version for easier viewing.

Annual herbs only take one year to complete their life cycle. Annuals grow from seed, produce leaves and flowers, produce seed, and die all in one year. Annuals only live for one year so must be replanted each season, but they are often self-sowing and will return year after year from seeds produced by the previous years flowers. The benefit of annuals is that they will be harvestable in the first year of growth so you won’t have to wait long to enjoy them.

Perennial herbs return each year from dormant roots, and live for many years. The average life of a perennial garden herb, such as Rosemary, Elecampane, or Wormwood for example is 20-30 years. Perennials grown from seed usually grow leaves and establish strong roots during the first year, and only begin blooming the second year onward. Aerial parts (leaves and flowers) are generally harvested from the second year onward once the plant has had a chance to become established. Roots of perennials are generally harvested at the end of the second or third years.

Click to download a PDF of the Annual Herbs chart here.

Click to download a PDF of the Perennial Herbs Chart here.

Underground Apothecary | A guide to harvesting root medicines

Each plant part we use for medicine ~ bark, leaf, flower, seed, and root ~ has an optimal harvest window during the growing season. This harvest window is when the medicinal properties in that part of the plant are at their peak. Knowing these harvest times is the secret to making potent herbal medicines.

In this blog post, I share all the info you’ll need to gather your own root medicines now and through the dormant season ahead. You’ll find detailed info on when to harvest based on season, lifecycle, and root type; as well as how to harvest roots without harming the plant. And at the end of the article you’ll find a mini materia medica on 10 root medicines that thrive in our Pacific Northwest climate.

View fullsize

The tops of the tall Elecampane (Inula helenium) plants turning yellow and brown as the plants begin to die back for the season.

Underground apothecary

We are now just a few weeks past the Autumnal Equinox, the temperatures have become cooler, the rain often unceasing, and the darkness has crept up earlier and earlier each night. The season has shifted drastically from days spent outdoors adventuring with the sun on our faces, to retreating indoors to stave off the dampness beside the wood stove.

Out my window the leaves have begun to turn vibrant shades of yellows, oranges, reds, and purples. Soon, all through Scorpio season, the leaves will begin shedding. By the time the sun moves into Sagittarius late next month our view entirely transformed, he canopy of our deciduous forests completely bare and stark against the early winter sky.

After the leaves have fallen, the comforting green canopy that we were blessed with all spring and summer long, will be absent until mid-Aries season, six long months from now. Here in the Pacific Northwest, where we live on northern Vancouver Island, the dormant season encompasses a solid half of the year.

The dormant season is a time of deep rest when the plants have drained their energy downward and inward; encouraging us to do the same. The fall can be a melancholy time, a time that can requires us to dig deep, and unearth our own inner resources to stay positive and vital.

After the busyness and outward activity of the spring and summer seasons, the fall allows us permission to do less, rest and recuperate. As we follow and sync up with the rhythm of nature through the cycle of the four seasons, we can find ease and nourishment in these seasonal transitions.

As we move deep into the fall season it is a time to digest our experiences. A time to reflect on what lessons can we integrate from the previous months of outward growth; what we can gather and bring inward, assimilate; and eliminate. For, it is not from outward doing, but from these deep times of reflection that true wisdom comes.

Just like the root medicines hidden beneath the soil, we too have our own apothecary within us. The wisdom that we cultivate inside ourselves, our deepest roots, our solid core, our inner reserves, our essential jewel that shines outward; cultivating that wisdom and presence is our medicine to carry, and our gift to others.

Life cycles and harvesting root herbs

The first step in understanding when any particular root herb will be ready to harvest is to know its lifecycle: is the plant an annual, biennial, or perennial?

An annual is a plant that takes just one year to complete its lifecycle. Annuals grow from seeds, spout leaves, flower, set seed, and die all in one growing season. There are not many annuals that are commonly harvested for their roots, but the timing to do so is once the plants are in early flower and have had a chance to grow to their full potential, but before the plants have begun to set seed.

When the roots of an annual herb are harvested, it will end the life of the plant. Annuals will not regrow, and can’t be replanted after root harvest.

A biennial is a plant that takes two years to complete its lifecycle. Biennials sprout from seeds, and grow leaves and roots in the first year. Then, in the second year, they send up flower stalks, set seed and die. Biennials are harvested for their roots in the fall or winter of the first year only. It is important to not harvest biennials for their roots once the plants begin regrowing in spring. The new spring growth and the formation of flowers stalks in biennial species will deplete the root rapidly, making the root fibrous and not valuable for medicine.

Like annuals, biennials can not be replanted after the root is harvested. The root harvest will end the life of the biennial.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a tender perennial herb native to India. It is grown as an annual both in our climate and as a commercial herb in its native climate.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a biennial plant, the roots are harvested after the first season of growth.

Calamus (Calamus acorus) is a rhizomatous perennial that can be harvested after year 2 onward.

Perennials are plants that return year after year. A perennial can be defined as as any plant that lives three years or more. In general, most of our common herb plants live 15-30 years. Perennials can be propagated by various methods: seed, cuttings, layering, divisions etc. When grown from seed, perennials usually take a minimum of two years to mature into harvestable stage.

The roots of perennials are normally harvested during the dormant season of years two and three. After year three, the roots can often still be gathered, but as they become more mature will often become too woody and tough to use. Mature perennials may also begin to rot out in sections where the roots have become too old or crowded, these roots will be replaced by younger more vigorous roots around the perimeter of the plant. Dividing and replanting mature perennials will revitalize them and encourage fresh root growth.

If the crown tissue is left intact, the vast majority of perennials can be replanted after they have had their roots harvested.

Types of root structures

There are two types of root structures displayed in plants: fibrous roots and tap roots. Occasionally plants have a combination of the two. The vast majority of the herbal roots that we use for medicine are classified as tap roots. Another type of ‘root’, technically not a root but a modified stem, is the rhizome; rhizomes are also commonly harvested for medicine.

Fibrous roots consist of many slender minimally-branching roots originating below the crown of the plant. Fibrous root systems generally remain close to the surface of the soil, with a depth of less than one foot in herbaceous plants.

Plants with fibrous root systems are generally less drought tolerant that tap-rooted plants, and have less mass to store nutrients, but due to the dense mats formed by the roots, they tend to be very good at preventing soil erosion. Fibrous-rooted herbs include Valerian, Echinacea (E. purpurea), and Ashwagandha. Some plants will display a combination of fibrous roots and tap roots, such as Mullein and Teasel.

Tap roots are generally large and fleshy, and root deeply into the soil, sometimes to a depth of several feet. The classic tap root has one singular central fleshy root descending straight down deeply into the earth, with any lateral roots branching off the central root. Many plants exhibit multiple tap roots rather than a singular one, but as a general rule tap roots can be distinguished from fibrous roots by their thick and fleshy structure.

Among other constituents, tap roots are usually full of starches that help support the immune system, bring down inflammation, and nourish the gut. Because of their large storage capacity and ability to delve deep into the soil drawing up nutrients not normally accessed by shallow rooted plants, tap roots are also very high in minerals. Tap-rooted herbs include Burdock, Dandelion, Comfrey, and Astragalus.

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) is an example of a herb with a fibrous-type root structure. Echinacea is a perennial that takes a minimum of 2 years to reach harvestable stage.

Dock (Rumex spp) roots are thick and fleshy and grow deep down into the soil to draw up nutrients, especially iron. Dock is a classic example of a tap-rooted perennial.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) has rhizomes that spread vigorously just underneath the surface of the soil, sending up new shoots to form dense patches.

Rhizomes are modified stems which lay laterally just under the surface of the soil. Some behave like ‘runners’ and travel vigorously sending up new shoots with very shallow fibrous roots along their nodes. Examples of this type of rhizome include Stinging Nettle, Fireweed, Wild Ginger (Asarum), and Mint (Mentha).

Other rhizomes tend to behave more as storage structures for the plant; this type tends to be thicker, fleshier, and much slower to grow than the runner type. Examples of this type of rhizome include Solomon’s Seal, Calamus, Turmeric and Ginger (Zingiber). Some plants, such as Western Bleeding Heart, have a combination of both types of rhizomes.

Harvesting root medicines

It is important to wait until the dormant season arrives to harvest roots. To understand why, it helps to visualize a perennial plant laying dormant in springtime, a mass of roots without any leaves or shoots above the soil. To send out the first leaves, before the plant can begin gathering energy from the sun, it has to push out new growth entirely on its own.

This initial burst of energy comes from reserves stored in the plants roots; and in this process the root becomes transformed. The plant begins to use its stored root energy not just to produce and nourish the new growth above, but also to grow new root hairs that can absorb water and send nutrients to those new leaves. During the process, the roots will become tough, ‘hairy’, and depleted of nutrients and medicinal properties.

After the growing season, when the plant has had ample time to photosynthesize and send down new stores into its roots, the roots will have transformed once again and become potent medicines. They will remain so until the plants begin to regrow again the following spring.

Click to download a PDF of this chart here.

Here on northern Vancouver Island, root season begins as early as late September. I find it helpful to wait until the fall rains have softened the soil sufficiently, but before the soil gets too soggy; which makes digging easier. There is no need to wait for first frost to dig roots, by the time it frosts in our mild climate the plants have long since gone dormant.

Root harvesting tends to be a bit more laborious than some of the other types of herb harvesting. It is pretty physically demanding digging out those deep roots! Then there is all the washing, chopping, and processing. Not to mention replanting of the perennial root crowns.

When digging roots, use a spade or shovel and start about one foot out from the edge of the crown and work your way around the outside of the plant in a circle. Gently dig under the root ball, and pry the plant up slowly to avoid breaking any valuable roots off in the soil.

Ravensong Herbal Apprenticeship students harvesting Burdock (Arctium lappa) roots.

Burdock is a tap-rooted biennial, it’s roots grow very straight with very few lateral branches. Each root can grow several feet deep into the earth.

Burdock has thick, starchy, tender roots that can be cooked and eaten as a root vegetable; or made into a nourishing and gut-healing medicine.

Excess soil can be shaken off the unearthed roots by repeatedly tapping the root ball firmly against the ground. Then the roots can be sprayed with a strong jet from the garden hose. Sometimes tap roots need to be gently scrubbed with a brush to get all the dirt off, but only gentle brushing is needed; you don’t want to take the outer layer of skin off the root.

It is much easier to clean roots if the plants are left whole; leaving the plants intact gives you something to hold on to during washing. With fibrous-rooted plants, it can be helpful to fill a bucket or bowl full of clean water, hold the plants by their leaves and vigorously swish the root mass in the water to clean off any remaining dirt and debris. Avoid soaking roots for any length of time, especially aromatic roots, as you will begin to lose medicinal constituents as they leach into the water.

Once they are mostly clean, the roots can be trimmed off the plants, and the remaining portion of the plant (the crown) set aside for replanting. After they are removed, roots can be cleaned further if needed. Once clean, they can then be processed into smaller pieces for drying or medicine making.

Ravensong Herbal Apprenticeship students harvesting, cleaning and processing Elecampane (Inula helenium) roots.

Elecampane is a perennial herb with large fleshy aromatic taproots that tend to spread laterally rather than downward.

Once the roots are trimmed off, the Elecampane crowns are ready for replanting.

The botanical term for the tissue located between the roots and the shoots of a plant is called the ‘crown’. The crown tissue is like the heart and body of the plant. It is the part that remains vital when the plant is dormant; and will actively send shoots upward and roots downward during the growing season. The crown is usually found just below the surface of the soil, and can be a half inch to several inches thick.

When harvesting perennial herbs, the crown can be left intact or divided for replanting. The crown tissue should include several dormant aerial buds; these buds are often bright pink or red in colour (see Elecampane photo above right). The buds will sprout new shoots the following spring.

After harvesting, any leaves or stalks above the dormant buds should be trimmed to a couple inches before replanting; this will prevent water loss, encourage root growth and help the plants to focus on getting reestablished after planting. At least an in inch or so of root should also be left below the crown. When replanted, mature crown tissue will often produce new roots of harvestable size after only one season.

Freshly dug Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) plant. Valerian is a perennial with aromatic, fibrous roots. The plants can be divided by gently pulling the shoots apart. This makes for easier cleaning, and gives the plants more room to grow once replanted.

Left: Freshly harvested Valerian roots, rinsed and ready for medicine making. Right: The roots and leaves have been trimmed with 2 inches of green tissue above the crown, and an inch or two of roots below the crown.

Valerian crowns ready for re-planting. When planting, the entire crown, as well as the base of the leaves should be covered with an inch or two of soil and gently firmed in place. Mulch is also recommended.

Make sure to cover the crown tissue with at least an inch or two of soil when replanting. Any shoot tissue that is pink or white in colour was originally beneath the soil and should be replanted as such; any green tissue can be above the soil. Mulching with spoiled hay, alfalfa, fallen leaves, seaweed, or the trimmed stalks and leaves of the plants themselves, will protect the plants and keep them cozy for the winter.

The earlier in the fall season you harvest and replant your crowns, the better the chance they will have of becoming established. The mild temps during early fall will allow the replanted crowns to send out fine root hairs before winter, giving them a better chance at thriving, as well as a head start for next spring.

Drying, storing & making medicine with roots

Roots are great when used fresh for making liquid extracts like tinctures, double extracts, and infused honeys; but they may also be used dry for this purpose. If you are unable to use them right away, most roots will stay stable for up to a week after harvesting, when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Just as with any other plant part used for medicine making, roots should be processed into fine pieces to increase the surface area before extracting them into your chosen menstruum. If the roots are fresh they can be finely minced in a food processor before using, or if dry, they can be coarsely ground in blender or coffee grinder.

The big tough tap roots of a three year old Licorice (G. glabra) plant.

Licorice roots, cleaned and cut into sections for processing.

Licorice root chopped into smaller pieces to increase the surface area for extraction.

Due to the incredible amount of water-soluble nutrients packed into many of our root medicines, such as minerals and starches, the roots lend themselves well to extraction in both water and vinegar. Two menstruums that are very good at pulling out these types of nutrients.

It is great to have dried roots on hand for winter-time decoctions. When dried and stored properly, roots will generally keep well for a year or two. The more aromatic roots such as Valerian or Elecampane, will start to loose their properties more rapidly and should be used within 6 months.

It is best to slice or chop your roots into small pieces before drying. They can be become quite tough and woody once dry and be very difficult to chop or break down. I find a food processor works well to mince the roots into small pieces prior to drying. Some roots are tough even when fresh, such as Oregon Grape root or Licorice root, and need to be processed by hand, in this case hand pruners can work well.

Due to the high moisture content of most roots, a dehydrator is recommended for dying them properly. Always dry herbs with lots of air circulation between the pieces, out of sunlight, and in a warm room. If you have a wood stove in your home, roots can sometimes also be dried next to the stove where the air is warm and dry but not too hot. Once they are thoroughly dry, they can be stored in an airtight container out to direct sunlight.

A Select Materia Medica of 10 root herbs

Roots are magical medicines that can differ greatly in their value and properties. Some roots are extremely aromatic and helpful for relieving pain and cramping, such as Valerian, Devil’s Club, and Angelica; others are super bitter and stimulate bile flow while supporting the liver, like Yellow Dock and Oregon Grape root.

Some roots are very nutritive, nourishing and calming to inflammation such as Comfrey, Marshmallow, and Burdock. There are also root medicines for the immune system, like Echinacea; for supporting the adrenals, like Ashwagandha; and for opening the lungs, like Elecampane.

Hidden beneath the surface of soil, there is an entire underground apothecary to delight in…

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is used as an adaptogen to help protect and restore the body during times of stress. It calms the nervous system and supports the adrenal glands, helping to reduce and level out the body’s reaction to stress. Ashwagandha can be taken to relieve insomnia and improve the quality of sleep.

The aphrodisiac properties of Ashwagandha make it a useful herb to increase vitality and libido. The root has been shown to improve sperm quality, treat impotence; and generally improve fertility in both men and women.

Ashwagandha is a tender perennial herb that can be grown as an annual in our climate, seeds can be purchased in our shop here. Ashwagandha can be purchased as a single-herb tincture, it is in two of our tincture blends: Deep Sleeper and Happy Adapter; and also an ingredient in our Iron Rich Syrup.

Burdock (Arctium lappa) is one of our important alteratives, helping to support the body in detoxification. It is a specific remedy for clearing skin conditions, especially those that are inflammatory in nature such as eczema and acne.

Burdock is a good tonic for overall digestive health, helps to improve appetite, and is strengthening for weak constitutions. The root has shown antitumor activity and is useful as an anticancer herb. It is especially useful as a supportive herb during and after chemotherapy, due to its cleansing and nourishing properties.

Burdock is a biennial herb, harvested after the first year of growth. Seeds can be found in our shop here. Burdock is available in our apothecary as a single-herb tincture, and can also be found in several of our tincture blends: Serene Skin, Devine Detox, and Love your Liver. It is one of the main ingredients in our Iron Rich Syrup. It is also in our popular Heavenly Hair Rinse.

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) contains alkaloids similar to those of the Opium Poppy (P. somniferum) but much milder. The entire plant is used for medicine, but the root is considered stronger than the leaves and flowers.

California Poppy is a wonderfully soothing and pain-relieving nervine, great for insomnia due to nervous tension, discomfort or pain in the body. It has a long history of use for restlessness, tension, and sleeplessness in children.

California Poppy is grown as an annual or short-lived perennial. It can be grown easily from seed and will naturalize in the garden. California Poppy is available as a single herb tincture, and can also be found in our Pain Leaver tincture blend, as well as our In Your Dreams Honey. California Poppy can be found as an alcohol-free glycerite; and in two glycerite blends: Kid Calmer and Kid’s Curative.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) root is a wonderful alterative herb for draining excess heat from the body due to liver stress, and reducing inflammation. It is a safe, gentle but effective tonic for the liver and is a good herb to start with when utilizing herbs to cleanse or support the liver.

Dandelion root is great for clearing skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and eczema; as well as reducing allergies. It is helpful for reducing bloating and breakouts before menstruation, and helps to regulate hormones through its cleansing action on the liver.

Read more about Dandelion’s medicine, plus growing, harvesting, medicine making and more in the blog here. Dandelion seeds can be found in our shop. It is also available as a single-herb tincture; and is in several tincture blends: Allergy Easer, Hormone Balancer, Love your Liver, and Serene Skin. It is one of the main ingredients in our Iron Rich Syrup.

Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus) is warming and stimulating to the lungs and respiratory tract and useful for remedying cold and congested conditions caused by cold and flu infections.

The root is energizing and protective against stress. An effective remedy for treating type II diabetes, Devil’s Club helps to regulate blood sugar levels and reduce cravings for sugar and binge-eating.

Topical preparations are useful for sore muscles, menstrual cramps, and rheumatic pain; and used to treat skin infections such as staph, candida, and other bacterial or fungal infections.

Devil’s Club is a wild-harvested herb that is not easily adapted to the garden. Learn more about it’s medicine, plus detailed instructions on how to wild harvest the rhizomes in an ethical sustainable manner in our blog here.

Devil’s Club is available in our shop as a single-herb tincture; and can be found in our Happy Adapter tincture blend. You can find it as an infused honey; and in our Devil’s Fire Cider. Topical preparations of Devil’s Club can be found in our shop: Infused oil and salve.

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) is an alterative herb useful for detoxifying the blood and lymph; and is popular as an immune system booster for colds and flus.

Echinacea is also a good remedy for toothaches, and can be used as a mouth wash to reduce bacterial build up and encourage healthy tissue growth. Echinacea applied topically helps to promote healthy cells and prevent abnormal growths.

Echinacea is a perennial herb that is easy to grow from seed. It can be found in as a single-herb tincture in our shop; as well as in our tincture blends: Immune Booster and Devine Detox. Our Throat Soother Spray, and our Feel Better Honey.

Elecampane (Inula helenium) is used as a lung remedy for coughs, colds, asthma, and respiratory infections. It has a relaxing and soothing effect on the lungs, while at the same time opening the lungs and stimulating expectoration.

Elecampane is also a good digestive warmer, bitter stimulant, and carminative; indicated when digestion is sluggish or there is bloating and gas. It also has an antibacterial effect, and helps to numb and remove parasites from the digestive tract.

Elecampane is a perennial herb, seeds can be found in our shop here. Elecampane is available as a single-herb tincture; and is also found in several of our tincture blends: Better Bitters, Lung Love, and Parasite Purger. Elecampane is also a main ingredient in our Sore Throat & Cough Honey, and Cough & Cold Syrup.

Oregon Grape (Mahonia spp) is used for the treatment of liver and gallbladder issues; the root is taken to ‘reset’ digestion and improve overall digestive function. It’s antimicrobial action makes it specific for infections of the digestive tract (eg. Giardia, Ecoli, Candida), as well as urinary tract infections.

Oregon Grape can be used topically in preparations as a herbal antibiotic and wound healer. The salve is helpful for acne, psoriasis, eczema, as well as bacterial and fungal infections such as Staph, Tinnea, and Candida.

Learn so much more about the medicine of Oregon Grape, harvesting and more in the blog here. We have single-herb tincture available, as well in our tincture blends: Groovy Gut, and Parasite Purger. Oregon Grape is also found in our Skin Sav-r Face Cleansing Oil, Psoriasis Remedy Salve, and Cuts & Scrapes Salve.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is effective at calming and sedating the nervous system. It relaxes the body and relieves cramps, aches, and body pains. It can be taken to help with difficulty sleeping, nervous tension, anxiety, and panic attacks.

Valerian can be useful for digestive pain due to gas, cramping and bloating. It is also useful for menstrual cramps, pms, and restless leg syndrome.

Valerian is a perennial that can easily be grown from seed. We have it available as a single-herb tincture in our shop, as well as an infused honey.

Yellow Dock (Rumex cripsus) is one of our strongest liver cleansing herbs. Through its influence on the liver it helps to clear the skin, balance hormones, and purify the blood of toxins. It promotes the flow of bile to relieve congestion in the gallbladder and jaundice.

Yellow Dock root is used in the treatment of anemia; not only is it rich in iron but it also helps to improve the absorption of iron by the body. Topically it is used for psoriasis and eczema, for inflammation, and the relief of stings, itching, and sores.

Yellow Dock is a perennial herb that can be grown from seed; we also have seeds of our native Western Dock (R. occindentalis) which can also be used medicinally. Yellow Dock is an ingredient in our Iron Rich Syrup; and in our Itch Remedy Salve.

Timing your Seeds in Spring

Have you ever noticed that the plant that seeded itself and popped up in some random part of the garden is doing so much better than the same variety that you hand seeded in a specific area? Have you ever wondered why the volunteer plants often do so much better than the ones we try so hard to tend and make thrive intentionally?

Nature knows best! And as humble co-creators in the garden, observation and timing can go a very long way in creating a healthy garden ecosystem. In this blog post I share some tips on timing your herb and flower seed sowing in a way that works with the natural energy of the season, and encourages strong, happy and hardy seedlings that turn into resilient and thriving gardens.

A view of our farm looking down into the herb gardens in early June, after all the seeding has been done and the plants have put on lots of leafy growth.

The more we can work with the natural flow of the season not only will we give our plants a better chance at thriving, they will actually need less input from us. How do we work with the energy of nature and not against it? We do our best to observe how nature does it and we try to mimic that!

First signs of spring

Right now, as I write this, we are in late winter, only a couple weeks away from the Equinox and the official start of Spring. Here on northern Vancouver Island BC there is still snow on the ground. Night time temps are dropping to just below 0°C and day time temps still consistently in the single digits. Burrrr, I can’t wait for spring!

It is definitely still winter, and if you observe what nature is doing right now, at first glance you might think it is still quite at rest. But if you look a little more closely you may notice that tiny signs of spring are actually all around you and increasing by the day.

If you look up through the canopy of deciduous trees, like our native Balsam Poplars, you’ll notice the tight dormant leaf buds of winter have become tangibly larger and swollen when viewed against the pale late winter sky. You’ll notice the Red Alders are plumping their catkins and preparing to release their pollen, and the big leaf Maples are slowly dreaming their tender and delicious blossoms into reality.

The catkins of Red Alder ready to burst into bloom in mid March.

If you look at the ground you’ll notice signs of the plants stirring as well. You might notice new green growth on the wild Dandelions and the first tiny Nettles popping up out of the snow. Even the planted perennials in the garden are shooting up too… well hello new growth I didn’t see you there!

Stinging Nettle popping up out of the snow on our farm in early March.

The plants are quietly doing their thing, preparing for that mind blowing burst of growth that happens a few weeks after the Equinox. The magical time when the trees leaf out and turn our landscape in the the most comforting luminous green and fill our air with the most beautiful fresh oxygen, infusing the air with their life-nurturing plant molecules.

That explosive time of early/mid-spring is the absolute perfect time to have your little seedlings emerging as well! The new sprouts will ride on the energy that all of nature around them is providing, feeding off the natural moisture and thriving in the mild temps, putting on lots of abundant leaf growth before the dryer hotter season that favours flowering and seed-formation arrives.

An abundance of spring greens harvested mid-April. This is right around the same time the trees leaf out ~ and this is the also the prime time for direct seeding the vast majority of plants in the garden.

Tips on timing your seeds in spring

So how do you time your seeding in a way that works with nature rather than against it? The most helpful tip I can offer from my years of gardening experience is to sow your seeds in the garden just before or after that big burst of spring growth happens around the last frost date for your region.

Are the Nettles up and the native trees and shrubs starting to leaf out? Then its the right time to plant the vast majority of seeds outdoors! You’ll notice that this is also when most dormant seeds already in the soil will be naturally coming up on their own. The seeds choose this time to emerge because they know that the conditions seem just right. I can’t pretend I am smarter than a seed!

Whatever your climate or microclimate, you’ll want to find your own planting rhythm by observing nature around you. When do you first notice new growth on the mature perennials in your garden? When do the self-sown seedlings emerge? When do the deciduous trees leaf out and the established perennials really start taking off? The answers to these questions will give you an idea of when the time is right to sow seeds in your region.

A collection of volunteer seedlings popping up in the garden in early-May (clockwise from left to right: chickweed, borage, cilantro; and milk thistle in the middle). The seeds began germinating right around our last frost date in mid to late April (also the time when the perennial spring greens are at harvestable stage and when the native trees and shrubs have leafed out).

A helpful tool for timing your seeds in spring is to look up the last frost date for your region. An online resource you can use to discover this date your location can be found at almanac.com. You can also look up your hardiness zone on this site. At our farm on Vancouver Island we are in hardiness zone 8a and the last frost date for our region is near the end of April.

Spring sowing schedule

Below I share the schedule we generally use to plant seeds on our farm. From now through the next two months or so we will be seeding indoors and out. Though so much of our planting schedule is intuitive and varies from season to season, I have broken the timing down into four different helpful categories for you.

1) Early March (or 6-8 weeks before last frost)

In the earlier part of this seeding window, when we still have at least a 4-6 weeks of cooler (below 10°C) temps, we can still sow seeds that need stratification. Stratification is a cold-moist period that many native plant seeds need to break dormancy. This is easily achieved by sowing seeds in the fall (that’s how nature does it!), but there can also be plenty of time to stratify seeds by planting them in late winter or early spring.

Many varieties, even those that don’t necessarily need stratification, can be sown during this window and will benefit from having this longer cool and moist period. These varieties include many native plants such as Elderberry, Arnica, Fireweed, Pearly Everlasting, Yarrow, Cleavers and Wild Chamomile; as well as other hardy perennials, biennials, and annuals such as Agrimony, Wood Betony, Marshmallow, Lobelia, Mullein, Echinacea, German Chamomile, Mugwort, Opium Poppy and Red Clover.

March sown Opium Poppy seedlings emerging in late April.

If the soil in your garden is still frozen at this time, the seeds can be sown in pots, watered in, and then left out to the elements. If you have snow on the ground, but the soil is still workable, the snow can be brushed away and the seeds planted in the soil underneath. You can expect to see these seedlings emerging once the soil warms in late April to mid-May.

If you’d like more info on stratification please check out my article A Guide to Seeding in Fall | Nature’s Planting Time.

This seeding window is also when certain varieties that need a very long growing season can be started indoors under grow lights. Keep in mind though that starting seeds this early is going to mean repotting the seedlings at least once or twice before it will be warm enough outdoors to transplant them, and this can be time consuming and also take up a lot of space.

You don’t want to start your seeds too early. Growing seedlings indoors is sometimes necessarily to give them an extended growing season, but it does not always produce the strongest seedlings. Seedlings need to be exposed to the elements to become strong and resilient, and often will struggle if planted too soon.

I used to start my tomato seeds super early in mid-Feb. One spring, over a decade ago, a friend gave me some seeds for a new tomato variety that I was excited to try. It was already into April and at the time it seemed super late to me to be starting tomato seeds, but I wanted to try out this variety so gave it a go and planted the seed mid-April.

To my surprise the seedlings from the late planted seeds grew so fast and vigorously that they very quickly caught up to the February sown ones. I was so surprised! But it made perfect sense. These new seeds were planted at the time when the energy of nature was there to support them, and so grew exponentially faster than those that were planted before the conditions were right.

German Chamomile direct sown in late March or early April, will be in full bloom and harvestable in mid-June.

2) Late-March to mid-April (or 2-4 weeks before last frost)

During this stage of seeding, temps are usually hovering in the low to mid double digits (°C) and sometimes even getting quite warm in the daytime. This is a fantastic time to direct seed many hardy annuals and perennials into the garden, including Milky Oats, Calendula, Opium Poppy, Wild Lettuce, Dyer’s Chamomile, German Chamomile, Anise Hyssop, Coreopsis, Borage, Milk Thistle, and Echinacea.

Some of the more tender varieties can be sown indoors, under cover in the garden, or in an unheated greenhouse during this seeding window. We often sow Ashwagandha, Basil, Zinnias, Datura, Cosmos, Marigolds, Spilanthes, Wild Dagga, and various varieties of Tobacco in our unheated greenhouse the first or second week of April. This gives them a chance to grow into a 4” pot before being transplanted out in mid-May.

A bed of Zinnias transplanted planted out in mid-May. These seeds were started in our unheated greenhouse in early April.

The same bed of Zinnias in July (planted with Lemon Bergamot on the right and Spider Flower behind).

3) Late-April to mid-May (or 1-2 weeks before and after last frost)

This is the prime seeding time when the energy of nature is most supportive! During these two weeks before and after the last frost date pretty much everything can be seeded. Go crazy! Get planting! Annuals, perennials, biennials, get it all seeded now. The only seeds you can’t plant at this time are the seeds that need to be stratified.

We usually wait until this window to direct seed annual herbs such as Cilantro, Dill, Summer Savory and Nigella. This is also a great time to transplant out the seedlings that you started indoors in March and early April. Make sure to slowly harden them off by exposing them to the elements a bit at a time. You can also transfer them to a cloche or put a temporary tunnel over their new home in the garden.

Our four-legged friend Poppy taking a break from helping with transplanting in late-May. Sleeping on the job, sheesh what are we paying you for!

4) Late-May to mid-June (2-4 weeks after last frost)

This is in many ways the ‘last chance’ spring seeding window for us on Vancouver Island. Keeping in mind that most seeds take 2-4 weeks to germinate, by the time these late sown seedlings emerge the hot season may have already arrived. Plants don’t generally put on a lot of leafy growth once temps are over the mid 20’s°C. Instead the warmer temps encourage flower and seed production.

If seeding annuals during this window you may wish plant them somewhere that gets a bit of shade, a bit more air circulation, and give them adequate water to encourage leaf growth and prevent premature bolting. Perennials usually do fine started this time of year, but you generally won’t see flowering or a large amount of aerial growth until the following year.

By late June, as the summer temperatures arrive, the vast majority of plants will be trigged into blooming and seed production; such as the Self-Heal shown in the foreground of this pic.

Watch how nature does it

Remember the best resource of all is nature itself! Use your senses to observe what nature is doing throughout the season, what plants like to grow where, the life cycle of each plant and the timing of sprout, flower and seed. This will go a long way to building a body of knowledge within you, in sync with the flow of the seasons and nature.

And, to further observe the power and value of timing your seeding with the energy of the season, don’t forget to watch that random volunteer plant through the season ~ whether it be squash, arugula, chamomile, mugwort, borage or cilantro ~ you’ll notice it comes up when it is ready and as if by magic it doesn’t really need your help to survive.

I’ve always been so amazing that when I am watering my other seeds like crazy, the volunteers seem to grow the biggest and strongest and are doing just fine without my help at all!

Blanket Flower plants blooming in spring. These seeds were direct sown in the early March of the previous year.

I hope this guide supports you in growing your best garden ever! Make sure to reference our Sowing Guide for seeding times. And check out my previous article Starting from Seed | A Beginner’s Guide for general info on starting seeds.

You’ll also find detailed growing info for all seed varieties on each product page on our website (such as this one for Ashwagandha, scroll below the photos to read the additional information).

Wishing you many green blessings and an abundant growing season ahead!

Devil's Club | the Healer's healer

Thriving in the dappled shade along creeks and streams, wetlands and forest lowlands, Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) is a prominent plant in the understory of our Pacific Northwest coastal rainforests. It was, and still is, a distinctly valuable plant to indigenous people of the region for its use as a medicinal herb and for ritual and ceremony.

Devil’s Club’s primary native range is the coastal PNW. It is found as far north as Alaska, it continues down throughout BC and south into Oregon. Its range extends east to the Rocky Mountains into Idaho and parts of Montana; it is also found in an isolated region of Ontario as well.

Devil’s Club is a member of the Araliacea, or Ginseng, Family. This family is also home to Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) another medicinal plant of North America; English Ivy (Hedra helix); and the different species of Ginseng (Panax spp) used in herbal medicine.

The genus name Oplopanax can be translated as ‘protective heal-all’ and comes from the latin hoplon, meaning shield, armour, or protection; and panakos meaning panacea or cure-all. The species name horridus means rough, bristly or fierce referring to the plants appearance. Rather than implying the plant is somehow devilish itself, the common name ‘Devil’s Club’ refers to its spiritually-protective properties which ‘club devils’ (ward-off negative energy).

There are three different species in the genus Oplopanax. There is O. horridus here in North America; Chinese Devil’s Club (Oplopanax elatus), also known as ‘Nakai’, native to China, Korea, and Russia, commonly used in Russia as an adaptogen. The third species, Japanese Devil’s Club (Oplopanax japonicus) is native to Japan. Each of the three species are very similar looking in appearance, and each has traditional medicinal uses in its native habitat.

Mature Devil’s Club plants produce a single flower cluster which ripens into bright red berries by mid-summer. The berries are inedible to humans, but enjoyed by foraging bears.

Devil’s Club is a deciduous shrub with spiky arching stems and large maple-like leaves that are 10”-18” across. The plants are very slow-growing, reaching about 12ft tall. Its beige-coloured stems are generally an inch or two in diameter, woody, and completely covered in brittle spines, giving them a hairy or prickly appearance. The underside of the leaf veins, as well as the leaf petioles are also covered in spines.

After the plants leaf out in spring, a single cream and light-green coloured conical flower cluster emerges atop the mature plants. The flowers will ripen into berries which are a deep-red colour; the berries are not edible to humans but bears forage them.

After reaching a certain height, the plant’s tall spiky stem will sprawl toward the ground as it becomes too heavy to hold itself up. The plant will then begin to grow adventitious roots along the points in which the stem is touching the earth. This process is called ‘layering’ and is also found in other thorny plants such as Wild Rose or Blackberry. It is the main way the plants propagate themselves, forming large colonies made up of clones. More rarely, it reproduces itself from seeds.

The recumbent stems, once rooted, will begin to lose their spines, becoming smooth as they mature. The inner bark of the rooted stems is the medicinal part of the plant. I call the rooted stems ‘rhizomes’ for lack of a better term. This probably isn’t technically the correct botanical terminology, but it is helpful to give these structures a distinctive name that is easier to refer to than ‘mature-rooted-recumbant-stem-with-out-spines’. (I’d love some feedback on the proper terminology if any botanists are reading).

Devil’s Club has been used for millennia as an indigenous medicinal herb, and for hundreds of years in modern western herbalism. It strengthens and balances the body and mind, and has spiritually-protective properties. It has important applications in herbal medicine for respiratory infections, pain, arthritis, type II Diabetes, heart disease, weakness, and depression. Devil’s club lifts the spirit, sharpens the mind, and fortifies the body against stress.

Devil’s Club is easily identified by the sharp brittle spines covering the stems.

Devil’s Club spirit medicine

You are sitting in a patch of Devil’s Club, the mossy ground soft and damp below you. You begin to absorb the sense of peace that the forest offers. There is a quiet here that isn’t silence, instead it is the kind of quiet that is found on the other side of noise. Each sound ~ the rustle of leaves, the trickle of the nearby stream, the call of a raven ~ each sound is perfect and meaningful, belonging to the landscape.

As you sit, you contemplate the way Devil’s Club grows. The growth of a plant being the way it expresses itself, a slow movement and patterning that is a type of self-expression. A personality. You observe the spiny branches and how they sprawl outward and take up space ~ a community of fierce warriors in slow motion.

As you sit and observe you wonder ‘What is it like to be a Devil’s Club and take up space like that, showing off your thorns and prickles?’

In response the plants speak the impression ‘Vulnerable’.

‘Does showing off your spines feel somehow vulnerable even with all that protection and fierceness?’

Yes, because it causes you to be noticed, and to be seen is to be vulnerable.

You observe the stately Devil’s Club plants, their spiny arching stems reaching upward to sometimes twice your height. Their palmate leaves creating a luminous green canopy above your head. It is as if you are like a squirrel upon the forest floor, dwarfed by these spiny giants; your body and mind multitudes faster in movement and thought.

As you sit you begin to slow down. As minutes slip into hours, time, slowly, but somehow at the same time, suddenly, without you noticing the transition, has now shifted into the dreamtime space of the plants. It is a space the plants call you into, where time is relative and the moment and mind become one and in sync with the inhale and exhale of the green beings that surround you.

You feel your senses ignite as you gently run your finger along a stem, caressing the brittle spines with the utmost of care. (‘To be you’, you sigh tenderly, ‘how is it to be you…’) You notice the leaf scars of each year passed, each six inch segment representing one year of growth. A fierce warrior in slow motion.

Recognizing the fierceness and slowness of this plant nearly brings you to tears. To be covered in these spines, so brittle and sharp that no one can come near. With all this effort to create your fierce boundaries and hold your own there is little room for growth. For one must need openness to grow, you think. But the growth that does occur is hard-fought and so, deeply meaningful.

‘Hold the space, hold the space, hold the space’ the Devil’s Club community chants slowly, each individual syllable the vibration of at least a hundred thousand of our human heart beats. The effort is tremendous, they arch outward gracefully and clumsily all at once, poised with meaning, and awkward with effort.

As you sit you observe the way the plants, as they mature, begin to bend down toward the ground. Eventually their striving has become too much and the weight of their own determination sends their arching stems to kiss the earth. Solace and surrender.

You imagine what it is like to ‘hold the space’ endlessly day after day, all your effort supporting the external; the will of the community. You imagine what it must feel like to surrender that effort to the earth, just let it all go; to lay down your spines and allow nourishment.

You find a stem that is covered in moss and soil; it has laid down, become rooted and one with the earth. You run your hand along wiping the moss away, and observe that the stem has become smooth. The plants have surrendered their spines. They have let go of their fierceness and striving, opened to a new kind of vulnerability.

As the plants humble themselves to the earth, drawing in its nourishment, the medicine becomes more potent, more balanced, more nutritive. Surrendering allows them to be able to put down roots; and in turn these new roots can support and feed the community of fierce warriors above.

This is the secret medicine of Devil’s Club you realize. This quiet transformation that takes place along the earth, private and unnoticed, hidden under a nest of prickles. Maybe that is what all those spiny branches are protecting: our right to surrender and be kept and cared for, nourished and transformed by the earth.

You sit in the dreamtime with the plants, breathing in their exhale; movement, thought, and breath in slow motion, in sync with the plants. You feel within you the deep exhaustion of your own striving; and you feel the call of your own healing. You lay down on the damp mossy forest floor, you surrender your fierce holding. You let the earth take your spines, and feel the medicine begin to fortify within you.

The fine spines on the underside of a Devil’s Club leaf.

For me, the spirit of Devil’s Club embodies the energy of ‘the healer’s healer’. To be a healer one needs to be able to sit with pain without being undone by it. A healer needs to be well connected to the source of healing ~ the earth ~ where nourishment and replenishment can be found.

Devil’s Club has taught me so much about what it means to be a healer. How it is always truly the earth ~ our bodies ~ that do the healing. It has taught me about the power of surrendering to the process (no matter how painful or ‘spiny’ that process may be). It has taught me the importance of cultivating the ability to uphold healthy boundaries, vulnerably showing off my spines.

When we continually humble our selves to the earth, surrender our 'ego’ or superficial sense of power and identity, we can allow in true healing. And create space for others so that they too can surrender to that healing. By creating healthy boundaries, and working together in community, we are better able to hold space for the healing of others; but we must, ourselves as healers, also learn to surrender and recieve nourishment and healing as well.

There is so much more to the spirit of this powerful ally than I can write about, or I believe, even learn about in this lifetime. There is so much more I could relate and so much more I have to learn. I am grateful and honoured to even begin to be able to genuinely call this plant a friend and ally, one which I respect and do not own. I am humbled by the traditions rooted in this land and the way indigenous people have formed deep relationship with this plant over millennia. To them it is the oldest of friends. Family.

The large leaves of Devil’s Club form a luminous canopy overhead.

Devil’s Club in the apothecary

Devil’s Club is relatively new to the western herbal materia medica, modern applications over the last couple of centuries build upon and confirm the foundational knowledge of traditional indigenous use here in the PNW, and that of the other Oplopanax species in Asia and Russia.

Traditionally Devil’s Club was prepared as a decoction (a simmered tea) and taken internally as a panacea, a remedy for all that ails. It was used as a specific for lung infections, and with its strong antimicrobial and expectorant properties, this is one of the main modern uses of the herb today. It is known to be one of the best remedies for tuberculosis.

Devil’s Club is a strongly anti-microbial, spicy and aromatic herb that has a stimulating action on the lungs and respiratory tract. It is a very useful remedy for congested, cold, and damp conditions in the body caused by infections, and stagnation. The herb acts to improve circulation and boost immunity.

I like to add Devil’s Club as an ingredient in one of my Fire Cider recipes. Fire cider is a type of kitchen-medicine made famous by the herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. It is full of immune-boosting and decongesting herbs in a base of apple cider vinegar and honey. When I feel the signs of a cold or flu coming on, I find it super helpful to sip it mixed with some hot water in a mug.

Where sluggishness is present, Devil’s Club can be used as a carminative to relieve stomach pains, indigestion and constipation. It is detoxifying to the body and acts as a tonic and alterative, especially for more kapha-type constitutions, though it can also be helpful for pitta constitutions in that it detoxifies excess heat from the blood.

The volatile oil content is responsible for many of its actions, so you’ll want to use the fresh herb when possible, or a fresh-herb tincture. Devil’s Club also makes a very nice infused honey. Because honey is soothing to the throat, it is a great application for respiratory infections with cough.

Devil’s Club is a go-to for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. It clears excess heat, calms inflammation, stabilizes blood sugar, and strengthens the heart. It is known to be an effective remedy for treating type II diabetes. When combined with diet and lifestyle changes, regular use of Devil’s Club preparations may aid to reverse the effects of the disease.

Devil’s Club has the benefit of helping to regulate blood sugar levels and reduce cravings for sugar and binge-eating. Another native plant of the PNW, Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza), is also helpful for this purpose. I make a blend with Devil’s Club with Licorice Fern, Licorice Root (G. glabra), Rose (Rosa spp) and Wood Betony (S. officinalis) to help with cravings.

Like other members of the Ginseng Family, such as Panax and Aralia, Devil’s Club is considered by many herbalist to be an adaptogen. Devil’s Club may contain similar glycosides that are known to responsible for a strengthening and balancing effect on the endocrine system, while protecting against the stress response. Though scientific studies have not yet confirmed the full constituent profile found in Devil’s Club, thousands of years of traditional use as a regenerative herb have demonstrated the value of it’s adaptogen-like properties.

Devil’s Club improves well-being, and is grounding, fortifying, and energizing. It can be taken when generally stressed, fatigued or weak, or experiencing depressed states of body, spirit, or mind. I formulate it with other uplifting and adaptogen herbs like Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum).

Devil’s Club’s can be a wonderful pain-reliever and muscle relaxant. It can be especially helpful for menstrual cramps, stomach aches, UTIs, tense cramping muscles, and arthritis. It’s anti-inflammatory, circulatory and detoxifying properties make it especially helpful as a treatment for both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis.

The herb is very useful prepared as a salve and applied topically to treat arthritis and rheumatic pain in general, which is one of its primary traditional uses. Topical preparations such as the liniment, infused oil, or salve are very useful for sore muscles, menstrual cramps, and rheumatic pain.

Devil’s Club preparations are very effective, both topically and internally for treating infections such as staph, candida, and other bacterial or fungal infections. It seems to be especially good for staph infection, I have witnessed time and time again how quickly and effectively a few applications of Devil’s Club salve can clear up the most stubborn and lingering of infections.

A basket of fresh Devil’s Club medicine.

Harvesting & medicine making

Devil’s Club is a difficult plant to just jump in and harvest straight away. Not necessarily because the plants are spiky, as you might think, but because they command so much respect with their spirit. They are special and powerful plants and it is easy to understand why they have been considered sacred by the indigenous people of the region for millennia.

When I hear people tell the story of when they first harvested Devil’s Club, it is common that in the beginning felt they needed to sit with the plant a few times, or even for many months or years, or to be taken out by someone experienced and initiated into the process. This is the plant teaching them respect and boundaries from the very first meeting.

For myself it was definitely both, I felt like I needed to get to know the plant more, and also felt I need to have someone introduce me. Eventually I was lucky enough to have my friend Frazer, a Coast Salish Elder, take Harmony and I out to harvest. It was a beautiful and surprising simple experience and gave me the confidence to begin working with the plant on my own. Frazer had worked to heal his own issues with diabetes by using the medicine, and it was meaningful to learn of his own special relationship with the plant.

The parts of the Devil’s Club plant that can be used for medicine are inner bark of the recumbent stems (rhizomes) and aerial stems, as well as the true fibrous roots. The rhizomes are my preferred part to harvest because this provides a more sustainable, and also potent, medicine. I also use any true roots that come up with the rhizomes, but I don’t dig them on their own. I find the medicine in the inner bark of the spiky aerial parts to be dry and thin and inferior for medicine making compared to the rhizomes or roots. I also don’t like to harvest the aerial parts because of the damage this harvesting method can do to this very slow growing plant.

A small section of woody rhizome with lots of true-roots attached. The thin true-roots can be chopped and used whole, while just the inner bark of the rhizome is used.

Now, during scorpio season, in the fall time after the leaves have dropped off the plants, is considered the most optimal time to harvest the medicine, but it may also be harvested throughout the winter and early spring before the plants break dormancy and the new leaves begin to grow. When harvesting in the spring you’ll notice a light orange sap exuding from the cut rhizomes, as the weather warms and the plants begin to wake, the sugars begin to flow to produce this sap. This makes the spring medicine a bit sweeter and nutritive to balance the sharper spicy aromatics of the fall harvest.

To recognize the plants in fall or winter without their leaves, look for the unique arching upward growth of stems 1-2” thick and covered densely with spikes. Try not to rub against these spines with your bare skin as they can easily break off and become embedded in your skin. They are very hard to remove and are also said to harbour staph infection (use Devil’s Club salve for this). Personally, I’ve gotten spines in my hands many times over the years without any issues with irritation or infection, but everyone reacts differently, so, in short, wear gloves.

A patch of Devil’s Club in late fall after the leaves have fallen. Note how the stems don’t really grow straight up, but they arch and lean in every direction. Noticing this growth habit will help you spot them in the forest from a distance.

When locating a good Devil’s Club patch, make sure to only harvest from patches that are large and not from small pockets of a few individuals. Good and established Devil’s Club colonies can easily span many acres in size. Try to find a patch that is a solid half-acre in size at the very least, and make sure to take from only 5% of the patch or less. If you notice evidence that others have already harvested there, move on and find somewhere more remote and untouched. Take the time to hike in and harvest from individuals spread through out the area; don’t harvest along trails or along stream sides.

Once you find your patch you’ll want to ideally harvest from areas inside the patch where the plants are more closely knit and crowded together. The younger more vigorous plants are on the edges of the patch, I like to leave these to grow and flourish. The older plants are in the centre of the patch and will begin crowding themselves out over time and naturally dying from lack of space, nutrients, and old age.

You’ll often notice some of the biggest rhizomes have already started to decay along sections of the root. These are the best plants to harvest sections of rhizome from. The mature plants have grown super strong, deep true-roots by this point, so pruning a section of rhizome out will have very little effect of the plant. Additionally, pruning the rhizomes from the dense interior of the patch will encourage new growth and keep the patch healthy.

The most sustainable way to harvest Devil’s Club is to find a section of rhizome that is rooted in at least two places along the ground. You can test to see where it is rooted by gently tugging upward on the rhizome. Check that the end bit of the rhizome attached to the upward growing stem is firmly rooted in place enough to support it.

If so, you can harvest the section of rhizome preceding it between the two rooted spots (a small pruning saw, the kind that folds up and fits in your pocket or back pack, works best in my experience). When harvesting is done in this way, you can gather the rhizome while leaving the well-rooted aerial parts of the plant to continue growing.

The scent of the freshly harvested herb is warm… sweet… earthy… spicy… wonderfully aromatic. The first time you cut into a Devil’s Club rhizome it will be a highly sensory and very memorable experience! Take a moment to strip off a small piece of inner bark and chew it. Hold the flavour in you mouth and connect with the medicine. These first moments with the plants only come once!

An example of a rhizome that is firmly rooted along the ground in at least two places. In this example you would harvest the section spanning the width of my hand while leaving the root nodes in place in the ground.

Yes, it does take a lot of searching and combing around along the forest floor to find these rooted rhizomes. This method of harvesting really slows you down and requires you to be mindful and present as you crouch and bend among all the prickly stalks while following the base of the plants into the leaf litter. It is quite a different experience than simply walking into the forest and chopping down or pulling up whole plants. One of the reasons really I like this slower method of harvesting is because it makes the harvesting process intrinsically more sustainable.

Keep in mind that Devil’s Club only puts on 4 to 8 inches of aerial growth per season. This means a plant that is as tall as you may have taken a couple decades to grow that tall. If you do end up harvesting the spiky aerial parts for one reason or another, they too can be used for medicine (though the medicine in the roots is more potent and balanced).

Alternatively, the section of spiky stem can replanted by laying it in a shallow trench dug in the forest floor and covering it with 3-4 inches of soil, ideally somewhere nice and moist. If the conditions are right the stem may root and regrow. Note that any leaves on the plant should be removed before plant, as the new roots will grow from the leaf nodes and this will help with the rooting process.

As a general rule, whenever wildcrafting, you should always return to spots you’ve harvested in to check on how the plants are doing. This is going to teach you a lot about how to harvest in a good way. If you return the following year you will be able to notice any obvious impact you may have had on the patch. Have the plants healed the cuts from the root pruning? Did the aerial parts continue growing without issue? Have the pruned plants sprouted any new shoots around that spot? Did that section of spiky stem that you replanted end up rooting?

The smooth rhizomes of Devil’s Club are the most potent part of the plant to harvest. These older rhizomes can be harvested sustainably without damaging or killing any plants in the process.

Once you get your harvest home, allow yourself lots of time to process it. As a general rule, herbs may take minutes to harvest but can take hours to process. The rhizomes can keep in a cool dark place for several days, or even weeks if covered to prevent moisture loss, before they are processed. Apparently the roots were traditionally stored buried under soil for this purpose, and kept well for months until needed.

I like to process them the same day, or within a day or two of harvest. The rhizomes can be processed by gently scraping away the thin layer of brown-grey coloured outer bark and moss with a dull knife (the backside of a thin knife can work well). Any spines still present on the rhizomes are scraped away in this manner as well. The outer bark, moss, spines, etc, are be discarded, revealing the smooth yellow-green inner bark underneath.

Devil’s Club rhizome that have had the thin layer of outer bark rubbed off them with the back of a knife. This exposes the yellow-green cambium layer (inner bark).

Next the inner bark, which is the medicinally active part of the plant, can be harvested by stripping it off with the sharp side of the knife. The inner bark is tender and is very easy and satisfying to peel off. You’ll want to strip off the cambium all the way to the woody part of the rhizome. The long strips of inner bark can further be processed by snipping them into small pieces with hand pruners.

Since only the thin layer of cambium is used for medicine, each section of rhizome or stem will provide only a very small amount of useable herb. It will take many years for the plants to re-grow what you have harvested. For these reasons Devil’s Club is not a herb that should be considered for large-scale commercial production. Doing so would surely threaten the future of these very slow growing plants.

Devil’s Club can be made fresh into tincture, or infused in vinegar and honey. It makes a fantastic infused oil (wilted) and salve. The bark can also be used fresh or dried for tea; making a decoction by gently simmering the herb in water with the lid on is the best way to extract it for this purpose.

It is important to note that during the drying process many of the volatile oils are lost to the air, so preparing the herb fresh is recommended if wishing to preserve the aromatics. If drying the herb in your living space the off-gassing of the volatile oils may cause your mucus membranes to become irritated, so make sure the area is well-ventilated.

I recall a winter years ago, when I rented a single room cabin for a short while. I did a big Devil’s Club harvest that winter and laid the stripped and chopped bark out to dry in baskets around the wood stove for later use in decoctions. The volatile oils released from the drying bark infused the air around me, and to my surprise I was still wide awake at 3am feeling great, grounded, well rested and energized.

After the bark is harvested from the woody rhizomes, the resulting inner wood can be used as sticks for drum mallets. It can also be sliced into small .5-1” sections, the soft spongy inner pith carved out, and the resulting beads used for ceremonial purposes or decoration.

Freshly processed Devil’s Club rhizome bark drying in baskets. The woody part of the rhizomes remaining after processing can be used for crafts like bead making, ceremony, or decorative purposes.

Calendula | Solarly Radiant

As the growing warmth of the sun rises into the pinnacle of summer, our hearts gasp in awe, skipping a joyous beat at the first sight of our golden friend's graceful presence. This lively ally offers cheerful nourishment to our spirits and bodies, delighting in being our best and brightest cheerleader.

Who is this kindred plant filling our being with so much joy? Calendula! With a pure embodiment of solar radiance, Calendula encourages us to follow the sun, trust ourselves and stand in the light; offering the simple, yet meaningful mantra of "Be joyfully you! "

Calendula care for the spirit

Widely used across many traditions, Calendula has most notably been found in traditional European folk medicine for a variety of culinary and medicinal purposes. Primarily sought after as an all-purpose topical skin remedy and wound healer, Calendula has also been used for a broad range of actions for internal use, particularly for supporting the lymphatic and digestive systems.

The part of the plant traditionally used for medicine is the entire flowering head, including the base of the flower, as it contains much of the medicine and aromatic resins. These resins gain in potency with the heat of the summer sun and because Calendula blooms all summer long, the window for harvest in the garden is quite long.

The petals themselves are mild, sweet and edible, and can be harvested as a colourful addition to salads or as decorations on cakes or ice cream. They have also been traditionally used to colour cheese.  

Anyone who has picked any amount of Calendula can attest to the shear abundance of aromatic resin it contains. The summer afterglow of having sweet, sticky orange hands with the most delightful aroma is something to look forward to every summer. 

Picking Calendula is a wonderful way to include your kiddos in the processes of harvesting, as the flowers are fun and easy to pop off the stems, all while adding more joyousness to your medicine! I have harvested Calendula with kids of all ages from as young as two years and seeing the pureness of delight and curiosity while harvesting the cheerful flowers never gets old!

This exact vibrance of joy, wonder and flare is for me the essence of Calendula. To gracefully dance wild and free while also snuggling close and warmly to the light of our own being. To be connected to that golden jewel found at our core and nourish it into being, carrying it forth into the world with beauty.

Calendula imbues in us the energy of the sun, uplifting our spirits, hugging opening our hearts and encouraging confidence, resilience and courage in the face of our fears and darkness. 

Calendula offers the insight of just allowing joy in. There will always be challenge, grief, hardness in life and often shifting focus to the grace of gratitude is what is needed to reclaim happiness again. Calendula inspires us to be present with ourselves and let the light grow within, shining bolder and brighter than our fear and anxieties. 

When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~ Kahlil Gibran

Calendula care for the skin

Calendula is most famously known for its potent affinity for healing the skin, specifically for epithelial cell regeneration. Used topically, Calendula effectively cleans, disinfects, and heals wounds very rapidly with its antimicrobial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory actions. The astringency helps to draw the wound together to heal it quickly while preventing excess scar tissue.

Calendula is great for wounds which are tender, red, inflamed and swollen. A big part of the wound healing magic of Calendula is its action on the lymph.  As herbalist Matthew Wood notes, Calendula seems to “clean the wound from the inside out,” indicating the mode of healing is working on a deeper level as well, through the blood and lymph.

Calendula is one of our primary lymphagogues, supporting the clearing, moving and draining excess or stagnant lymph fluid, which in turn decreases swelling and fluid accumulation. Because the lymphatic system is a passive system of the body, it relies entirely on physical movement (exercise) and touch (such as massage, and dry brushing) to move the lymph fluid throughout the body. Without such movement and touch, sluggishness and build up are common, resulting in skin flair-ups, chronic inflammation, and difficultly with reoccurring infections.

Our Serene Skin Tincture Blend has the lymph in mind with Calendula as one of the chief herbs in this blend, formulated to support skin, liver and lymphatic health. This formula promotes skin health by gently stimulating the liver, clearing any stagnation, soothing inflammation and nourishing the digestive system from the inside out. This blend is specifically indicated for inflammation that is showing up on the skin through inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, hives or rashes.

Calendula’s actions on the lymph can also be used topically to stimulate the lymphatic glands through the application of herbal oils and salves. The healing properties of Calendula extract extremely well into oil; making a potent deep-golden infused oil.  

Herbal oils are among the most abundantly used medicines in my own apothecary. Our golden Calendula Infused Oil is one of my go-to oils for soothing and repairing skin, and for blending massage and facial oils. 

The Calendula Infused Oil is made by drying our own farm-fresh Calendula and infusing it into high quality extra virgin olive oil. Drying Calendula completely before infusing it into oil is very important, as the herb is very moist and oil made with the fresh herb will easy mould or develop rancidity. By using freshly-dried Calendula, we can ensure a potent extraction that will be shelf-stable for a year or longer.

There is an abundance of healing properties in the extra virgin olive oil itself. Considered ‘liquid gold’ and honoured for its life-giving properties by the ancient Greeks, olive oil is rich with essential amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants as well as being anti-inflammatory, naturally lubricating and readily dissolving into the skin. This is the basis of all of our Herbal Infused Oils, and Calendula infused into this already abundant carrier oil produces a truly opulent herbal oil. 

Calendula is one of the primary ingredients in several of our most popular herbal salve blends including; Fungal Remedy (for Candida, Tinea, ringworm etc), Eczema Remedy (for reducing pain, inflammation, and itching), Baby's Balm (ideal for baby bums and nursing mums); Cuts & Scrapes (a great addition to your herbal first aid kit), along with our best selling single herb Calendula Salve (for all-purpose skin healing). 

All of our Salves & Salve Blends are made by combining our own full-strength herbal infused oils with fragrant local organic beeswax, extending the life of the oil while also making it easy and convent to apply. We only use pure herbal infused oils, and never add additional essential oils to our salves, keeping the salves gentle on the skin while preserving the skins natural flora balance against harsh additives.

Even for the most dry, cracked, painful or weeping eczema, Calendula can be the perfect application. Some individuals with eczema may find pretty much everything too harsh for their skin, but making a wound wash from the tea of the fresh or dried flowers is the most gentle and soothing of remedies and may provide relief. This tea can also be supportive for oral infections, weeping wounds, diaper rash and as a postpartum sitzbath. The juice (succcus) can also be made with fresh flowers and used as a skin wash and toner.

For the ultimate skin-care routine we have formulated our Skin Sav-r trio with Calendula for cleansing, toning, and moisturizing the skin. Our Skin Sav-r Face Cleansing Oil is formulated with Yarrow, Mahonia & Calendula, with pure cold-pressed oils. This natural oil-cleanser gently restores and cleanses the skin without disturbing the natural protective mantle of the skin resulting in smoother skin and reduced blemishes.

Our Skin Sav-r Facial Toner is a soothing and remineralizing herbal facial toner for all skin types containing distilled floral waters (hyrdosols) of Calendula, Rose & Arbutus, plus Horsetail infused organic apple cider vinegar. The toner is especially wonderful for calming skin conditions such as rosacea.

Finishing your skin care routine with our Skin Sav-r Facial Serum is a sure way to aid skin in becoming balanced, hydrated and glowing. The serum is formulated with nourishing oils including jojoba and borage seed, and infused with healing herbs such as Fireweed & Calendula to moisturize, calm inflammation, heal blemishes & improve skin texture and tone.

Lastly, you can also find Calendula in our Blessed Body Herbal Oil (a sensually-scented all-over skin-nourishing body oil to moisturize and heal skin), as well as our Ear Ease oil (for soothing and healing ear aches and infections), and Luscious Lip Balm (prevent and heal chapped lips).

Calendula care for the gut

Along with Calendula’s topical applications, it is one of the most powerful remedies to repair our ‘inner skin’, ie the tissues of our digestive tract. Often inflammation and eruptions on the skin, be it eczema, acne, rashes or inflammation of any kind point to a deeper systemic imbalance within the liver and digestive system.

Food allergies and intolerances, as well as pharmaceutical medications and stress, can all cause the dis-regulation of gut flora resulting in digestive inflammation and irritation. This inflammation will typically show up as systemic inflammation elsewhere in the body, manifesting as joint pain, autoimmunity, or chronic skin conditions like eczema, acne, rosacea and psoriasis.

Leaky gut, or intestinal hyperpermeability, is often the underlying cause of such topical conditions on the skin, as food bacteria and toxins leak through tiny perforations in the lining of the gut, causing them to flow into the bloodstream. This then causes our immune system to be on red alert, creating heat and inflammation as a way to clear the system. This inflammation continues to happen as long as the allergens are present, until the permeability is healed, and the gut ecosystem re-balanced. 

Having personal experience with digestive imbalances, including food sensitivities, leaky gut, and other digestive pain, Calendula has been very supportive for my overall digestive health; helping to heal the lining of my digestive tract after discovering my food allergies ~ such as gluten, dairy, and soy ~ and eliminating them from my diet. Calendula is specifically indicated here with inflamed, irritated tissues and gut dis-bioses resulting in a systemic inflammatory action on the body.

Because digestive issues and imbalances, along with food allergies, are so common within our modern diets, our Groovy Gut Tincture Blend has become one of our most popular tinctures. Formulated with Calendula to gently stimulate the liver, soothe inflammation in the mucous membranes, heal ulceration and rebalance gut flora, all while helping to clear stagnancy, water retention and excess dampness through the action on the lymph; this blend also contains Fireweed, Oregon Grape Root (Mahonia) & Plantain to support general digestive health and balanced gut ecosystem.

For general support of skin, lymph and digestive health, we also have fresh-herb Calendula Tincture available in our shop in 50ml, 100ml & 250ml sizes.

Calendula in the garden

Calendula is an annual, or sometimes short-lived perennial, herb in the daisy family (Asteraceae) originating from southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. Calendula has a long history of cultivation and is known by other common names including Pot Marigold, Mary's Gold and English or Scotch Marigold; not be confused with common Marigolds, which are several species of Tagetes. 

Calendula has been grown in traditional apothecary gardens for many millennia, and is one of the easiest medicinal herbs to grow. It is a good choice for the novice gardener, and definitely in the top ten herbs (probably #2 for me after Yarrow) to have in your medicinal herb garden. Calendula is drought tolerant and adaptive to a variety of growing conditions, although these sunny flowers do need a sunny spot.

Calendula plants grow to be 1-2ft high with a mounding, bushy habit with branching stems spreading outward up to 1.5 or 2 feet wide. The stems are covered in fine hairs and the entire plant is sticky and aromatic. The flowers are diverse and range in different shades of single and double flowers of orange, red and yellow hues. Calendula is always easy to keep in your garden as it is prolific at self-seeding.

Once you get it going, Calendula will return in your garden year after year to delight you with its warm sunny medicine. We offer two varieties of Calendula seeds in our shop. You can find common, or ‘official’, Calendula (Calendula officinalis) with its variety of yellow, orange and cream coloured blooms in single form, as well as the cultivar ‘Erfurter’ (Calendula officinalis ‘Erfurter Orangefarbige’) which boasts pure orange fully double flowers. Both are wonderful for culinary, medicinal, and cut flower use, though the Erfurter is a favourite for making the deepest orange infused oil.

Calendula seeds can be sown either in the fall, or spring, for blooms all summer long. They are non-fussy plants that don’t mind being transplanted and can tolerate some frost, or even snow. We direct seed ours in mid-April for quick growth in the spring, but usually have many fall self-sown seedling emerge even earlier in the spring. The seedlings can also be started indoors or in the greenhouse in early spring and then transplanted out when the soil has warmed; this gives the harvest season a boost in cooler climes.

Mahonia | Nourishing the understory

Mahonia (Mahonia nervosa), also commonly known as Oregon Grape, is an abundant understory plant found throughout the coastal rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. It’s evergreen leaves arise from a central point with sharply-toothed holly-like leaflets set in pairs along stiff yellow stems. In early spring clusters of the lemon yellow flowers emerge from the central growing tip. In summer the fertile ovules of the flowers swell into grape-like clusters of extremely tart deep blue coloured berries.

When scratched, the main stem of the plants will reveal a deep golden bile-coloured cambium underneath the thin rusty brown outer bark. If you follow the slender woody main stem downward you’ll find it travels shallowly just a few inches under the hummusy forest soil. Here it wanders onward under the soil branching to emerge as many new plants. In this way a densely connected patch of spiky leaves is formed, held just a foot or two off the moist forest floor.

An evergreen, Mahonia’s leaves shine verdant and glossy with the dormant season rains, greening our west coast forests through winter. It’s mini-canopy of spiky leaves can be found stretching for acres within the coastal Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar rainforests, protecting the soil ecosystem, and the golden root medicine below.

At first glance the small evergreen plants appear as if still and silent, moving so slowly seeming almost as if unchanging through the years and seasons. Yet, they hold within them a great intensity, power and resiliency which can touch the most primal places within us ~ those related to the emotions of anger, helplessness, and frustration.

Mahonia has many edible and medicinal uses, making the whole plant of value from the leaves, to the flowers to the berries ~ but the roots, lined with a vibrant orange gold, is where the most potent medicine is found. Well known as a blood cleanser and digestive bitter, Mahonia can rekindle the digestive ‘fire’ within both our bodies and our spirits.

Mahonia spirit medicine

As a spirit medicine, Mahonia can help us work through the process of digesting our experiences, so that we can integrate life’s wisdom and lessons, and also shed what isn’t serving us. Through this process of assimilation and elimination, we can become more fully ourselves. This work helps us to become more integral and experience the fullness of what it means to live from our own central point within ~ the true core of who we are.

It is often the darker and more difficult experiences that can initiate us into a powerful sense of self, if we are able to allow the time and space to work through the uncomfortable feelings attached to these experiences. It is our traumas that can be our most valuable teachers and initiators into our true selves and the path of soul-level healing. The calm, patient, yet intensely powerful medicine of Mahonia can help us with this work by navigating us back to our centre.

I can recall one particular day in which I was gifted with Mahonia’s medicine in a profound way.

I was filled with a sense of being utterly lost, out of place in my own body, raw and exposed. I became filled with panic and fear at the overwhelming sensations within me. Seeking relief in the only way I knew how, I went to the forest in search of grounding and solace.

I walked for a while along a familiar forest trail, the smell of the dried fir needles in the afternoon sun infused the air with each step I took. All around me the deep green and calm slow growth of the forest plants in late summer. Each plant familiar, though as I walked among the green I felt no solace from this unshakable sense of grief and dread.

Instead of feeling at home among the plants and trees I felt a stranger. The Cedars I had always known to welcome me, encircling me in their aromatic bows with warmth and protection; now turned me away. Their bows now like an impenetrable boundary, “you are on your own..” the Cedars whispered distantly, almost menacingly, to me.

I had never known Cedar to withhold its gift of grounding. I needed so desperately to get back to myself…I looked to the abundant Sword Ferns arranged in their airy clumps between the trees, gracefully lining the forest trail…”will you help me?” But the Sword Ferns with their elegance so sharp and light, could not relate to a creature like me so wretched, weighted down, heavy and dark.

I let the tears come, though they provided no release, as a stood in the green mossy cathedral feeling a stranger among friends. Giving up hope, I turned toward home…

Then along the side of the forest trail I was drawn to a small and singular Mahonia plant. As if finding my way finally out of a dark labyrinth, I collapsed there beside it feeling its calm power welcoming me as if to a hearth.

As I sat there I observed the plant’s spiky leaflets. I counted the pairs 1, 2, 3, 4….8 and one at the tip to make 9. I ran my finger gently along the serrations, the sharpest little teeth set along the edge of the leathery leaves. Leaves which were now becoming mottled with patches of reds, yellows, and purples from the summer heat and cold winters before.

A few ripe berries still clung to the plant, the pale sky-blue waxy coating on their skin obscuring the deeper shade beneath. With permission I plucked a berry and placed it in my mouth, letting the sharp sour taste of its juices wash gradually over my tongue.

In that moment, with the shock of the sharp sour taste of the berry, I felt my spirit come back to me, and a sense of normalcy return. Replacing the disjointed feelings of fear, helplessness and dread, I felt the tender feelings of sweet sadness and release now filling me.

I remember sitting there on the dry fragrant earth with Mahonia for some time, savouring the berry and letting it linger on my taste buds for as long as possible. I felt three large seeds in my mouth, all that remained of the berry. I placed them in my palm, admiring their gentle angular shape in calm and contemplation.

Contemplating the seeds in my hand brought me even further back to myself, awakening me to the promise of renewal that each seed holds. The seeds reminded me of the work that I do as a seed-saver and medicine maker; and of where I find meaning and purpose in my life.

In that moment I was able to glimpse the inner seed of my self, a shining jewel momentarily unobscured in its own truth and rawness. Sitting on the dry fragrant earth of late summer, I renewed a promise to that seed: I shall continue to nurture and grow it; not fearing the dark clouds overhead, letting the light in the best I can.

Mahonia in the apothecary

Mahonia root is one of the most powerful and effective liver herbs and digestive remedies available in the modern materia medica. Extracts made from the root improve overall digestive function, promote bile flow, and clear toxins and parasites from the blood. Mahonia is also a fantastic antimicrobial and wound healer, both internally and topically.

Bitter in the truest sense of the word, Mahonia promotes digestive secretions of all kinds, greatly aiding in the assimilation of nutrients and the elimination of waste products. It is stimulating to the appetite and particularly helpful in cases where bloating, gas, constipation, and nausea are experienced. 

We have a fresh batch of Mahonia Root Tincture available in our online store in 50ml, 100ml, 250ml, and 500mls sizes.

Most effective when taken daily before meals, Mahonia Root Tincture is a favourite for ‘reseting’ digestion when things are feeling a bit off. It cools and contracts tissues, promoting tone and bringing down inflammation; all the while warming up and rekindling the digestive fire.

Mahonia root is a main ingredient in our gut-healing Groovy Gut Tincture Blend, with Fireweed (C. angustifolium), Calendula (C. officinalis), Plantain (P. major), Garlic (A. sativum), and Ginger (Z. offinale). This blend is designed to aid digestion, while easing pain and inflammation, and helping to soothe and heal the tissues of the gut. It is a wonderful blend to support digestive health in general, and is a specific remedy for leaky-gut syndrome and ulcerations of the GI tract.

Mahonia’s bitter action, combined with it’s antimicrobial actions, make it a go-to remedy for infections of the digestive tract such as Giardia, Ecoli, Salmonella, as well as Candida overgrowth. You can find Mahonia root in our Parasite Purger Tincture Blend with other anti-microbial and tonifying herbs: Wormwood (A. absinthium), Elecampane (I. helenium), Thyme (T. vulgaris), and Garlic (A. sativum).

Though this blend, and even Mahonia alone, can definitely clear up some really stubborn GI infections, it is important to also consider dietary changes, such as removing sugar and processed foods, as this will make the terrain of the gut that much less hospitable to the parasites and reduce the chance of reinfection. 

Due to its powerful antimicrobial action, Mahonia is also one of my go-tos for urinary tract infections. A great combo tincture for stubborn and acute UTI is equal parts Mahonia, Yarrow (A. millifolium), and Fireweed (C. angustifolium).

Mahonia's bitter action effectively stimulates bile flow and encourages bilirubin discharge in the liver and gallbladder. A healthy flow of bile helps support the liver with its myriad of life-giving tasks, including the maintenance of blood sugar balance, the digestion of fats and other nutrients, and the elimination of toxins and excess reproductive and stress hormones from the bloodstream.

Liver congestion tends to show up in the constitution as excess heat, with a temperament that is tense, angry, irritable, frustrated, grumpy and/or depressed. Due to its strong action on the liver, Mahonia can speed the natural detoxification processes.

If detoxification is pushed to hard, a temporary worsening of symptoms, or ‘healing crisis’ may result. For this reason, if severe liver congestion is evident, I like to start with smaller doses of Mahonia, just 10-30 drops once per day depending on the individual gradually increasing to 30 drops 3x per day over a period of two weeks.

Mahonia combines nicely with other more gentle hepatics and alteratives such as Burdock root (Arctium lappa) or Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale). For more on the latter herb ~ and more about the importance of working on the liver ~ check out my previous blog post Dandelion | Rooted Resiliency.

Also related to its action on the liver, Mahonia is a useful herb for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Through its stimulating action on the pancreas and liver, Mahonia can help with blood sugar and metabolic regulation. The alkaloid berberine, which gives Mahonia root its golden colour, has been well studied for its effects on blood sugar.

The golden colour of the inner bark of Mahonia root is attributed to the alkaloid berberine. Berberine is most well known for its antimicrobial properties and found in other herbs such as Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) and Goldthread (Coptis spp).

Several studies have shown that berberine can lower blood glucose as effectively as the commonly prescribed drug metformin at similar doses. Risk factors with type 2 diabetes include obesity and fatty organ syndrome, both of which can be supported through improving liver health and digestion. Berberine has also been shown to reduce the size of fat cells and cut down on their number as well.

Though the root is highest in medicinal potency, the leaf and the ripe berries of Mahonia also contain many medicinal constituents, including berberine content. The berries are laxative, diuretic, and high in antioxidants and Vitamin C. They have expectorant action that can be useful for lung congestion.

Topically, Mahonia leaf is a fantastic wound healer, especially when it comes to wounds that are pus-filled, red and inflamed; and for bacterial, fungal and viral infections on the skin. I have combined Mahonia with Usnea (U.longissima), Poplar bud (P. trichocarpa), Western Red Cedar (T. plicata), Yarrow (A. millifolium) and Calendula flowers (C. officinalis) to create our Cuts & Scrapes Salve, a broad spectrum topical antibiotic with a strong anti-inflammatory and astringent action.

Mahonia leaf is also a proven topical remedy for the symptomatic relief of psoriasis. Our Psoriasis Remedy Salve contains Mahonia leaf in combination with supportive herbs to help reduce pain, inflammation, and itching due to psoriasis.

Harvesting & medicine making

The roots of Mahonia are best gathered anytime from late summer though fall and early winter. I have found the late winter, spring and summer roots to be much less potent that those gathered at the end of the season. The roots, technically rhizomes, grow shallowly, running an inch to several inches under the soil, and may be gently teased up until they naturally break off or can be snipped with a sharp pair of secateurs.

Since the entire plant is pulled up in this process, I gather the leaves at the same time, snipping them off the plant into a separate basket. The central growing point, or crown, can then be replanted with a couple inches of the root still intact. If planted in moist soil during the rainy season, and with a few of the tiny root hairs attached to the main root, the crown will have a good chance at establishing itself, though the process may be slow.

Freshly harvested Mahonia roots.

Another consideration for sustainable harvesting, is to pull plants from the centre of a patch rather than the edges. Thinning out the patch in this way will encourage new growth and provide room for the other plants to send out fresh rhizomes, allowing the patch to gradually restore itself.

Mahonia is a slow growing plant taking many years to establish, so make sure to harvest thinly in any area and ideally where you know for certain you are the only one harvesting. In this case, depending on the density of the patch, one plant may be pulled up every 10-15 feet or so in radius from the next.

Though this article focuses solely on Mahonia nervosa, aka Low/Dull Oregon Grape, it is important to note here that we have another very similar species that may also be used for food and medicine: Mahonia aquifolium, aka Tall/Shiny Oregon Grape. I haven’t worked as much with the latter as it is less common in my area where the low growing Mahonia species is extremely abundant.

Where the roots of the low species M. nervosa are harvested, the stems of the tall M. aquifolium may be used instead. Though from my experience the medicine is much more potent in the low growing species. The essence of the medicine changes when harvesting stems vs roots. Root medicine is earth medicine, embodying the energy of the earth element; the energy of nourishment, stability, and regeneration.

My preference is to work with the root medicine of Mahonia, but if the tall species is abundant in your neck of the woods I would recommend working with that species and exploring its medicine for yourself. Since the stems of this species are the part used, it means not having to pull up the plant when harvesting and may allow for more sustainable harvest practices.

If you scratch the surface of the fresh root, or stem, you will see the bright yellow colour of the berberine constituent. The main bulk of the medicine is in the cambium, or inner bark, but the whole root or stem can be used for medicine making. Rather than meticulously peeling off the very thin cambium layer, simply chop the root and stems whole into small rounds.

Make sure to process the roots the same day as harvesting, when they are still fresh. The roots are extremely woody and even when fresh are very labour intensive to process ~ get yourself a nice sharp pair of secateurs ~ once dry the roots will be near impossible to process. I use the fresh root for medicine making, but it may also be dried after processing for latter use.

Processed and dried Mahonia root from last years harvest. The root keeps for 1-2 years when dried.

Since the root is so intensely bitter, the tincture is the easiest way to take the medicine. I tincture the whole chopped root fresh 1:2 (herb in grams : alcohol in mls). The constituents that are responsible for much of Mahonia’s medicinal properties are primarily alkaloids, which are poorly soluble in water. Because of this you’ll want to seek out a high proof alcohol, just use what you can find at your local liquor store somewhere between 60-80% alc.

As super-potent alcohol-free alternative to the tincture is to make a Mahonia infused vinegar. Vinegar is fantastic at pulling out both the potent alkaloids as well as the nutritive minerals found in the root. For the vinegar I use the root fresh and prepare it to a 1:4 ratio with raw apple cider vinegar. Steep for 4 weeks at room temp for best extraction.

If you are curious and wish to brave the nasty-bitter tea, or you simply need the medicine asap and don’t have 2-4 weeks to wait until your tincture or infused vinegar is ready, decoction is the best method of extraction. The root should be simmered in water for at least 20mins, simply infusing the root won’t do.

The leaf can be gathered through summer, but I usually just collect it at the same time as root. The leaf may be used fresh or dried for medicine making. I usually tincture the leaf fresh, but dry and grind it to infuse into oil for use in salves.

The berries appear in the heat of summer and stay on the plants through early fall, sometimes into winter. They get sweeter with the frosts. They may be used fresh to make tincture, vinegar ~ and all manner of jelly’s, wine, or other preserves ~ or dried for tea.

Mahonia berries are packed with flavour, antioxidants, vitamin C and other nutrients.

Mahonia in the kitchen

The bright lemon yellow flowers of Mahonia come out in early spring and are a delight to the senses. They are one of the earliest bloomers in spring time and can be found along with wild Dandelion flowers and Big Leaf Maple blossoms around late-March to mid-April.

The flowers have a wonderful flavour that is reminiscent of one part garden sorrel, one part berry, with a dash of lemon. They are tender and delectable, and make a wonderful trail nibble when out for spring walks. The flowers can also be used to add flavour and decoration to spring salads.

Though the mature Mahonia leaves are tough, leathery and quite sharp, the new spring growth is surprisingly tender and succulent. It is one of my most favourite additions to liven up spring salads. Even small amounts of wild greens when consumed can add important trace nutrients to our diets that are not commonly found in farm-gown produce. They also help to build healthy gut flora and land connection!

The berries of Mahonia, though intensely sour, are the most common part of the plant gathered for food. They make a wonderfully rich and complex jelly or jam, wine or mead. To add in a bit of sweetness, try combining with ripe Salal (Gaultheria shallon) berries which can be gathered at the same time and in the same habitat as Mahonia.

Growing Mahonia

Mahonia species, especially the tall species M. aquifolium, are commonly grown as garden ornamentals and can often be found at local plant nurseries and garden centres.

Mahonia is also useful as a wild forage and pollinator plant in home gardens. The spring flowers are wonderful for bees and other insects in early spring when little else is available. The berries provide food for many local bird species such as robins, towhees, and waxwings from summer into winter.

The plants prefer loose well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter and on the acid side. They prefer part shade and will do well underneath the protective canopy of established evergreen trees. The plants are slow to get going but if the conditions are right will become vigorous and form extensive communities.

Mahonia can be propagated by root cuttings/divisions, but it is easiest by seed. The seeds germinate best when sown fresh in fall, either outside in flats or directly in place. We have both Mahonia nervosa seeds and Mahonia aquifolium seeds available in our online store. For more info on seeding in fall, please refer to my previous blog post A Guide to Seeding in Fall | Nature’s planting time.

Milky Oat | Nourishment for the Nerves

It’s nearing mid-August and the Milky Oats (Avena sativa) are ripening to viable-stage in the field. The milky-stage came early this season, triggered by the hot dry summer we’ve had here in the Pacific Northwest. The plants are now a soft creamy-beige colour as the stalks begin to dye back for the season.

The seeds are becoming hard and dry, safely enclosed in their papery husks. As the wind rustles through the patch, the plants murmur their secrets of calmness, peace, and strength in non-doing. They tenderly whisper ‘shhhhhhhh’ as they gently sway against each other, ushering in the quiet ripening of midsummer.

Oats gone to seed in the garden. When the stalks have turned a pale brown and the seed heads are hard and dry they are viable for seed growing, but passed the medicinally potent stage.

Nourishment for the nerves

Milky Oats are well known for their strengthening effect on the nervous system, and are one of the most sought after of all anti-stress remedies in herbal medicine today. The medicine of Milky Oat is an earthy one, it moves deeply into the body; fortifying, calming, revitalizing, and nourishing it bone-deep.

Milky Oats is a medicine for our modern times, with so many of us stressed out, burned out, and just plain overwhelmed these days. With virtually no contraindications, Milky Oat is one of the safest and most versatile herbs for restoring healthy nervous system function and general vitality. The herb is indicated in any and all cases of nervous debility and states of exhaustion.

The Milky Oat patch in its prime this summer on our farm on Vancouver Island. This ‘green seed’ or ‘milky stage’ is the time when the seeds are medicinally potent.

Milky Oat tincture, made from the fresh seed in milky-stage, contains a collection of alkaloids, saponins, vitamins, and minerals that collectively aid in bringing a sense of peace and calm focus to the mind, while helping to restore vitality and increasing energy levels. A sedative as well as a nervous system stimulant, Milky Oat is both relaxing and strengthening to the mind; helping to improve concentration while easing tension.

Milky Oat acts as a adaptogenic nervine, and due to its special collection of properties, has quite broad applications in herbal medicine. A go-to for acute and chronic periods of stress, insomnia, depression, and general constitutional weakness; Milky Oat is also a valuable remedy for managing ADD and ADHD, withdrawal from narcotic substances and pharmaceutical medications, as well as PMS and menopausal symptoms.

Our fresh Milky Oat Tincture is available seasonly in our online shop. You’ll find it in bottles from 50ml-500ml in our online store here.

Milky Oats combines well with St. John’s Wort (H. perforatum), and Skullcap (S. lateriflora) for general restoration of the nervous system. The combo is especially nice for calming tension, easing nerve pain, uplifting depressed states of mood, and improving quality of sleep.

One of our most popular tincture blends, our Nerve Nourisher Tincture, is formulated with the trio of herbal allies mentioned in the above, plus soothing Chamomile (Matricaria spp) and Rose (Rosa spp). Nerve Nourisher can be taken as needed in acute situations of stress and insomnia, to improve mood and concentration; or as a daily tonic to help restore healthy nervous system function over time.

Our popular Nerve Nourisher Tincture Blend can be found in our shop here. A wonderful uplifting remedy to calm the mind, improve sleep, and restore balance to the nervous system.

Milky Oat can be such a wonderful aid in helping with drug withdrawal from tobacco, alcohol, narcotics; and pharmaceuticals such as anxiety medications and sleep aids. It replenishes and fortifies the body with vitamins and minerals that have often become depleted from substance use, buffers the body against stress, calms and strengthens the nerves, and improves mood.

I also like Skullcap (S. lateriflora), California Poppy (E. californica), and Passionflower (P. incarnata) in combo with Milky Oat for aiding clients with withdrawal. Milky Oat has the advantage over many other herbs that it has no known contraindications with any medications. This makes it especially easy to apply to situations where one is weaning off meds slowly and wanting to use herbal support to ease that transition.

Loaded with healing minerals and proteins, the high nutritive content of the ripe seed heads not only help with nervous system function but also aid in the healing and maintenance of healthy connective tissue in the body. Milky Oat is an aid in cases of arthritis, helping to repair tissues, bring down inflammation, and to lubricate joints that are stiff and creaky. It works well in combination with Horsetail (Equisetum spp) and Mullein (V. thapsus) for healing the bones and structural tissues of the body.

Another hint at its amazing revitalizing properties, Milky Oat, sometimes referred to as ‘herbal viagra’, is well known as an aphrodisiac. Perhaps this is where the expression ‘sowing your wild oats’ came about. The herb is helpful in all genders for increasing sexual potency, and pairs well with Ashwagandha (W. somnifera) for this purpose. Milky Oat is also an especially nice aid during menopause to ease mood swings, states of tension, and systemic dryness, while increasing a sense of liveliness; Licorice (G. glabra) is great here as well.

Harvesting & making medicine with Milky Oats

The same plant as the common cultivated oat, Milky Oats differ only in the stage of harvest. Whereas oats for culinary use are harvested once the grain is fully brown and hard (viable-stage), oats for medicinal use must be harvested when still green in the (milky-stage). For the strongest most medicinally active preparation, the oat seeds need to be used fresh and gathered when milky.

During the milky-stage, the seed, when pressed between two fingers, will exude a milky looking sap. You’ll find this stage passes quickly and presents a narrow harvest window of only a week or two. The milky stage is after flowering and before the plants begin to turn brown. It is best to get out in the garden every day or two after flowering to check the oats for milky-ness.

When ready to harvest for medicinal use, the oat seeds will feel plump and fat, and exude a milky sap when squeezed between the fingers.

Harvesting can be done by snipping the clusters of seeds at the base of the flower stalk, right at the point where they emerge from the leaves below. Harvesting the seed heads in this manner will allow for a second crop of oats to re-grow from the stalks below.

The plants can also be harvested by cutting them back to the ground. The green leaves and stalks are known as Oat Straw and can be used as a mineral-rich tea, or for mulch in your garden. I like to leave the root mass in place in the soil after cutting the plants back. As an annual, it won’t regrow, but the roots left in place help to build healthy soil as they break down, and increase aeration and water retention.

After harvesting the seeds in milky-stage, the best way to extract the medicine is to tincture it fresh in high proof alcohol (75% or higher is recommend). The seeds need to be broken open to release their medicine into the menstruum, they will not extract if placed in alcohol whole.

A basket of freshly harvested oats in the medicinally potent ‘milky-stage’. The seeds strip off the stems easily by running a hand up the stem. The seeds are processed further by blending and extracting into alcohol.

A simple way to go about this is to weigh out your herb before hand, and then measure out your alcohol portion. Use a 1:2 ratio for best results, for example 50 grams of herb to 100 mls of alcohol. In a blender place a portion of the fresh oats with some of the pre-measured alcohol portion. You’ll want to add only a small amount of alcohol at first, and add more as needed only to get the blending action going.

Pulse the oats in the blender until the seeds begin to open up and the liquid becomes a bright milky-green colour as it mixes with the sap. Place the resulting oat-alcohol mush in a glass jar and cover with the remaining portion of pre-measured alcohol. You’ll want to place a tight fitting lid on the jar and let the tincture steep for 4 full weeks undisturbed (no shaking needed) and out of direct sunlight.

After four weeks the herb matter can be strained and pressed out, and the finished tincture bottled and labeled. You’ll find when the strained tincture settles that there will be a large amount of milky-coloured sediment in the lower half of the bottle. This sediment is mineral-rich and a good component of the medicine; it should be mixed into the solution by shaking the bottle each time before use.

Growing Milky Oats

A member of the Poaceae, or Grass Family, oats are a true grain. They are an annual crop that is super easy to grow. The smooth large seeds are fun to plant and sprout easily even in the cool moist soil of early spring.

We have Milky Oat seeds for growing available in our shop here. They are available in regular and 16 gram bulk packages.

We start ours in early March as soon as the soil thaws and is workable. In warmer zones of 8 or more, oats can be planted in the fall and overwintered. The plants sprout and grow fast into bushy clumps of grass, with the warmth of early summer they will shoot up and flower, reaching full maturity by the end of August in most climates.

Oat seeds are tasty to wildlife, so if you live in an area with lots of wild foragers, such as squirrels, stellar jays, or robins, you may want to cover your freshly seeded area with mesh or remay as a physical barrier to the tiny paws, beaks, and feet. Once the plants are sprouted and a couple inches tall, the barrier can be removed.

Oats can be planted in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. The plants grow rapidly through the spring for harvest in August.

Oats need little to no care to get growing. If they are planted in early spring when there is lots of natural moisture in the soil, they won’t even need much in the way of irrigation. Once sprouted they are quite drought tolerant. The plants like a sunny spot but will do just fine in part sun too.

St. John's Wort | A Summer's Solace

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been used in herbal medicine since ancient times. Originally native to Europe, the herb was brought to North America in the 1700s where it was grown in gardens for both its beauty and its medicinal use. Long since escaped from the early apothecary gardens, St. John’s Wort can now be found growing wild in abundance throughout the continent. 

Herbal sunshine

St. John’s Wort truly lights up the garden with its golden-yellow clusters of star-shaped flowers. The flowers begin to open around the Summer Solstice and bloom throughout the summer months. In the wild, St. John’s wort tends to grow where the soil has been depleted or the earth wounded. You’ll find the strikingly golden flowers along dusty logging roads, sun-baked gravel pits, abandoned clearings, and other such wastelands. 

Sunny St. John’s Wort with its arms outstretched in bloom.

St. John’s Wort brings a light and vitality, an intense brightness like that of the sun on Summer Solstice. It brings its light to the most barren and worn-out patches of earth, the depleted, cast-aside, and forgotten places. The upright plants have branching stems like arms stretched outward bolding saying hello…

’Sit with me here amongst my golden flowers. Feel how I shine outward from where I stand, here in my power. I offer you healing, lightness, and strength. My dark crimson pigment is a primal reminder; the colour of the blood that flows within your veins. Let me help you find your vitality; your power, your light.’

The bright yellow flowers, when steeped in alcohol turn the menstruum a deep vibrant red; the colour of blood. The medicine seems to contain a vitality, a 'life blood', that brings us strength and uplifts us. Infused with the lightness and warmth of the sun, St. John's Wort can help pull us out of melancholy grey spaces, or dreary blues.

A patch of brilliantly-shinning St. John’s Wort flowers.

St. John’s Wort in the apothecary 

Prized for its medicinal uses for millennia, St. John’s Wort is a herb that is a veritable medicine chest of medicinal properties all on its own. With its equally potent antiviral, antidepressant, nervine, anti-inflammatory, alterative, astringent, analgesic and vulnerary actions, St. John’s wort can be applied as a therapy for an incredibly wide range of imbalances including anxiety, depression, seasonal affective disorder, hormonal imbalances, nerve pain, inflammation, viral infections, wounds and burns. 

St. John’s Wort is a fantastic nerve tonic, that is both enlivening and calming. It normalizes nerve function, acting to bring sensation to dulled nerves, and providing pain relief to oversensitive or inflamed nerve endings. 

St. John’s Wort tincture can be found in our shop in 50ml-500ml sizes.

St. John’s Wort Tincture and the tea can be taken internally for restoring the nerves, and both the liniment and the infused oil can be also be applied topically with great benefit. St. John's Wort is probably my number one herb to recommend for body oiling (learn more about body oiling in my article 3 Herbal Therapies for Anxiety & Overwhelm).

The nervous system itself is primarily composed of fats and oils, and it can be directly nourished by the application of oils which are absorbed into the nerve endings through the skin.

Our St. John’s Wort Oil is available in our shop here. Note ~ our oil is made in small batches and it is only available seasonally. The oil comes back in stock each July.

There is something very magical about rubbing this crimson oil upon the body. Not only does it nourish, calm, and ground the spirit, but its magic also relates to energetic protection. The skin is a barrier between us and the world. It is a protective, yet permeable, layer between the inner and the outer. Applying oil to the skin can act as a ritual to strengthen this energetic boundary, allowing us to contain and restore the inner light within.

As a nerve tonic, St. John’s Wort is useful for anxiety, nervous excitability, neuralgia, and sciatica. It calms and restores healthy function to nerves, and has a specific affinity to the main bladder nerve. It is a favourite remedy for ‘nervous bladder’.

It is interesting that the kidneys and bladder are associated with the emotion of fear, for me this seems fitting with the medicine of St. John’s Wort. An aspect of the herbs spirit medicine is its ability to fill us with light, banishing fear and darkness.

As a tonic for the kidneys and bladder St. John’s Wort combines well with many other herbs. We have formulated it with Arbutus (A. menziesii), Yarrow (A. millifolium) Goldenrod (S. lepida), and Giant Horsetail (E. telmateia) to create our Bladder Benefit Tincture Blend; great as a strengthening tonic and for treating UTIs.

Bladder Benefit Tincture blend is available in our online store here.

St. John’s Wort’s value as an antidepressant is probably its most well-known application. Well studied in recent years, the herb has been proven through modern clinical trials to be effective at treating general depression. Though diet and lifestyle are key when it comes to shifting mental and physical states and promoting well-being, herbs can be absolutely indispensable for supporting those shifts.

The tincture of St. John’s Wort when taken regularly for as little as a couple weeks, or months, can be so incredibly helpful for lifting us out of melancholic states like the winter blues, ‘summer bummers’, or a sense of grief that hangs out past the point of usefulness. The herb acts to increase serotonin levels and restores the sense of contentment and well-being.

A soothing balm to the soul, St. John’s Wort lifts the mind onto a golden cloud, enlivens the blood, and nourishes the nerves. We have St. John’s Wort Tincture available in the shop in 50ml, 100ml, 250ml, and 500ml sizes.

Light Weaver Tincture is our favourite uplifting and mood-enhancing blend.

Formulated to be uplifting, mood enhancing, and slightly psychotropic, our Light Weaver Tincture Blend aids in bringing a light shift of metal perspective and with it a sense of contentment and connection. This blend combines St. John’s wort with Wild Dagga (L.nepetafolia) Lemon Balm (M. officinalis), Passionflower (P. incarnata), Arbutus (A. menziesii), with a hint of Western Red Cedar (T. plicata).

Our Trauma Remedy Tincture can be found in our shop here.

Our Trauma Remedy Tincture Blend formulates St. John’s Wort with other grounding nervines Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis), Motherwort (L. cardiaca), Yarrow (A. millifolium), and Elderflower (S. racemosa), to create a calming and soothing blend for acute periods of trauma, stress, and anxiety. 

St. John’s Wort has a gentle action on the liver and increases detoxification of excess estrogens from the body. Combined with its nervine, antidepressant, and anti-inflammatory actions, the herb can be very useful for relieving uncomfortable symptoms of PMS and regulating menstruation.

It is important to note that because of this detoxifying action through the liver, St. John’s Wort can render birth control pills ineffective. It is also contraindicated with many pharmaceutical medications. For those on meds it is best to consult a professional health practitioner before taking the herb.

A fresh batch of our St. John’s Wort Salve is stocked up in the shop here.

Another chief application of St. John’s Wort is as an important antiviral, both internally and externally. It is especially helpful for Herpes virus infections such as chicken pox, shingles, cold sores, genital herpes. St. John’s Wort Infused Oil and Salve is often very successful at relieving tingling and burning that is associated with these viruses. 

Applied at the first signs of a flare-up, the topical application of St. John’s Wort Salve or Oil may prevent the sores from breaking out. Internal use of the tincture is also very helpful for treatment and prevention of viral infections. It’s potent antiviral action combines very well with its nervine action for the management of shingles, a virus which emerges along the nerve endings.

Our Eczema Remedy Salve is available in the shop here.

St. John’s Wort is one of our best anti-inflammatory herbs and is a main ingredient in our Eczema Remedy Salve Blend. Astringent and antimicrobial, the herb is great for wound healing and sunburns. It combines well with Poplar Bud (P. balsamifera) and Wild Bergamot (M. fistulosa) in our Burn Remedy Salve Blend, wonderful to have on hand in the summer first aid kit.

Harvesting

St. John's Wort can be identified by the appearance of tiny pin-prick holes in its leaves which can be seen when held up against the sky. These transparent glands in the leaves give them a perforated appearance, hence the species name 'perforatum'. 

St. John’s Wort has translucent dots that can be seen when a leaf is held up to the light. Note that there are also separate black resin dots as well.

Another sure-fire way to identify St. John's Wort is by the pigment it exudes. If you squeeze the golden five petaled flowers between your fingers you will see a deep reddish-purple substance exude. Note that the unopened flower buds tend to have the most of this substance. 

St. John’s Wort flower buds when squeezed expel a deep wine-coloured liquid.

Bloom time is normally in full swing by late-June or early-July here in the PNW, and will often continue into August depending on the weather. The flowering tops are best harvested just as the first blooms have begun to open and the majority of the flowers are still enclosed in large swollen buds. 

It is common for there to be some finished flowers, some freshly opened flowers, and some closed buds together on the tops at any given time. Just collect up the whole lot by clipping the tops of the plants in flower. Usually this is the top 3 or 4 inches. There is no need to harvest the flowers individually, use the whole flowering tops for medicine making ~ including the small stems and leaves attached bellow the flowers. 

The freshly harvested flowering tops of St. John’s Wort.

Though the leaves do not contain much of the red pigment known to be responsible for a wide range of the medicinal actions, they contain other medicinal properties, such as astringency, which adds nicely to make a well-rounded whole-plant medicine. So it is fine to include a bit of leaf and stem but the bulk of the harvest should be the flower clusters, ideally in the late-bud or early-flower stage.

Our beautiful Kaiya posing next to a tall patch of wild St. John’s Wort in July.

Medicine Making

A good quality finished St John’s Wort tincture should be a deep-dark blood-red colour. If well extracted, it should be so full of pigment that the extract is no longer transparent in the jar. To achieve this incredible colour, the plant must be tinctured fresh. The dried plant does not extract very well into alcohol. 

For the best extraction, high proof alcohol is needed. Ethanol anywhere above 75% will give you a very nice extract that includes all of the aromatic and resinous notes. Don’t bother using 40% vodka and ‘folking it’. 40% won’t pull out the complex range of constituents, not only will it be a weaker extract, the medicine just won’t be there. Once you get some experience your taste buds will tell you so.

The infused oil is best made with the fresh or wilted herb. Just like with the tincture, you won’t get a good extract, and that gorgeous blood-red colour, if you use dried herb. My preference is to use the wilted herb, this reduces the amount of water (from the plant juices) that is added to the oil. This improves the extraction of the herb into the oil, helps reduce the chance of spoilage from bacterial growth, and increases the shelf-life of the finished oil. 

The beautiful deep-crimson colour of our finished St. John’s Wort Oil.

I wilt the herb for about 3-5 days until a good portion of the moisture is gone from the plant but it hasn’t had a chance to become completely dry. At this stage I grind up the herb coarsely in a blender or food processor.  Oil is then poured over the herb in a glass jar. My preference is to use stable oils such as olive oil, or coconut oil.

The herb is best steeped in the oil with continuous gentle warmth for 5-7 days. When using the wilted or almost-dry herb the oil sometimes turns red instantly, or sometimes it takes a few days of warmth to fully come through. Be patient. About the time you’ve given up and thought that you’ve done it wrong, the oil will gradually turn that deep dark crimson red.

St. John’s Wort makes a wonderful tea, and contrary to the oil and alcohol extractions, the dried herb is fantastic for this purpose. The tops are easy to gather and dry for later use, and create a wonderful deep rose-red coloured infusion with a berry-like, and somewhat balsamic or resinous flavour. 

I love drinking St. John’s Wort tea through the winter months and always dry and store lots for this purpose. It is such a great ally for the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder (know to many herbalists and gardeners as ‘I miss the plants so much syndrome’). The dried herb should be used within a year and replaced each season with a fresh harvest.

St. John’s Wort infused honey is available as a special seasonal item in our shop, check for it in early August each season. Or see recipe at the end of the post to make your own :)

St. John’s Wort also extracts very well into honey! And lends its blood red colour wonderfully to the sweet menstruum. St. John’s Wort honey can be taken by the spoonful as a medicine, or used in your culinary delights. To learn how to make your own infused honey please see recipe at the end of this post.

St. John’s Wort in the garden

Grown in good garden soil the plants will grow to about 3ft high or so, where as in the wild they can often be as short as 1ft in very arid growing conditions. The plants aren’t fussy, but prefer at least a half day of sun and well-drained soil that does not become water-logged during our soggy winters on the coast. 

Tiny St. John’s wort seedlings.

St. John’s Wort slowly spreads to form a clump by the natural layering habit of its lower foliage. I does not spread very vigorously in this manner though, and will not become invasive in the garden unless is left to go to seed. As long as you are harvesting the flowers for medicine each season the plants will be prevented from seeding. Though very easy to manage in the garden, St. John’s Wort can become quite invasive if left to go to seed in farmers fields and other large cleared or disturbed areas.

Since the plants are slow to spread, to get a good patch going in the garden, you’ll want to plant many plants 6”-1ft apart to form a nice dense patch. Only the flowering tops are harvested, so I would recommend planting around a dozen plants to have enough for your personal supplies for the year, or more if you wish to share the medicine with others. 

St. John’s Wort seeds can be started through out the growing season, and are available in our shop here.

St. John’s Wort can be propagated from cuttings or Seed. The seeds may be fall-sown directly in place, or started in spring either directly in the garden or indoors in flats and then transplanted out. The seeds shouldn’t be buried, rather just lightly raked or pressed into the soil. The seedlings can sometimes take up to 4 or 5 weeks to sprout, and are very very tiny when they first emerge, but then grow rapidly to become plants often up to 1ft high in the first season. By the second growing season you will be able to begin harvesting your first flowers. 

A little copper-coloured beetle likes to live on St. John’s Wort and will defoliate the plants and eventually kill them in bad years. I’ve noticed that the beetles have become more plentiful and aggressive over the last few years. If you see the beetles it is best to collect them up and dispose of them.

A Chysolina beetle. These small copper-coloured beetles are very shiny and pretty but when they gather in numbers, they can do a lot of damage to your favourite St. John’s Wort patch.

These Chrysolina beetles (Chrysolina spp), also simply called St. John’s Wort beetles, were introduced to North America from Europe to control the spread of St. John’s Wort in livestock grazing fields. St. John's wort contains a chemical that causes grazing animals, especially cows, to become sensitive to sunlight resulting in skin irritation or sunburn.

There have also been a few cases of photosensitivity from St. John’s Wort ingestion in humans, but it is extremely rare. For individuals that are known to have conditions which make them hyper-sensitive to the sun, it is best to avoid taking large doses of St. John’s Wort before heading out under that great fiery orb.

A note on other species

There are over 500 species of Hypericum all of which may go by the common name ‘St. John’s Wort’. Not all species are medicinal. Many species are grown as ornamentals and there are different cultivars and hybrids created for this purpose. There is often some confusion regarding which is the medicinal species.

The ground cover known as Creeping St. John’s Wort (Hypericum calycinum) is decidedly not a medicine plant. This species is a very common and vigorous ground cover used in landscaping. It grows from about 6-12” high with very large showy yellow flowers that are 2-3 inches in diameter. Creeping St. John’s Wort does not contain the medicinal red pigment in its flower buds.

Creeping St. John’s Wort (Hypericum calycinum) is not used medicinally, and it not appear to have any medicinal value.

We have two species of Hypericum native to Vancouver Island and areas of the PNW. Western St. John’s Wort (Hypericum formosum) can be used interchangeably with H. perforatum. It is very similar in appearance to the latter except that this native species has more oval-shaped leaves and a smaller bushier habit. Western St. John’s Wort also lacks the translucent ‘perforations’ in the leaves. 

We offer seeds of Western St. John’s Wort in our shop here.

Western St. John’s Wort (H. formosa) at first glance looks pretty much the same as Common St. John’s Wort (H. perforatum). To tell them apart hold a leaf up to the sun. If it lacks the translucent dots you’ve found H. formosa. The two species may be used interchangeably for medical use.

The other native species in the area is Bog St. John’s Wort (Hypericum anagalloides). It is a very tiny plant, often only a few inches tall, with rounded leaves and single terminal flowers. It is pretty common in bogs, near wetlands, and wet ditches. I often find this species growing along lake sides on northern Vancouver Island. I am not sure if it is very medicinal. It is very tiny so would be difficult to harvest any significant quantity.

~

St. John’s Wort Infused Honey Recipe

1 part fresh St. John’s Wort flowering tops
5 parts raw unpasteurized honey

Fresh St. John’s Wort flowers infusing in honey. With a bit of warmth they will begin to turn the honey the a deep wine colour.

1) Collect the fresh herb and chop finely. (Note that the herb has to be fresh for this recipe, do not use wilted or dried).

2) Weigh your herb and place in a large metal or glass bowl.

3) Pour 5 parts raw raw unpasteurized honey over the herb in the bowl. (Add 500mls of honey for every 100grams of herb).

3) Place the bowl on a double boiler and gently warm off and on for a few days (try for 3 or 4 hrs each day). Be very careful to not over heat the honey past 60C to retain its raw properties. The water in the double boiler should be hot but not boiling.

4) Keep the lid off the honey mixture and stir several times a day while heating.

5) Once your S. John’s Wort honey is a deep red colour and no longer runny at room temperature it is time to strain it. While hot, pour the honey mixture through a wire mesh strainer and press out. Your infused honey is now ready to enjoy.

Exquisite Equisetum | A Horsetail Tale

We are into the first week of May here in the PNW and the comfort of Taurus season fills every sense in our bodies with the wonder of nature returned. A lush landscape of luminous green and sweetly scented blossoms has now met us with its comfort and beauty. Our native deciduous trees, the Garry Oaks, Big Leaf Maples, Red Alders, and Western Balsam Poplars have fully leafed out and their delicate new and tender green leaves are slowly taking on the mature sheen that will protect them through the summer.

All around us the birds sing their multi-faceted songs, build nests, and hatch their chicks. As orange-bodied Barn Swallows fly against the blue sky, Hummingbirds visit the Oak flowers, and the House Sparrows move between the suet feeder and their nest in my porch roof; the activity is almost dizzying. So much life, everywhere all at once. When I wake very early I can listen to the point where the night time song of the Pacific Chorus frog meets with the song of the birds calling in the dawn, the two overlapping like a multi-layered symphony.

With all this activity it is sometime hard to recall how long, and solid, the winter was and how closely we’ve left it behind. The landscape of only a few short weeks ago was one of bare branches, and the enduring quiet and slow of late winter/early spring. For how much I missed the plants, and I am glad for their return, there is still at part of me that seems to always long for the spaciousness and slowness of winter. There is one plant still in the forest that, for me, embodies that energetic slowness: Horsetail.

The sterile, or vegetative, shoots of Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia).

Horsetail (Equisetum sp) is a remnant of a time before humans, a time before flowers and birds. A time when everything was much slower, more primal; the vibration of the earth resonating deep and low. Horsetails, along with their cousins the ferns, were some of the first plants to evolve on land after the mosses and liverworts. In the time of the dinosaurs, before the trees, horsetail forests were dominant on earth and species towered to over a hundred feet high.

I often have the sense of time moving too fast in our modern world, and often that speed seems a product of the human mind rather something belonging to nature. Everything happens so fast these days, information is so easily exchanged as most of us are so plugged in to our phones and computers, available to this constant stream of input coming at us 24/7.

But we are nature, and nature has sped up too. Over billions of years of evolution we moved from the slowness of algae, mosses, ferns, and horsetails to the dynamic symbiosis of the conifers and the flowering plants communicating through scent, colour, and nectar; and the vast underground mycelial networks connecting, digesting, and recycling it all.

Horsetail has brought a lot of healing to my physical body, which I will discuss below, but this is also a kindred ally for my heart and spirit. When I spend time with this ancient plant I have a sense of time slowing down, a sense a spaciousness opens up before me. Horsetail plants resonate with a slower vibration, and bring a sense of solidity to my life, teaching me about adaptability and endurance through time. A medicine for the spirit in these rapidly changing times.

The fertile shoots of Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia). These aren’t collected for medicine making but instead the stems may be peeling and used as a wonderful spring vegetable (see below ‘Horsetail Eating’)

Horsetail Healing

Horsetail is one of those super well-adapted plants that is considered a weed by so many AND like so many so-called ‘weeds’ has valuable edible and medicinal uses. Horsetails are represented in modern times but one singular genus Equisetum, and here in the PNW we have several species of Horsetail which may be used interchangeably for food and medicine.

In this post I will be discussing the virtues of our native Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia) in particular, as this species has become my favourite. It can be distinguished from other Horsetail species by its thick juicy stalks. This plant has been such an ally in my life and has come in and offered profound help, sometimes when I wasn’t even asking for it or expecting it.

In the past Horsetail helped me to heal from arthritis that had accumulated in my hip. The arthritis stemmed from a lifetime of eating certain allergen foods which I had managed to identify through a series of elimination diets. Once I eliminated the foods my body healed rapidly but only up to a point. I had reached a healing plateau and my body needed a bit of herbal support to heal completely. After taking Horsetail daily for a week the difference was very noticeable, and after a couple months I was completely pain-free for the first time in decades.

Young Horsetail shoots contain the mineral silica in a form that is readily absorbable by our bodies. Silica is needed by the body to build collagen, which strengthens connective tissues such as fascia, cartilage and bones; as well as teeth, skin, and hair. Other herbs such as Cleavers, Nettle, and Alfalfa are also high in silica, but Horsetail is one of the highest silica-containing plants on earth with over 35% of the plant made up of the mineral.

Silica keeps our joints healthy and flexible and helps repair collagen-containing tissues after injury or chronic inflammation. Horsetail is very useful in the treatment of arthritis, join pain due to over work, and healing from sprains; but that isn’t where its healing power stops. Many of our internal organs also benefit as well. Silica helps to heal the lining of the gut, and keep the heart and arteries supple and strong as well. Horsetail extracts have also been shown to have an affinity for the lungs, helping to heal those delicate tissues and improve their function and capacity.

In the spring when my body is sore from farming I love to take Horsetail to keep my body strong and flexible and help it recover from all the hard labour on the farm. Last spring I received a surprise healing from Horsetail. Several months previously I had visited the dentist to get a tiny filling done on a tiny cavity. The experience was horrible, and left me with chronic tooth pain that was multitudes worse than anything I had felt from the original cavity.

I was terrified of the idea of going back to the dentist, so I decided to wait it out hoping it would heal itelf over time, and in the meantime I numbed the pain with Spilanthes tincture, aka ‘Toothache Plant’. Though the Spilanthes was extremely effective at treating the pain, without it I would still have flair-ups of sharp shooting pain in my tooth.

Spring rolled around and I began taking Horsetail infused honey in my tea every morning; my ritual to help keep my joints healthy. And to my surprise my tooth pain completely healed up. And stayed healed now for an entire year. Silica is a building block of teeth as well and because the teeth are connected to both blood and lymph, my body was able to heal with the support of the horsetail extract taken internally.

Another wonderful story of the power of Horsetail to heal the tissues of the body comes from the creation of our Heavenly Hair Rinse. Our Heavenly Hair Rinse was created several years ago out of a request from a customer at one of the farmer’s markets we were attending. The customer had been experiencing hair loss and inquired to see if we could make her something to apply to her hair to help it grow.

I put together a combination of infused vinegars for her which included Horsetail as one of the main ingredients. The customer began using the hair rinse several times a week for the coming months. We saw her about three months later and to our delight (and surprise!) her hair had indeed grown back very thick and full; the results quite exceed any expectations we had!

The appearance of the customers hair was so remarkable that people in the community noticed and began contacting us to see if they could also purchase the hair rinse. As such our Heavenly Hair Rinse was born. I also use it regularly and love the way it leaves my hair so soft and shiny. Our latest batch has the addition of Roman Chamomile hydrosol, distilled with our own farm-grown flowers, the fragrance of which is medicine in an of itself.

Applying the Horsetail infused vinegar, or a strong Horsetail tea, directly to the skin can nourish it with silica, help prevent wrinkles, and other signs of aging. It makes the skin so smooth, supple, and radiant! Horsetail tea, let cooled to room temp, is also wonderful for healing sunburn. Horsetail is a main ingredient in our Skin Sav-r Facial Toner, along with Rose petals, Calendula, and Arbutus.

We have Horsetail Infused Vinegar available in the shop that can be taken internally or applied topically. It is also in our Spring Tonic Vinegar, a vitamin and mineral rich herbal vinegar infusion. Use as a spring tonic to gently cleanse and nourish the body, improve digestion and metabolism.

Like our friend Nettle, mentioned in our previous post, Horsetail also contains quercetin, a natural anti-inflammatory that can ease inflammation during allergic reactions. Horsetail is also wonderful for improving bladder health; it can reduce the frequency of bladder infections, and helps to flush uric acid from the body. Horsetail may improve bladder incontinence and is a traditional European folk remedy for bed wetting in children. It also acts as an alterative to promote general detoxification of the body.

Horsetail Eating

The new spring shoots of both the fertile and vegetative shoots of Giant Horsetail can be eaten as a spring vegetable, though the fertile shoots are preferred by many as they are more tender. To prepare the stems of either for eating, the fibrous leaf sheath must be peeled way from each node or joint. (Also note the ‘doctrine of signatures’ correspondence here: a strong jointed plant that is good for strengthening our joints). When eating the fertile shoots, make sure to discard the enlarged top portion, or strobile, as this will taste very astringent and unpleasant.

The leaf sheaths of Giant Horsetail are very fibrous and easily peeled away to reveal the tender stalks within.

A vegetative shoot of Giant Horsetail peeled and ready to eat. The upper portion of the stem is the most tender part.

Horsetail can be snacked on raw, added to salads, or sautéed lightly and eaten as a side dish. The new shoots can be fermented or pickled as well. Aside from silica, Horsetail is also high in potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and zinc; as well as folate, vitamin A, C, and several B vitamins.

Horsetail Harvesting & Medicine Making

To find Horsetail growing in the wild, look for low lying wet areas, along creeks and stream sides, and moist ditches. It is commonly found growing alongside Western Skunk Cabbage, Lady Fern, and Red Alder. Here on Vancouver Island the new shoots of Giant Horsetail may be ready to harvest as early as mid-March when they start to send up a tall fleshy stalk. The harvest season usually lasts until late April. This year we had a very late spring and now into the second week of May, have at least a couple weeks of the season left.

Horsetail is best harvested in early spring. During the early stages of growth the Horsetail plants have soluble silica flowing in the stems. The stalks can be harvested anytime before the leaves reach a 45 degree angle off the stalk, after this time the silica in the plant becomes less bio-available. It is best to not use older plants for internal use as they can contain mineral crystals that can be irritating to the kidneys.

The new spring shoots of Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia) harvested at the perfect stage for juicing, use in teas, infused vinegar, infused honey, and tinctures.

The fresh plant is generally considered a more potent medicine compared to the dried plant. Giant Horsetail does not dry well in our damp climate due to the high volume of moisture in the stems, so a dehydrator is recommended. The dried plant keeps for about three months before loosing its colour, but should maintain its mineral content and be useable for that purpose for up to a year, but will rapidly loose its anti-inflammatory compounds after drying.

The fresh juice of the plants, as well as the tea, infused apple cider vinegar, and infused honey preparations each contain large amounts of the healing silica mineral and are each wonderful for repairing tissues. The tincture contains more of the anti-inflammatory compounds is wonderful for allergies, as a bladder tonic, and alterative.

Fresh Horsetail Tea Recipe

1) Collect the fresh Horsetail shoots and chop finely.
2) Place chopped herb in a vessel and pour boiling water over top to just cover the herb.
3) Let steep 4 hours to overnight to fully extract the wonderful healing minerals and constituents.
4) Stain. Drink cold, or re-heat and enjoy warm.

Take 1-3 cups of this strong infusion daily for a minimum of 1-2 weeks to get the most out of the healing benefits.

A Guide to Seeding in Fall | Nature's planting time

As summer winds down here on Vancouver Island, in the Pacific Northwest of Canada, the plants are in the process of ripening seeds and releasing them to the care of mother nature and the elements. With the fall rains the seeds will be activated, many will germinate on the spot, the tiny seedlings waiting patiently for the gentle warmth of spring to coax them into further growth. Others will need several months of moist and cool weather to finally unlock them from dormancy.

Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) and Elecampane (Inula helenium) going to seed in the September garden.

Nature’s time to plant

Most of us think of spring as the prime time to start seeds, and for some varieties, such as tender veggies or non-native plants, this is true. But for the vast majority of plants native to our region, or regions with similar climates, fall can be the best time to plant. Sowing seeds in fall not only gives the plants a huge head start for the next growing season, it is also when Mother Nature plants her seeds.

In fall it is the end of the growing season for a plant, when flowers have faded and developed viable seeds within their ovules. If you follow a plant through the growing season you’ll find they emerge with lush green growth in early spring, and as the weather warms the plants slow their leaf growth and put their energy into making flowers. By late summer and fall, many herbaceous plants have ceased growing and often begin to dye back, with their seeds dry and mature on dry flower stalks.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) flower stalks with ripened seeds in early August.

These seeds of late summer and fall simply drop to the earth; or are released by the plant into the wind, carried on the fur or in the tummies of local fauna to new locations. Once on the soil, the fall rains moisten them and help to nestle them down into the soil. Through the dormant season into early spring, tiny seedlings will begin to emerge and grow, long before we are able to get into the garden and work the soil.

When you sow seeds in fall, you are leaving the tending up to mother nature. Letting the natural rhythms of nature to have control over when the seeds germinate. Working with this natural rhythm not only removes the effort on our part, but also produces stronger and more adaptable seedlings. Fall seeding results in earlier germination and healthier plants that will be much more drought tolerant and suited to your local climate.

Spring planted seedlings often take some time to get going, and if started indoors may suffer a period of transplant shock when introduced to the elements. Seeds germinated in ideal conditions on the windowsill or greenhouse in spring will have been sheltered from the natural growing conditions of your garden micro-climate such as wind, rain, direct sunlight, or dry, moist, or salt air that may be unique to your area.

The pampered seedlings will be much more vulnerable to stress once introduced to natural conditions, and this may cause a shock to the seedlings which delays or interrupts growth. This is why ‘hardening-off’, or the gradual introduction to the elements, is so important for transplants. Plants seeded outdoors in fall never have to go through this process of indoor-to-outdoor transplant shock or hardening-off.

Fall sown Echinacea (E. purpurea) seedlings emerging in April.

Fall sown seeds germinate when the conditions are right for them outside and they are exposed to the harsher elements of nature from the start, which results in resilient and adaptable plants. These seedlings will grow into strong plants that will be much more adaptable to variable climate, soil, drought conditions, and other seasonal changes.

Seed stratification

Fall is often the easier ~ and more natural ~ time to sow seeds, and for seed varieties needing stratification it is the essential time to plant. Many plants, native to cooler, or temperate climates such as ours in the PNW, need a cold moist period to break dormancy ~ this process if called seed stratification. The stratification period can enhance or unlock the germination potential of many plants. It also protects the plants from germinating too early before the conditions are right for growth in spring time.

It is sometimes possible to mimic the stratification period by refrigerating or freezing pre-moistened seeds for a period of time, but it is much easier and often more successful to simply sow the seeds outdoors and allow nature to do the work. Come spring, seeds that you may have had difficulty germinating in the past will appear above ground as vibrant and sturdy little seedlings as if by magic, guided by the energy of nature.

The ripe seed heads of Wild Carrot (Daucus carrota) and Western Dock (Rumex occidentalis) bent over with the weight of winter frosts.

Seed varieties that need a cold-moist stratification period to break dormancy, and need to be sown in the fall include Agrimony, Ambrosia, Douglas Aster, Meadow Arnica, Balsam Root, Western Buttercup, Narrowleaf Echinacea, Elderberry, Fireweed, Goldenrod, Black Hawthorn, Lomatium, Lobelia, Nodding Onion, Oregon Grape, Stinging Nettle, Pearly Everlasting, Wild Rose, Salal, Blue Vervain, and Wood Betony.

Many other seed varieties aren’t reliant on stratification for germination, but will still benefit greatly from fall sowing. For a complete list of our seed varieties that may be sown in fall here in the PNW please view our Seed Sowing Guide.

Fall seeds for your climate

Choosing which seed varieties can be planted in fall in your region will depend on many factors such as winter hardiness. The seeds will need to be hardy enough to overwinter in your area without damage. Seeds that are native to exotic or warmer climates may not overwinter very easily depending on your region. Examples of seeds that do not overwinter well here in the PNW include Ashwagandha, Basil, Wild Dagga, Dreamroot, Henbane, Sweet Marjoram, Yellow Lavender, Spilanthes, and Virginia Tobacco.

Sometimes the seeds of these more tender varieties will managed to survive our winters, but since they need warmer soil temps to germinate, they will often emerge much too late in the season to take advantage of our short growing season. These late germinators will often bolt (prematurely flower and go to seed) before they have had a chance to put on much green growth. It is recommended to extend the growing season for these varieties by starting them indoors in early spring.

To get an idea of what varieties may do well in your area, start by looking up your hardiness zone. Zones for each seed variety we offer are listed in the seed profiles on our website. Keep in mind that the term ‘hardiness’ only applies to minimum temperatures. It doesn’t take into consideration how moist or dry your climate may be or nuances of air quality, sun exposure, or soil type. As such, it is worthwhile trying out varieties that may be in a zone out of the ranges listed on the hardiness maps.

Canada Hardiness Zones Map

USA Hardiness Zones Map

Fall seeding is not just for perennials. Many annuals and biennials can also be seeded in fall in our climate. Pictured here is an overwintering Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) a biennial.

Timing for fall seed sowing

The timing of your fall seeding will vary from year to year depending on how the season chooses to express itself in any given year. Fall can be a very variable time of year here in the PNW, sometimes we have warm dry and sunny days over 20C well into late October, and other years the fall rains can come as early as the first week of September.

The best time to sow seeds in fall is when the warm and dry weather is securely behind us and we’ve settled comfortably into the cool moist days of fall or early winter. Anytime between mid-October and late-November is an ideal time to sow fall seeds here in the PNW. It is totally fine to plant after frosts, but best to get your seeds out there before it snows.

To get the timing right in your particular region, it helps to get a feel for your local climate through routine observation. A nice ritual is to take a walk around your garden each morning and observe to subtle changes from day to day. Is nature winding down for the season? Are the mornings growing more moist and cool? Walking barefoot each morning can be useful to sync your body up with the subtle changes of the season, and give you an indicator of trending changes in soil temperature.

Sowing outdoors directly in the garden and in containers

There are two options for fall seeding ~ direct seeding or seeding in containers. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Which method is best will depend on conditions in your region such as winter precipitation, soil quality, and potential competition by weeds and other plants.

If your winters tend to be very wet with higher levels of precipitation, soil drainage will be a consideration when choosing where to plant your seeds in fall. If direct seeding in the garden consider how well the soil drains in that particular area. If soil becomes flooded or boggy in winter, this may cause your seeds to rot before they can sprout. To remedy poor drainage conditions, consider adding an additional layer of compost to improve drainage, or creating raised beds.

Make sure any containers you use to plant your seeds in have drainage holes at the bottom. Keep in mind that clay soil likes to hold on to moisture and can also crust over, making it difficult for the delicate seedlings to break though the soil surface. Instead of using heavy garden soil in your pots, use a mixture of potting mix and mature compost.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) fall-seeded into 4” pots.

Aside from improving drainage issues, another advantage of seeding in containers is the reduction of competition of from other plants and seedlings that may be in your garden soil. If direct seeding, you’ll need to clear out a bare patch of garden to make room to plant your fall seeds. Make sure to not disturb the soil too much in this process, just gently tease out any unwanted weeds and loosen the top couple inches of soil in preparation for seeding.

Soil should never be tilled or turned under, doing so destroys the natural soil structure and vibrant ecosystem of microorganisms that live in the soil. The undisturbed natural soil structure keeps the diverse life that lives in the soil ~ earthworms, beetles, beneficial bacteria, fungi ~ happy. This soil life is responsible for aiding with plant communication and keeping nutrients cycling and available on a continuous basis.


Mulching in fall

Healthy soil is built in nature from the top down; from the decomposition of organic matter provided by fallen leaves and herbaceous plants that have died-back for the winter. A balanced woodland ecosystem is naturally self-mulching. Leaves from deciduous trees drift to the earth and blanket the forest floor at the end of each growing season.

Mimicking this natural mulching process in your garden is one of the simplest ways to build soil that is loose and well-drained, rich in nutrients, and supports a healthy ecosystem of microorganisms to help feed and care for your garden plants.

After sowing seeds in fall, either directly in the garden or in pots, it is beneficial to apply a 1-2 inch layer of mulch. The mulch will help to insulate the soil, and stabilize soil temperatures against fluctuations of freezing and thawing that may interfere with germination.

If you live in an area that supports a range of wild foraging fauna ~ such a stellar jays, magpies, squirrels, or chipmunks ~ you may need to put a barrier up to protect your carefully sown fall seeds. A simple way to protect against fall foraging of seeds by wildlife is to lay a sheet of cardboard over your freshly seeded pots or garden area. The cardboard should be removed in early spring well before the seeds begin to emerge.

For general tips on seed starting please also view our previous blog post Starting from Seed | A Beginners Guide.

Yarrow | Fanning the Flame Within

On this chilly June morning, here in coastal BC, I find myself drawn, as I often am, to the seaside. I am captivated by the sound of tidal symphony rolling back and forth in the pull of the waning moon. I take in the alluring aromas, feeling my breath deepen and chest open to the exhale of the ocean’s salty breath.

As I walk along the driftwood laden beach, the winds whisper of anticipation, as the sky ushers in a looming storm. I decide to find a seat, to watch. I stop to rest in the grassy meadow spanning along the shoreline.

Here, I sit. I close my eyes. At first, I can feel the emotions bubbling up, sitting in the stillness with the discomfort and heaviness of the times. I open my chest wider, with a full and deep inhale, exhaling audibly with the ocean’s vast encouragement. I continue consciously breathing as I begin to feel my energy shift, as my heart attunes to the vital pulse of the earth. 

Wispy greetings from a friend, gently tickle my arm lovingly. My eyes gently open to the joyful wave of feathery Yarrow, blossoming so vibrantly near me.

The ocean’s sparkling movement is echoed by this playful spirit, and likewise as my vision widens I see two elegant Herons playing gracefully in the fervent ocean wind. My mouth widens purely into smile, witness to such lightness.

Wow, I think to myself, the Heron always seems so serene, sturdy and resolute, yet here in this moment I get to witness such joyfulness and beauty. 

Yarrow, also watching, queries: “What if you could be so light to jump as Heron does into unpredictable wind freely, trusting you would be able to land again?”

Hummmmmm….I pause… listen.

I continue sitting silently with Yarrow for some time and slowly I start to feel a spaciousness envelop my chest. The grief I arrived with now feels lifted, and gratitude has settled in its place. The heaviness has shifted. I am at peace.

As I breath deeply once more I feel the profound medicine in my body and know it as the fan of my ally Yarrow’s fierce love, coaxing from the depths of my being, a fire of embodied resilience. 

~

The profound medicine of Yarrow ( Achillea millefolium) has long been revered and respected, considered a plant richly endowed with spiritual magic, thus preserved in temples and tombs from the Isle of Man to Fertile crescent of Ancient Mesopotamia.

It is said the common name ‘yarrow’ can be traced back to hieros, latin for sacred; because of the plant’s association with protection, ceremony and healing.

Yarrow’s medicine is truly timeless, found all over the world in early Neanderthal burial sites, ancient Egyptian tombs, manuscripts from Imperial China, and mentioned in various texts from Greek Antiquity. Clearly the ancients knew the abundance of yarrow first hand, as it has accumulated a magnificent healing reputation carried forth through history by oral tradition, myth and magic. 

The genus name Achillea, derives from the Greek story of the warrior Achilles, (written about in The Iliad), who used Yarrow to staunch the wounds of his soldiers on the battlefields of the Trojan war.

As the legend goes, some say Achilles was dipped in a pot of yarrow tea as a baby, held by his heal, giving him an invulnerable armour; except of course for his heal, where he was morality wounded by an arrow. It is said that Achilles became aware of yarrow’s gifts while under the tutelage of his mentor Chiron. We often refer to Chiron as “the wounded healer” and thus Yarrow has earned a relationship with this archetype as well. 

Yarrow’s species name millefolium  means “thousand-leaved” and is indicative the finely-divided foliage that is distinctively feathery. Yarrow has also earned a number of folk names such as Millefoil, Soldier’s Woundwort, Thousand Weed, Nose Bleed, Carpenter’s weed and Staunchweed.

Here on Vancouver Island, we can start to see this PNW native wildflower budding up in late May. Though June’s naturally mercurial weather patterns waiver with certain unpredictability, Yarrow seems to show up sturdy and beautiful regardless of the weather.

Likewise, Yarrow doesn’t seem particularly picky on where it likes to be. It can be found growing in the harshest of conditions, thriving in extreme places with very little water or soil. Yarrow is often considered a ‘weed’, and treated as so, though it is in fact indigenous all over the Northern Hemisphere. Yarrow is also an important early summer ally for our pollinators!

Around the beginning of June, Yarrow really begins to shine, as its delicate white, and sometimes pink-blushing, blossoms begin to dance across the landscape. Yarrow can be found in full sun or shade, sprawling along beaches, in open meadows, lawns, fields, pastures, roadsides throughout June and July. The medicine of Yarrow is most fragrant and potent when the plant is growing in full sun.

One of the easiest herbs to grow from seed, Yarrow can be sown in spring or fall. Once established the plants spread gracefully by lateral rhizomes often forming dense, abundant patches that return to bloom prolifically year after year.

Yarrow’s medicinal affinities are vast, with long histories of use to support the digestive system, reproductive system, urinary system, as well as the circulatory system. In my herbal practice, Yarrow is a chef ally. I have seen profound healing first-hand within each of these organ systems. 

Yarrow can be an extremely powerful ally for severe colds and flus, especially where heat (fever) is trapped in the body and the mechanisms of cooling obstructed. Yarrow’s diaphoretic action helps to open the pores, move the blood and increase detoxification by releasing excessive heat and toxins though the sweat. The flowers are most potent in their diaphoretic properties. 

Fantastically supportive for the digestive system, Yarrow’s bitter taste stimulates stomach secretions and pancreatic juices and increases the production and flow of bile. This action aids in the absorption of nutrients, assimilation of food and helps relieve stagnancy in the liver.

Yarrow’s carminative and antispasmodic actions help to soothe cramps and digestive tension, such as gas, bloating, colic, or nervous digestion. In addition, the astringency of Yarrow helps tone the digestive tract while the antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties can help heal up and bring down any laceration or infection such as leaky gut, gastritis, or enteritis. 

We have fresh Yarrow Tincture available in 50ml-500ml sizes.

Yarrow also has a beautiful affinity to the urinary system. Through its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent and diuretic actions, Yarrow is often the perfectly balanced medicine for cystitis (inflammation of the bladder) and urinary tract infections.

Through its diuretic action, it promotes urine production and flow, helping to improve kidney function. Our Bladder Benefit Tincture Blend combines Yarrow with Arbutus (A. menziesii), St. John’s Wort (H. perforatum), Goldenrod (S. lepida), & Horsetail (E. telmateia) offering a synergistic team of herbs to clear infection in the urinary system, and strengthen and tonify the urinary tract. 

A very supportive herb for the menstrual cycle, Yarrow can ease cramps, heavy bleeding, or very scanty menstruation (amenorrhea). Yarrow has a balancing effect on the menses; it can reduce bleeding in one body and increase flow in another. In this way Yarrow is a great harmonizer and uterine tonic.

Yarrow’s nervine action also supports to calm PMS symptoms. Our Moon Mender Tincture Blend, combines Yarrow with Crampbark (Vibernum spp), Motherwort (L. cardiaca), Holy Basil (O. sanctum), and Ginger (Z. officinale) to offer amazing moontime support.

Yarrow may also be used externally in pelvic steams or as a sitz bath for painful cramping during menstruation or after birth to heal tissues and stop bleeding.

For me, one of Yarrow’s most profound effects can be felt as a tender and strong heart herb, both through its physiological medicine and as an energetic medicine to lift heaviness from the heart. Yarrow helps to tone and improve function of the blood vessels, supporting the body in regulating blood pressure.

Our Heart Harmony Tincture Blend is a wonderful tonic of Hawthorn (Crataegus spp), Linden blossom (Tilia spp), Motherwort (L. cardiaca), Rose (Rosa spp) with Yarrow to support healthy heart function. This blend is also magnificent at supporting the mind, body and spirt to come into aliment, allowing the body to remain grounded while moving through grief.

Yarrow in particular calls us to face the hard truths and shadows; and rise to meet them with an integral spirit. Yarrow seems to extend an invitation to celebrate and find peace and wholeness with who and where we are, presently.  Yarrow leads by example solidifying strength and determination in the self, enhancing its ability to remain content and express such contentment. 

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” - Kahlil Gibran

Lastly, one of Yarrows most renown and timeless properties is as an astounding styptic (to stop bleeding) and antiseptic wound healer. The leaf may be chewed and applied as a poultice to any laceration, scrape, or bloody nose bleed. In my experience Yarrow almost seems to work better the deeper the wound is or the more freely blood seems to be flowing.

Yarrow contains anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and anti-microbial oils, as well as astringent tannins and resins. With this medicine chest of virtues, it possesses profound wound healing ability. Yarrow staunches acute bleeding rapidly, by promoting coagulation while also astringing the wound and encouraging the edges to come together; ALL while preventing infection and excessive inflammation (swelling) through its stimulating circulatory action.

As the blood from the injured tissues is kept moving and dispersed to the periphery taking the burden off the wound, fresh blood rich in clotting factors is returned to the wound to promote speedy healing. By decongesting the blood, yarrow also acts to cool and sedate, providing incredible pain relief as well. Yarrow also contains the mineral silica which aids the body in repairing those damaged tissues, minimizing scars. 

We have both Yarrow Infused Oil and Yarrow Salve available in the shop.

Yarrow is the ultimate herb to have on hand for emergencies and in your herbal first-aid kit as a one-stop heal-all medicine chest for acute injury. Making a poultice or compress with the fresh or dried herb is the best way to treat acute injury. One preparation I always have with me, regardless of the season is Yarrow wound powder (see recipe at end).

~

Yarrow dances, stretches out and wavers in the wind, with pure delight. Just looking at the plant makes me want to throw out my own arms and say “yessss! Whoohoooo!” Yarrow's spirit reminds us to celebrate how far we’ve come along our journeys, without denying how far we still have to go. Gifting ourselves the chance to celebrate little victories offers the spaciousness to replenish and move forward with renewed conviction and stamina.

Life is a culmination of small moments, and Yarrow asks us to be present with the joy that resides in those moments. The more willing we are to be honest and content with the now, the more we can put forward love instead of judgement. Yarrow shows us that despite our experiences, woundings, and traumas, we are all able to transform our hardships into medicine for ourselves and for our communities. Pain is an invitation to extend more love, compassion, and gentleness towards oneself and intern hold that space more profoundly for others.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson

Now,  I am brought back to the breath once more, as Yarrow asks what if you could trust life like you trust your breath? What if you could take in the nourishment of the moment and then let it go, trusting that more will come?

This is Yarrow’s innate spirit, just as the Heron’s innate wisdom guides it to trust when to be still and wait and when to take flight and soar, we too can trust the light of nature within. It takes courage and presence to do so, to transmute heaviness into spaciousness, so our bodies become more alive, our minds more clear and our hearts more compassionate. 

Let us all be guided by yarrow’s wisdom inviting us to let go and pack lightly for our journey in this life, all while caring deeply; enjoying fully.  The flame of resilience is ablaze in our hearts, fuelled by the grace of gratitude and fanned by our fierce and feathery friend. 

~

Yarrow Wound Powder Recipe

This multi-purpose wound powder is made with the dried leaves and flowers of Yarrow. It is helpful to relieve pain, stop bleeding, and prevent infection.

Start with fresh Yarrow, if possible, then lay out to dry for a week. Air dying on a drying rack works best, rather than drying with a dehydrator, as this will preserve the aromatics much better. Once the yarrow is dry, the leaves and flowers may be stripped off the stalks, and the stalks discarded. Using a blender or herb specific coffee grinder, grind the herb into a powder. To produce the finest powder, sift through a fine-mesh sieve.

To apply to a wound, you may take a small pinch of the powder pour it directly into the bleeding wound, or you may wish to add your own saliva or water and pack it onto the wound. This application would also be helpful for nose bleeds. 

Yarrow wound powder will keep it properties for up to one year if stored in an air tight container and kept out of the light.

Spring Tonics | 5 spring herbs for cleansing & revitalization

Over the last two weeks our landscape has been completely transformed, with the quiet expectancy of the dormant leaf buds have now unfurled into an active orchestra played in tender shades of green. The newly birthed leaves of the Balsam Poplars, streaked with copper-coloured resins, having now begun to shimmer and dance in the wind ushering in the comforts of the warm season ahead.

The Western Bleeding Hearts, Trilliums, and Fawn Lilies carpet the forest floor with their gentle pale pink and white blossoms. The new leaves of Vanillia Leaf stand facing outward like a little gathering of sentinels on alert. The leaves like a tiny three-paddled windmill standing strong for spring, then soon relaxing into upright canopies with which to better soak up the warm sugar-giving sunlight of spring.

Spring arrived slow this year on Vancouver Island. All the way into mid-April it was as if all the activity of nature was on pause. Night time temps still frosty, and chilly days still windy and cold. Then suddenly, almost overnight, the cold block moved and life was in a buzz to catch up. The plants responded quickly to the new warmth of the sun with an enthusiastic explosion of growth.

And with this brand new luscious growth of spring, the very first spring-harvest herbs have arrived! In this post I share about five of my favourite spring healing herbs that can be found wild and weedy in the forest, field or garden ~ Chickweed, Dandelion, Nettle, Cleavers & Horsetail ~ and how to prepare them into a nutrient dense herbal vinegar.

These special spring herbs, each both a food and a medicine, offer the perfect support to cleanse and revitalize us at the time in the season when we need it most. Each herb has their own unique method of action, or as I like to think of it its ‘superpower’, to help us to eliminate the stagnant winter residues and fortify us for the active warm season ahead.

Breaking dormancy

It is natural to feel sluggish coming out of winter, and during the seasonal transition to springtime there are many common imbalances that often pop up. Like any seasonal change, it can be a time of irritability and instability. Spring can be experienced as a seesaw of emotion, with bursts of joy and outward enthusiasm followed by periods of needed retreat and inward withdraw, and the lingering desire to hold on to the restorative tendrils of a restful winter.

A dormant plant without leaves has no means of making sugar and new fuel for its activities. Instead it must push forth from the deepest winter slumber drawing entirely upon inward reserves stored in the roots and stems. Once the plants push out their first spring leaves they can begin to be supported by the nourishment from the sun and the elements of nature. But the first push is a leap of faith and one that they need to do all on their own.

For the plants to movement from dormancy to active growth is a huge test of will, inner strength, and resiliency. And so it is for us, also of the earth and intrinsically embedded in its natural rhythms, we too can struggle with that first push to brake dormancy and move into an inspiring new season of active growth and energetic movement.

Common imbalances of spring ~ such as lethargy, allergies, eczema, liver and digestive issues ~ all may relate to the accumulations that can happen over the dormant winter season. In winter we tend to be less active in mind and body, and this restful period that is so needed for restoration, when in excess, can manifest in sluggishness in our tissues and impair our natural detoxification processes.

Luckily for us there are many fresh spring herbs that help us with the process of breaking dormancy, helping to revitalize and invigorate our bodies. These herbs appear just at the moment we need them, soaking our cells in fresh vitamins and minerals, opening the channels of elimination, enhancing metabolism and increasing vitality.

5 Spring herbs for cleansing & revitalization

1. Chickweed

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a self-seeding annual that grows as a wild weed in gardens and shady lawn edges across the continent and beyond. It is a small plant growing to only 6” or so high, then sprawling into mounds about 1ft wide. Many plants together will create a thick mat of weeds. The small, pointy, egg-shaped leaves are opposite each other along the tender stems which display a line of tiny hairs running along the length of of one side.

This line of hairs running up the stems is a sure way to identify this species. Another key identifying feature of Chickweed is the tiny white flowers. At first glance the flowers may appear to have many petals, but looking closely you will see that there are actually only five true petals with each divided almost in two, giving the appearance of ten.

The above ground parts of Chickweed are tender and succulent and commonly used in the kitchen as a fresh salad green. The flavour is best described as ‘green’ with just a tiny hint of sweetness. The plant is packed with essential nutrients like Vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, beta-carotene, niacin, selenium, magnesium, zinc and copper. All in a form which is very bioavailable and easily utilized by the body.

In addition to being incredibly dense in nutrients which feed our cells and fuel so many activities needed for the maintenance of health and vitality; Chickweed’s superpower is that it acts on the cellular level to increase metabolism. The herb increases the permeability of cells to the absorption of nutrients, and the removal of metabolic wastes.

This action can be very supportive for helping to eliminate any excess weight or accumulation of toxins in the tissues that can often occur over the winter months. Chickweeds special cleansing action can help clear up allergies and skin issues; it can also support the body in dissolving masses, such as tumours and cysts. Chickweed has shown a special affinity with reproductive health and when taken regularly may help with ovarian cysts.

Both the fresh plant tincture of Chickweed, and the infused vinegar are wonderful ways to get the nutritive and medicinal properties of the herb. Chickweed is an ingredient in our Divine Detox Tincture blend, as well as our Serene Skin Tincture. A salve may also be made which is incredibly soothing to skin irritations and can be helpful for rashes, eczema, and psoriasis.

If you are lucky enough to discover Chickweed volunteering in your garden, it is a sign indicating that your soil is fertile and loamy. Preferring the cool temperatures and ample moisture of early spring, Chickweed is often ready to harvest by early April in the PNW. If kept moist, the plants will keep producing up until the warmer weather of late may or early June arrives, at which time the plants will turn yellow and straw like, no longer useable for medicine, but full of ripened seeds which can be left to self-sow for next years crop.

Successive crops of Chickweed may also be started from seed through out the spring and summer. As long as they are given nice loose, fertile soil, shade from the hot sun and plenty of water. These fast growing annuals are incredibly easy to grow from seed, and as long as you let them go to seed, they will return year after year. We have Chickweed seeds available for growing in our shop here.

2. Dandelion

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) the much loved and loathed weed of lawns and pastures a plenty, is most easily identified by its deeply-toothed basal leaves, sunny golden multi-petalled flowers, and hollow stems that ooze a white sap when broken.

The entire Dandelion plant has edible, and has many virtues. As a spring green it is one of the most sought after. In fact, it is commonly grown on farms for this purpose and sold in produce sections across the planet. Though many battle with Dandelion in their own yards, why fight to eradicate this incredible superfood that grows for free right under your nose?

Spring Dandelion leaves are one of the first fresh greens available in spring. They can be eaten fresh or cooked and are incredibly jam-packed with nutrients. I like to add them in with braising greens like kale and spinach as a side dish. A little goes a long way with these bitter greens incredibly rich in minerals like iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, folate, and manganese; and Vitamins C, A, E, K, and B6.

Spring harvested Dandelion greens are tender and only mildly bitter, and lightly cooking them nearly eliminates the bitterness. As the season progresses, the leaves concentrate more and more bitterness. Though the majority of us modern humans have become unaccustomed to the bitter taste; it can actually be really good for you if you have slow digestion. Eating bitter greens before a meal was commonly practiced in many traditional diets to stimulate and prime digestion before ingesting heavier foods.

Aside from its bitterness, I’d have to say its action on the kidneys is Dandelions most pronounced superpower. One of the strongest diuretics in the Western Materia Medica, Dandelion leaf aids to powerfully flush out toxins through increasing kidney activity and the production of urine; while at the same time replenishing minerals, especially potassium, that may be lost through this action.

I’ve written much more on this beloved herb, including how to use the entire plant in the kitchen, medicinal uses, growing tips (yes we do sell the seeds!) and more in my blog Dandelion | Rooted Resiliency. Please check it out to learn more.

3. Cleavers

Cleavers (Galium aparine) is both a native plant and a weed, found both in forests and in gardens. It is a bristly plant with whorled leaves and slender sprawling stems that trail along the ground or up and over whatever will support them such as walls, fences, and other plants. Though not technically a vine, Cleaves attaches itself to whatever it comes in contact with the small barbed hairs that grow all over its stems and leaves.

The plants are best for fresh eating while they are young and before they become too bristly. They can be harvested for medicine up until late spring when they open many tiny white star-like flowers. The flowers slowly mature and ripen into small green nut-like seeds which stick to pant legs and the fur of animals passing by.

Young Cleavers shoots have a lovely flavour and can be added to salads, smoothies, or added to dishes as a cooked green. Cleavers is wonderfully cleansing and nutritive, full of useful minerals and vitamins such as silica, Vitamin C and many flavonoids.

Like Chickweed, Cleavers has a detoxifying action that can be useful for dissolving masses such as cysts and tumours in the body; more specifically it is known to aid in dissolving kidney stones. It is also a diuretic and makes a great bladder tonic.

Though this herb is just a fantastic all around alterative and blood cleanser, I like to think of Cleavers superpower as its ability to cleanse the lymph. I like to think of its bristly brush-like form as I imagine its constituents sweeping through the lymph system and helping brush it clean, helping to restore healthy lymph flow. Indicated for moist hot conditions with swollen glands, Cleavers can be a great aid to support the body after infection, improve immune health, clear up skin conditions, and reduce allergies.

Cleavers is an annual herb that is easy to grow in the garden and will self-seed and return year after year. We have fresh-plant tincture of Cleavers available in our online store, plus Cleavers is an ingredient in our Devine Detox Tincture blend. Seeds can be found here (we will have more in stock this fall).

4. NETTLE

Stinging Nettle (Uritica dioica) can be found growing throughout our mixed Alder and Poplar forests here on the West Coast. Look for deep green shoots, with finely-toothed heart-shaped leaves that appear opposite each other, and alternating up the stalk. The stem and undersides of the leaves are covered in fine stinging hairs which can be seen to the naked eye.

The new green shoots of Nettle can be harvested as soon as they are 4-6” high up until they begin to flower. The tender new shoots are ideal for culinary use, as the texture is most succulent at this time and the flavour is most sweet and earthy.

The new shoots also contain the highest percentage of bio-available minerals. Nettles are a true superfood, high in protein ~ 25% of their dried weight! ~ and chock full of minerals and vitamins, specifically iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A, C and K, as well as several B vitamins.

Adaptogen, diuretic, and anti-inflammatory, Nettle fortifies us, gives us endurance, and clears the excess dampness and stagnation from the body that often accumulates during the winter months. There is nothing I look forward to more than eating the first spring Nettles, and I would say the energy and feeling of vitality they bestow to the body and spirit is this herbs greatest superpower.

Also a great aid for seasonal allergies, Nettle is one of the main herbs in our Allergy Easer Tincture blend and honey. We also have a fresh batch of Nettle Tincture available in the shop here. And are stocked up with Nettle seeds for growing in your home garden.

Read more about this abundant spring superfood in my blog post Ringing (…or Stinging) in the Spring with Nettle.

5. Horsetail

Horsetail (Equisiteum spp) is an ancient plant native throughout planet earth. Long before the flowering plants and multitude of animal diversity, Horsetail forests dominated and towered over prehistoric life. Today there are a few common, and much smaller, species that can be found in the garden or along creek beds, wetlands, or throughout moist forests of the PNW.

Horsetail shoots are just coming up now, with the harvest season normally though late April and May. They are best harvested while the leaves are still upright against the stem and not open more than 45 degrees. Preparations made from mature plants may be irritating to the kidneys due to the formation mineral crystals.

For me, Horestail’s superpower is its ability to support joint health. Young Horsetail shoots contain the mineral silica in a form that is readily absorbable by our bodies. Silica is needed by the body to build collagen, which strengthens connective tissues such as fascia, cartilage and bones; as well as teeth, skin, and hair. Horsetail is one of the highest silica-containing plants on earth with over 35% of the plant made up of the mineral.

Horsetail also contains quercetin, a natural anti-inflammatory that can ease inflammation during allergic reactions. The herb is also wonderful for improving bladder health; it can reduce the frequency of bladder infections, and helps to flush uric acid from the body.

Horsetail is a main ingredient in our Bladder Benefit Tincture blend, our Heavenly Hair Rinse, and our Skin Sav-R Facial Toner.

I share more about the medicinal properties of Horsetail in my blog post Exquisite Equisteum | A Horsetail Tale. Check it out to learn more about harvesting and using this powerful healing herb.

Herbal infused vinegars

Many of these spring herbs can simply be eaten as a salad green, blended up in smoothies, or made into pesto; but one of my favourite ways to extract the medicine is to make a herbal infused vinegar. Raw apple cider vinegar is a wonderful menstruum for pulling out the water soluble minerals and vitamins in the herbs, as well as the medicinal constituents.

A medicine in itself raw apple cider vinegar is full of healing properties and useful enzymes that help support the body and aid in digestion. Vinegar is a wonderful way to extract the nutrition from herbs and preserve this fresh medicine for years to come. Since they can be used in the kitchen in everything from drinks to dressings, soups to smoothies, Vinegars are also super easy to integrate into the diet and routine.

New for this spring, our Spring Tonic herbal vinegar blend is now available up in the shop. This nutrient-rich, revitalizing and detoxifying, vinegar is wonderful to take before meals to aid digestion, or can be used as a culinary vinegar. It contains our 5 favourite spring herbs plus a hint of fresh spring Fir Tips for flavour.

The harvest season has only just begun! Make your own batch of spring herb vinegar with herbs of your choice using the recipe below. Some other spring herbs up right now that are also fantastic in vinegars are Elder flowers, Wild Rose leaves, Mahonia blossoms, Spruce or Fir tips, Sweet Violets. Soon the Wild Roses will be blooming along with the Lilacs, and a bounty of luscious herbs await to delight the senses!

~

Fresh Herb Infused Vinegar Recipe

1 part fresh herbs
4 parts organic raw apple cider vinegar

1) Collect the fresh herbs of your choice and chop finely.

2) Weigh your herbs and place in a large glass jar.

3) Pour 4 parts raw organic vinegar over the herbs. (Add 400mls of vinegar for 100grams of herb)

3) Place a tight fitting lid (make sure to line with waxed paper if using a metal lid), and store in a dark cool cupboard. Let steep for 4 full weeks to fully extract the wonderful healing minerals and constituents.

4) Strain and compost the herb, bottle the vinegar in a glass container of your choice. Your infused vinegar is now ready to enjoy. Infused vinegars have a shelf life for 4+ years when made with the proportions in this recipe.

*Note that your vinegar may grow a ‘scoby’ during the infusion process or while sitting after straining. The scoby looks like a a slimy pancake like growth. This is all good it just means your vinegar is healthy! Simply remove the scoby and enjoy the health giving benefits of the vinegar.

Dandelion | Rooted Resiliency

Don’t fear the weeds. Eat them! It’s Dandelion season, and as these robust little plants begin to send forth their shiny golden heads, basking in the warm spring sunshine across North America, they are met with reactions both foul and friendly. In this post I share about the edibility, medicinal uses, harvesting and ‘growing’ this oft misunderstood weed.

Dandelion blossoms are edible and medicinal, and a very important to bees in the springtime.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is thought to have evolved in Eurasia over 30 million years ago. It was introduced to North America from Europe by early sailing ships some 400+ years ago, thought to have been brought along for its use as a medicine. It is said to have spread across the country ahead of the settlers, preceding the arrival of Europeans from the coast, where it was adopted as an important food and medicine plant by indigenous groups in many regions.

Ever-present and enduring, though not a native plant, after hundreds of years here in the Western world, Dandelion has found it’s own special niche in our ecosystem. Growing and thriving in even the most undesirable of places, Dandelions root deep to find nourishment. Bursting through the seams in the pavement, Dandelions work to reclaim nature, one crack at a time: if there ever was a symbol of resiliency it would be the humble but tenacious Dandelion.

Dandelion builds resilient communities with its steadfastness and adaptability, it can teach us the value of being firmly rooted in the places where we live. No matter what people may do to try to eradicate the lowly Dandelion; no matter how many herbicides are thrown at it or how many times you try uproot it, the Dandelion is here to stay. You can’t keep a good weed down.

The stuff wishes are made of…

As people all around the world continue to turn back to the land for guidance and sustenance, together we learn more than ever the value of the simple edibles growing wild and free in our local ecosystems. Dandelion is one of the most abundant of these wild and free edibles, it is a superfood and medicine packed with useful nutrition and healing properties.

Often thought of as only a nuisance, weeds like Dandelion actually fill a useful role in the environment. Everything in nature has its place, even us humans and the weeds.

After all, what is a weed? A plant whose virtues have yet to be discovered. ~ Emmerson

Appearing rapidly on barren soil that has been freshly disturbed, weeds quickly transform the barren earth. Their leaves shade out and protect soil microbes, while their roots stabilize the earth and prevent erosion. They act to provide habitat, and food for insects and other animal species. Dandelion in particular is a very important bee plant, one of the first flowers that bloom in early spring and provide the bees with much needed pollen and nectar.

Tap rooted weeds like Dandelion draw up useful minerals from deeper in the soil and make them more available to other plants, fungi, and microbes. As the weeds break down and decompose, they feed the soil and build organic matter, paving the way for successive species and the development of more complex ecosystems.

A happy community of wild Dandelions.

Let thy food be thy medicine

It is said that all of health begins in the gut and radiates outward from there. As the wise quote by the father of medicine, Hipocrates, goes “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” It is food that heals us, builds and repairs the tissues of the body, and provides the essential nutrients responsible for the healthy functioning of every organ system.

We literally are are what we eat. Our cells, tissues, and entire body are made up of the building blocks consumed each day at mealtime. On a deeper-level the concept of ‘food as medicine’ also has to do with the relationship we have with the food we eat, with our bodies, and the connections we make with the ecosystems we live in.

What is our relationship to the plants and animals that feed us, or to the farmers who grow? Not so long ago, before industrialized society, we as humans were intrinsically connected to to the plants and animals that fed us. By necessity we understood where our food came from, how that food impacted our bodies, and the ecosystems of land and community. It was within the basics of day to day survival to do so.

A principle in all indigenous cultures is that that land does not belong to us, but that we belong to the land. I believe this relationship is experienced most profoundly through our tastebuds, bringing the outer world into our bodies. It is a powerful and radical act of connection to take what grows on the land into your body and utilize it as your sustenance.

As we do so we become the land and the land us, and a relationship of caring is built. To know something is to care for it, and through the practice of foraging and feasting on the land, getting to know the place we live, we can slowly return to our roots as respectful and diligent stewards of the earth.

The resiliency and adaptability of the Dandelion is reflected in its diversity of leaf shapes.

Dandelion in the kitchen

Though sometimes overlooked as just an annoying garden weed, Dandelions are in fact a superfood. The entire Dandelion plant is edible, nutritious and delicious. The roots are my favourite part to eat, the spring greens are also tender and lovely, and the flowers are yummy in salads, made into fritters, or used to brew mead and wine. Dandelion flowers also make a pretty gorgeous garnish, the sunny yellow colour a feast for the eyes.

Dandelion leaves can be eaten fresh or cooked and are incredibly jam-packed with nutrients. I like to add them in with braising greens like kale and spinach as a side dish. A little goes a long way with these bitter greens incredibly rich in minerals like iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, folate, and manganese; and Vitamins C, A, E, K, and B6.

Spring harvested Dandelion greens are tender and only mildly bitter, and lightly cooking them nearly eliminates the bitterness. The summer leaves can become extremely bitter as the weather warms, sometimes making the leaves unpalatable. Make sure to drink lots of water along with the greens, Dandelions tend to be systemically drying.

Though many people have become unaccustomed to the bitter taste it can actually be really good for you. Eating bitter greens before a meal was commonly practiced in many traditional diets to stimulate digestion before ingesting heavier foods. Routinely priming digestion with the bitter taste is actually one of the simplest and most beneficial things you can do for your overall digestive health.

The bitter taste stimulates digestive excretions, helping the overall digestive health, reducing bloating, and improving nutrient assimilation. Bitters are also well known to reduce sugar cravings. Simply chewing on a bitter Dandelion leaf, or having a bottle of herbal bitters, such as our Better Bitters Tincture Blend, on hand to take before meals can radical transform and empower your digestive process.

Unlike the bitter greens, the roots of Dandelion, harvested during the dormant season, only have the faintest hint of bitter. Rather, the taste is quite bland and slightly sweet, similar to a carrot. Dandelion roots can be harvested from fall to early spring and added to soups, stews, and root veggie roasts.

Though they are a worthy vegetable, they are also a medicine, and you’ll want to eat the Dandelion roots sparingly at first to see how they feel in your body. They can be slightly laxative, so just start with 1-3 tablespoons per day until your body gets used to them, then work your way up from there depending on how your tummy feels.

Dandelion root is a fantastic prebiotic, helping to support gut health by nourishing the beneficial bacterial in the gut. Healthy digestion has a lot to do with healthy gut flora, and when digestion is optimized, everything from nutrition to mood to immunity are improved.

Another way to support healthy gut flora is by eating fermented foods such as sauerkraut or kimchi. Fresh Dandelion roots and greens can both be added to your homemade ferments. For those of you new to fermenting, I’ve included one of my favourite recipes for homemade dandelion root sauerkraut at the end this post. This is hands-down my favourite way to eat Dandelion roots!

Dandelion in the apothecary

Dandelion leaf is a powerful diuretic and one of the best sources of natural potassium, as such it prevents loss of this important mineral from diuresis. The leaf can be prepared as a hot infusion and steeped for 2-3 hours to best extract the mineral content. Dandelion leaf tea is helpful to promote detoxification of the body though increased elimination. It is very effective at reducing water retention and lowering blood pressure; and is a useful kidney tonic for strengthening the kidneys and bladder.

The flowers are also sometimes used in herbal medicine. They are mildly pain-relieving and promote lymph flow. Said to help reduce cancerous cells, Dandelion flowers are commonly infused in oil and rubbed on the breasts daily to prevent and heal breast cancer. There is also some magic in this medicine, as the warm golden oil brings an energetic sense of light and sunshine to the hearts centre resting in the chest.

Dandelion root is the part of the plant most commonly used in herbal medicine, and this is the part of the plant that I have the most experience using in my practice. My top three uses for Dandelion root in the apothecary are: clearing up skin conditions, balancing hormones, and relieving allergies. In other words, liver support, liver support, liver support!

Through its action on the liver, Dandelion root can help keep the body nourished, adaptable, and resilient. The liver is responsible for so many different tasks in the body, and it is our body’s chief detoxifier and metobolizer. Metabolic wastes, environmental toxins (which sadly seem permeate everything these days), excess hormones, and allergens are all removed from the body through the heroic work of the liver.

When the liver has too much work to do, the skin takes over some of that work by excreting a share of the toxins. This often leads to breakouts, rashes, sores, and hives, in the skin’s effort to take on the burden of an overloaded liver. I have found great results in calming and clearing the skin with herbal formulas combining Dandelion root and other gentle skin detoxifiers like Burdock (Arctium lappa), Chickweed (Stellaria media), and Calendula (C. officinalis), as in our Serene Skin Tincture blend.

If excess hormones, such as reproductive and stress hormones, are not efficiently detoxified through the liver and allowed to build up in the blood, this will often result in symptoms such as moodiness, anxiety, and depression. PMS symptoms and reproductive issues can also often be cleared up by working on supporting the livers detoxification process.

Dandelion root can be very effective at balancing hormones when taken daily for several months, especially combined with a warming herb such as Rosemary or Ginger. I also like to combine gentle liver herbs like Dandelion root with nervine uterine tonics for overall fertility and reproductive support. Our Hormone Balancer Tincture blend combines Dandelion root with Angelica, Yarrow, Motherwort, and Rosemary to create an energetically balanced tonic blend.

In much the same fashion, if the liver isn’t able to do its job effectively, allergens can also build up in the blood stream. This can lead to skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, as well as chronic inflammation in the body. This inflammation can manifest in many ways depending on the individual, and may be experienced as aches and pains in the body, asthma, digestive issues, or other inflammatory conditions. When taken regularity, I’ve seen Dandelion root clear up many chronic allergic conditions, especially seasonal allergies.

For symptomatic relief and deeper healing of allergies, I’ve combined detoxifying Dandelion root with natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory herbs such as Nettle (Urtica dioica), Goldenrod (Solidego lepida), and Ambrosia (Ambrosia chamissonis) in our Allergy Easer Tincture blend. This blend works great for seasonal allergies, and we’ve even had reports of it helping out with occasional flare ups from pet allergies too.

Overall Dandelion root as a good herb to start with when recommending herbs to cleanse or support the liver. There are more powerful liver cleansers out there for certain, such as Oregon Grape (Mahonia spp) or Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus), but the nice thing about Dandelion root is that it gentle while being effective. Unlike some some of the stronger liver cleansers, Dandelion root is much less likely to cause a healing crisis (ie when a therapy makes you ‘get worse before you get better’).

Dandelion root combines well with the powerful liver protectant and regenerator Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), and calming and detoxifying Mint (Mentha spp) and Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) in the cooling liver-supportive Love Your Liver Tincture blend. This blend works wonders for draining excess heat from the body and calming the liver tension that often manifests as irritability and excess anger.

As well as its safe and gentle nature, Dandelion has the added appeal and benefit of supporting other channels of elimination at the same time as the liver, both as a lymphagogue and as a diuretic. Overall I would name Dandelion root as one of our most valuable alteratives, especially when conditions are irritable, inflamed, hot, and moist or swollen in nature.

The feeling Dandelion root medicine bestows upon the body is one of being cooled, cleansed, and calmed. I find the root decoction to be wonderful and the best way to extract the mineral content. The tincture has a well-balanced constituent profile when made from the fresh root, rather than dried root. We have fresh Dandelion Root Tincture available in the shop in 50ml-1000ml sizes.

Harvesting Dandelion

Dandelions have a few look-a-likes, but can be identified most easily by their widely-toothed basal leaves, and fleshy stems which are notably hollow and leak a white milky latex when broken.

A common look-a-like to consider is Hairy Cat’s Ear (Hypochaeris radicata) which has noticeably more hairy leaves, and a pale-cream coloured tap root. Hairy Cat’s Ear has a branching flower stalk with several small yellow dandelion-like flowers that appear near the top. This differs from Dandelion, which has only one single flower on the end of each stalk.

Another edible weed that grows in similar areas and may be confused with Dandelion is wild Chicory (Cichorium intybus). Chicory is another wild weedy edible and medicinal. The basal leaves of Chicory resemble Dandelion closely but the dentation is less deep. The two plants can easily be told apart by their flowers, Chicory flowers are a lovely pale-blue colour and rise on branched stems to up to 5ft tall.

Dandelion leaves are best harvested for eating in the spring from April-June when the plants put out fresh tender new leaves. The leaves have a mild bitter taste during this time in the season, and will eventually become increasingly bitter with the summer sun. For medicinal use, the leaves may be gathered anytime during their bloom period.

Dandelions are very vigorous plants and can be cut back entirely when harvesting the greens. The more you harvest, the more the plant will produce. Water them regularly to encourage more tender mild-tasting greens. Dandelion leaves dry very well for tea and keep for about 1 year if stored out of sunlight in an airtight container. The flowers are harvested during the bloom period and generally used fresh, as they will turn to ‘fluff’ when dried (ie go to seed).

Some gorgeous Dandelion roots harvested in the fall of their second year of growth.

The roots of Dandelions may be harvested during the dormant season, from early fall through until early spring. By late spring and summer roots become very ‘hairy’ (displaying new growth of root hairs), fibrous, and spongy in texture; they are not useful for food or medicine during this period. By early fall the roots will have transformed to become tender and fleshy, with a smooth rusty orange-brown coloured outer skin, a sign that they are ready to harvest again.

Dandelion roots best used fresh for making into tinctures, or infused vinegars. They may be sliced up and dried in a dehydrator for later use in teas. The dried root is also nice to have on hand to add to the pot when making bone broth, soups and stews.

Growing Dandelion

Dandelion is a perennial herb, that will grow easily from seed and root divisions. Found in lawns, fields, roadsides, cracks in the pavement, pretty much everywhere and everywhere, needless to say it is easy to grow. If you wish to cultivate it in your garden, Dandelion enjoys a sunny spot with loose rich soil. It will sprout from any broken roots left in the soil after digging, so make sure to dig the entire root up if you don’t wish it to return, or leave some of it if you do. An easy one from seed, we have Dandelion seeds available in the shop.

Dandelion Sauerkraut Recipe

Raw unpasteurized sauerkraut has many health benefits. It builds your internal biological terrain, adds probiotics to your intestines, increases alkalinity, and helps you absorb your nutrition more effectively. The addition of Dandelion roots and/or greens is a great way to boost your sauerkraut with an abundance of vitamins and minerals, and gently support your liver.

Ingredients:
5 pounds green cabbage, shredded
3-4 tablespoons sea salt
2 cloves of garlic (optional), minced
1 large Dandelion Root, fresh, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
One large handful of fresh Dandelion greens, chopped

Tools:
Large bowl for mixing
1 gallon ceramic or glass crock*
plate to fit inside crock
Jar to use as a weight
Knife, food processor, or mandolin for shredding cabbage
Clean tea towel and elastic band or string to secure it

*don’t use metal or plastic as these will leach/react with the fermentation. If you don’t have a crock a wide mouth mason jar works, and a small 250ml mason jar will fit inside nicely as a weight.

Directions:
1) Place shredded cabbage into large bowl. Add salt and mix thoroughly using your hands to massage the mixture thoroughly. Let sit for 15-20mins to soften.

2) Add Dandelion roots and greens, and mix thoroughly. Garlic may be mixed in at this stage as well.

3) Begin packing cabbage mixture into a one gallon crock or jar one layer at a time. Use your fist or a wooden tamper.

4) Create an anaerobic environment by getting all air bubbles out as you pack it down firmly. As you work the cabbage into the jar, the brine will start to rise to the top of the cabbage.

6) Place a saucer or plate on top of the cabbage. Try to get one that fits as close to the edges as possible. You can also place whole cabbage leaves neatly on top of the shredded cabbage before placing the plate on top. This nifty trick will prevent you from needing to scrape off the top layer of finished kraut before eating.

7) Put a weight on top of that. A jar of water works well.

8) Cover with a cloth and fasten so no bugs get inside.

9) During the first week, push it down daily to help keep the cabbage under the brine. 

10) Let it ferment for about 2-4 weeks. The kraut will start out crunchy and salty and will get softer and more tangy the longer it ferments. The best flavours develop within the 12-18C temperature range.

12) When you are ready to try it, scrape off the top layer or remove whole cabbage leaves, and enjoy the healthy goodness below. Store in the refrigerator to keep up to 6 months.

Starting from Seed | A Beginners Guide

The art of seed-starting is easy to master with a little practice and dedication. Growing plants from seed is a rewarding and very inexpensive way to start your home garden. There is something wonderful about growing a garden from scratch. The experience of watching your first seedlings appear, as if by magic, out of the soil is one not soon to be forgotten. In this post I’ve put together a guide to help you successfully start herb seeds at home this spring.

“All the flowers of all tomorrows are in the seeds of today”
~ Indian proverb

All the information needed for a plant to grow, adapt, thrive, and produce offspring lies dormant in a living seed. With just the right combination of each of the four elements of air, water, earth, and fire ~ oxygen, moisture, soil, and sun ~ the seed will be coaxed to unfurl itself and begin to flourish and grow into a mature plant.

Seeds hold so much promise. After over a decade of seed-growing and seed-saving I have only become more and more in awe of the magic, mystery, and metaphor that each humble seed holds within it. Seeds are great teachers. Wrapped in the many lessons of careful tending, each seed we sow holds the promise of what we may reap tomorrow.

The wild and wonderful herb garden at Fireweed Farm & School in Victoria BC.

It’s the end of February as I write this and the plants are slowing waking up in the garden outside. It’s time for planning the season ahead and in a few short weeks it will be time to start the first seeds of the season. It is an exciting time of year with a bounty of possibilities feeding us endless inspiration.

At our farm in the mild Pacific Northwest, mid-March to mid-May is when we do most of our seed-starting. If you live in a cooler climate you may wish to wait until mid-April or later. This will prevent your seedlings from getting too big or leggy before the soil has warmed enough to plant them outside. This is especially important for fast growing annual herbs, such as Borage or Virginia Tobacco for example, which may become stunted or bolt if left in pots too long. 

Starting seeds indoors in containers in the spring is a great way to extend the season and give your plants a head start before transplanting out to the garden. For long-season warm-climate herbs like Ashwagandha, Wild Dagga, and the different varieties of Basil and Tabacco, giving them a head start is essential. I would recommend starting them indoors in early to mid-April, then transplanting them outdoors once all danger of frost has passed.

Many perennial herbs such as Motherwort, Echinacea, and Catnip also benefit from an early spring head start. It gives the plants an opportunity to grow larger and become more resilient before having to brave the elements outdoors. The plants will need to be watered regularly once transplanted out and the naturally more-moist conditions of spring will favour your transplants timing-wise.

A seed-grown patch of Echinacea in full bloom in its third season (with a happy honey bee).

The vast majority of herb seed varieties do well when started indoors or under cover in the spring, though for some varieties direct seeding or fall sowing may be needed for optimal germination. Often native plants, such as Fireweed, Elderberry, and Goldenrod, need a stratification period and do best sown outdoors in fall, winter or very early spring. These varieties can be sown outdoors in containers or directly in place.

Direct seeding outdoors in spring can also be a great way to start many herbs. Annual and biennial herbs such as Dill, Cilantro, Borage, and Calendula all do very well direct sown. By mid-May the soil has usually warmed enough to be favourable for outdoor spring seeding. Sowing times for all herb seeds on our site can be found in each individual seed variety profile, or listed in our Seed Sowing Guide.

At our farm the majority of our seeds are started in early spring in a large cold-frame with the addition of bottom heat. A sunny south facing window in the house may also work well, but it is important to keep in mind that sunlight in early spring is much weaker than in summer, and also the days are shorter. Limited sunlight is one of the biggest challenges of starting seeds indoors in spring, and grow lights are often a simple remedy.

Sowing seeds in containers gives you more control over germination conditions such as light, temperature and moisture. If you start with fresh potting soil it will also eliminate some of the potential issues such as heavy clay in the soil, unwanted fungal or bacterial diseases, or weed seeds that you may encounter when seeding in used garden soil or outdoors.

For the best success, I would recommend purchasing seed-starting mix. This type of soil is a little different than other potting soils, mainly in that it has a much finer texture which will make it easier for your seeds to break through the soil surface. It also retains moisture better. Potting mix works fine too though, just make sure to only choose organic soils. Conventional potting mixes may contain chemical wetting agents and chemical fertilizers which are best avoided.

There are different types of containers to choose from, including peat pots, coir pots, or plastic, each with its appeals. Plastic is by far the easier container to use, as peat and coir dry out rapidly. Creating your own pots out of plastic containers from the recycling bin is great, just make sure to wash them thoroughly before using, and poke a few drainage holes in the bottom. Wider, rather than deeper is best, your containers only need to be 2-3 inches deep, and the wider they are the less chance of overcrowding as the seedlings come up.

A shallow 2” deep flat with new Ashwagandha seedings emerging. Once the seedlings are big enough to handle they will be transplanted into 4” pots, and eventually transplanted into the ground.

When you are ready to sow your seeds, fill your flat or container with seeding-mix and water the soil in thoroughly before seeding. If the soil is dry, you may need to water a second or third time, with a few minutes in between waters to allow the soil to rehydrate. Watering at this stage is important, it will make it easier to keep the soil evenly moist once your seeds are in place, it will also help settle the soil into the pot and remove the larger air pockets.

Next, place your seeds on the surface of the soil. Leave enough space between the seeds so they they won’t become crowded once they emerge. At the farm we are grow a lot of herbs in a small space, and we sow the seeds about 1/8” to 1/4” apart to save room, and then pot them up into 4” pots as soon as they are ready to prevent crowding. At home, you may wish to leave a bit more room between the seeds, 1/2” to 1” should be plenty of space for this stage of growth.

When deciding how many seeds to plant, expect about 40-50% germination for most varieties, that way you will have more than enough seedlings even if the conditions are not right for all of them to come up. If you are sowing older seeds, germination may be reduced, so you may wish to sow them more thickly. The average shelf-life of seeds is on average is about 3 years. After that time germination rates may rapidly decline.

The ripened flower heads of Black-eyed Susan and the hundreds of tiny seeds they contain.

As a general rule, bury the seeds to a depth two to three times the thickness of the seed. Keep in mind that once firmed into place and watered in, the soil depth will be greatly reduced, likely by half. Most seeds need darkness to germinate so it is important to cover them completely. Once you have the seeds laid out on the soil, cover with the appropriate amount of fine seeding-mix and gently pat down or firm into place. Then gently and evenly water the surface layer with a fine spray.

Note that if buried too deep your seeds may expire or rot before reaching the surface of the soil. Also, very fine seeds, such as Mullein, Chamomile, and Wormwood, should sown on the surface of the soil, lightly dusted with seeding-mix and gently but firmly pressed into place.

Germination generally takes 2-4 weeks for most seed varieties. Sprouting will generally take place much faster and more successfully with a bit of added warmth. Most seeds need at a least a consistent minimum temperature of 12C to germinate. Some herbs, such as Ashwagandha or Basil, need higher temps of over 21C (average indoor room temp) to sprout. Try adding bottom heat in your greenhouse or on your window ledge to help warm the soil.

Once you have gotten your seeds all tucked into their cozy new soil homes, all you need to do is water, watch, and wait for the magic to happen! Regulating moisture is key to having successful germination and plant growth. You’ll want to keep the soil evenly moist at all times but not soggy. It is important to check on your newly seeded containers at least once or twice a day. Watering gently by hand with a fine spray watering can is best to prevent dislodging the seeds. A spray or mister bottle may also work well.

Once the new little sprouts pop out of the soil it is very important they have access to adequate sunlight to develop properly and prevent legginess. You want your seedlings to look more short and stocky rather than tall and slender: more like dwarves than elves. If you see long, pale, unusually thin stems bending toward the light this is a sign that the amount of sunlight they get needs to be increased. 

Over-watering and ‘damping off’ can also be common problems once your seedlings are up. Damping off causes rotting of the seedlings stems and is due to a fungus that flourishes in overly moist conditions. To prevent this, try letting the soil surface dry out very briefly in between waterings. Red or green algae growth (as seen on the soil in the photo below of the Clary Sage seedlings) is also a sign of over watering.

Clary sage seedlings with 1-2 sets of fuzzy true leaves above the simple and smooth set of seed leaves.

Once your seedlings have one or two sets of true leaves, they are ready to pot up into larger 3”-4” pots. This is an intermediary stage before planting your herbs outdoors in the ground or in larger containers. There are times when this stage may not be necessary, but it is a good idea as it assures the seedlings are nice and big and resilient before braving the outdoors, giving them a greater chance of survival.

When potting up into larger pots, it is important to give your plants a bit of nutrition. Seeding-mix and most potting mixes have almost zero nutrient content. When your seedlings are tiny they can live off the nutrition stored in their seed, but soon will need minerals from the soil to help with photosynthesis. Mixing in 1/4-1/2 volume of organic compost into your potting mix will be sufficient. You can also water in with kelp extract, compost tea, or fish fertilizer, but herbs generally don’t need extra fertilizer.

Before transplanting, make sure to water your flats thoroughly before pricking out the seedlings. This will help the roots to become more flexible and reduce shock to the plants. Once transplanted, the seedlings should be watered immediately in the their new pots and then placed out of direct sunlight for a day so that they can recover.

The Clary Sage seedlings are filling out their 4” pots and will soon be ready to transplant out in the garden.

Seeds started in mid-March through mid-April will usually fill out a 4” pot by mid-May to early June. Check that the roots are well-formed enough to hold the soil together when removed from the pot. If so, they should be ready to transplant. Make sure not to let the plants become root-bound before planting as this may cause them to become stunted.

It is important to prevent transplant shock by hardening them off first. This involves gradually introducing them to the outdoor conditions before permanently planting them in their new homes. You can begin hardening off by opening a window for a few hours each day or moving your seedlings into a temporary cold frame. Once your starts are in the garden they will need to be watered regularly to help them establish.

~

If first you don’t succeed, try try again! With a little patience and careful tending we can all learn to be ‘green thumbs’. Wishing you many green blessing for an abundant growing season ahead!

A torrent of fragrant Clary Sage blossoms in the second year after seeding.

SEED STARTING GLOSSARY

Annual
An annual is a plant that completes its life cycle in one year. Annuals grow from seed, produce leaves and flowers, produce seed, and die all in one year.

Biennial
A biennial is a plant that completes its life cycle in two years. Biennials grow from seed and produce leaves in the first year. In the second year they flower, produce seed, and die.

Bolting
Bolting is the premature flowering of an annual plant. It often leads to the setting of seed and prevents further growth.

Bottom-heat
Bottom-heat is the application of warmth under your seeding containers. This directly warms the soil and increases germination speed and rates. Heating mats can be purchased at garden centres are the simplest method of applying bottom heat in the home.

Legginess
Legginess is displayed by seedlings that are thin and pale in appearance with long, stretched out stems. Plants that do not receive enough sunlight will often become leggy and they are doing so as a result of trying to stretch out farther to reach any available light. It is best if corrected immediately before the stems become so weak that they collapse. Grow lights may be needed. Turning your pots a quarter turn each day in the window will also encourage more even growth.

Perennial
A perennial is a plant that lives for 3 or more years. The average life of a perennial garden herb, such as Rosemary, Elecampane, or Wormwood for example is 20-30 years. Perrenials grown from seed often grow leaves and establish strong roots the first year and only begin blooming the second year onward.

Pricking-out
Pricking-out is a term for separating and potting up seedlings. This is generally done once the seedlings have their first one or two sets of true-leaves. During this process, always handle seedlings by their leaves, not their stems. The seedlings only have one stem which is irreplaceable if damaged, but may grow new leaves. Always water well before and after handling and gently tease apart the roots. Transplant into pots immediately. When transplanting try to keep the roots pointing downwards just as they were in the original flat. Gently firm the soil around the seedling so that the roots come in contact with the soil and the plant is supported.

Stratification
As an adaptation to survive in nature, some seeds have built-in germination inhibitors that keep them from breaking dormancy and sprouting at the wrong time. Seed stratification is the process of treating seeds to simulate the natural conditions that the seeds must experience before germination can occur. Some, though not all, native plants require a cold-moist stratification period. The easiest way to achieve this is to simply sow the seeds outdoors in fall, just as the plants would naturally drop their seeds on their own.

3 Herbal Therapies for Anxiety & Overwhelm

We are just over a month past Winter Solstice now, the daylight is slowly returning and the promise of spring is something that is beginning to feel more tangible, more real than a just memory of a warmth that once was. We've seen the smallest remarkable signs of spring start to appear here on Vancouver Island, the first snowdrops and crocuses are sending up shoots, and I spied some tiny new leaves appearing on the dormant honeysuckle vines. Yet, with all this lovely promise that is warm and green and vibrant on the horizon, we still have a couple months of winter ahead of us. 

Wintertime can be challenging for many. It can be a common time of year for anxiety symptoms to pop up. The darker, colder days drive us inside more, inside our homes and inside our selves. With the movement inward we are encouraged to do shadow work, to delve into ourselves, process, digest and integrate all the lessons of the year that has now passed. With shadow work often comes great discomfort, but also great healing. Fortunately, the medicine plants are here to help aid us on our healing paths.

In this post I share about three herbal therapies that I’ve found helpful for managing the symptoms of anxiety and overwhelm that may come up at this time of year, or at any point along the wheel of time. I am excited to share these therapies with you, as they have helped me so much on my own journey. It is my greatest wish that they will also serve you well on yours.

A holistic view of anxiety

The body is the best health coach you can have at your disposal. If you listen carefully, it will let you know in each moment of each day what will bring the greatest amount of balance and wellness to your life. Your body lets you know when you need rest by getting sleepy, when you need nourishment by making you feel hungry, and when you need hydration by producing symptoms of thirst.

Our bodies also let us know when we need to be nourished on other levels of our being, the levels of mind, spirit, and soul. It lets us know by producing emotions that may feel uncomfortable, calling us to become aware of deeper needs that we may need to hold space for. Though we often try to quiet it or shut it down, the body is a wise healer if we can learn to listen. The symptoms that your body produces are its language of healing.

Anxiety can be a powerful teacher. It can reveal to us our deepest needs and fears. It can reveal the places that we need to grow and heal most on our personal paths to restoring a sense of wholeness in our lives. It can also reveal to us our edges and our limits. It can teach us about boundaries, the need for dedicated self-care, or the need to bring awareness and compassion to the deep wounds we may be carrying in this lifetime.

Anxiety can be a powerful teacher, and not necessarily a gentle one. I was plagued by chronic anxiety all through my teens and twenties. After many years of struggling against what my body was trying so desperately hard to tell me, I eventually learned that I couldn’t escape my emotions by fighting, avoiding, or numbing them. However heart-wrenchingly painful those moments of overwhelm and anxiety may have felt, there was only one way out, and that was surrender.

What I discovered by holding space for those feelings was that they were a gift of communication from my deeper self. My feelings and sensations of anxiety, overwhelm, and at times depression, became a clear signal to me that in those moments I needed to slow down, check in with myself, and find some time for restoration and grounding. It guided me into patterns of rest, reflection, and self-care that have become invaluable tools in my ability to maintain a sense of balance and ease.

Sometimes managing anxiety means learning how to say ‘no’. Knowing that we need to put our own needs first at least some of the time, and recognizing that there will be times that choice is absolutely pivotal to our wellbeing. Learning what your own unique needs are for the nourishment of your body, mind, and soul is key. For me spending time with my hands in the dirt is essential. Activities like harvesting herbs in the wild, gathering seeds, and playing in the forest in solitude are profound allies for preventing anxiety from welling up in my life.

Discovering the activities that are most restorative to your own unique being will always lend so much support towards maintaining a sense of emotional balance and buoyancy. For each of us that looks different. For you it might look like a daily yoga practice, or maybe you have a need to engage in meaningful conversation and are restored by the sense of connection that it brings, maybe it means having regular alone time, or making music or dancing, meditating, journaling, creating art, spending time with plants and animals, or gifting your time to others and feeling of service.

Maybe it means different things at different times. Whatever opens up a sense of spaciousness and ignites a sense of gratitude and peace in your soul is a good place to start this exploration. Mother Earth, working with the elements and the cycles and patterns of nature, and first and foremost the medicine plants, play a very central roll in managing anxiety my personal life, and in helping others in my practice as a herbalist.

3 Herbal therapies for anxiety & overwhelm

The medicine plants seem infinite in their ability to lend their gifts and support, and building relationships with them is a process of tapping into an unending well of potential for healing. I have outlined below three herbal therapies I have found to be the most effective for relieving symptoms of anxiety and overwhelm.

1. Herbal Tinctures

Herbal tinctures are an indispensable resource to have on hand to manage symptoms of both chronic anxiety, and acute episodes of panic or overwhelm. These alcohol-based herbal extracts are fast acting and easy to administer as needed.

Tincture extracts are made by a process of steeping a herb in alcohol for several weeks. During this maceration period, the alcohol acts as a solvent to pull out the healing constituents of the herb. The resulting extract is very concentrated in potency compared to other extracts such as herbal teas, and has a very long shelf life in comparison.

Wherever you may be, tinctures are easy to have on hand, whenever symptoms might arise. The small bottles travel well and can be thrown in a purse or backpack so that you’ll have them available as needed. They are convenient and ready to take directly out of the bottle with no extra preparation needed.

The extracts can be taken directly on or under the tongue, and they can also be diluted in water or tea; though the tinctures will be take effect a bit more rapidly if taken directly, in their undiluted form. The undiluted alcohol acts as a vehicle for the healing properties of the herbs to enter our bodies, by gently relaxing our nervous system, dilating blood vessels, and increasing circulation.

In general, the dosage for a herbal tincture is 1 dropper full (equivalent to 1ml or 3o drops) up to 3x per day. Depending on the herb and your individual constitution, dosage may be adjusted to anywhere between a few drops to one tablespoon per dose. The effects usually can be felt within 10-15 mins, sometimes even immediately. When trying a new tincture, regular to small dose (.5 to 1ml) is best to start with and then adjust as needed once you get a sense for how the herbs feel in your body.

The main category of herbs that are used to treat anxiety in herbal medicine are called nervines. Nervine herbs are calming, soothing, and/or restorative to healthy nervous system function. Some are also relaxing to muscle tension, and others act as sedatives to the mind or body.

My go-to herbal tincture for acute episodes anxiety and overwhelm over the years has always been Wood Betony. Wood Betony is calming and grounding without being sedating. I’ve seen it work again and again for clients that are stuck in acute periods of overwhelming anxiety, stuck in what I’ve come to call ‘the spin cycle’. This herb seems to know how to hold your hand in just the right way and gently bring you back down into your body.

Other herbs that are also wonderful for acute anxiety and grounding are Motherwort and Valerian. For anxiety induced insomnia I find Chamomile, Ashwaganda, and Hops tinctures most helpful. When there is depression with anxiety, for me nothing compares to St. John’s Wort in effectiveness, it is like a warm golden blanket of love.

One of my most beloved personal herbal allies for the nervous system is Skullcap. Skullcap helps to slow our thoughts down, calming the mind and inducing a restful state. It is also wonderfully sedative in the most cozy blissful way. It is thought that Skullcap helps to increase dopamine levels in the brain, and it certainly feels this way when you take it. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for the feeling of being rewarded or satiated.

In cases of chronic anxiety, nervous exhaustion and frayed nerves, herbal tinctures are best taken daily and consistently over a period of time. Two weeks to three months on a herbal tincture can often help to bring stress levels down enough so that the nervous system has a chance relax and reset. Though any of the other herbal nervines listed above will be beneficial, Milky Oat tincture is one of my favourites for this purpose.

We have several tincture blends in the shop that I have personally formulated for different types of anxiety. Our Tension Tamer tincture with Wood Betony, Pedicularis, and Passionflower is wonderful for relaxing nervous tension. Our Nerve Nourisher blend contains Milky Oat and other herbs in a formula to restore healthy nervous system function, and Trauma Remedy is a herbal formulation for acute periods of stress, panic, and anxiety attacks.

Incorporating three of our native Pacific Northwest herbal allies, Sagewort, Cedar, and Wild Rose, our Energy Clarity tincture is a low dose remedy for spiritual grounding. Wonderfully uplifting, our Light Weaver blend is a mood enhancer designed to instil a sense of lightness and connection.

For lung constriction or mild asthma induced by anxiety, our Peaceful Warrior tincture is a specific formulation for clearing the mind, while calming and opening the lungs. Also activating to the throat chakra, this blend is a favourite for singing, public speaking. It contains Lobelia, a herb known to fill nicotine receptor sites in the brain, making it a great ally for those trying to stop smoking.

Specific for the dream time and sleeping, two of our most popular tincture blends are our Deep Sleeper and Beautiful Dreamer tinctures. Deep Sleeper, with Skullcap and Ashwagandha, is for a deep restful night sleep, whereas Beautiful Dreamer, with Mugwort and Passionflower, is designed to lift mood, and enhance dreaming and visioning.

2. Herbal Body Oiling

Another favourite remedy for managing anxiety, herbal body oiling is the the practice of applying oil-based herbal extracts to the skin. The nervous system is primarily made up of fats and oils, and on the highly absorptive surface of our skin we have billions of nerve endings. When herbal oils are applied to the skin, they can act to directly nourish the nerve endings and tissues of nervous system.

Naturally incorporating the healing element of touch with the medicinal properties of herbs absorbed through the skin, the practice of body oiling can be incredibly soothing, calming, and restorative to the nervous system. When practiced daily it can help bring stress levels down to a place of balance, helping to increase the body’s capacity to cope and reducing the frequency of episodes of anxiety.

Body oiling is a simple practice that has surprisingly powerful results when it comes to calming symptoms of anxiety and overwhelm, and the more regularly it is practiced the more powerful and effective it becomes. With each application the oils and herbs begin to saturate the tissues of the skin and muscular skeletal system more and more deeply.

The herbal body oiling I practice is done mainly with herbal infused oils. Herbal infused oils are oil-based extracts for topical use. They are made by gently warming herbal plant matter in oil, a process which releases the herbal healing properties, creating a medicated oil. Herbal infused oils are gentle and effective whole-plant extracts that have a broad range of constituents and applications; they differ from essential oils.

For the practice of body oiling, herbal oil can be rubbed over the entire body, from head to toe, to nourish the nerve endings, and sooth and calm the nervous system. Start with your head and move down to your feet, oiling every inch of your body, massaging as you go in smooth strokes always toward your heart.

The skin acts as a barrier between us and the world. It is a protective, yet permeable, layer between the inner and the outer. Applying oil to the skin can act as a ritual to symbolically and energetically strengthen this boundary, allowing us to repel any negative influences that may be around us; containing, restoring and strengthening our reserves within.

My favourite time to do body oiling is after a hot bath, the warmth lingering on the skin helps the oils to penetrate deeper into the tissues. Oiling may also be done before bathing or showering, or anytime during the day as needed. As there is not always the time and space to strip down for the full practice, sometimes I find it helpful to just oil my neck and shoulders for relief of nervous tension, or I take a moment to remove my shoes and socks and just oil the soles of my feet if I’m feeling ungrounded and anxious.

St. John’s Wort Oil is my absolute favourite oil for anxiety-specific body oiling. The nerve-calming and normalizing properties of St. John’s Wort’s medicine is absorbed directly into the nerve endings when applied on the skin. There is something very magical about rubbing this crimson oil upon the body. Not only does it nourish, calm, and ground the spirit, but its magic also relates to energetic protection.

I love Calendula infused oil for body oiling. The deep golden-coloured oil made from the whole flower heads feels as if energetically infused with sunshine. When applying it I can imagine coating my being in the healing light and vitality of the sun. Calendula is an ally to the skin, emollient and healing to skin irritations and blemishes.

Muscle tension is a very common symptom of anxiety, and Arnica oil is another favourite for body oiling as it is a well known and very effective remedy for pain and inflammation, helping to relax the tissues of the muscular skeletal system. Arnica is associated with the healing of trauma, both physical and emotional. Yarrow is another favourite herbal oil, also anti-inflammatory and healing to the skin, Yarrow tones the tissues and improves circulation.

Other equally wonderful herbal oils to use include Devil’s Club oil, Poplar oil, and Comfrey Oil., and of course our beautiful lavender scented Blessed Body oil is also a favourite. Salves, made by stabilizing herbal oils with the addition of beeswax, can be used for body oiling with great results.

3. Herbal Steaming

Lastly I like to share about herbal steaming as a therapy for anxiety. This is one of the most effective tools I’ve found for calming the nervous system in moments of acute anxiety, or anytime as an aid to promote a sense deep soothing relaxation. Herbal steams can be prepared easily within ten to fifteen minutes, using herbs available in your kitchen, garden, or from natural areas that may be nearby.

To prepare an herbal steam, all you need is a couple handfuls of herbs, water, a pot with a lid, and a large towel, sheet, or blanket. Place the herbs in the pot, and with the lid on gently bring the herbs just to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let the pot cool for just a minute or so.

Find a comfortable position on the floor, or at a table, where you can hold your head over the steaming water. Drape a towel over your head and shoulders so that it creates a sort of tent over your head, and hover above the steaming herbal water, careful not to get too close to it. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, allowing the heat and herbs to soothe, relax and calm you. Stay with the steam for at least 10 minutes or longer, breathing deeply. You may need to vent the sheet or towel to let a bit of steam out, or adjust as needed for comfort if it becomes to hot or cool.

To take your steam to the next level, try sitting crosslegged, or opened-legged, on the floor. With the bowl or pot of herbal water just in front of you, or between your legs, drape a large sheet over you enclosing your entire body with the steaming bowl inside the sheet-tent. I would recommend stripping down for this process, removing any clothing that inhibits the herbal steam from contacting your skin. I especially find it helpful to feel the stream on my each of my middle chakras, especially my throat, heart and solar plexus.

My personal favourite herbs to use for steaming are Mugwort, Sagewort, Western Red Cedar, and Wild Yarrow, but a great variety of herbs can be used. I often find myself drawn to choosing plants for my steam simply on the basis that they are personal allies of mine and are emotionally and spiritually comforting to me; but on the physiological level, steaming is actually an effective way to administer herbal medicine.

As mentioned above in the section on herbal body oiling, our skin is able to absorb many of the soothing and healing constituents of the herbs directly into its tissues. Inhalation of the herbal steam is a very effective and quick way get the herbs into your blood stream. The herbal steam opens up the airways, and relaxes tension around the heart and lungs. The warmth of the steam increases circulation and allows for oxygenated blood to move through the body, flushing out stress hormones and nourishing tissues with fresh nutrients.

If you have very sensitive skin I would recommend starting with soothing anti-inflammatory herbs like Marshmallow, Fireweed, Chamomile, or Calendula, all of which can be easily grown in the garden. Make sure to steam gently, you may wish to reduce the strength and duration of the heat your skin is exposed to by venting the towel more often or hovering a bit farther away from the bowl.

It is always nice to have a collection of dried herbs on hand in your kitchen so that these will be readily available when you need them. If you don’t have a garden or any nearby natural areas to harvest your own herbs from, you can pick up dried herbs to use from your local herb shop or order them online from sources such as Harmonic Arts or Mountain Rose Herbs.

Additional therapies for anxiety

Complementary to working with our herbal allies, I’ve found working with the water element can also be very transformative for anxiety symptoms. Water is symbolic of the emotional realm, and connecting with this element can be supportive and soothing to emotional imbalances. Sinking into and soaking in a warm bath can be a great way to cleanse not just the body but the aura as well. Sitting quietly and sipping a hot cup of hot herbal tea can also be very therapeutic. Herbal teas and decoctions can also be added to baths.

I live on an island with water always nearby, and when I really need an emotional or spiritual reset, I like to dunk in the ocean. I make sure to submerge my entire body, head and all for at least a few seconds. In the summer when the ocean warms up enough to swim in, I like to float on my back in the water, giving time for the healing mineral salts to absorb into my skin; letting myself feel held and supported by the vast body of ocean water. Lakes and rivers are also wonderful places to dunk or ‘shookum’, as my friend Frazer calls it in his Coast Salish dialect.

A dunk in the wild cold waters of nature can be an extremely powerful way to reset, as can simply sitting by a body of water and listening to its movement. A simple walk in the woods can also do wonders. Nature is alive and nourishing all around us, all we have to do is stop for a minute, take a deep breath, and slow down enough to receive it.

~

Wishing you many blessings and gifts of healing as you walk through this life on your heart path.

Nettle Seed Season | Restoring the Warrior

Harvest season for our native Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) begins in the spring time with the new shoots usually emerging mid-March here on Southern Vancouver Island in the coastal Pacific Northwest of Canada. The new Nettle shoots are some of the first plants to emerge from the cool damp earth, breaking the silence of winter and initiating us into the new season at Spring Equinox. The Nettle greens are harvested for several weeks, often into May, as a nutrient dense wild food and amazing medicine for allergies, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions.

We often think of Nettle season ending in late spring once the plants begin to open their tiny tassel-like flowers, but a second, and different type of bountiful harvest awaits mid-summer. As the plants evolve through the growing season they shoot further upward on tough fibrous stems, the flowers slowly ripening to seed. These strong fibres were traditionally made into cordage. In summer you will find them laden with seed clusters, arching downward with the weight of their abundance. 

The seeds of Nettle are a lesser-known harvest, compared with that of the spring Nettle greens, but they are a treasure to behold. August is the perfect time to harvest the unripe green seeds of Stinging Nettle here in the PNW. Adaptogenic and nutritive, increasing energy and vitality, Nettle Seed fits the true definition of a super-food. The seeds are both a food and a medicine, and are wonderfully invigorating and restorative to the body.

Stinging Nettle with unripe green seed clusters at the perfect stage to harvest.

I wrote about spring Nettle earlier this year in my blog post Ringing (…or Stinging) in the Spring with Nettle. Nettle has long been one of my favourite spring allies, emerging under the Mars-ruled sign of Aries, the new Nettle shoots embody the pioneering energy needed to reinvigorate us and break us free from winter time dormancy. They wake us up with their sting, clear our bodies of dampness and stagnation, and fuel us with their nutrition, preparing us in spirit like a warrior before a battle (or like a farmer off to the fields in spring.)

With the formation of the seed, the Nettles evolve this warrior-spirit energy to the next octave, one that is much more grounded and restorative, an energy of regal reverence. Ripening to harvest under the Sun-ruled sign of Leo, Nettle Seeds are like mana for the proud warrior after battle. The young spring Nettle is now grown in maturity, offering its wisdom through abundance via the seed.

Freshly harvested Nettle seed clusters.

Nettle Seed Medicine

Nettle leaf is well known as a bladder and kidney tonic, acting as a diuretic and tonifying the tissues of the urinary tract. The seeds of Nettle are also useful for the kidneys, but the medicine, now more mature, moves up further into the adrenals (which sit above the kidneys). Through its support of the adrenal glands, Nettle seed acts as a helpful adaptogen to fortify us through acute periods of stress, and helps revitalize and restore us after such periods.

Nettle seed is also known as an aphrodisiac, and this property may also be an effect of its nourishing action on the adrenals. The increase in vitality and energy we feel when we take Nettle Seed extracts can also fuel a passion and presence in our lives and bodies, rekindling the fire inside, that was perhaps diminished through stress, trauma, or overwork.

Nettle is wonderfully supportive and balancing to the endocrine system in general, not only an adrenal tonic, Nettle seed is also known to improve thyroid function in cases of under active thyroid (hypothyroidism). Nettle seed can also be very helpful for balancing reproductive hormones and smoothing out premenstrual symptoms.

Nettle Seed is full of mucilage, so unlike the leaf preparations which are intensely drying, the seeds are moistening and soothing to the constitution. Where Nettle leaf is wonderful for cooling down and drying out Pitta type constitutions, the seed is energetically moist and neutral making it suitable for Vata type constitutions. Nettle seeds ability to improve appetite and sleep, and nourish and add moisture to the body are all wonderful for Vata balancing.

Grounding and energizing, Nettle seed can be used as a coffee substitute for those trying to kick the coffee habit, or looking for something to use in their morning beverage that was grown a little closer to home. As a bonus, its stimulating action is unlikely to produce anxiousness in sensitive individuals, so if you desire a little pick me up and even smelling coffee gives you heart palpations, Nettle seed could be a good alternative ;)

Nettle Seed Nutrition

The nutrition of the Nettle plants is really optimized and concentrated with the formation of the seed. The seeds have much of the same nutritional content beloved in the spring shoots, they are rich in minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and silicon, but also contain fatty acids and vitamin E not found in the leaf. The fatty acids and oil-soluble vitamins are especially important for the health of the skin and nervous system.

The fresh unripe green Nettle seeds have a lovely crunchy texture, and a nutty and slightly salty taste, that is quick addictive. Once you start munching on them it can be hard to stop. They can be added in place of hemp hearts, or in a similar manner, to most dishes. Try sprinkling them on salads, in granola, on yogurt, in soups, in baking…really the culinary possibilities are endless.

A Nettle salt can be made by grinding the dried seeds with sea salt. This is an easy way to get your nettle nutrition in on a daily basis. You can also use Nettle seed in place of, or in combination with sesame seeds, in your homemade herbal gomashio recipe.

Dried Nettle seeds ready for culinary use after being processed through a strainer to remove the stems.

Harvesting & Medicine Making

Harvesting can be done both in the unripe green stage or when the seeds are fully mature and brown. My personal preference is to harvest any seeds for medicinal use when they are in the green stage. I’ve been gathering seeds both for medicine and for planting for many years and through my experience have noticed that the unripe green stage of seeds generally contain more oils, aromatics, alkaloids and other constituents (think Milky Oat in milky stage); so this stage seems best to me for medicine making. Whereas the brown, dry, or fully ripe stage is essential to wait for if you are harvesting viable seeds for planting.

The unripe green Nettle seeds are usually ready to harvest for medicinal use through the month of August, but may be ready as early as late July. The harvest window will vary depending on where the plants are growing; the location and microclimate, how much sun and water they are getting. Nettle seeds start maturing into the brown viable stage in the last week of August and can be harvested at this stage through the fall until the rains either cause them to fall off the stalks or they begin to mold with the moisture.

The mature Nettle plants of summer have lost much of their sting, so can often be handled without gloves. But for those who are inexperienced to the fierce little stings of spring Nettle and how they compare to the gentle little tingles of summer Nettle, you may wish to wear gloves to harvest the seeds until you become accustomed. Each seed cluster can be gathered individually or the entire upper portion of the stem stripped and the leaves filtered out during processing.

We have a fresh batches of Nettle Seed Tincture available in 50ml-500ml sizes our online shop.

To make tincture, the fresh seed clusters can be processed in a blender to break them down and help them extract into the alcohol a bit better. Then the seeds are placed in a glass jar and covered with alcohol (65-75% is recommended), sealed and allowed to steep for 4 weeks. After this time the seeds are strained out, having lent all their medicine to the alcohol, and can be added to enrich your compost bin.

The Nettle seed clusters may be dried whole, no need to remove the tiny stems that are holding the seed groupings together. To make a tea, they are best brewed into a decoction by gently simmering 1-2 tbsps in 250mls water for 15-20mins, then strained. An even longer infusion will give you a more mineral rich extract.

Nettle seeds store very well, they will keep their medicinal and nutritional benefits for up to two years if stored in an airtight container out of direct light. For culinary use you’ll need to rub the seeds through a strainer to remove the tiny stems which are not palatable due to their fibrousness.

Nutrient-dense and super yummy Nettle Seed Crackers.


Nettle Seed Cracker Recipe

These super yummy and nutrient-dense seed crackers are vegan and gluten free! They can be eaten with a variety of your favourite dips, jam and cheese, or if you still have enough nettle seed in your pantry to make them come spring, you can eat them with Nettle pesto! Check out our Nettle Pesto recipe here.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Nettle Seed (fresh or dried, stems removed)
1/4 cup Chia Seed
1/4 cup whole Flax Seeds
1/2 cup raw Sunflower Seed
1/2 cup raw Pumpkin Seed
1 cup ground Flax Seeds
2 tbsps of Coconut Oil
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
Enough water to bind (about 1/2 cup)

Tools:
food processor
large bowl
wood spoon
parchment paper
cookie sheet
rolling pin
Large kitchen knife

Blend sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a food processor until coarsely broken up. Combine with other seeds and mix well. Add softened coconut oil and salt and mix to combine (you may need to get in there and your hands dirty here). Other herbs or seasonings of your choice may also be added in at this stage. Add enough water to the mixture until it starts to bind together, the cracker mixture should be thick and mouldable like cookie dough rather than runny.

The cracker mixture can then be rolled out between two sheets of parchment paper. I like to roll the cracker dough out as thinly as possible. This makes for a lovely crispy texture. Play around with the thickness and see what works best for you.

Once rolled, the top parchment paper can be removed, and the crackers, with the bottom parchment paper still in place, placed on a cookie sheet. The crackers can be scored with the back of a large kitchen knife to help them break into clean pieces once cooked.

Bake at 200C for about 1.5-2hrs, checking often. Once the crackers are dry to the touch and break apart easily, you will know they are done. Once cooled they can be broken apart along the score lines and stored in an airtight container for up to one week. Enjoy!

~

For more on this power house of a herb read my blog post from earlier this year Ringing (…or stinging) in the Spring with Nettle, and read more about growing Nettle from seed here.

Motherwort | The Lionhearted One

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) has been on my mind so much lately. With the blooming, buzzing and bursting that comes with the month of June, this humble ally offers much medicine for the soul. Serene and contained, modest yet fierce, Motherwort acts as an anchor for our spirit, grounding us into our bodies in this season of intoxicating movement and change.

The lush new growth of Motherwort during the month of June.

The Momentum of the Season

Here in the PNW, nature begins to rub the sleep from its eyes in early March, slowly sending upward the first shoots of the pioneering Nettle (Urtica dioica) and Horsetail (Equisiteum spp), and gracefully unfurling swollen leaf buds of Osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis). This gentle awakening of the our green allies is most welcome after the peaceful, yet often isolating, sleep of winter.

Though they may still appear to be sleeping from an outward glance, by the end of March the deciduous trees have begun to wake. The sap has slowly begun to rise from the roots and flow within the cambium of our Garry Oaks (Quercus garryana), Red Alders (Alnus rubra), and Western Balsam Poplars (Populus trichocarpa).

If you listen closely you can hear the tree spirits waking up many weeks before they begin to leaf out. There is an immense effort needed to awake from dormancy; to send upward the energy stored in dormant roots gathered from the photosynthesis of a year left behind. This energy has to come from within, only the inner reserves can push those new leaves outward; so that once again the trees can make sugar from the sun.

Mid-April marks the transformation of the landscape as these new leaves create a comforting canopy made up of every shade of delicate green, replacing the stark browns and greys of the naked limbs of winter. Where once we could see forever the barren sleep between branches, now luminous walls of green enclose us with each exhale transforming the air.

As we move through May the Hawthorns (Crataegus spp) and Wild Roses (Rosa nutkanna) bloom and we become as swept up by nature as it is by itself. The activity of all life living begins to move toward a crescendo, taking on a momentum and force only felt at this time of year. Suddenly it is as if everything is in bloom all at once, a flurry of communication sent out in all directions. All is alive and abuzz.

During the last weeks of May and the first weeks of June an immense surge of vital essence has now risen out of the earth, moving through our green allies it has begun to mingle with that of the sun. Our green friends begin to bring this solar energy down into their cells and transmute it to be passed on to nourish all life on earth though the seasons to come.

June is a vulnerable time with so much of our vital essence sent into outward growth, before the captured light of the sun has had a chance to restore us. In June there is a constant movement away from our roots; away from ourselves. There is the mingling of our vital essence in communion with others through pollination and communication.

This month can burst at the seams with joy, but it can also call for so much adaptation, pushing us to the extremities of our selves, pulling us upward from our roots to the edges of discomfort.

The characteristic purple-tinged leaves of Motherwort signal that it is the prime time to harvest for medicinal potency.

A Gift of Grounding

Motherwort is a bitter herb. When I teach my students materia medica, we stand in a circle around each plant the garden. We taste a leaf and explore the flavour profile with our senses, paying attention to how it feels in our bodies. Year after year, those unaccustomed to the bitter taste seem to get repulsed by the flavour of Motherwort, immediately rejecting it with sour faces, shaking it off as the bitter causes a shiver down their spines.

But for me the bitter taste, the taste of Motherwort, is something I crave. A craving which is intensified at this time of year in particular. Bitter is energetically cooling and contracting. It sends the vital essence downward into the body, sinking it and grounding it there. A helpful action when, just like the plants, our essence is outward and untethered during this month of uninhibited full bloom.

I try not to pigeonhole herbs, but at times I find myself guilty as the next in this regard. It’s easy to fall into the pattern of thinking of a herb as being simply ‘good for that’. This is something that, until recently, I was inadvertently doing in regard to the medicine of Motherwort.

As the name suggests, Motherwort is a fantastic remedy for female reproductive issues, but its magic is not limited to that.

For certain it is my go-to herb for anything PMS. Motherwort is wonderful at relieving tension and increasing circulation to the uterus. This helps to ease the cramping that may be due to congestion and stagnation in these tissues, and as such can be a useful remedy for fibroids, cysts and endometriosis. Motherwort helps to encourage the menses, and is wonderfully pain relieving and antispasmodic for both menstrual cramps and ovulations pains as well.

The nervine action of the herb is incredible at calming nervousness and anxiety that can be related to the female-bodied persons moon time. When anger rises from a liver overwhelmed by a fresh surge of monthly hormones, the herb acts to cool down the resulting internal heat and ease the irritability that can come with it.

But Motherwort isn’t just about PMS. It is a worthy herb for all genders and bodies in Gemini season.

June always seems to be a hard month for me. There is an inherent intensity to this time of year. For all those who farm or work with the land, this is known only too well. Though they fill me with great joy with their presence, it can be daunting to try to keep up with the plants. They move so fast, and harvest windows seem to fly by at increasing speed. The energy of this time of year on the farm can be overwhelming. It takes to constant effort to adapt and stay grounded.

On top of all this natural intensity, there aways seems to be some sort of extra upheaval or change in my life at this time of year. The previous Junes for me have included house moves and break-ups, challenges and expansions that have teased my limits, unseated me from my roots. During these times I seem to be so accident prone. My lack of presence in my body leading to ankle sprains the past two years in a row.

Probably the most ungrounding of all, this June I am adapting to the possibility of having to move my farm, as the property is going up for sale next month. A transition is ahead that will potentially lead me down new and unforeseen paths; paths that are ungrounding, unknown; and perhaps filled with promise and joy.

I found a new sense of kinship with Motherwort last June, when during several weeks in a row I led different groups of students on plant walks at my farm. I kept returning to Motherwort each week, feeling called to introduce this magical ally full bloom. Each week, mid-move and ankle sprain, I returned to Motherwort and tasted its leaves along with the others. Each week I was surprised by the effect it had on me, and the striking, almost shocking way in which it returned me to my body.

Since then I no longer think of Motherwort as simply a herb for PMS.

Motherwort is a powerful ally to help us sink our vital essence back into our core. She is grounded and also courageous. Leonurus cardiaca the lion-hearted one. She is an ally for the heart in chaotic times. She sends us within and helps us to access the strength in our hearts and the courage to stay present. Like many of our herbal allies for the heart, she is both soft and strong, beautiful and fierce with her delicate velvety leaves and the needle sharp calyxes of her lilac flowers.

~

This year I am making a constant effort to stay present in my body and so far have successfully avoided another ankle sprain. I am spending more time basking in the sun; letting that solar energy restore me, as it restores nature all around, becoming the sugar to our cells.

Due to the bitter taste, my favourite way to take Motherwort is in tincture form. This is a herb that is best tinctured fresh to capture the full range and potency of the medicinal benefits. We have fresh-plant tincture of Motherwort available in 50ml, 100ml, 250ml, and 500ml sizes.

Motherwort is featured in several of our nervine and tonic tincture blends, including our Heart Harmony and Trauma Remedy tinctures. It is a helpful ally in our Peaceful Warrior tincture, a blend I formulated to help clients quit smoking; this blend is wonderful for maintaining calm and focus, opening the lungs and activating movement through the throat chakra. (This is also a great blend for singers and public speakers).

Motherwort is also a main ingredient in our Hormone Balancer for women; and she aids us with moon time maladies in our Moon Mender for killer cramps.

Growing & Harvesting Motherwort

Motherwort is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial native to Europe and central Asia. This Mint Family member grows to 4ft tall and 2ft wide. The leaves are toothed and palmate, with a light and pale downy fur on their undersides. The small pale-pink or lilac coloured flowers appear in late spring born in spiky whorls alternating up the stems.

Propagation is best done by seed; our farm grown Motherwort seeds can be found here in our shop. Seeds can be started at any point during the growing season, and are best kept moist though germination. During the first season the seedlings will look quite different than the mother plants, with their more rounded and shallowly-lobed immature leaves.

The new seedlings of Motherwort have a rounded and shallowly-lobed leaf shape. As the plants mature the leaves become more deeply toothed.

Motherwort is hardy to USDA zones 4-9, and prefers to be planted in a sunny position with well-drained soil. It will grow in partial shade, but the medicine won't be as strong. Like so many other herbs, a natural period of stress by sun and drought is needed to bring out the secondary metabolites, or medicinal compounds.

An easy plant to care for, Motherwort is extremely drought tolerant once it is established in its second year. Planted in the herb garden it is a lovely gift for our pollinators, attracting and nourishing bees and other beneficial insects. Our wild garden foragers, such as deer or bunnies, tend to leave it be, repelled by its bitter taste.

A bit of a self-seeder, it is best to remove the flower stalks after blooming to prevent seed formation and the spread of this wildflower around the garden. Come fall time the plants will begin to die down, gradually turning yellow and sending remaining nutrients down into the roots. The plants can be cut back to the ground at this time, and will sprout from dormant roots in the spring.

Motherwort is prime to harvest when the plants are in early bloom. The plants can be gathered from the time they set their first flower buds onward through their bloom time. Letting the plants reach this stage of maturity will aid greatly in the potency of the medicinal properties.

Freshly harvested leaf and flower of Motherwort.

The upper stems laden with flowers can be gathered, leaving at least one or two healthy sets of leaves on the stalk below. A gentle harvest done in this way will encourage the plants to branch out and regrow for a second harvest in summer. Any woody or fibrous stems should be discarded as these will not be useful for medicine making.

Motherwort is best used fresh. It can be tinctured in alcohol or glycerine, and infused into honey or apple cider vinegar. It can also be taken fresh as a tea, though the taste is not palatable for everyone.

Radiant Rose | The Embodiment of Authentic Generosity

As I walk into the open clearing... I am taken back by the sweetness of the ineffable Wild Rose. Ahhhhh... closing my eyes, I take a full body inhalation...breathing into my chest, the freshness of the leaves... the glorious aroma of the flowers. My heart beat attunes to the vibration of this magical being. With my eyes remaining closed, I feel the silky breeze whisper; DANCE. Gently, I feel the wind encourage both of us into graceful movement. 

Opening my eyes again, my vision has softened. Without turning my head I catch sight of the lavish brambles filling my periphery, as if surrounded by a sacred circle of ancestors. I am protected, held. I am safe to melt into my own. I am open to receiving abundance. Just as a tender grandmother would comfort with open arms; rose comforts with magnificent strength; that of compassionate embrace, intentional listening and firm, reverent boundary. I lean into that peaceful feeling of belonging and sit with the deeply nourishing wisdom. My spirit delights in this opening, connected to everything that exists. Deep in my bones I feel the words “you are never alone, you are always surrounded, loved & cared for.” 

I have eagerly been awaiting this beauty to shine with its sweet delectable flowers. Wild Rose (Rosa Nutkana) is one of our native species here in the Pacific Northwest, and they are just beginning to beam with so much abundance. Here on Vancouver Island, Wild Rose can be found growing on the edges of marshland, forests, open-fields, farmland, roadsides and beaches. Generally late-April is when your nose starts to sniff that lovely decadence of the leafed out bushes, as they slowly begin to bud up. By mid-May Wild Rose is often in full bloom tantalizing bees and pollinators alike with their yummy nourishment. The harvesting time is very much at the whim of Mother Nature; remaining completely dependant on what kind of spring we receive. If it remains very hot and dry, Rose can finish blooming in a flash, however if the days or nights are cool, rainy or partly cloudy, Rose medicine seems to grace us for much longer. 

Powerfully soft, beautifully bold and unapologetically radiant. Rose’s flourishing branches & blossoms sprawl freely outward & upward, breathing life into the world around it. It encourages us inhabit our flesh and ground into the earth that gives us life. Rose cares for others, providing safety and sustenance; and too is cared for, taking in nutrients from the soil and sky. Rose invites us to pay attention to the cycles of creating & sustaining life, dancing with the knowledge of changing cycles. We are all sacred conductors of life-force, and Rose announces that now is the perfect time to direct that energy into nurturing something beautiful! Life is rich with opportunities for us to grow, experience our senses, and to step fully into our own authentic light. 

Enjoying rose often brings a sense of timelessness, for part of the medicine is certainly about becoming fully present in the moment. “Stop to smell the roses”, though cliché, is a simple reminder to slow down, feel and savour the beauty in life. Pausing to really take in this plant energetically or physically is about living in the moment with a deeper sense of love, gratitude and appreciation for all the incredible blessings of existence. 

For people, like myself, with a very airy constitution, this aspect of presence in the moment is crucial to grounding down, connecting & restoring the nervous system; bringing mind, body & spirit into alignment. I enjoy our Nerve Nourisher tincture blend almost daily to aid in supporting my nerves, calming anxiety and relieving my spirit from overwhelm. This blend combines Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Chamomile (Matricaria spp), St. Johns Wort (H. perforatum), Skullcap (S. lateriflora) with Rose to rejuvenate the nervous system and simply relax into one’s own rhythm. 

Part of Rose’s uplifting nature comes from its action as a loving and gentle blood decongestant; promoting circulation, stagnant energy flow and the release of emotional tension. This potent impact on the emotional body can be felt as deep spaciousness in heart-space or womb-space. Rose humbly purifies our hearts, supporting us to let down our walls and be softened, carrying the medicine of true self-love. It asks “are you tending to yourself with as much reverence as you would give to someone you love dearly?” 

Personally I have experienced Rose to be remarkably gentle at holding space and helping to relieve constriction and tightness in the chest. Our Heart Harmony tincture blend is a lovely formulation that encourages this softening and strengthening in the heart space both in the physical and emotional bodies. Rose, accompanied by fellow plant allies Hawthorn flower, leaf and berry (Crataegus spp), Linden Blossom (Tilia sp), Yarrow (A. millifolium), Motherwort (L. cardiaca), all form a team to support, guide and nourish the heart in this blend. This tonic can be taken daily to support heart function, regulate blood pressure, tonify the blood vessels and stimulate circulation. It may also be taken to uplift the heart or ease sorrow, grief & heartbreak. 

Though abundant in vulnerable flowers, upon observation one can see (and experience if not careful) that the branches of Rose are covered in sharp thorns, asserting clear boundary. Though subtle and often overshadowed during bloom time, one can also take notice of the old desiccated hips still clinging to the branch tips and slowly decaying, blackened and gnarly from winter’s harshness. Rose bares it all at once, showing us the profound courage & willingness it takes to be raw with reality as it is. 

By sitting with Rose we can too learn to embrace ALL of the parts of ourselves. With this more compassionate, receptive quality to our being, we can authentically own our power, craft healthy boundaries and ultimately give and receive from a place of abundance. 

This is the generosity of Rose: be real. Real comes from the centre of our being and speaks to the moment from our core essence. Real has a boldness, asking us to live from a place where there is nothing to defend and nothing to control. Real, is not always sunshine & rainbows, however it is always trustworthy. The deepness of relationship with both ourselves & others comes from this foundation of speaking our truth. By living the life that cries to be lived from the depths of our being, we free up our vital force, releasing what no longer serves. 

Motivating that deep desire within to express our inner beauty is an essential part of Rose’s magic. This aliveness & swelling of sacred sensuality is ready to be expressed through our own unique creative means. By bringing movement, warmth & energetic flow to the pelvis, Rose acts as an ardent aphrodisiac, enlivening self-belief and bringing life force energy to the sacral area. As we step into our passionate selves enjoying the warmth & energy flow in this area we connect to divine vision. 

Our Blissful Lover tincture blend offers a sweet mixture of magical herbal allies to heighten & inspire this lust for life. This blend is magnetic & alluring, waking up the vital force and letting inner vibrancy flow. Along with Ashwagandha (W. somnifera), Pine Pollen (Pinus spp), Ginko (G. biloba) & Licorice (G. glabra) one can be energized, grounded & deeply connected to the self, relaxing into quintessential nature, that of encapsulated soul. Aphrodisiacs work their magic by crafting that spaciousness, heart-centredness and bringing us back into physicality. 

The medicine of Rose is deeply rooted in many traditions around in the world. Treasured as powerful ally in the remembering of story, magic, love & loss. The petals & buds are beloved for their calmative & nutritive properties, carrying amazingly uplifting medicine for healing grief, loss, sadness, fatigue & heartache. This plant offers a cooling astringency that tonifies tissues and soothes inflammation. In this way, Rose is an amazing skin healer and has long use in the treatment of sunburn, inflammatory skin conditions, wound healing & skincare. Rose is a main ingredient in our Skin Sav-R facial toner a soothing and remineralizing herbal toner along with Horsetail, Calendula, and Arbutus.

One of my favourite ways to preserve the medicine of Rose season is to make an infused honey from the fresh petals. This medicine is profoundly uplifting & incredibly delicious. Wild Rose Herbal Honey beautifully encapsulates the aromatics and soothing whole package Rose carries. We also offer a herbal honey blen, our I Heart You, honey which is a lovely amalgam of Rose with other heart-helping herbal allies such as Linden and Hawthorn. With a little honey, we can easily tap into our courage to open fully to the delights of life. 

Fresh Rose petals can be macerated in honey and infused with the all the goodness & nutritive properties of the plant. Honey is a fantastic menstruum for extracting medicine, not to mention a medicine in and of itself. Raw, unpasteurized honey is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic & antiseptic. It contains a complex assortment of different beneficial compounds including enzymes, antibiotic agents, proteins, carbohydrates, antimicrobial compounds, vitamins, as well as many trace minerals. It helps to build blood and actively promotes the healing of tissues, making it, especially when infused with Rose, a fantastic topical preparation for the skin. Rose infused honey can be used to soothe wounds, burns, skin irritations or simply a loving face mask or honey pat. In my life however, this scrumptious treat is mostly enjoyed as an edible addition to baking, tea or by taken by the spoonful! 

Rose Infused Honey Recipe

1) Gather fresh Rose petals and loosely fill a small jar to the top.
2) Gently warm enough honey to fill jar. Use local unpasteurized honey if at all possible. Make sure to keep the temp below 60C to prevent damaging the health-giving properties of the honey.
3) Pour the warm honey over the rose petals to fill the jar, gently stirring until the petals are incorporated and no air bubbles remain.
4) Let infuse for 2 weeks in a warm spot out of direct sunlight.
5) Strain, or leave petals in. Enjoy!

Let’s all get out there to celebrate the gift of this season! Give Rose the pleasure of moving through you in a practice of pure radiant dance! 

Ringing (...or Stinging) in the Spring with Nettle

Spring has arrived here in the PNW and with it the ubiquitous Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica). The bounty that this special native forest plant has to offer is now at our (tingling!) finger tips. The deep-green tender new shoots are sprouting rapidly upward in the warmth of the spring sunshine here on Vancouver Island, BC Canada.

One of the very first plants to emerge in our rainforest ecosystem here in the PNW as we transition from winter to spring, Nettle is an ally that can help us adapt to the seasonal transition on each level of body, mind, and spirit. I have often thought of Nettle as a warm spirit that brings the element of fire to the spring in our damp West Coast forest. I can imaging the new shoots like little candle flames warming and drying up the dampness of the forest floor and bring in new life and vibrancy into the changing season, and into our lives, initiating us into the springtime also taking place inside of us.

Nettles are a true gift to our bodies, a wild 'superfood' that you can find for free on the forest floor. The new green shoots are high in protein ~ 25% of thier dried wieght! ~ and chock full of minerals and vitamins, specifically iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A, C and K, as well as several B vitamins. 

Nettle fortifies us, gives us endurance, and clears the excess dampness and stagnation from the body that often accumulates during the winter months here in the PNW. As we move through each seasonal cycle together, the plants so generously offer us a helping hand and share with us their wisdom and medicine. In return we may offer them our love and gratitude, and good stewardship of the lands we share. 

Nettle in the Kitchen

Spring Nettle shoots can be prepared as a braising green, in a similar way to how you would prepare Spinach or Kale. Nettle works as a wonderful substitute for either of these in any dish. The taste of Nettles is rich and green, sweet and earthy. I love the taste of nettles and I love the way my body feels after eating them, so energized and vital. Nettles can be added to soups, smoothies, and dried for tea. Once the nettles are cooked, juiced, pureed, dried, or prepared into medicines they no longer sting.

Contrary to popular belief, Nettle can indeed be eaten raw. In its raw state you will enjoy the greatest content of health-giving enzymes, vitamins and chlorophyll. My favourite way to eat raw Nettle greens is to prepare Nettle pesto, this can be prepared easily by substituting Basil for fresh Nettles in your favourite pesto recipe. Blending the Nettles in the food processor inactivates the stingers, letting you enjoy the delicious flavour of the spring greens raw.

And if you are feeling brave…I will share with you a trick to eat the leaves directly off the plant without stinging your mouth. The secret is that upper surface of the leaves have very few stingers when compared to the stems and undersides of the leaves. The first step is to simply grasp the two large leaves below the central leaf bud and turn them upside down. Then use them to enclose the central leaf bud and pluck it off the plant. 

This will look somewhat like a little leaf bud sandwich with the undersides of the two outer leaves (the ‘bread’ of the sandwich) facing inward toward the central leaf bud within (the ‘filling’ of the sandwich). The little green sandwich can be rolled up to resemble a large pill, and the few stingers that may be visible on the outside can then be rubbed off. Place this little pill between the molars on one side of your mouth and chew. The taste is incredible, so fresh and so vibrant. 

Warning! It may take a little practice to get the method right on your own without me there to demonstrate for you. Proceed at your own risk!

Nettle in the Apothecary

With its nutritive and cleansing properties, Nettle is a true spring tonic. Taken as a food, herbal honey, infused vinegar, or as a long infusion, Nettle can be useful for anemia and nutrient deficiencies. (Note: the tincture isn’t as helpful here as it won’t have the same abundant mineral content of the other preparations). Nettle’s diuretic action is cleansing to the body, acting to increase removal of toxins from through the flow of urine. This action also helps to flush out the accumulation of substances that may have built up in our joints, helping to relieve stiffness or chronic rheumatic pain. 

The diuretic action also makes Nettle useful in tea or tincture formulas for bladder infections. It combines well with urinary antiseptics such as Yarrow (Achillea millifolium), and other supportive herbs such as St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) (both of which are used in our Bladder Benefit Tincture). Nettle tea can also be a useful as a general bladder tonic to improve function by toning the tissues of the urinary tract, and making flow more productive.

Nettle can be restorative to the healthy functioning of the female reproductive system. It is useful for regulating menstruation, and helps to reduce excessive bleeding. The proteins and minerals in the herb help to nourish the body and build blood. This can help to replenish the iron lost through menstruation, and also promote healthy menstrual flow.

A very safe herb, with virtually no contraindications, Nettle may be used throughout pregnancy and nursing. Its nutritive properties are a great aid here, as well as its gentle action as a uterine tonic. It combines well with both Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and Milky Oats (Avena sativa) for this purpose.

Cooling to inflammatory conditions in the body, Nettle and is wonderful internally (or externally - see below on urtification) for rheumatism and arthritic conditions. The myriad of anti-inflammatory compounds found in its leaves, such as caffeic acid and quercitin, also make it a powerful antihistamine for seasonal allergies. 

Interestingly, Nettle harvest season coincides with the blooming of the majority of our native deciduous trees such as Red Alder, Big Leaf Maple, and Western Balsam Poplar. Nettle is there to rely on when the mass amounts of air-borne pollen that these trees produce cause allergy-like symptoms in spring time for so many of us right now. For many people (including myself) a simple cup of Nettle tea can provide great relief. 

For those that suffer more deeply with irritated mucous membranes and the resulting watery-eyes, runny nose, and sneezing that can come with the allergy season, Nettle tincture taken daily can aid as a great preventative, as well as ease symptoms once they emerge. Nettle infused honey is also wonderful, especially with the added anti-allergic benefits of local unpasteurized honey. We have both fresh Nettle Tincture and Nettle Herbal Honey available in our online shop.

We also offer an Allergy Easer Tincture blend that contains a team of seasonal-allergy supportive herbs. Along with Nettle, this blend includes other natural antihistamine and inflammation-reducing herbs such as Ambrosia (Ambrosia chamissonis), Goldenrod (Solidego lepida), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), and Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea). This blend is also offered as a herbal honey, our Allergy Easer Herbal Honey.

Nettling (Uritfication)

Intentionally (gently) stinging myself with the first fresh Nettles I come upon has become a ritual for me each spring. It helps to initiate me into the active part of myself and the busy season ahead. In my work I am fortunate to get to follow the natural patterns of the seasons, winter time being a much needed period of dormancy before the rush of busyness that comes with the spring season on the farm. Both symbolically and physically, the stings wake up my body and spirit and help prepare me for the season ahead. 

In fact, this process of intentionally stinging oneself is actually a herbal remedy in itself. Fresh picked nettles are used to stimulate the skin surface in a process called ‘urtification’ which is used to treat arthritis and rheumatism. The nettle stings act as a counter-irritant creating minor pain that distracts the nervous system into overlooking the deeper pain. The chemicals in the stingers also cause a superficial inflammatory reaction which triggers the body to release more of its own healing anti-inflammatory compounds to the area.

Urtification brings circulation to the tissues surround the joints and can relieve stiffness and swelling. The process is truly effective for deep joint pain and I would highly recommend those of you who are suffering to give it a try at least once. Many people swear by this method of utilizing the medicine of Nettle, and find several days to an entire week of relief after only one treatment.

I had long heard about the healing properties of urtification, also commonly known as ‘nettling’, before gaining the courage to try it myself. The sting isn't really so bad, really extremely mild compared to a bee sting, and is often more like a strong tingling sensation. Though intense initially, for most folks the stinging quickly subsides within minutes, and the after-effect is like a warm soothing tingly balm. There are individuals that may react more strongly though, so make sure to test a small patch of skin first.

With the relationship I have built with Nettle and its medicine, I feel honoured to have this plant in my life, and have learned to cherish its sting!

Harvesting Nettle

Nettle is a plant that can be respectfully wildcrafted from most locations with great ease and and confidence. The aerial (above ground) parts are the most commonly utilized part of the plant for both food and medicine, though both the seeds* and the roots also have their different and important uses. Make sure to avoid road sides and ditches when harvesting, or other areas that may have been polluted, as Nettle tends to bioaccumulate substances found in its environment (including toxins). 

*For info read my post Nettle Seed Season | Restoring the Warrior

The season for harvesting nettles here on Vancouver Island is long and plentiful beginning as early as mid-February and peaking in April or May depending on the season. The new green shoots can be harvested as soon as they are 4-6” high for use as a fresh food or for drying for tea. These tender new shoots are most ideal for culinary use, as the texture is most succulent at this time and the flavour is most sweet and earthy. The new shoots also contain the highest percentage of bio-available minerals. 

As the plants sprout up to a foot high and begin showing the very first signs of budding up to flower, the many medicinal properties of the Nettles begin to become increasingly concentrated in the leaves. At this stage it is a prime time to harvest the upper portion of the plants for medicinal use. They may still be used in the kitchen at this point, though some aspects of the nutritional content will have begun to decrease.  

The period when the Nettle plants begin to open up their tiny pale-green flower buds, is generally considered to be the end of the harvest period for use as both a food and a medicine. At this time all those wonderful minerals that were beneficial to us in the new shoots will have become larger in structure, forming crystals that can be difficult for the body to make use of, and may irritate the kidneys if consumed.

When harvesting, gardening gloves are recommended to protect your hands from the stingers that cover the leaves and stems of the Nettle plants. Remember, these stingers are most abundant on the stem and undersides of the leaves, and upper portion of the leaves generally have less. The plants may be snipped down to a few inches above the ground, leaving one or two sets of leaves so that the plants can regrow easily from the dormant buds resting in the leaf axis. 

Nettle in the Garden

In the wild, Nettle chooses its home among the Alder, Poplar and Maple groves, with the dappled sunshine that is filtered through the trees and the moist, loose, hummus-rich soil created by the decomposing tree leaves offered to the soil each fall. With these conditions Nettle thrives and forms extensive patches connected by slender underground rhizomes. Its growth pattern is quite similar to garden Mint (Mentha spp), though it is not as aggressive.

Nettle is a perennial herb that can be grown in Zones 2-10. It can be grown easily from seed, or root division. As with many native plants, the seeds germinate best when sown outdoors in the fall or very early spring, but I have also found good germination when the seeds were started indoors in spring. We offer Nettle Seeds in our online store.

The tiny Nettle seedlings will take a full season to become established and must have access to regular watering. In the spring of the second season the plants begin to grow vigorously and may be harvested. Nettle plants will die-back each fall and re-sprout from dormant roots each spring. Once you establish a Nettle patch in your garden it will be there to enjoy an abundance of nutritious and healing spring greens year after year.