I'm thrilled to finally be adding some new herbals to the website that I spent all Spring, Summer and Fall growing, loving, tickling, singing too, harvesting and now are ready to be shared! 

Even though I had to leave behind my ever so loved food and medicine garden in California, I was able to harvest a little bit from almost everything before setting off on this new journey. And now, as I cozy up for the Winter I'm busy planning out my new garden space where there is sure to be an abundance of herbals in the years to come.

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Clary sage was once thought to make people immortal and many believed that it could clarify the brain, the eyes and even the “inner eye”, and that those who drank a tea of the leaves and flowers could see the future. Today, clary sage is used as a flavoring in everything from cigarettes and omelets to muscatel wine, but it does have many medicinal properties too. In fact, it has a medicinal pedigree going back to the ancient Greeks, but it's probably not the first herb you think of to treat complaints like hot flashes, indigestion and anxiety.

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Mallow is one of the earliest cited plants in recorded literature. Horace mentions it in reference to his own diet, which he describes as very simple: "Me pascunt olivae, me cichorea, me malvae" ("As for me, olives, endives, and mallows provide sustenance")

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Since antiquity, mankind has used the velvety mullein plant for many purposes. From Roman times, the stem- stripped of the leaves and flowers and dipped in tallow- was carried as a torch in religious processions. Why not make a giant torch eh? Well, they are smoky, stinky, and tend to drip hot flaming bits everywhere ...... Perfect for a cave? Maybe.

Mullein was known in Greek as Flego and Fluma, that is, "to set on fire." According to one writer, "it served as a wick to put into lamps to burn." The leaves were rolled and dried and used as wicks for oil lamps and candles, and made excellent tinder.  John Parkinson, a seventeenth-century herbalist, "used the stalks dipped in suet whether to burn at funerals or otherwise, and so likewise the English name High Taper, used in the same manner as a taper or torch."

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Along with new life, new leaves and new blooms, fresh herbs are in abundance in Spring. For me, this is the time to start collecting leafy herbs like strawberry leaf for storage. The garden strawberry is the most common plant of the genus Fragaria which is cultivated worldwide in the garden for its fruit. Although there are several varieties of wild strawberries, all of the species do have similar herbal properties, but mainly the leaves and rhizomes are used for this purposes. If left alone, this easy to grow perennial will successfully propagate itself and leave you with an abundance of perfectly usable parts.

The medicinal value of strawberry leaf is similar to that of its cousin, the red raspberry which are both rich in tannins, vitamin C and are known to posses diuretic and astringent qualities. Herbalists also regard the leaf as a tonic for the female reproductive system, using it in exactly the same way as raspberry. I like to recommend strawberry leaf tea to both pregnant and nursing mothers as well as young children due to the high contents of calcium, trace minerals and iron. The tea is almost as yummy as the berry, being fresh, mild and fruity.

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Juniper Berries, scientifically called Juniperus communis, come from the Juniper shrub and are widely found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The juniper is an evergreen tree native to Europe, Asia, and the northern parts of North America.

The herbal uses of the juniper berry dates back to early times. The first recorded mention of use is in an Egyptian papyrus from 1500 B.C.E. that tells of its use in treating tapeworms. Throughout history, Juniperus communis has been used by numerous different cultures to treat conditions such as warts, gout, skin growths, upset stomach,  and various urinary tract and kidney diseases.  It's been noted that Greek and Arabian physicians used juniper to treat many ailments as well as the Romans, who used it for all types of stomach disorders. Native Americans of the northeast used the berries as a food and medicinal herb used to relieve infection and ease the pain of arthritis. The Hopi boiled the berries and parts of the tree and consumed it to treat stomach disorders. Historically, juniper berries have been used to treat bladder and kidney infections and were used in tea as a way to disinfect surgeon's tools. The antiseptic properties of juniper berry helps aid in the removal of waste and acidic toxins from the body, and stimulate a fighting action against bacterial and yeast infections. Considered by some to be a useful diuretic, juniper has been used to remove excess water retention, which can help with water weight loss, as well as improving digestion and easing gas and stomach cramping without causing loss of electrolytes. Additionally, the berries are believed by some herbalists to be beneficial for reducing congestion and relieving asthma and colds.

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I am particularly lucky to have Horsetail growing in abundance in my area. It's rarely cultivated since it is difficult to eradicate once established, but if you plant it in buckets to prevent it from spreading, you can successfully grow a small crop. Horsetail certainly makes a stunning presence in any garden, and is a useful addition to say the least. If you want to grow your own Equisetum arvense, it is best propagated in fall by division of mature plants. Horsetail has been declared a noxious weed in some areas, but I am always excited to see it prospering in the wild. 

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I have one mutated Calendula plant. You can imagine my excitement! It's silly, but I always get excited when I grow something that takes on its own weird form: something different than what it should be. I told my husband I was going to call her my "Special Mutant" and that no one can have her-she's mine! Of course he laughed at me, but understands my quirky ways.

So, this particular plant is of normal size and goes to flower like normal and even sets its seeds. But then, the seeds sprout into new flowers right on the seed head. Each mutated flower has ten or more tiny flowers growing right out of it, and they have seeds. Its just amazing to me. I've grown Calendula for years and have never seen this. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has seen this, or is as excited as me to see it growing.

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Men seem to fall on the way side to women and children so often in herbal healing. But, from the heart to the prostate, ulcers , and even the common cold, herbs can play an important role on men's health. I have three men in my life; two are just babies, but none the less their health is very important to me. Knowing how to deal with and be prepared for, everyday "boy" complaints are skills I long to enhance. But, on with the men.

If you want to increase your health or suffer from symptoms associated with prostate, lowered libido, memory issues, palpitations, weight gain, depression and irritability- there are great herbs out there.

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Marrubrium vulgaris is one of the first non-native herbs I learned when I was working as field biologist for Cal State Stanislas to protect native species. I knew the plant as a cough remedy and a candy, but didn't have much experience recognizing the plant back then. In college as a horticulture student we studied landscaping plants rather than "wild" plants; which is truly where my heart was. But none the less, I learned a lot.

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