Believe it or not, I have heard this question many times. And believe it or not, chicory coffee really is good....I promise.  How can you go wrong, you get the coffee flavor without the caffeine, the coffee flavor without the dreaded acidity and the coffee flavor with all the benefits of a good cleansing herb.

Amazingly enough, the chicory plant is one of the earliest cited 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") Can you imagine having a diet like this? Maybe, maybe not, but it's well worth respecting.

Rosehips are a wonderful food and vitamin source.  Historically, Native Americans used rosehips in their stews and soups after using them for tea. I enjoy using them to make jams, jellies, marmalade's and wine, as well as a delicious tea.  GW3DDKE8NP2F

This nutrient rich herb boosts your health and helps shed pounds in so many ways. As a tea and wine, rosehips strengthen the body, reinforce digestive function, help flush the kidneys and urinary tract, plus stimulate the appetite and increase blood flow and circulation.

I have several lemon balm plants growing right outside my kitchen window, and I just love the wafting lemon scent that flows into the house. This easy to grow herb thrives in any sunny, well drained location. Both the foliage and the flowers are attractive in the garden and the small white flowers attract honeybees and other beneficial insects.  I love to add fresh leaves to salads, soups, herbal vinegars, and fish. A simple cup of lemon balm tea is delicious too. If using the fresh leaves for tea, the leaves lowest on the plant are the highest in essential oils. In pastures this plant increases the flow of cows' milk, and is excellent with marjoram after calving. You can grow your own lemon balm from seeds found here in my local harvest store.

Melissa officinalis is a mint with a distinctly lemony scent. Its botanical name Melissa is Greek for bee, as bees obtain large quantities of honey from the flowers. And  "balm" refers to balsam, the ancient world's most important sweet-smelling oils. For thousands of years herbalists used lemon balm to treat any kind of disorder of the central nervous system.

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.

Its Latin name is thought to have come from the Romans who named it after an ancient town, but it may also have derived from the Hebrew marrob, meaning bitter herb, as it is still eaten during Passover. But the name horehound is thought to have derived from "Horus", the Egyptian god of sky and light. The Romans and other ancient civilizations relied on horehound to treat numerous ailments, including whooping cough, tuberculosis, jaundice, menstrual cramps, and constipation. The herb is an effective immune booster and is quite nutritious, containing vitamins A, B, C and E, essential fatty acids, iron, potassium and marrubin (an expectorant).

This woody shrub blooms in spectacular hues, from true blue to rosy blue, and one white-flowering variety. It blooms in spring and sometimes fall with a wonderful aroma that fills the air with a fragrance like sweet pine. Rosemary has a long history of medicinal use, in culinary cuisine, symbolic blessings, and aromatherapy in gardens around the world.

This amazing plant is often used a a tonic, but it also relaxes the nervous system, which helps ease anxiety, depression, and tension headaches. It's antispasmodic properties help to fight lingering bronchial infections and help improve breathing.

Garbling certainly can be a tedious experience, but it is really quite enriching. I find that it has helped me get to know the plants I've collected even better. It's such a fun word to use too. I love when someone calls and asks what I'm doing, I love to reply, oh I'm just garbling some  Motherwart...or what ever herb I'm cleaning. Always makes them giggle, and it's always a fun way to start a conversation.

Oh, what is garbling you ask? Well garbling refers to the separation of that portion of the plant to be used from other parts of the plant, i.e. picking out wilted leaves, woody stems, stray grasses and other plants that came along with what you picked. This step is often done during and after the collection process. I always repeat this step after drying as well. Although there are machines that perform garbling, usually it is performed by hand.

The simple lemon has gone beyond your ordinary glass of lemonade. Did you know lemon peel contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium, ascorbic acid and vitamin A, as well as volatile oil. It is diuretic, carminative, immuno-enhancing, and stomachic. This citrus serves as a tonic to the digestive system, immune system, and skin, while increasing circulation to extremities. Lemon peel is used to treat and prevent vitamin deficiencies, colds, flu, an scurvy as well as digestive or gastrointestinal problems by stimulating the appetite and encouraging the release of gastric juices to digest food.

The citrus bioflavonoid constituents of this herb help stabilize blood vessels, especially the capillaries, making it an ideal remedy for healing varicose veins, bloodshot eyes, phlebitis and hemorrhoids (especially when the lemon peel is used to make a tea).

I spent last week roaming through the orchard and excitedly plucking this always awaited special herb, pineapple weed. This little weed like plant is closely related to the Chamomiles, Mayweeds, and other weedy daisies. All share the same kind of foliage, but pineapple weed doesn't have the white ray florets in its flower heads that chamomile is known for. 

Matricaria matricarioides or wild chamomile is a favorite of my children as they love to gather it on walks, bruise it then rub it on their skin providing an effective insect repellent.

What can be said wrong about Alfalfa? Silly question huh? But really, what can be said?

Alfalfa has been used as a medicinal plant for over 1,500 years. It truly is known as "The Father of all Foods". What other plant could demand such a title? Not many. Alfalfa is high in protein, calcium, Vitamins in the B group, C, D, E and K plus tons of other trace minerals and chlorophyll. Because the root system of alfalfa has the power to grow to magnanimous depths, it is able to store such wonderful properties from the soil that most other plants can't.

"Better to be deprived of food for three days than of tea for one!"

I love tea, whether its just to warm me up, to clear out my lungs, or to sit and swish around in- in the tub of course!. Today I just feel like sharing some of my favorite recipes. Hope you enjoy.