It’s May, and with the sap risen and the world coming into blossom, this month’s Blog Party will be focusing on herbs for sexual health and vitality — from aphrodisiacs to contraceptives to herbs for the reproductive system to herbs that help to heal our emotional and spiritual relationships to our bodies and our sexuality.

this month’s blog party is hosted by sean donahue of green man ramblings. go to his blog to see all the posts writing about this subject this month!

when considering herbs for sexual health and vitality, many exotic herbs come to mind. when trying to focus on regional herbs, the herbs may sound less exotic but pack the same punch as the foreigners! so if you are looking to try some herbs for sexual health and vitality, i highly recommend you start with the herbs in your back yard.

hawthorne is the first herb that comes to mind when i think of matters of the heart. hawthorne is supreme as a cardiovascular strengthener and tonic. not only does hawthorne work physically on the heart, but he works emotionally on the heart as well, uplifting the emotions and making one feel more at peace and happy. i love taking hawthorne in an elixir form. to make an elixir, fill a jar 1/2 full with hawthorne berries. fill half full with brandy and top off with local raw honey. shake and let sit for at least 2 weeks, shaking daily. after 2-4 weeks, strain off and use. i find hawthorne elixir a great addition to my morning herb teas. i add 2-3 droppers full.

rose is another emotional mood enhancer. is there any reason why roses are the symbol of love and passion? there is more to it than just a pretty flower with a nice scent.  they are an aphrodisiac and help with opening the heart and helping to heal emotional imbalances. rose is also calming and sedating. kiva rose taught me the recipe for wild rose elixir and i’ll forever more make as much as i can when it comes time to harvest rose petals and rose hips! i generally fill about 1/3 of the jar with rose hips before adding the petals but either way, it is good! take liberally as needed.

red raspberry leaf is a nourishing and tonic herb for the female reproductive system. red raspberry has lots of vitamin c plus contains vitamins a, b complex, e, calcium, iron, phosphorous and potassium. red raspberry has many good effects on the reproductive system including increasing fertility (both in men and women), eases morning sickness, reduces pain during and after labor/birth. raspberry also can help prevent miscarriages and hemorrhaging during pregnancy and birth. raspberry also encourages the uterus to return to its normal shape after birth, making recovery much quicker. red raspberry also encourages the flow of mama’s milk and makes the milk rich for baby. raspberry infusions are the best way to take this herb! to make, add 1 handful of dried raspberry to a quart jar. place a metal utensil in the glass jar and fill with hot water. remove the metal utensil (keeps the jar from breaking from the heat of the water), cap and let steep overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours. strain off and drink in a 24 hours period. the infusion can be heated or iced as you prefer.

vitex is an interesting herb as she decreases a man’s libido but increases a womans! while this herb does not grow natively in my area, she is hardy enough to be planted here. she also seems to increase fertility in women. vitex can be made into an elixir (follow hawthorne’s recipe above) or as a tincture. to make a tincture, fill a jar 1/2 full of vitex berries. fill the jar with everclear or another 100% grain alcohol and let sit for 3-4 weeks, shaking daily. to take, add 2 droppers full to a glass of water or herb tea 3 times a day.

oats a.k.a milky oats are considered to be a sexual appetite booster. this wonderfully nourishing herb assists with the blood flow, keeping the arteries to the pelvic region open for both men and women. oats is a gently stimulating nervine, nourishing and calming the nerves while increasing sensitivity to touch. milky oats are a different part of the plant from oat straw. milky oats are the unripened tops of the oats which exude a milky substance when squeezed at harvest time. They are wonderful used dried in a tea or tinctured up on a formula. to make a milky oat tincture, fill a jar full with milky oats and cover with grain alcohol. let sit for 3-4 weeks, shaking daily. strain and use as needed. you can also make an infusion following the directions above for red raspberry.

ginkgo is not only a memory enhancer, it enhances and brings blood circulation to other parts of the body as well. particularly useful for men with arterial erectile dysfunction, ginkgo boosts the blood flow in the penis without raising blood pressure the way some pharmaceutical drugs can do. ginkgo is also good for stimulating the adrenals, assisting with energy levels. make a tincture (see above for oats) and take 1 dropperful 3-4 times a day. it may be helpful for men to take a dose about 30 minutes before love making to help enhance blood flow.

feeling exhausted continuously can cause a strain on sexual desire and stimulation. nourishing and restoring the adrenals can do wonders for the sexual appetite as well. a blend i have had good results with for restoring adrenal health is as follows:

4parts:
borage

3 parts each:
gota kola
milky oats

2 parts each:
licorice
ginkgo

mix together and take 2 droppers full 3 times a day. i have found borage to be a little over stimulating at times and sometimes will keep the borage tincture separate from the rest of the blend, only taking 1 dropperful of  borage with the blend in the morning and afternoon and leave it out for the evening dosage so that i can go to sleep at night.

i love this time of year! one day, i walk outside and everything is brown and dead. i look down closely at the ground and i can see tiny wisps of grass, clover, plantain, dandelion and chicory starting to poke their sleepy heads from the soil and i know, any day now, spring will arrive.

another day, i walk out to be greated by the site of new baby lambs or kids. it’s so much fun to see what new babies we’ll have and to try to guess how many lambs or kids a ewe or doe will have and if they will be a boy or girl and what color they will be!

also that day, there may also be a gentle rain, cool but not cold. the maple trees stop flowing and at the same time i strain my ears….did i hear them? yes! the peepers are back. the first evening i hear them, there are only a few present. the next day, the chorus starts and their song can be heard day and night. that’s when i know, it is here! spring is back once again.

and then, the next day, the sun comes out and i step outside to go gather eggs and everything is GREEN! fabulous! spring has finally arrived. the chickens are laying eggs with a furiousness that can only advent the return of the warmth and sunlight. the kids are dancing about, the lambs running around.

i eagerly walk through the herb gardens, marveling at the  herbs peeking out of the ground that weren’t there the day before. i see chickweed of course, he’s always the first to arrive! and plantain, and dandelion. the next day, motherwort, daylilies, bergamot and ooooh, hi there nettles! glad to see you! next comes feverfew, chives, calamus, wormwood, mugwort, betony and a whole litany following. each day, i greet old friends as they arrive from their journey back from the earth to spring up and dance in the golden sunlight and sparkling rain. glorious spring!

there’s been a lot of talk about the swine flu and how to prepare it lately online. a lot of scary talk, from mandatory vaccines (which incidentally, the manufacturers have just had a law passed on their behalf which holds them unresponsible for any side affects that might occur from said vaccination) to quarantines and more.

many people are wondering what to do to prepare for the flu, to help prevent it, how to lessen the severity and duration and how to avoid the secondary bacterial infections that can occur from complications of it. i hope to be able to touch on all these things and give you a starting point for feeling confident in preventing and/or treating any cases of the flu that might come into your home. today i’ll cover what to do to prevent the flu from entering your home.

first of all, to vaccinate or not? honestly, that is a personal decision that you alone have to decide. i can tell you that research has proven that the flu vaccination (for any flu, not just the swine flu) will NOT prevent the flu. it will only lessen the duration of the flu by 1-2 days and lessen the severity of it. also, the vaccination needs to be taken at least 10 days before the flu is contracted to be effective. herbalist michael tierra recommends taking homeopathic thuja occidentalis 30x starting 2 days after vaccinating for 3 days, 3 times a day, with a dosage of 10-20 drops for liquid or 4-5 for pellets. he recommends taking this for prevention and to treat reactions, including guillain-barre syndrome (which is one of the side effects of the swine flu vaccine).

whether or not you decide to vaccinate, there are precautions you can take to avoid the flu. one of the most obvious is hygiene. frequent hand washing is a must. watching what you touch in public, possibly bringing along your own alcohol wipes to wipe off shopping carts and your hands is a great idea. most public places offer handy wipes and while i generally wouldn’t use them, for this time of year, it’s a smart choice.

~as an aside, if you do get the flu and your doctor recommends tamiflu, please be aware it is only helpful if taken in the first 1-2 days of contracting the flu and will not ‘cure’ you of the flu but only lessen the duration and severity….see a pattern here?!~

getting large dosages of vitamin d3 to keep our vit d levels up has been proven effective for preventing the flu. the problem with us folks in the northern hemisphere is that no matter how much time we spend outdoors this time of year, we are not going to get the necessary amounts of vitamin d into our system because the angle of the sun/earth will not allow it which causes many people to become vitamin d deficient in the winter months. paul bergner recommends going to a tanning booth 3 times a week for 20 minutes, using a tanning bed with uvb rays. (if you go this route, make sure you specify you want a uvb bed as most beds are calibrated for uva). this is too short of a time to get sunburn or cancer is the most natural way to get vitamin d3 this time of year (funny, i never thought i’d recommend a tanning bed as ‘natural’ but here ya go!). another way to get vitamin d3 is to take 4-5000  iu a day. there has also been some suggestion of eating sun-dried mushrooms which contain vitamin d2, another useful form of vitamin d that could also be effective. a third way of getting enough vitamin d would be to visit south florida or mexico during the winter and hang outside between 11-1, exposing as much as your body as possible (your face does not absorb enough vitamin d on its own).

diet plays a large role in remaining healthy as well. avoiding the usual recommendations of processed and refined foods, eating lots of dark, leafy greens, drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day all have their merit. cooking bone broths and using them for daily cooking in place of water (for rice, beans, soups, etc) are another great way to get lots of valuable nutrients. adding 4-6 ‘sticks’ of astragalus roots to a soup/broth once a week will give your entire family a huge immune supporting and building herbal treatment without them even knowing it. garlic is another great herb to try to consume daily. rosemary gladstar has a great recipe for pickled garlic. unfortunately, it takes 12 weeks to completely process but it’s great to have on hand any time of the year! here’s my version of it:

peel as many cloves of garlic as you’d like. i generally fill 1 quart jar full of them. try not to nick the cloves as they will become discolored. fill the jar full of either tamari or apple cider vinegar. i usually make 1 jar of each because they both are tasty! label and set aside for 6 weeks. after 6 weeks, strain off half of the tamari or vinegar and top the jar back off with raw honey. shake well to mix and then set aside for 6 more weeks. now it’s ready to consume! eat a couple a day to keep the germs away! these make tasty gifts as well. if you start a batch today, they will be ready on december 17! just in time to give away to family and friends for the holidays and possibly even enough time to save yourself from the flu season (jan – mar is typically the hardest hit time).

exercising daily is important as it keeps the blood from getting stagnant. exercising outdoors is preferable so that your lungs can breathe in fresh air. something as simple as stretching or yoga every day is the perfect way to begin your day, especially if done outside. it’s an invigorating and wonderful way to start the day!

other important factors are adequate sleep, lowering stress levels and having a happy outlook on life.

one final factor is using herbs to help prevent the flu from arriving on your doorstep. i’ve already mentioned using garlic and astragalus in your daily/weekly cooking. burdock is another great nourishing root that is quite delicious when cooked right! here’s a great recipe to try it out:

Burdock-n-Wild Rice

2 cups sliced Burdock root (about 4-5 medium-sized roots)
5 or 6 Wild Leeks (can substitute 6-8 cloves garlic)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Thai peanut Sauce* (find at a local co-op or ethnic food section of grocery store)
1 cup wild rice, uncooked

Cover washed and sliced fresh burdock roots in 2 cups water with ½ tsp baking soda. Bring to a boil, pour off the water. Cover with fresh water and boil gently until burdock is very tender, about 10 minutes.   Drain thoroughly, put into a skillet.  (Note: cast iron may discolor the burdock root)

Add chopped leeks or garlic.  Sauté in 2 Tbsp olive oil for 5-10 minutes.  Meanwhile cook wild rice in 2 cups water, 20-30 minutes. Mix sautéed burdock with cooked rice. Add ½ cup Thai peanut sauce.  Serve hot or cold.

*Can substitute any favorite stir-fry sauce for the Thai peanut sauce

burdock root can be found growing all over the place or in your local asian grocer. it is also known as gobo.you can add some chopped root to any soup base. just be sure to follow this method before adding to stocks or soups to make it palatable:

cover washed and sliced fresh burdock roots in 2 cups water with ½ tsp baking soda. bring to a boil, pour off the water. cover with fresh water and boil gently until burdock is very tender, about 10 minutes.

elderberry is another great herb to take that has shown to be prophylactic for the flu. unlike echinacea which should only be taken for a short period of time, elderberry can be taken daily for long periods of time. it’s great as a tincture (glycerin is actually best because it draws out the constituents better than alcohol), syrup or elixir. taking a ‘touch of the recipe’ as the ballwin sisters were known to do on occasion on the waltons, is actually a wise choice for this time of the year, especially when elderberry is involved!

echinacea can be taken as well but i’m backing down on recommending this because of conflicting information about the ‘cytokine storms’ inhibition. i think early on, it is great to help as a preventative but once the flu hits, i would stop use immediately. since this post is already so long, i will not go into detail about this subject but if you are interested in learning more, you can google cytokine storms and echinacea to get more details.

all these factors boil down to having a better chance of avoiding the flu or lessening the duration and severity of it. if you are stricken with the flu, don’t panic, for most of us, a few days in bed, lots of nourishing bone broths and/or miso, herbal teas (think antivirals such as lemon balm, peppermint, licorice, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, boneset, chamomile and st. john’s wort) to help support the body without wildly stimulating the immune system and lots of ginger, garlic, elderberry and astragalus will be the key to a quick recovery and lack of secondary bacterial infections.

a lot of people become intimidated when it comes to herbs because they don’t know where to start. most are familiar with the more commonly used ones such as echinacea and st. john’s wort but what a lot of people don’t realize is that they have a whole arsenal of medicinal herbs in their spice cabinet: garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, fennel, dill and anise seeds, lemons and turmeric are a great start. pull out some salt, vinegar, olive oil and honey (raw) from your cabinet and you’ve got the makings of a first aid kit worthy of treating winter ailments! throw in some vodka or brandy and you can make a full spectrum of herbal remedies.

garlic: natural antibiotic, broad spectrum which body/germs don’t build a resistance to allowing it to be used over and over again. useful for helping to fight off bacterial infections, earaches and other wintertime ailments such as strep throat. can help to reduce span of illness. best raw (but take in small doses as it can irritate in large). can be heated in oil to make eardrops or infused in honey and eaten to help with sore throats, etc. tinctured in brandy or vodka, it can be taken as needed (15-30 drops at a time depending on body size) to help.

to use in oil: crush garlic cloves, place in double boiler with olive oil and gently warm for 2 hours. strain and add a few drops in both ears to treat earaches and infections.

to use in honey: crush garlic cloves, place in mason jar of preferred size and fill with raw honey. allow to steep for at least 1 month. eat a spoonful as needed. the cloves can be eaten too.

rosemary: rosemary essential oil has been tested for use in effective against colon, breast and lung cancer with promising results. it is an antiseptic and is great in tea form. it can smooth the muscles of the digestive tract, helping to calm stomach cramps as well as menstrual cramps. as an infusion, it relieves digestive problems, relieves cold symptoms, and helps as an expectorant.

thyme: great for the respiratory system. thyme is excellent for coughs and sore throats. it has antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. it can be used externally as a wash to cleanse wounds. it makes a pleasant tasting tea and is helpful for bronchitis and whooping cough/pertussis. when our family was going through whooping cough this summer, a tea containing thyme was drank in copious amounts to help.

sage: a sage/salt water gargle for sore throats. it is also known as a diaphoretic which means it will increase perspiration. use with caution if breastfeeding as it can decrease the milk production (helpful if mama needs help with adjusting her milk flow though).

fennel, dill and anise seeds: great for digestive problems. seeds can be chewed before and after meals to help settle the stomach. a tea can be made and drank during meals to help with digestion as well.

lemons: an excellent form of vitamin c. a drink made from 1/2 lemon, 1 tablespoon of honey and 8 oz. of hot water helps to soothe a sore throat. when lots of mucus is present, oranges should not be eaten because they can increase the amount of mucus in the body. lemons provide a great source of vitamin c w/o increasing the mucus.

turmeric: excellent when used in a honey paste for sore throats.

turmeric/honey paste: mix equal amounts of honey and turmeric well and eat. i start with 1 teaspoon of each. after about 3 doses (usually taken w/in an hour) i have always had much relief. this is the first thing i reach for when my throat feels scratchy.

salt: add to water or herbal infusion to make a gargle for sore throats. heat in a pan on the stove and place in a handkerchief (tie opposite corners together tightly to keep salt from leaking out) and place on aching ear for extra soothing power when using garlic oil drops.

vinegar: herbs can be infused in vinegar and added to salads to help with calcium absorption. any herb can be used to increase health benefits as needed.

olive oil: infuse herbs by crushing herbs and adding with olive oil in a double boiler and slowly infusing over low heat for a few hours (or placing in a mason jar and setting in the sun for 2 or 3 weeks). oil can be used as a massage oil to relieve muscle cramps, rubbed on the stomach to relieve stomach cramps, ear drops to relieve ear aches, ear infections and swimmer’s ear (infused with garlic or onions) or combined with beeswax to make a salve.

honey: honey in itself has terrific medicinal powers. infusing herbs in it can make herbal medicine yummy, especially for little ones who aren’t so crazy about herbs. it can be made into a syrup by combining 1 part herbal infusion to 2 parts honey, warming briefly on the stove to combine and bottled. add 1/2 part brandy to help preserve and store in the refridgerator. pastes can be made by adding equal parts of honey and powdered herbs. adding more herb can make a dough that can be rolled into balls and and dried.

these are just a brief synopsis of herbs that you can find in your kitchen that can help with ailments. try googling some herbs in your cabinet by typing the word ‘medicinal’ and the herb to see what you can come up with. you will be amazed at what you can do with what you’ve got!

ll sorts of beauty products can be made at home for a fraction of the cost. shampoo, conditioner, lotion, hot oil packs, facial packs, body packs, body scrubs, body salts, creams, bath bombs, toner and more. last month, i gave a recipe for a simple soda bath. there are lots of easy recipes that combine only one or two ingredients. in fact, popular face masks include simply mashing avocados or cooking oatmeal and applying them to your face. or even simpler, smear honey on your face, let it sit for 15 minutes then wash off with warm water while gently massaging your face with your fingertips.

bath salts can be as simple as mixing equal parts of baking soda and sea salt with a few drops of essential oil of choice. massage oils and hot oil packs for hair are made the same way any infused oil would be made.

lotions can be one of the more complicated products to make. it’s similar to making mayonnaise, combining ingredients together that don’t normally mix well. in the case of lotion, it is water and oil. a great recipe to try is rosemary gladstar’s “rosemary’s perfect cream”. a copy of the recipe can be found online at recipenet. this recipe is made in the blender but a stick blender could be used as well.

there are dozens of books available on the topic of bath and beauty using herbs. some of my favorites include:

earth mother herbal by shatoiya de la tour

earthly bodies and heavenly hair: natural and healthy personal care for every bodyby dina falconi

the bath and body book: creating a personal oasis with natural fragrances, scented lotions and decorative effects by stephanie donaldson

the herbal body book: a natural approach to healthier hair, skin and nails by stephanie tourles

i highly recommend requesting books through your library loan system to look through and try out before purchasing. make sure the recipes are easy to follow and the ingredient lists aren’t too extravagant. try making a few of the recipes to see if you like how they are made and how well the end results are.

Herbs have been popping up on shelves everywhere, and not just for cooking. Lately, they have become more popular for treating illnesses and health problems and because they work so well without all the harsh side effects that can be obtained from their chemical cousins, it is easy to see why.

Another aisle that herbs are gaining popularity is the Beauty Aisle. When so many reports of the alarming side effects mainstream products can cause, it is reassuring to know that herbs can be both beneficial and safe to use on a daily basis on our skin.

Herbs come in all forms for beauty: essential oils, salves, lotions, oils, splashes, bath salts, bath teas, powders, lip balms and eye pillows are the most common. Here are a few herbs that might be found in such products:

Lavender: Helpful with acne, abscesses, allergies, athlete’s foot, dandruff, dermatitis, earache, eczema, insect bites and stings, scabies, sores, spots, sunburn and wounds. Use as a compress, a few drops in cleanser/moisturizer/toner or as a facial steam. May be applied directly to affected area (suggested to use a carrier oil such as jojoba or sesame as it helps to spread oil further as little is needed).

Patchouli: It is effective for fungal and bacterial infection, insect bites, an insect repellant, has a great deodorizing action, assists with wound healing, a tissue regenerator which helps to stimulate the growth of new skin cells and in wound healing it not only promotes faster healing, but also helps to prevent ugly scarring when the wound heals. Also effective to sort out rough, cracked and overly dehydrated skin and is used to treat acne, acne, eczema, sores, ulcers, any fungal infections as well as scalp disorders.

Peppermint: What a great energizing herb this one is! It’s a natural remedy for aches, pains and itches. The Food and Drug Administration has accepted Menthol as an effective topical treatment for pain and stiffness of joints and muscles. The oil cools the itch because it increases blood flow to the skin to reduce pain and discomfort. Peppermint can also invigorate the senses. Research in England has proved that peppermint successfully reduced daytime sleepiness. Look for peppermint in lip balms, foot salves, soaps and shampoos.

Rose Geranium: Helpful to all skin types but especially dry skin. Add a few drops to boiling water for a facial steam, add a few drops to your moisturizer for face and body. This herb is also excellent for relaxing and calming the mind.

Rosemary: Strong antiseptic. May be added sparingly to cleanser for use with oily skin to treat acne, greasy skin. Add a few drops to a tablespoon of jojoba oil and apply to scalp to help clear scalp and promote hair growth.

These are just a small sampling of herbs that can be found in beauty products. All of these herbs in essential oil form can be added to the bath for a treat and healing beauty bath. Try this simple recipe:

Aromatherapy Soda Bath

Baking soda softens the bathwater and helps to soften and smooth the skin. It also has an alkalizing and deodorizing effect. Essential oils increase the therapeutic action.

1 cup baking soda
20 drops essential oil (choose according to your personal need)

Place baking soda in a glass jar and add the essential oil drop by drop, stirring them in well. Tighten the lid and shake well. Add ¼ cup per bath.

a few months ago, i discussed making herbal cough drops. another step up on the ladder of herbal medicine making is making herbal lozenges and pills.

both are made roughly the same way but pills are smaller and meant to be swallowed while lozenges will be sucked on.

sometimes, using herbal pills and lozenges can be a lifesaver getting kids to take their medicine. the pills can be chewed or swallowed whole and the sweetness of the honey and slippery elm make them appealing to kids when teas and tinctures fail.

to make lozenges and pills, start with the powdered herb of choice. here is a list of herbs great for treating sore throats:

-wild cherry bark
-echinacea, roots, leaves, flowers and/or seeds (any combination of)
-pine needles or inner bark
-horehound (use sparingly as it is very bitter)
-yarrow
-elderberries
-osha root
-thyme
-dandelion flowers or roots
-yellow dock root
-sage
-mullein leaf
-marshmallow
-chicory root
-spilanthes
-peppermint
-eucalyptus
-comfrey leaves
-plantain leaves or roots
-holy basil
-rosemary
-heal all
-peach twig or leaves
-turmeric
-licorice
-slippery elm

slippery elm is a great herb for treating sore throats as well as makes a great binding agent and also a sweet coating agent.

start with the sore throat herbs of choice. i hesitate in adding a recipe to this as i don’t want to limit your ideas on what can and should be used. please use this recipe as an example only and use the herbs that speak to you most.

herbal lozenge mix

3 tbsp powdered slippery elm bark
3 tbsp powdered licorice root
1 tbsp powdered echinacea root and leaf
1 tsp  powdered wild cherry bark

mix the powders together and then add enough honey to make a thick, gooey mass. it takes less honey than you’d think so start out slowly with the honey. next add essential oils such as thyme, orange or rosemary, about 5-10 drops. when using essential oils always make sure they are safe for internal consumption as some can be quite strong.

roll the mass in more powdered slippery elm to coat and then roll out until about 1/4″ thick. cut the dough into quarter sized pieces, roll them into a ball and place on a cookie sheet, flattening them. as you are doing this, dip them in more slippery elm if needed.

set out to dry for about 12 hours. store in an airtight jar.

pills are made the same way but can be made for a myriad of uses. one example would be to make pills for headaches using herbs such as skullcap, valerian, wood betony, chamomile and lemon balm. a mixture of these herbs works well. again, add enough honey to make a gooey mass, roll the ball of dough in slippery elm and start pinching off pea sized pieces. roll them into balls, flatten if desired and place on a cookie sheet. air dry and store in a glass bottle.

another example would be to make immune inhancer pills using echinacea roots, leaves, flowers and seeds, astragalus and spilanthes. mix equal parts of the powdered herb, add the honey and pinch into pea sized pills. take 3-4 every hour when you start feeling under the weather.

both can be dried in a warm oven or a dehydrator as well. during the summer, it can be hard to get them to air dry because of the humidity.

as an herbalist, i believe fully that medicine is something you should eat as well as take. prevention of illness can go a long way if you make it a habit to dine on nature’s bounty.

there are so many ‘weeds’ that grow commonly throughout the united states and even the world that are very nutritious and healthful. they include burdock root, dandelions (everything but the stem), violets, chickweed, plantain and red clover.

dandelions are one of the world’s most nutritious plants! 1 cup of dandelion leaves contains 1 1 / 2 times the recommended USDA daily requirements for vitamin A alone! It also contains vitamins B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, B-12, C, E, P, and D plus biotin, inositol, iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc.

i won’t go into all the uses of dandelion, but i will tell you it is an excellent diuretic that does not deplete the body of potassium. so, anyone that needs to flush out their the liver and/or kidneys will benefit from drinking dandelion root tea and eating their greens.

this recipe is one i found online several years ago and then tweaked for myself. it is delicious and could have so many variations. the possibilities are endless.

cream of dandelion soup

4 cups chopped dandelion leaves
2 cups dandelion flower petals
2 cups dandelion buds
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 /4 cup chopped wild leeks (or onions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
2 cups half-n-half or heavy cream
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp flour

Boil dandelion leaves in water. Strain and add more water. Boil again.

While boiling, sauté wild leeks/onions and garlic in butter until tender.

In a soup/stock pot, add 4 cups water, dandelion leaves, flower petals and buds, salt and sautéed onions and garlic.

Simmer 45 minutes. Add cream and heat until simmering.

While simmering, melt 2 tbsp butter and sprinkle in salt, mixing thoroughly until bubbly.

Add 1 /2 cup soup broth to mixture and whisk. When thickened, add to soup base.

Garnish with more dandelion petals. Serve with dandelion salad and some thick crusty bread.

Making cough drops are as simple as making hard ball candy. In fact, you can think of them as herbal candy because in effect, that is what they are. Anyone who’s ever had horehound candy knows how sweet and delicious it is. If you made a tea of horehound to help relieve a bronchial cough or sore throat, you’d find out very quickly why it was made into candy…it is extremely bitter. So, way back when, to make their medicine more palatable, people came up with making a tea and then adding a lot of sugar to sweeten it up. That resulted in making syrups which gave someone the idea to let it sit up and harden into cough drops which, for the most part today, are a far cry from the original recipe. Ricola is the only commercialmainstream brand that I can think of that uses mostly herbs and sugar.

While I prefer to use honey for most of my herbal preparations, sugar must be used for this particular recipe. Any type of sugar can be used, I prefer to use natural cane raw sugar. It will tint the cough drop a bit brownish, which only affects the aesthetics. Food coloring could probably be added to tint the color. If going that route, I’d highly recommend a natural one is used. Some herbs such as wild cherry bark and elderberry will naturally tint the cough drops. Adding a small amount of elderberry to any recipe will color it a pretty purplish-red and will also lend its healing powers at the same time. (See below for more herbal ideas).

Before you begin, heavily grease a 9 x 13 glass baking pan with butter. You may also line it with waxed paper instead of buttering it but make sure the edges go up the pan so no syrup will go underneath. This will (hopefully) guarantee that the cough drops will pop out after they’ve hardened.

Start off by making an herbal syrup. Use sugar instead of honey.

Stir it and let it boil until it reaches 290 degrees F. You can test it by dropping a a drop from a spoon into a bowl or cup of cold water…when it hits the proper stage, it will form a ball.

Pour the mixture into the pan and let it cool a bit. Cut it into squares before it hardens completely or you’ll have to break it into jagged bits.

To keep your cough drops from sticking to each other, you can dust them with slippery elm root powder (which is also very soothing to sore throats) or powdered sugar. Store them in a glass jar with a lid. Use as needed.

This can be made using any herb that you want to make a cough drop out of. You can mix them as well. Some great herbs to use for sore throats and coughs are:

-wild cherry bark
-echinacea, roots, leaves, flowers and/or seeds (any combination of)
-pine needles or inner bark
-horehound (use sparingly as it is very bitter)
-yarrow
-elderberries
-osha root
-thyme
-dandelion flowers or roots
-yellow dock root
-sage
-mullein leaf
-marshmallow
-chicory root
-spilanthes
-peppermint
-eucalyptus
-comfrey leaves
-plantain leaves or roots
-holy basil
-rosemary
-heal all
-peach twig or leaves

That’s just a few of the thousands of herbs available that make an excellent cough drop. Use what grows local to you, what you have on hand and what fits the particular types of coughs and sore throats your family seems to get. When experimenting with herbs and combining them, make a small infusion of the herb and taste the tea. That will give you a general idea what the finished product will taste like. If it’s completely bitter and awful, chances are the finished product will be too. Adjust the proportions of the herbs in the combination you are using and try again.

Try making some today! While making an easy herbal remedy you’re family will love to take, you’ll be giving them a healthier option for treating common illnesses.

Syrups are very versatile. You can use them in the traditional sense for taking straight as a cough syrup, or you can be imaginative with them and use them on pancakes or even make soda with them.

To make herbal syrups, you’ll need the herb of choice, water, honey and brandy (optional, used to preserve it).

Start by making an infusion. Typically, I match herbs and water cup for cup. In this lesson, I will use Ginger as my herb.

First, I would chop up 2 cups of ginger. There is no need to peel. Add 2 cups of water to a sauce pan and bring it to boiling on the stove top. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cover and let steep for 1 hour. Strain off the root.

Return the infusion to the saucepan and add 1 1/2 cups honey (or if using raw sugar, 2 cups) to the pan. Heat to thin honey and stir until thoroughly mixed. Allow to cool. (If using sugar, you’ll need to cook it down a bit to thicken the mixture). You can add 1/4 cup of brandy to the mixture to help preserve it longer but I rarely do, unless it is a syrup reserved for coughs only and I want it to last more than 1-2 months. Pour into a bottle and label. Store in the fridge. Use up within 1-2 months.

This syrup can be taken straight for upset stomachs and sore throats (1-2 teaspoons at a time). It can be added to teas for flavoring, poured over ice cream or pancakes or made into soda. To make soda, add 2 oz. syrup per every 8 oz. of seltzer water (adjust the amounts to match your taste). Yum!