When we make body care formulations, we choose specific oils and butters based on our final goals: consistency, absorption rate, skin type, etc. The same is true for cooking. Fats, like those in culinary oils, are integral to our dishes, not just to keep food from sticking to a pan, but also to affect the final flavor, consistency, texture, and more. Every cooking oil has a unique chemical composition that makes it better at some things than others. This is why one oil might be amazing in a salad dressing or for a lightly sautéed protein, but is a poor choice for grilling or deep-frying. To achieve your cooking goals, it’s important to understand culinary oils and fats. And an important element of that understanding is the smoke point.

I would like to introduce a lovely tree that many people reading this may not have had the opportunity to see in real life. It is one whose medicine is often referenced and shared among herbalists of all levels. Many know this tree and its fruit from its role in some of the most beloved herbal formulas hailing from the Indian sub-continent and the traditional medicine cultural heritage known as Ayurveda.

Phytochemistry is the study of the constituents in plants that cause physiological changes (aka health benefits) in the human body. These changes are what herbalists are attempting to achieve when creating herbal remedies. We call that herbal medicine. Knowing the actions and needs of constituents and which menstrua will extract and preserve them gives the medicine maker a clear view on pairing constituents with the correct menstrua to create effective remedies. Menstruum, or plural menstrua, is the extractor and preserver of plant medicine. The most common menstrua are water, alcohol, honey, glycerine, and apple cider vinegar.

Mountain girl that I am, trillium is one of my favorite flowers. TechnicallyTrillium ovatum, also known as Pacific trillium, is what I think of when I think “trillium” because it’s the one I grew up with in the Coast Range of Oregon. Trillium plants look simple (just three petals and three sepals), but they are actually a complex little botanical. They live for decades, so you can form long-term relationships with them and welcome them back year after year. Unfortunately, however, they are slow to develop and spread, which is a serious weakness in the face of habitat loss and rampant wildharvesting. Between land use issues, trillium collectors who dig up wild varieties, deer who love to munch its leaves, and herbalists who seek out the rhizomes to make potent formulations, wild trillium is now in trouble. Let’s take a look at an age-old herbal ally and what we can do to preserve this beautiful, fragile plant.

I love small rituals. Having lived out of a backpack for most of my twenties and still traveling a lot in my thirties, small yet potent packages of transportable sweetness help me create a sense of belonging no matter where I land. On most adventures, I commune with the landscape of my inner and outer terrain with my traveling trifecta of tea, journal, and incense.

I am often asked questions about how to create essential oil blends, both in regard to how we develop new aroma combinations and how to consistently recreate old favorites to be perfect each time. Blending aromas is a rewarding and relaxing experience that can be done in minutes or can be stretched out for a luxurious day of crafting. Really you just follow your nose; there are no right or wrong oils to blend together. I have found that the satisfaction of creating personalized scent combinations are endless. I hope this beginner’s guide to essential oil blending inspires you!

It is mighty cliché to start a health and wellness blog with a Hippocrates quote, but I am willing to sacrifice originality for truth. The old adage “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” is still worthy of repeating some 2,400 years after it was first uttered and despite centuries of medical and health advances, it is still relevant today. In this modern age, especially in America, many of us are living with nutritional deficiencies and are at a higher risk of experiencing food-related illnesses.

In the fast-paced world we often find ourselves in, it can be hard to get in the right headspace to study or concentrate on what I call “sit-down tasks.” When I’m experiencing circular thoughts or find myself reading the same paragraph several times over, I know I need to reset my mind and body. I’ve learned that for me, stepping away from my desk, diffusing an invigorating essential oil blend, and stretching my body improves my mood and brings freshly oxygenated blood for more energy.

Circular thinking is pretty common with stress. Circular thinking starts out as if there is a linear process going on, but there’s no real end. If a problem is settled, the person may go right back to the beginning and start all over again. It’s part of that cycle of starting to question why you did or said that stupid thing, and how it could have been different. Sometimes it can be one particular instance, but in really intense periods, it can involve almost every cringe-inducing interaction that’s ever taken place. It can be pretty awful.