Glycerites: How to Use Vegetable Glycerine to Extract Herbal Constituents

Organic vegetable glycerine—known as glycerol and sometimes spelled glycerin—is an effective alternative to alcohol-based tinctures for extracting and preserving many beneficial herbal constituents. Of course, infusions, decoctions, and oxymels are ideal for many herbal wellness goals that don’t involve alcohol, but glycerites—the medicinal preparations made by mixing vegetable glycerine with herbs—can open new opportunities for teetotalers, parents, and those who do not wish to have alcohol. Bonus: it tastes good! Glycerol is a clear, colorless, odorless liquid with a viscous consistency and a pleasing sweetness that makes it a good base for botanical flavors.

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Posted by Heidi

Lemon Essential Oil: 5 Ways to Clean Your Home Naturally

We love lemon essential oil for its wellness benefits, its bright and sugary citrus aroma, and its uplifting and energizing constituents. It’s a wonderful oil in skin and hair care formulas and for diffusing in homes and offices. We also love that this cost-effective oil makes an excellent cleaning agent and leaves our homes smelling deliciously like freshly cut lemons. It’s the 76% (=)-Lionene in lemon oil that makes it so good at polishing furniture and cutting grease and sticky residues. We’re revisiting five of our favorite lemon oil-based cleaning recipes that are easy to make, safe to use, and leave our homes smelling citrus good.

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Posted by Christine

Minty Lemongrass Oxymel (Without Vinegar) & Summer Mocktail Recipe


When my husband and I got married, we wanted to offer a full mocktail bar for our wedding guests. I love using oxymels for mocktails: the traditional syrup made from an acid and a sweetener (usually vinegar and honey) lends a complex flavor that up-levels any drink. They are also a yummy way to serve herbs to friends and family.

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10 Ways to Use Hydrosols + Our Favorites


Hydrosols are high quality, distilled botanical extracts, not to be confused with the floral waters” you might have seen for sale that are often just water combined with essential oils. Hydrosols are beloved by the herbal community for their ease of use and versatility in aromatherapy, herbal body care formulations, therapeutic applications, cosmetics, and household recipes. They add variety and scope to our herbal practices, and we appreciate the added safety they give us when working with children, elders, and pets. Although they are made using the same distillation process as essential oils, they are more sustainable because distillers get significantly more hydrosol per distillation. But not all hydrosols are created equally. We’re excited to tell you more about these lovely plant waters.

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Posted by Heidi

Elderflower Cordial Made with Fresh or Dried Elderflowers

It’s almost elderflower season! When I excitedly announced this among friends recently, they all gave me a grin-and-eye-roll combination that, if I’m being honest, I receive on a regular basis from this bunch. It’s all done in good fun—it’s no secret that I choose to live my life much slower than the modern-world pace, as closely aligned with the turning of the seasons as possible. My favorite people may tease me about my Luddite ways and seasonal delight over things like elderflowers, but they aren’t fooling anybody. They’re always the first ones to belly up for our refreshing cordials and festive cocktails and, because I let most of my homegrown elderflowers turn into berries, they are also the ones who slyly check in throughout the year to see if I’ve got any cordial made with the dried elderflowers that sustain us when the fresh flowers are long gone. Here’s to elderflower cordial and sharing with friends!

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Posted by Heidi

Spring Pesto Recipes for Health & Vitality

Research compiled by Oregon State University has shown that roughly half of the adult population in the United States doesn’t get enough of the vitamins and minerals that leafy greens supply: 52% don’t get the recommended intake of magnesium, 44% don’t get enough calcium, and 43% don’t get enough vitamin C. Although many of us know that we need two to three cups of leafy greens a day to supply our exquisitely complex bodies with the vitamins and minerals needed to carry out cellular processes and repairs, many of us have trouble eating adequate amounts of those greens.

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Posted by Kami- Guest Writer

Herb-Inspired Salad Dressings from Around the World: 4 Recipes for Summer Salads

There are a lot of reasons to love summer, but a big one here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon is the wealth of fresh garden and farm produce. We’re heading into salad season, always a good opportunity to explore new flavors and ways to enjoy the freshest greens, ripest tomatoes, crispest cucumbers, sweetest corn, and more. We’ve got four standout salad dressing recipes from around the world for you to enjoy this season, along with ideas about how to best use them: horiatiki from Greece, wafu from Japan, esquites from Mexico, and tahini-lemon from the Middle East. Enjoy!

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Posted by Heidi

Events as the Backbone of the Herbal Community

Herbalism in America has grown exponentially since we launched the Good Medicine Confluence back in 2009, and what was then only a small handful of herbal conferences has since exploded into dozens of annual gatherings. These range from huge international events to intimate bioregional ones. Each has its own distinguishing focus and following that makes them stand out. The Confluence is known for blending scientific classes with magical approaches, ecology with spirituality, and ancient traditions with the latest research and new alternative methodologies. Folks drive or fly from across the country to attend their favorite gatherings – not just to expand their herbal knowledge and healing skills, but to network with others and delight in the plant healer community!

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Posted by Kiva- Guest Writer

How to Make Tulsi Sipping Vinegar + Spritzer and Shrub Cocktail Recipes

 

A friend called the other day and before I had a chance to finish with “Hello” she asked, “What was that vinegar drink you made last summer? The zingy one with basil and berries?” It was a shrub: a “zingy” drinking vinegar infused with fruit. Apparently, my friend had a craving because berry season is upon us. It was a good reminder—this is a perfect time to start infusing vinegars with herbs and fruit for both refreshing summer drinks and herbal formulations for later in the year. I love the allure of a jar full of drinking vinegar and the potential it represents for delicious, healthful sipping. Infuse berries and we’re also well on our way to a perfect shrub cocktail/mocktail season.

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Posted by Heidi

Clearing the Cognitive Cobwebs: Tips For Improved Focus and Memory

Foggy brain and fuzzy focus affect many of us from time to time and during certain phases of our lives. While many herbs do indeed have a long history of use and modern research to support mental clarity, first it’s important to take a deep look at what’s going on in your life that’s draining your brain power to truly enhance your mental prowess and vitality.

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Wild Lettuce: Historical & Present Day Reflections of a Wild Herbal Ally

Wild lettuce is one of those “weed” herbs that is fairly common throughout North America. Its cultivation origins are from Southern Europe. The plant has a long history of use as a nervine and a bitter and, as such, is grown in a variety of places in Europe to capture the beneficial constituents in its latex, leaves, and seeds. Wild lettuce has become naturalized in the United States, where it is now regularly wildharvested.

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Posted by Heidi

WELCOME

We offer one of the most thorough selections of certified organic herbs, spices, and botanical products and are commited to responsible sourcing.

Glycerites: How to Use Vegetable Glycerine to Extract Herbal Constituents

Glycerites are an effective, delicious alternative to alcohol-based tinctures. Learn about organic glycerol and get an easy recipe for glycerites.
WRITTEN BY Heidi

June 28, 2023

Lemon Essential Oil: 5 Ways to Clean Your Home Naturally

We love these five lemon oil-based cleaning recipes that are easy to make, safe to use, and leave our homes smelling citrusy and fresh!
WRITTEN BY Christine

June 15, 2023

Minty Lemongrass Oxymel (Without Vinegar) & Summer Mocktail Recipe

Oxymels are a tasty way to infuse your favorite herbal allies and also make a superb mocktail base. This minty vinegar-less oxymel is refreshing, uplifting, and an enjoyable way to beat the summer heat!
WRITTEN BY Amanda Crooke ~ Guest Herbalist

June 9, 2023

10 Ways to Use Hydrosols + Our Favorites

Herbalists love hydrosols for their ease of use, versatility, and economical price point. But what exactly are hydrosols and how do you use them?
WRITTEN BY Heidi

June 8, 2023

Elderflower Cordial Made with Fresh or Dried Elderflowers

Elderflower season inspires us to make summer cordials. Dried elderflowers are ideal for making the best cordial for summer coolers and brunch cocktails!
WRITTEN BY Heidi

May 25, 2023

Spring Pesto Recipes for Health & Vitality

Research shows that about half of U.S. adults don't get enough vitamins and minerals. Enter Pesto—an herbally delicious way to get more of what we need!
WRITTEN BY Kami- Guest Writer

May 24, 2023

Herb-Inspired Salad Dressings from Around the World: 4 Recipes for Summer Salads

It’s almost the best time of year: fresh salad season. We’ve got 4 salads from around the world to make the most of your garden or farmers market bounty!
WRITTEN BY Heidi

May 17, 2023

Events as the Backbone of the Herbal Community

The heightened excitement of a live event seems to catalyze a burst of creativity that’s mycelial in nature and can lead to a symbiotic community. Learn about some very special events that call us together so we can continue to connect on levels that we could never manage on our own!
WRITTEN BY Kiva- Guest Writer

May 16, 2023

How to Make Tulsi Sipping Vinegar + Spritzer and Shrub Cocktail Recipes

Berry season is the perfect time to infuse vinegars with adaptogenic holy basil and healthy fruits for summer shrub cocktails and berry spritzers!
WRITTEN BY Heidi

May 14, 2023

Clearing the Cognitive Cobwebs: Tips For Improved Focus and Memory

Our daily actions have the ability to drain our brain power or enhance our mental prowess and vitality. It’s important to take a deep look at the choices we make to bring the changes we wish to see in our lives.

Wild Lettuce: Historical & Present Day Reflections of a Wild Herbal Ally

Wild lettuce has a long history of use as a nervine, a bitter, and to support restful sleep. Learn more about this herbal ally that is making a comeback.
WRITTEN BY Heidi

April 27, 2023