Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis), also called schizandra, magnolia berry, Wǔ Wèi Zi, or five-flavor fruit, is a powerful botanical ally to add to your personal Materia medica. In this monograph, we will uncover the botany, history, and uses of this plant, along with a flavorful mocktail recipe to help you develop a deeper relationship with schisandra.

The United Nations declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. This effort is an important step in highlighting the often-overlooked work of women in food and wellness systems around the world. It is also raising awareness about the unique challenges women face in agriculture. This inspired us to reflect on the incredible women farmers we work with and share how their knowledge and perspective have shaped the herbal industry.

We transition now into the clarifying season of autumn Metal with tulsi, holy basil.

As we learned in parts one and two of this Elemental Herbalism series, the Elements are archetypal mirrors that reflect the cycles of the seasons, the cycles of our lives, and the sacred ecology of our individual and collective bodies and Spirits. In this article, we transition into the Yin half of the cycle of the seasons, and look to the Southwest, below our feet, and in our EarthBodies. Welcome late summer Earth with sweetgrass and kitchen medicine.

Despite the long tradition of distillation, the word hydrosol has become increasingly ambiguous. In the US, much like essential oils, hydrosols (or hydrolats) are unregulated, and products marketed under that name can be very different from one bottle to another. Distillation of hydrosols is an ancient art in which the distiller undertakes the no-small-task of mimicking the inspiring water cycle we witness here on earth; just on a micro-level, inside of their still. Have you ever made soup, put a lid on the pot, and when you took the lid off, there was clear water on top of the lid? That is a distillate of your soup, and it is the simplest way to understand where hydrosols come from.

One of the most important ingredients in healing of any kind is one too easily discounted or overlooked. Drawing us to herbalism, filling us with purpose, and activating our lives’ formulas is a distillation of hope from the stretch and reach of plants as they sprout and spread. Their active elements not only survive seemingly insurmountable heat, but are vitally transformed by it—purified and propelled. It’s at the very heart of any kind of healing work, as we’re impelled by empathy and concern to hope for the best results, for reductions in suffering, for the fastest and longest lasting recoveries.

As we learned in part one of this Elemental Herbalism series, the Elements are archetypal mirrors of the natural world within and all around. They reflect the cycles of the seasons, the cycles of our lives, and the sacred ecology of our individual and collective bodies and Spirits. In this article, we look to the South, welcome summer Fire, and explore roses, people’s medicine. 

Through the ups and downs of planetary, interpersonal, and intercultural changes, plants have always accompanied, inspired, and nourished us. We are surrounded by plants. We eat, wear, live in, and live by plants. Plants remind us of what’s most important: sun, soil, water, time in nature, friends. The power of slow growth and mycelial interconnection, of building communities and sustaining mutual flourishing.