Have you ever asked yourself, “What herbs and spices would I bring to a desert island?” It’s a fun exercise to think about what you can’t live without. Salt, nettles, and ginger root top my list! Ginger root’s warm, spicy flavor makes the perfect addition to Thai and Indian dishes. It also uplifts healthful tea and drink recipes, like this Turmeric Ginger Tea. Ginger root (Zingiber officinale) supports healthy digestion and helps relieve occasional upset stomach and nausea.* Making a simple ginger root tea when I was pregnant really helped me stay grounded. I think of ginger as this wonderous plant ally, but it wasn’t until recently that I researched the history and cultivation of it. Now I have a renewed love of ginger!

I have to admit that, while I love crafting, I’m best at the practical crafts. If you need a salve, or a syrup, or an infused oil, I’ve got you. But if we’re talking about decorative, pretty sorts of crafting, I rely on my friends. I don’t know if it’s a lack of patience or a dislike of finicky details, but I find things like hand-forming perfectly round bath bombs to be an exercise in frustration and I live in a small home without space for lots of fancy soap-molds and gadgets to help me along. This is why I really like projects like homemade potpourri and this fizzing lavender bath powder for winter crafting projects—because I can easily and happily produce a wonderfully packaged and fully appreciated gift of herbal goodness.

Baby bath time can be a wonderful bonding experience that offers both parent and child the opportunity to relax and focus on the circle of love between them. Adding gentle, skin-nourishing herbs to baby’s bathwater is a beautiful way to bring not just the soothing comfort of warm hydrotherapy to bath time but can also add scents that your child will come to associate with safety and peace. Organic calendula and chamomile are gentle and skin-nourishing, and when combined with the aromatics of soothing, calming lavender or roses, they make a perfect herbal bath for your precious child.

There is great intention behind the drawing and taking of a bath. The sound of water filling the basin sets the scene for the softening of energy that is about to happen. These moments of anticipated tranquility build for me as the tone of the filling tub changes pitch, declaring it’s time for my first toe-dip into the inviting warmth. Slipping into the water has a way of melting away tension and initiating a sigh of relief, which seems to be more of an involuntary reflex than something I ever mean to do. After a few moments of settling in, I call on one of my favorite bath enhancements to create an even deeper therapeutic experience. Bath bombs are helpful vehicles for aromatherapy and because they are crafted in advance, they are easy to enjoy after a long day.

Healthy hair comes from a healthy scalp. This body part is often overlooked as we wash our face or shampoo our hair. Taking good care of your scalp by keeping it clean and full of moisture will benefit hair growth, eliminate dry skin issues such as dandruff, and prevent hair loss. Your scalp is an extension of your face so using products such as masks, scrubs, and conditioners that you can easily create at home should be part of your healthy hair and skin regime.

Taking care of your mouth does a lot more for your health than simply preserving your bright smile—a healthy mouth is an important part of a healthy body! There are more and more studies showing how good oral hygiene helps to improve your overall wellness, yet the majority of mainstream oral care products contain a slew of synthetic, and sometimes even harmful, ingredients.

If you ask herbalists, botanists, and body care enthusiasts, most say that building a library of reference and recipe books is one of the most important steps in becoming an expert. Gathering books from professionals who offer their experiences, philosophies, and expertise gives you a strong foundation on which to build your practice.  Here are some of our favorite books on herbal education, aromatherapy, healthy eating, skincare, and growing and foraging plants. 

In my travels as an herbalist, I have witnessed plants used in many ceremonies. One of the first that I learned early in my path was spiritual bathing. Spiritual bathing is using the plants and the elements (fire, water, earth, sound, air, nature) to facilitate wellness on an energetic level. From birth to death, spiritual bathing ceremonies use elements such as incense, sacred water, decocted plants, sound, and even “forest bathing'' to bring balance. In my own practice, I have found it to be one of the most powerful modalities for times of transition and transformation.

I have been on a big “DIY swap” kick lately. It all started with a growing interest in leading a more sustainable lifestyle, which for me, meant finding ways to eliminate single-use and non-recyclable packaging. The DIY aspect of this project was born out of necessity. I knew the easiest way to avoid purchasing products packaged unsustainably was to just make them myself. There were some growing pains of course. I will be the first to admit that I am not always the best at planning ahead, so adjusting from simply buying an item in a store to carving out the time to make the product did not always go smoothly. However, since I have embraced the process, I’m finding it deeply gratifying to craft my own products, especially my own body-care products.

Massage oils are one of the easiest DIY preparations to craft, which is especially helpful when you consider the host of health benefits that a massage has to offer. While commonly associated with relieving tight or sore muscles, its benefits reach much deeper than that. Massage helps improve blood flow and circulation, bringing fresh oxygenated blood to the body while pushing toxins out of our tissues. Massage is also a great way to ease our over-active minds, offering us the opportunity to breathe deeply, let go, and just be.

I have been looking for more ways to incorporate green tea into my daily life as summer gets into full swing. Not only are teas like green sencha and matcha nourishing antioxidant sources, they are also amazing additions to any DIY skin care routine. I tend to have dry, sometimes red and irritated skin, especially in the summer after spending hours outdoors in the sun. I’m a gardening and hiking nut and a general outdoor enthusiast, so you can imagine just how much sun my cheeks are getting every day. Green tea has been a wonderful way to soothe my skin and offer it some much-needed relief.