I didn’t grow up eating spicy foods. As embarrassing as this is to admit now, the thought of eating food that was spicy was actually scary to me. I felt like I never knew what I was getting into and as far as I was concerned, eating something too spicy was crossing the line of no return and would ruin my whole meal. That is, until I learned how to properly cook with them!

In 1974, I ran into a woman who claimed my chronic sinus problems came from my colon. She showed me an illustration created by pioneering nutritionist and iridologist, Bernard Jensen, which showed a distorted colon encrusted with hardened fecal matter. She also quoted Jensen’s famous line, “death begins in the colon.” This wasn’t unusual thinking among the Utah midwives and herbalists I began to associate with in the late 1970s. They all believed that one key to keeping healthy was to stay regular. Although I no longer believe that colon cleansing is a therapy everyone needs, I do see value in keeping the colon regular. All of us suffer from time to time with the affliction one of my friends jokingly called “stucky-gutsies.” 

Brassicas—that genus of plants in the mustard family that includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts, among others—have not always been my vegetables of choice. I blame the fact that I was a child of the 70’s: bell bottoms, 8-track tapes, rotary phones…and seriously overcooked vegetables. My father was considered a “health nut” who insisted we eat whole grains and sprouted seeds, and that we take a daily dose of what he called mushroom tea, now commonly known as kombucha. However, outside of our home, it was a weird time for food, an era when a popular party and potluck dish called “Watergate Salad” was made from a horror list of ingredients that included marshmallows, instant pistachio pudding, and a whipped topping of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil. But, in my opinion, it was the abused vegetables that were the worst. Bowls of once healthful veggies were commonly presented as limp, cooked-to-death wastelands. No wonder I spent years thinking I didn’t like brassicas.

All of our herbal syrups and elixirs are lovingly handmade by our expert team in Eugene, Oregon. These tasty concoctions featuring herbs, honey, and alcohol, are highly valued for their effectiveness and ease of use. They also make for a flavorful way to experience the benefits of herbs and are excellent herbal allies to have on hand as the weather continues to get colder. All our herbal syrups are made with certified organic and consciously wild-collected botanicals, organic alcohol, and raw honey from the Willamette Valley.

With the increased availability of Fair Trade and ethically sourced cocoa products, it isn’t hard to find excellent chocolates these days—but if you’re anything like me, you just have to try making a batch yourself. With such a variety of ingredient options and applications, how could I not? Luckily the basic recipe isn’t difficult, and it pairs well with a variety of fillings.

The weather is getting cooler, leaves have changed colors, and in some regions the snow has already begun to fall. Family and friends gather to celebrate and reminisce. It’s holiday season! This time is notoriously known for eating a lot of food and drinking your favorite drinks, most of which contain alcohol. If you don’t drink much alcohol or prefer to enjoy an evening without feeling woozy the next day, you can still experience the magic of the holiday season with this maqui berry holiday mocktail.

A fantastic scrub butter like Neroli or Awapuhi leaves the skin feeling moisturized, exfoliated, and loved—these body scrubs are a wonderful way to practice self care! However, for some people (like me), salt- and sugar-based body scrubs aren’t as ideal. No matter how gentle I am, the intensity of salts and sugars rubbed into my skin always leaves me feeling like I lost some epidermis that I actually wanted to keep. This has become truer as I’ve aged. Exfoliation is important for happy skin, but I want a gentler touch these days… which explains my recent quest to perfect a DIY “microderm” body scrub that does a good job, but dials back some of the scrubbing fierceness of sugars and salts.

With the holidays just around the corner, the question on everyone’s mind is, “What can I gift my friends and family with this year?” Fortunately, we have compiled a handy gift guide sure to fit the versatile range of important people in our lives. Hopefully these ideas might also add to the joy of this season with the gift of herbalism as its focal point.

Getting started with creating your own personal care products can be a daunting task. How do we make quality natural products without all the chemical mumbo jumbo? Without time and practice, we realize that it can be a hard project to tackle, so we came prepared! Our new line of natural bases make it easy for you to scent and create your own bath and body products without a doctorate in chemistry! All you need are your favorite essential oils!

In college, I befriended an exchange student from France who arrived in NYC just before fall term. Sonia and I would often meet at coffee and tea shops during our break from classes. After discovering a shared love of baking, we made plans to meet at her dorm and make a quintessential American apple pie together. Since she was French, I entrusted her with the pastry making, and I would bring everything for the yummy apple pie filling. To say I was excited was an understatement.