In the same way that we all naturally gravitate to certain styles, colors, combinations in fashion AND we have certain needs whether we are a dancer in a city, a farmer in the country, a grandmother or a lawyer, the same can be said of herbs as we bring them more into our daily lives. They can act as powerful supports for a calm mind and a strong body. Herbs can be good, reliable, supportive friends.

On your own or with the help of an herbalist or naturopath honestly answer these questions and then design your “capsule” for your particular goals, a particular season, or to create a change in your body or in your life.

• What needs strengthening or improvement in my mind or body?
• What am I looking for?
• How can I feel better? What herbs can support me in that?

EXAMPLES

• During the pandemic you can use a daily Immune Support Formula or a single herb like Astragalus, Reishi or Chaga.
• During fall season leading up to winter, and in the winter you might use Lung Tonic Formula or the single herb Cordyceps if you tend to get respiratory infections in the cold season.
• If you are working long hours at a job or working nights or caring for children or parents or going to grad school, use an Adrenal Support Formula or a single herb such as Ashwaganda or Eleuthero.
• If you have a history of digestive issues introduce Digestive Bitters or Digestive Fire, or Belly Soothe or single herb Chamomile or Meadowsweet or Peppermint etc,
• If you experience frequent menstrual discomfort choose formulas like Cycle Balance or Cramp Ease or singles like Vitex, or Dong Quai.

Then, decide how to incorporate using the herbs in your day.
EXAMPLE:

• I’m very busy but I can remember to take herbs before bed and first thing in the AM.
• I can carry my herbs with me in my bag in my water bottle during my day.
• I only can do the morning so I take my herbs then. Or I drink tea in the evening so I’ll do it then.

Be realistic  and have a plan, so you can be successful!
We do not have to be ill to incorporate herbs in our lives. They are like foods, especially tonifying strengthening  herbs, and help prevent us getting sick or just increase our longevity and well-being. Start with one herb or formula, incorporate it into your life and see how it goes. Then you can add to that but herbs like true change often takes time and too many can be confusing.
It always helps to read and research about anything you are introducing into your life including herbs. The more knowledge you have the better able you are to do good care. Be sure to check for contraindications like pregnancy or nursing or if you are taking any pharmaceutical medications.

Remember herbs can be taken as tea or tinctures, as infused oils, or essential oils. We have many options to bring plant medicine into our lives. Even just a lavender plant in your bedroom, or a rosemary in the kitchen or rose or sandalwood essential oil in water on a woodstove, a drop or two on a light bulb or 10-15 in a bath are wonderful herbal additions.

If you would like some help designing an herbal support program, you can request a consult here. 

In the era of climate change we have more erratic weather so one day it is freezing or icy and the next day 40 sunny and melting. We need our core immune system to be strong as well as our ability to thermoregulate. 
A well hydrated and RESTED body and mind is the most simple way to do this. Sleep is a natural medicine always but especially in the extremes of winter. Water makes our cells more able to move nutrients in and discharge toxins out. 
There are so many views on diet I wont reiterate and we know fresh food is best. All I want to say is regardless of what ingredients you choose making at least 50-60 percent of them fruits and vegetables is a guarantee that you are getting well fed.
As for herbs if I had to pick say three herbs for winter health I might pick Astragalus as a deep immune tonic literally building the cells we need to circulate to fight pathogens and it is also warming and promotes interferon which fights viruses. I do love elderberry extract of syrups made with honey also especially because hildren and elderly people will take it readily as it is delicious. perhaps a third could be rosehips because of its high content of Vitamin C. OK maybe four as deep immune health is so well supported with medicinal mushrooms like Reishi, Chaga, Turkey Tail Maitake etc. Start to take them in the fall so your immunity is strong and solid before the cold season begins.
Of course if we get sick or just a bit rundown there are many to choose from.
At the earliest stages of a cold use Yin Qiao a chinese formula or frequent doses of Echinacea,  and/or Andrographis (I love these two together).
Take advantage of the quieter shorter days to go inside and then of course get outside into nature. Nothing renews like a snowy walk or seeing an owl or mooseprints on the trail. 
Gratitude is great medicine

Sometimes herbs work quickly and effectively and sometimes they don't. This can be confusing especially for people just starting to use herbal medicine.
I want to discuss some of the reasons that herbs may not work and how we can change that.

The first reason is that one is using the wrong herb or a poorly contructed or inappropriate formula. There are many herbs for most situations and people have different resonances with them. this is true for diets, for pharmaceuticals and styles of excercise. If you aren't trained or experienced it may be better to work with someone rather than scout the internet or a book for what to do to treat your situation. Of course trial and error is a great way to learn if you aren't in a hurry like if you have a flu.

Reason number two is that the dosage may be inadequate or too high. Taking too little of anti-microbials for instance won't fight a pathogen effectively. Or if you are using herbs for anxiety and you only take 1-2 droppers 1 time per day it probably isn't enough to make a difference. On the other hand, if you are taking herbs you don't need or taking too many different herbs or formulas you may be flooding and confusing your body so it can get overwhelmed and shut down. 

Reason three has to do with what else is happening in your life. For instance are you trying to build your adrenals but continue to drink a lot of coffee or work too much or go without eating or only sleeping 5-6 hours per night, no matter how good the herbs in the formula or appropriate the dosage you are asking too much. We have to do our part with diet and and life style to support the action of the herbs. 

The last reason I'll talk about in this post is quality. Herb quality is difficult to assure so use respected companies for both dried, fresh and extracted herbs or capsules and tablets. Check in at your local natural food store, herbal groups or practitioners and use your senses. This is called organoleptics, using your sight, smell and taste to feel if there is vitality in what you are using. We all know when we buy fresh food if it seems old or weak. We know a fresh garden tomato from a wimpy, mealy one from the supermarket in January.

Herbs have a lot to offer us for our health and well being but we must learn how to support them and use them well.

As the famous educator John Dewey said "Learning by doing".

     Recently there have been a number of new moms who have had trouble with milk supply. For busy modern working women the stress and activity of life can severely impact supply. Lactation consultants have become an essential part of post partum care more and more frequently and they can really help zero in on the particulars. If supply is truly the issue, then herbs make an effective and easy addition to the mom's self care as long as one also is hydrating daily and resting and relaxing whenever possible (really important for supply). So, what herbs really work and do so within say 2 weeks at most. 
     The herb most commonly used these days is Fenugreek which will build milk in most women within a few days up to 2 weeks. It should not be used during pregancy, taking blood thinners, or with hypothyroid. That aside it is generally safe. Fenugreek has been used historically to treat Diabetes (which should only be done under a doctors care).
     The herb I have had the most success with is Shatavari which is from India and is known as she who has a 100 husbands because it is so mourishing to woman in numerous ways, fertility, alleviating vaginal dryness, increasing libido and generally moistening and juicing up the tissues. It is a major part of our formula.
     Vitex is another important herb for building milk supply and also balancing post partum hormones.
Blessed Thistle supports milk supply and has a positive effect on the liver, though should not be taken if pregnant or one has low stomache acid.
    Fennel Seed  supports the let down reflex so can be useful for working moms who find stress of work has made that difficult. Never use Fennel also when pregnant.
     The last herb in our formula is Nettle leaf. Nettle is the queen of nutrition for women, so rich in minerals, vitamins, chlorphyll. It is the mother's milk of the plant world and can be considered an herbal food. it is milkdly diuretic.

Reflecting on the last several years wild crafting and growing medicinals, I can safely say things are changing and a greater rate than in the previous 15 years that I have done this work. Firstly, I have noticed as you have too i am sure that the weather is somewhat more erratic and growing moreso every year. There are many more insects in the garden, though this is more prevalent amongst the vegetables than the medicinals it is still noticeable.
In the wild the plants are coming earlier or the length of time of their availability for harvest may have changed duration. For instance, here in the northeast the Fall is much warmer. The killing frost comes later most autumns which means we can have more picking and digging time. The erratic weather means that though there is a longer season in general the weather shorten the window, destroy a crop or just generally mean you must pick while you can and not put it off. the extreme heat or excessive rain and the fact that it tends to come in deluges greatly influence harvest timing. We are so blessed to have so many healing plants here and we have to live in synchronicity with them in these new conditions. In the 20 years I have been following the plants around the seasons I have seen a perceptible and definitive shift that is not just random weather. Nature is always talking to us. Take care of it and we all will live better.

Winter is soon to come. The roots have been dug, garlic planted, wood stacked and ready. this is the "going within" time of year at least after the holiday season. I love to research and study and play with make new formulas.
But it is a time of stillness. And there are plants that specific nourish that quiet inner strength in us, that gives us the ability to stand on our own feet while still staying in relationship. this is a good time of year to gather strength and cultivate ourselves, just like the seeds waiting in the earth for spring's emergence.

​Here are a few of my favorite go to plants in my winter. Not so much for just staying immune strong but  as also to keep me calm and truly well in body, heart and mind.

Ashwaganda because it is strenthening but calming and tension relieving. it aids sleep which I think is so important in this season of renewal.
Reishi mushrooms ( and the other medicinals also ) are useful for calming the spirit and bringing it home to the heart.   
Chaga is a great immune strengthening plant, particularly keeps me warm outside. I feel stronger when I drink it.
Maybe that is because of its association with Russia where it is a common winter tea at least in rural areas.
​Nettles are my first wild plant in spring but I drink it all winter like it was a nourishing, chlorophyll rich nutrient concentrate. I feel like it builds blood which wupports healthy energy.
Shatavari and Marshmallow are also nourishing kidney nourishing herbs that help keep us juicy inside and lubricate. sometimes I add Oats, a wonderful nerve tonic.
Cinnamon, Ginger, Turmeric, Cardamom and Licorice keep us warm but also spark our senses with their aroma and taste. Too much time indoors can slow me down and make me tight. these herbs lift the spirit because they are spicy, colorful and tasty and they certainly help keep things loose and lively. 

if you have other herbs you love for winter, please email and share your thoughts.
Be Well,
​Bonnie

Echinacea purpurea grows easily here in the Northeast and is common in everyone's garden's. It also makes great winter cold medicine. Because of climate change the frosts have been coming later and later in the fall but whenever it will happen, it is best to wait until after one or two hard frosts to dig your roots. The frost concentrates the polysaccharides in the roots making them more powerful medicine. You don't need many to make enough extract for yourself, your family and friends and herlp to keep everyone healthy all winter.

When the frost has happened
Dig and wash the roots cutting off right at the crown. The crown is a very vital place in any plant food or medicinal,and I feel that it holds a lot of the most potent energy of the plant right there at the juncture of the root and the aerial parts (kind of like the navel of the plant).

You can simply chop the roots fine and cover with vodka or brandy or  half and half 100% alcohol and distilled water, in a jar and put it in a cabinet for 6 weeks (I like to cover a full moon cycle as that time will guarantee that whichever moon phase you make it in it will benefit from the pull).

I also like to run the roots and the menstruum (the alcohol and water or vodka portion) through a blender.

You can also measure your roots by weight and then add twice the amount in ounces of the menstruum to be more exacting then just chopping and filling a jar. if you do this then just double your weight in ounces with the fluid ounces of your menstruum. 

It is also nice to make an extract from the leaves and flowers earlier on in the summer, and also from some seeds after the seed heads (the cones of the cone flower) have turned dark but before the birds have eaten them all. Then you can mix some of each finished extract all together making the root extract the largest part and you will have good strong medicine.

Don't let the process be daunting. It really isn't hard, it is fun to do and it saves money.

Fall is beginning to show itself in the garden and the wild with leaves losing their vigor and some already falling here in Western Massachusetts. We are beginning the end of the fresh extract making season with our own Andrographis (known as Kalmegh from India aka the King of bitters), Jiao gu Lan (from China) having many of the same saponins that give ginseng its power but in a leafy vine so with a more gentle (less yang) energy. it is one of our very favorite tonics and delicious as extract or tea. We found this plant actually wintered over so we are planning to try again and not to have to start from seed each spring. there is so much to learn when adapting plants from other continents and climates.
the Ashwaganda (another tonic plant from India) will stay in the ground  a bit longer before we dig its long and rangy roots, but the seeds are already starting to form. There are other annual plants that we will winter indoors and then put out again in the spring like Gotu Kola (so wonderful for connective tissue, and Vitex and Lemon Verbena (from South America , my newest favorite mind quieting plant which is utterly delicious and resinous lemony scent).

With climate change we never know but we still know we have to wait until real cold comes before digging roots to allow the energies of the aerial parts to sink back down into the roots. The cold concentrates the sugars or polysaccharides in the plant and makes them sweeter as well. In springtime before the tops emerge is another great time to harvest roots but this time more for their bitter constituents. Nature is so varied and so generous and we are very grateful.