Have fresh corn? Don’t throw away that corn silk! Corn Silk can be used to help alleviate symptoms that go along with: bedwetting, cystitis, prostatitis, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, gout and hyperglycemia. It’s also a natural source of vitamin K and potassium. Few things in life are more delightful than discovering the goodness in…
From sore throat gargle to wound spray, here are 14 useful things to make with calendula tea! Calendula is loaded with powerful skin-healing, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, yet is gentle enough for most people and animals to use safely. You can make all sorts of things with calendula, including soap, salve, lotion bars and lip…
Learn how to make homemade elderberry syrup using fresh (or dried) elderberries and honey. (Updated for 2021, since I’ve reduced water amounts and cooking time since my original recipe in 2015.) 😊 Over the past few weeks, we’ve been harvesting from our elder bushes, making lots of goodies, including tincture, oxymel, and salve. Check out my article…
St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a pretty yellow flowering plant that’s considered a noxious weed in several states, but is well-loved by herbalists! Besides using it for tinctures and liniments (like this herbal liniment for varicose veins & muscle pains), it’s also wonderful to infuse into oil for salves and lotions. If you don’t…
Learn to make an all-natural witch hazel + herbal liniment can be used for varicose veins, muscle pains, strains, and aches. This recipe was kindly shared by Dawn Combs, author of the book, Heal Local. It’s a great book centered around 20 homegrown or regionally sourced herbs that you can use to build a complete…
This salve recipe combines anti-inflammatory turmeric with pain relieving menthol to create an effective salve that can be rubbed into sore or achy joints, backs, feet, or wherever you have pain that’s relieved by a deep cooling sensation. Today I’m delighted to share a recipe that my daughter created! For many months, we’ve been working…
In this article, you’ll learn how to make three herbal salves featuring mullein infused oil: Basic Mullein Salve – for dry, chapped, or cracked skin Mullein First Aid Salve – for minor scrapes, scratches Mullein Chest Rub – for respiratory support Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is an herbal weed you’ve likely seen growing on roadsides…
This moisturizing herbal hand cream is perfect for skin that’s rough, damaged, or dry from gardening, or working a lot with your hands. It’s rich and thick, but soaks in nicely after a minute, to protect and repair your skin. I especially love making this cream with weeds which have been gathered while prepping veggie…
A common garden weed + simple ingredients makes up these purple dead nettle lotion bars that are perfect for dry, chapped, or cracked hands and feet. Lotion bars are not only super easy to make, but they’re highly effective too! This lotion bar recipe features purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum), which is a common weed…
Pineapple sage is more than just another pretty pollinator plant for your garden – it’s rich in antioxidants & also used as a traditional herbal remedy! Health Benefits of Pineapple Sage Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is “widely used in traditional medicine, particularly in the form of infusions or decoctions, to… lower blood pressure and combat…
Learn how to harvest, dry, and use sunflower petals in DIY projects. Make your own sunflower salve, oil, soap, lip balm, lotion bars, and more! Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are the quintessential flower for late summer and fall. Not only do they provide seeds and nectar for birds and insects to enjoy, plus beautiful flowers to…
Learn how to make natural herbal liquid soap from scratch. Homemade liquid soap can be used as a hand soap or body wash! The idea of making liquid soap from scratch used to intimidate me, but once I gave it a try, I realized it’s a lot easier than it looks! If you’ve successfully made…
Today I’m excited to share information about using dandelions, plus a yummy dandelion recipe from the new book, Wild Remedies, written by Rosalee de la Foret and Emily Han. If you love collecting books that are both beautiful AND useful, you will absolutely love this book! At around 400 pages, it’s chock full of information…
Learn how to make your own yummy antiviral herbal cough drops with this easy, customizable recipe using honey, sugar, herbal tea, and peppermint extract! Recently, I made up a batch of this favorite cough drop recipe using beneficial plants and weeds growing around my house, plus a ton of antiviral extras thrown in, including several…
Here are 10 herbs to grow in your garden for making herbal remedies and natural body care products! Below are ten of my favorite easy-to-grow plants for crafting herbal remedies and homemade body care products. This is not an exhaustive list; there are so many other wonderful herbs and flowers out there to explore! (Check…
Learn how to make helpful herbal salves using purple dead nettle and other beneficial plants. Purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) is an edible weed that pops up in yards and gardens in early spring. You might often see it growing near henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), which is said to be its closest look-a-like. (They both have…
Today, I’m sharing how I make customized herbal honey throat sprays to treat my family’s sore and scratchy throats. I use raw honey in these, but you can substitute vegetable glycerin for a vegan product. Also, remember that honey should not be given to children under a year old. I base my throat sprays on…
Learn how to make a yummy ginger and lemon balm honey syrup to help fight cold and flu bugs. Herbal syrups are one of the easiest (and tastiest) things you can make for your natural medicine cabinet. Basically, they’re composed of a strong herbal tea, mixed with at least an equal measure of raw honey. (The…
These yummy herbal candy drops are made with lemon and honey to help soothe sore throats and coughs. A common home remedy for soothing sore throats is lemon juice mixed with honey; however, that isn’t always easy to swallow, especially if you’re a kid. That’s where these tasty little sore throat candy drops come in….
Soothing roses and anti-inflammatory witch hazel combine in this beautiful rose infused witch hazel. It’s perfect to use as a facial toner, for bug bites, acne, sunburn, varicose veins, and more! My roses are in full bloom this week and I’ve been busily preserving them in all sorts of ways! I first made this lovely…