basket of violet leaves and lavender flowers, jar of lavender flower tincture

Lavender Tincture + Uses

Here’s how to make and use lavender tincture! You can use fresh or dried lavender flowers for this project. You’ll also need some 80 to 100 proof vodka, and a half pint or small jar with a lid. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a well-loved herb with anti-inflammatory and skin soothing properties. The flowers (and the…

fresh lavender plant beside a tin of homemade lavender salve

Lavender Salve Recipe

How to make a multi-purpose homemade salve using: lavender flowers, oil, beeswax, and lavender essential oil! Lavender salve is a handy remedy to keep around for: This salve is made in two parts. First you make a lavender infused oil, then you melt it with some beeswax to make the salve. Add a little essential…

lemon slices, raw honey, fresh lilacs, and a jar of lemon and lilac infused honey

Lilac & Lemon Infused Honey

This delicious infused honey was inspired by a favorite recipe, Ginger Lemon Honey Tonic, that I originally shared on this site several years ago. One beautiful spring day when my lilacs were in full bloom, I wondered… what would happen if I used lilac flowers instead of ginger in the recipe? What happened was the…

spilanthes flowers, herbal capsules, and goldenseal leaves

Natural Toothache Remedies

Have a toothache, but can’t be seen by your dentist right away? Try these natural toothache remedies while you wait! The best way to fix a sore tooth is to see your dentist and treat the underlying cause; however, there are sometimes long wait times for appointments, or other times that you just don’t have…

jar of freshly gathered corn silk

Uses for Corn Silk

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…

calendula flowers and jar of calendula tea

14 Uses For Calendula Tea

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…

jar of elderberry syrup and bucket of fresh elderberries

Homemade Elderberry Syrup

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 at…

tin of salve on background of fresh green plants

Turmeric & Menthol Pain Salve

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…

basket of garden weeds and glass jar of hand cream

Gardener’s Herbal Hand Cream

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…