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The Benefits of Basil
Sweet basil! Who doesn’t want to eat tons of basil during the summer time? (Although we are getting so close to fall! I can taste the cinnamon and cloves!) Pesto is one of my favorite things to eat during the summer time! Besides being ridiculously delicious it has been used medicinally throughout human history. Herbalist Juliette de Bairacli wrote in her book that Basil has an affinity for men and it was fed to the princes of France. I thought this was interesting because I know from my aromatherapy classes with Herbalist Kathi Keville that in Italy if a couple got into a fight that the lady would leave out…
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Pause for Parsley
One of my first memories of Parsley is being in elementary school, reenacting the Passover meal (something we did every year). During the Passover meal we would dip the parsley in salt water – an incredibly symbolic, meaningful activity. Parsley has a very long, extensive history of being used throughout many cultures. Though today we often just think of it as a garnish for our meal. But in reality it is a highly nutritive herb that contains: Vitamin A, C, iron, calcium, magnesium, chlorophyll, and flavonoids. Historically it has been used to help with: Energetics/Emotional Usages The energy of parsley is truly amazing. It is incredibly helpful for people who…
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Family Friendly Fennel
Fennel and how it can help you and your family feel better
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Short Sound Session to Calm Road Rage
The freeways in the Sacramento Valley are getting worse and worse. You put together major construction with lots of anger drivers and all kinds of scary, frustrating incidents happen on the roads. So for those who are experiencing some road rage here is a short sound byte to help recognize your anger and (hopefully) calm it down. Try drinking lavender and/or chamomile tea (wait to hit the coffee until you get to work if you can) to help soothe the nervous system even more. Pro Tip: Recordings like this or always best to listen to via headphones or earbuds. Having anger/frustration issues? If you are interested in learning more how Chinese…
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Cooling Tones For Hot Summer Days
Tibetan bowl and hand chimes
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Definitely Dill When Your Tummy is Ill
The last herbal kitchen series post I did my partner suggested lavender – there is tons and tons of information about lavender. The next one he suggested was dill. Which I was excited about because I was taught it is wonderful for infant and nursing mother health. Surprisingly, for an herb with such a long history of medicinal use there wasn’t a ton of information out there, even though through my education it was touted. But herbs can certainly fall in and out of fashion. Usually when people think of dill they think of pickles, potato dishes, ranch dressing, and perhaps some ham dishes. Dill was not an herb that…
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Lovely Lavender
Everyone loves lavender. My partner included (he loves it in the herbs de Provence). So every time I ask him which kitchen herb I should write about next he says lavender. And I would sigh and go, “nope”. Lavender is a huge topic. I could easily have lavender be one of my herbal classes. There are books upon books just about lavender. And quite frankly, it’s easier to talk about what lavender doesn’t do than what it does do. That being said, I would argue that all herbs do way more than we can imagine. However, people loooovvee lavender. And that love and popularity has made it so that as…
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Add some pep to your step with Black Pepper
Everyone has heard of black pepper, it graces pretty much every eating establishment in America. Including the tables of people who claim they don’t use herbs in their cooking. Black pepper is one of the oldest recorded herbs used, so perhaps its long history in human history has allowed it to wiggle its way into the hearts of even the most stubborn-I-do-not-like-herbs-in-my-food humans. While those humans just think of it as something to shake on to their food to add flavor there are tons of other things our ancestors used black pepper for throughout history. But first, let’s talk about herbal stimulants. Black Pepper is considered a stimulant in the…
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For The Love Of Cinnamon
Who doesn’t love cinnamon? The smell of cinnamon for many brings about a sense of coziness and sweetness – since cinnamon is often used in fall desserts. And, in Western culture, it’s all over malls and airports in the form of cinnamon buns. The other day I was chatting with someone who said she can’t go to a mall without getting a cinnamon bun, she considers it sacrilegious. I’m not a fan of going to malls, but I do love to put a generous amount of it in yogurt, pudding, cottage cheese, and smoothies. Those are all energetically (and physically) cold items which can be hard on the digestive system…
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The Secret Life of Cardamom
I loooovee cardamom – I am currently drinking it as I write this (along with some other herbs) but I also love it in my oatmeal, chai, hot chocolate, cookies, and most recently I have been putting it on top of my homemade pudding! Cardamom is so wonderful. The footnote version of this herb is: if you have digestive issues, have a lot of mucus you need to expel, or want to spice up your love life, cardamom might be your new favorite spice and tea herb! But here is a little bit more info you might not know about cardamom. Fun Facts: Cardamom has been used extensively throughout history…
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