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Fun Facts about Plants from Your Friendly Botany Major

• Cacti are some of the only plants to photosynthesize from their stems. Their needles are really just modified leaves.

• Avocados are only around because people pollinate and disperse them by hand. The large seed is indigestible to small mammals now. It was originally eaten by giant sloths who would poop them out far away from the parent tree so they can grow. This is called an evolutionary anachronism.

• Banana candy does not taste like bananas because it was designed to taste like the Gros Michel banana which was eaten in the pre-1950s. It was wiped out by a fungus called panama disease. Since bananas are asexual all of them are genetically identical making it easy to wipe them all out at once. However fungus is sexual so it evolves more quickly. This means eventually we may lose the modern banana, the Cavendish, to it as well.

• There are actually three different types of photosynthesis: C3, C4, and CAM. Which type is used depends on the aridness of the environment, and are increasingly more efficient as listed.

• Moss is amazing. The fuzzy part of the moss is called the gametophyte stage and it is haploid meaning it has one set of chromosomes like a sperm or an egg cell in humans. If you look closely, sometimes you will what look like little tiny seeds on stems coming out of the main body. This is the sporophyte stage and it’s diploid, or has two sets of chromosomes, like our body cells. Moss is the oldest type of plant.

• You can usually tell what animal pollinates a plant by the color and shape of its flowers. Red flowers are hardly ever pollinated by bees because bees cannot see red well. Butterfly flowers have long deep centers. Bird pollinated plants can bear weight and are wide and open. Bat pollinated plants usually smell strongly and are darkly colored.

• Almost all American native elms and chestnut trees are extinct because of fungi. Asian chestnut and elm have replaced them, because they are resistant to the strains.

• There is a type of fern that has over 1200 chromosomes. For reference, humans have 46.

• If you shine consistent low level red light on a plant it will grow extremely tall, because red light tells the plant it is being shaded by and competing with other plants. If you shine consistent green light on a plant it will not sprout or die (if already sprouted) because plants absorb red and blue light to use. This is also why plants are green, because the unused green light is reflected back out.

TLDR; Plants are frickin cool and should get as much love as our animal friends.

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@therestlesswitch I suspect it has a lot to do with the relationship many form with plants they use to aid in doing hedge work. I think it’s a matter of confusion given that the use of things like nightshade ointments among other things creates an overlap... also I’m going to assume that there’s been a bit of the ‘telephone game’ effect going on with the information regarding the two paths.

Witchy pet peeve.  People using ‘hedge witch’ to mean the same thing as green witch. Hedge witch = astral and spirit work (crossing the hedge.)  It doesn’t have to do with actual hedges and plants 😂

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Sarah has given a lot of herself to both the herbal world, and the pagan/witchcraft world. She has made sacrifices for the greater good and really needs the support at this point. I’m not so great with the whole ‘inspiring words’ thing but this is certainly one of the better causes to donate to, and you know perfectly well who and what your money is going to.

Sarah Anne Lawless has helped many of us and provided us with free resources on her blogs and social media pages.

Recently she named several prominent abusers in the Pagan Community to keep people, especially those new to it safe.

Now her livelihood is being attacked.

Sarah supports her two young sons through herbal medicines.

Please share this.

Please help her by purchasing one of her amazing designs on Society 6 or donating through her GoFundMe.

Please, as a community we have to show this harassing her that this is unacceptable.

When people come forward they should be protected and supported.

They shouldn’t be punished and attacked.

If you’ve ever posted a blog posts of Sarah’s or reblogged it please reblog this. Please spread this. Please help her.

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This would be fun to do... also so many awesome flowers 💐

Flower Asks

Alisons: Sexuality? 

Amaranth: Pronouns/Gender? 

Amaryllis: Birthday? 

Anemone: Favorite flower? 

Angelonia: Favorite t.v. show? 

Arum-Lily: What’s the farthest you’d go for a stranger? 

Aster: What’s one of your favorite quotes? 

Aubrieta: Favorite drink? 

Baby’s Breath: Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? 

Balsam Fir: Have you ever been in love? 

Baneberries: Favorite song? 

Basket of Gold: Describe your family. 

Beebalm: Do you have a best friend? Who is it? 

Begonia: Favorite color? 

Bellflower: Favorite animal? 

Bergenia: Are you a morning or night person? 

Black-Eyed Susan: If you could be any animal for a day, what would it be?

Bloodroots: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

Bluemink: What are your thoughts on children? 

Blazing Stars: What are you afraid of? Is there a reason why? 

Borage: Give a random fact about your childhood. 

Bugleherb: How would you spend your last day on Earth?  

Buttercup: Relationship Status? 

Camelia: If you could visit anywhere, where would you want to go? 

Candytufts: When do you feel most loved? 

Canna: Do you have any tattoos?  

Canterbury Bells: Do you have any piercings?  

California Poppy: Height?  

Cardinal Flower: Do you believe in ghosts? 

Carnation: What are you currently wearing?  

Catnip: Have you ever slept with a nightlight? 

Chives: Who was the last person you hugged?  

Chrysanthemum: Who’s the last person you kissed?

Cock’s Comb: Favorite font? 

Columbine: Are you tired? 

Common Boneset: What are you looking forward to? 

Coneflower: Dream job? 

Crane’s-Bill: Introvert or extrovert? 

Crocus: Have you ever been in love? 

Crown Imperial: What’s the farthest you would go for someone you care about? 

Cyclamen: Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a child? What was it? 

Daffodil: What’s your zodiac sign? 

Dahlia: Have you done anything worth remembering? 

Daisy: What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment? 

Daylily: What would you do if your parents didn’t like your partner(s)?  

Dendrobium: Who is the last person that you said “I love you” to?

False Goat’s Beard: What is something you are good at? 

Foxgloves: What’s something you’re bad at? 

Freesia: What are three good things that have happened in the past month? 

Garden Cosmos: How was your day today? 

Gardenia: Are you happy with where you’re at in your life? 

Gladiolus: What is something you hope to do in the next year or two? 

Glory-of-the-Snow: What are ten things that make you happy/you’re grateful to have in your life? 

Heliotropium: What helps you calm down when you feel stressed?  

Hellebore: How do you show affection? 

Hoary Stock: What are you proudest of? 

Hollyhock: Describe your ideal day. 

Hyacinth: What do you like to do in your free time?  

Hydrangea: How long have you known your best friend? How did you meet them?

Irises: Who can you talk to about (almost) everything?

Laceleaf: How many friends do you have?

Lantanas: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? 

Larkspur: What do you think of yourself? 

Lavender: What’s your favorite thing about yourself? 

Leather Flower: What’s your least favorite thing about yourself?  

Lilac: What’s something you liked to do as a child? 

Lily: Who was your best friend when you were a kid? 

Lily of the Incas: What is something you still feel guilty for? 

Lily of the Nile: What is something you feel guilty for that you shouldn’t feel guilty about?  

Lupine: What does your name mean? Why is that your name? 

Marigold: Where did you grow up? Tell us about it. 

Morning Glory: What was your bedroom like growing up? 

Mugworts: What was it like for you as a teenager? Did you enjoy your teenage years?  

Norwegian Angelica: Tell us about your mom.

Onions: Tell about your dad.  

Orchid: Tell about your grandparents. 

Pansy: What was your most memorable birthday? What made it be so memorable? 

Peony: What was your first job? 

Petunia: If you’re in a relationship, how did you meet your partner(s)? If you’re not in a relationship, how did you meet your crush/how do you hope to meet your future partner(s), if you want any? 

Pincushion: How do you deal with pain? 

Pink: Where is home? 

Plantain Lilies: If you could go back in time, what is one thing you would stop/change? 

Prairie Gentian: Who is someone you look up to? Describe them. 

Primrose: Describe your ideal life. 

Rhodendron: What is something you used to believe in as a child? 

Ricinus: Who’s the most important in your life? 

Rose: What’s your favorite sound? 

Rosemallows: What’s your favorite memory? 

Sage: What’s your least favorite memory? 

Snapdragon: At this moment, what do you want?  

St. John’s Wort: Is it easy or difficult for you to express how you feel about things? 

Sunflower: What is something you don’t want to imagine life without? 

Sweet Pea: How much sleep did you get last night? 

Tickseed: What’s your main reason to get up every morning? 

Touch-Me-Not: How do you feel about your current job? 

Transvaal Daisy: What’s your favorite item of clothing? 

Tropical White Morning Glory: Describe your aesthetic.  

Tulip: What would be the best present to get you? 

Vervain: What’s stressing you out most right now? 

Wisteria: How many books have you read in the past few months? What were they called? 

Wolf’s Bane: Where do you want to be in life this time next year?

Yarrow: Do you know what vore is?

Zinnia: Give a random fact about yourself.

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Alternatively for an ointment, let dried flowers/very well wilted flowers sit in a jar full to the top with your oil(s) of choice for 6-8 weeks in a cool dark area. Let sit in a moderately hot water bath for 3-6 hours prior to straining. This is my preferred method and I have had much more success with it than the posted hot water bath method (though it is excellent if you need it fairly quickly)

Arnica

Arnica Montana

Common Names: Arnica flowers, arnica root, common arnica, leop-ardsbane, mountain arnica, mountain tobacco, wolfsbane.

Medicinal Parts: Flowers, rootstock.

Description: Arnica is a perennial plant that is generally found in mountainous areas of Canada, the northern U.S., and Europe. The horizontal, dark brown, branched rootstock sends up a slightly hairy, simple or lightly branched stem that reaches a height of 1 to 2 feet. The basal leaves are oblong-ovate and short-petioled; the upper leaves are smaller and sessile. Each plant has one to nine large, yellow, daisy-like flowerheads whose rays are notched on the outer tips. The flowers appear from June to August. Properties and Uses: Diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, stimulant, vulnerary. Arnica is primarily for external use. Used as tincture or salve, it helps to promote the healing of wounds, bruises, and irritation. However, only very dilute solutions of tincture should be used, since the tincture can cause blistering and inflammation when applied. Arnica is also sometimes used as a poultice, and a tea made from the flowers for a compress on the stomach to relieve abdominal pains. The dilute tincture can be helpful in inflammation of the mouth and throat, and some doctors use it for internal bleeding and as a cardiac agent. Except in emergencies, arnica should not be used for any purpose without medical direction.

Preparation and Dosage: Use professionally prepared remedies whenever possible.

Infusion: Use 1 tsp. dried flowers with ½ cup boiling water. Take in three equal portions during the day for diaphoretic, diuretic, and expectorant action.

External Wash: Steep 2 heaping tsp. flowers in 1 cup boiling water. Use cold.

Tincture: Use a dilute solution of 1 to 2 tbsp. to a cup of water.

Ointment: Heat 1 oz. flowers in 1 oz. olive oil or lard in a water bath (as in a double boiler) for a few hours. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth.

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Herbalism and mental/emotional wellbeing (part 2)

So this is where I’ll actually get to different ways to approach self care and treatment with herbs.

Directly treating the symptom

Though it’s best to treat symptoms along with maintaining, treating and nourishing yourself as a whole, sometimes it is a good first step if the symptoms are preventing you from managing to do anything else.

Some of the herbs that can help with many mental and emotional symptoms:

Catnip- stress/anxiety/poor sleep

Motherwort- stress/anxiety/discomfort/heart issues

California poppy-physical pain/insomnia/poor sleep/anxiety

Lemon balm- stomach pain/anxiety

St. John’s wort- depression/anxiety/pain/helps stop viruses

There are many more of course, these happen to be the ones I have tinctured, have had the most success with and know throughly. These are all best tinctured with fresh plant matter, and throughly researched before use.

Nourishment and support of the body and mind

It’s hard to treat the root cause of any issues when you’re body is feeding stress signals to your brain. And your brain can’t cope with much when it is likewise not getting the support and nutrition it needs. I’m not going to tell people here what diet they should be following cuz I don’t want to argue, but I can offer some things that can help regardless of diet

-‘Nourishing herbal infusions’: this is a very specific concept in herbalism that is very nutrition focused. The idea is that you take 1 quart of boiling water and pour it over 1oz of dried herbs and allow it to sit at room temperature for 4-8 hours and drink a cup or so (best cold) the herbs generally used for this are: Stinging Nettle, Linden Flowers, Raspberry Leaf, Oatstraw, and Red Clover.... some advise to use Comfrey but I disagree with this for regular use. I think it is safe for short term use when healing from major injuries but regular use may possibly cause liver damage (evidence is kinda wushu washy either way tbh) Susun Weed (currently controversial to site) and April Graham (wild wood apothecary) both speak on these quite in depth. I have personally had a lot of success with these and really think they are one of the easiest ways to use herbalism for overall health.

- ‘bitters’: bitters stimulate and aid digestion which in turn aids in nutrient absorption. This in turn can make huge differences to your overall health, as health begins in the gut. My preferred bitters are: Dandelion Root, Burdock Root, and Oregon Grape Root.

- adding more well cooked plants to your diet. This can be as simple as making broths and storing for later use as soup bases. Essentially cooking breaks plants down enough that their nutrients become more bioavailabe and easily absorbed into our systems.

Self care herbs

These are essentially nervines and milder phycoactive herbs that bring us pleasure or can help us just chill out and be present in the moment. Though they are still medicine, they have a more passive effect rather than a strong one.

Chamomile/pineapple weed- relaxing tea, pain easing baths, and aromatherapy/pain easing infused oils.

Rose- aromatic petals (short steep time) make a nice tea that has an ‘ease of heartache’ effect, hips (long brew at a simmer) have a tart fruity flavour and have lots of vitamins.

Cocoa Nibs/dark chocolate- Cocoa has a mild nervine effect and can help boost your mood. You can make a Cocoa Nib decoction to enjoy as a warm drink, or simply eat a piece of DARK chocolate.

Ginger- stimulating and warming. In tea, as candy, and in food, Ginger is great for stomach discomfort as well as have a caffeine free stimulating effect that one generally gets from spicy flavours

Milky oats- a very mild nervine that helps bring calm. I find tinctured is easiest but a tea can be used as well as it will also provide some of Milky Oats nutritional properties.

This is not an exhaustive list, there are so many more herbs and ways to utilize them for ones mental and emotional wellbeing. But the point is to stress the fact that merely treating the symptoms is not going to heal you. We all want to heal from our issues, and we need to support our bodies and minds rather than numb and ignore them and hope it goes away.

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Herbalism and mental/emotional wellbeing (part 1)

So, there are many people who look to herbs to help them cope with a plethora of difficult mental and emotional issues. Now, there are many herbs that can safely aid us in these aspects in many different ways, but unfortunately the first thing people look to are those with phycoactive effects WITHOUT first looking at the root cause/daily actions/ nutritional wellbeing as well.

This is detrimental because it is promoting one to continue to neglect those things as the symptoms and side effects will be reduced while taking a phycoactive medicine (herbs are medicine). Thus if the only change made is the addition of the medicine to numb the symptoms, the original issue is likely to continue to grow.

Some things to consider in conjunction with taking herbal medicine for mental/ emotional issues:

Am I meeting my own basic needs?

-Are you eating a well rounded diet, and are you eating enough? If not, how can you improve this? Remind yourself you are worth the time it takes.

-Am I taking time for self care? This goes beyond simply brushing your teeth and showering. Take time for small indulgences that bring you pleasure. Massage your feet or neck, or make yourself a bath/foot bath to relax and sooth you body regularly. Remind yourself you are worth the time it takes.

-Am I always saying yes to things I really really don’t want to do? You are worth saying “no” unapologetically to things you genuinely don’t want to do. The more you say no to things you DON’T want to do, the better you will feel when you DO choose to say yes. You are worth putting you and your needs first.

What is the root cause of my mental/emotional issue?

There are many of these that are caused by trauma, are not. But regardless, diagnosis, and personal research into how these states manifest are a good starting point.

-what is the root cause?

-how does it manifest typically?

-do I fall into typical patterns for my issue?

For now, this thing you are dealing with is a part of you, and thus a part of understanding yourself.

Do I have a community behind me for support?

This is actually something that can occasionally be the cause of things like general depression. We are living in a world that pushes us to isolate when we historically have been a species that does best in small communities that work to support each other. It doesn’t have to be huge, even just 2 people who understand and support your needs and desires is enough to make a difference. If your surrounded by people who don’t care and don’t listen, it’s ok to give them less of yourself in favour or those who are willing to support.

Where are the herbs you ask? Well that’s the next post where I’ll talk about how aspects of herbalism can help us in more ways than one. Herbalism works best, and is only TRULY effective when you treat yourself as a whole living being and not as a machine that you only treat symptoms to to keep it chugging along to the expectations of others who care nothing for you.

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@therestlesswitch I thought so, but also... think about actually trying to do that 🤣🤣

**ON PLANTS : SOME PIECES OF ADVICE & LORE FROM FRENCH TRADITIONAL WITCHCRAFT**

These ancient superstitions and beliefs prove the deep respect human beings had for their environment, back to an era when we were aware of the unity of this nature.

HARVEST

- Avoid cutting the plant with a vile metal such as iron. The first mythical reason is that spirits (especially faes) abhor iron, known to repel and hurt them. Use a bronze or copper blade, sometimes even a gold or silver coin to dig up the roots. There also lies a logical, scientific explanation of a remarkable empiric coherence : iron salts quickens the action of the tannins contained in certain plants, significantly altering their components.

- Some plant spirits are not cooperative, so you’ll have to foil their harmful influence. Do not talk to anyone about your intention of picking the plant on your way to reach it, so as not to warn the spirit - thus counteracting any intention to flee it may have.

- Pluck the plant backwards to protect yourself from the spirit’s ire (this is particularly true of poisonous beauties such as foxglove, belladonna, etc.).

- Drawing a circle around the plant, using a wand or a knife, or even the finger, isolates the reaper from the wrath of the spirit while preventing it from escaping its plant host .

- It is expected to explain to the plant the intended use for which it is plucked.

- Pay a small tribute to the spirit of the plant as a salary for the effort you asked from it.

PRAYERS, PLEAS & INVOCATIONS

« Je coupe ta verdeur parce que tu purifies toutes les humeurs qui entraînent l’Homme sur des chemins d’erreur et d’injustice ; par le Verbe vivant qui a fait l’Homme sans le regretter. »

•

“I will cut your greenness, so you could purify all the moods that lead Man on the paths of error and injustice; by the living Word who made Man without any regrets.”

(Supposedly from abbess Hildegarde de Bingen, who also advocates to cut the plant with the left hand)

« Ô toi par qui s’endort la nature, toi qui fais fuir le jour et amène la nuit, toi qui nous cache le soleil, qui engendre toutes les herbes et les donne aux humains pour la guérison… Celle qui vous a créée avec vos propriétés salutaires veut bien que je vous cueille. »

•

“O thou by whom nature falls asleep, thou who drive away the day and bring about the night, thou who hides the sun, who generates all the herbs and gives them to the humans for healing… She who made thou with all thy salutary properties allows me to pick thou. ”

« Lève-toi, lève-toi, va guérir X… Je sais que tu dors, mais j’ai besoin de toi. »

•

“Wake up, wake up, and come to heal X… I know you are asleep, but I need you.”

STORAGE

- Drying a plant makes it lose a large part of its properties. Whenever possible, always favor the use of fresh plants.

- The plants are hanging in a bouquet or spread on a flat surface to dry in open air.

- Plants are stored in glass jars or paper bags once fully dried. Iron boxes and containers are of course prohibited.

- Do not keep your plants more than a year: their power slowly fades then disappears, so you will have to renew the stock every year.

***

(Appreciatively sourced and translated from BERTON H., Sorcellerie en Auvergne, Éditions De Borée, 2003. All rights reserved.)

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Medicinal Herbs for Flu Relief

While medicinal herbs for seasonal flu (influenza) or the common cold are not a cure, they can be used to alleviate the associated symptoms.

Also, medicinal herbs can stimulate the immune system and may help bring about a more rapid recovery.

Some studies have shown that many of the traditional uses of herbs for the flu are quite useful.

As more and more well-designed studies support the effectiveness of many these traditional herbal treatments, numerous commercial preparations for the flu and common cold now incorporate medicinal herbs.

To learn more about the benefits and uses of medicinal herbs for flu CLICK HERE: https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/flu-herbs-treatment.html

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from Mary Shelley’s journal, February 25, 1822

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Woodlands near my parents home. No special effects on the tree in the last pic. It actually grew like that.

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Red Clover

(Trifolium pratense)

Red Clover is an excellent herb for women looking to relieve mensural or menopausal issues, and it is thought to be helpful to post menopausal women in avoiding hormone related cancers due to its estrogenic isoflavones and coumestans.

It is quite effective at preventing or stopping menstrual cramping due to its blood thinning properties. Particularly so if a tea or strong herbal infusion taken right before or in the first 2 to 3 days of the start of menstruation as it helps thin clots and makes it easier for the body to flush. In saying this, it is important to note that these blood thinning properties mean it should not be used for more than 2-3 days in a row, and should not be used by people on blood thinning medications.

For women starting or well into their menopausal years, red clover may help reduce hot flashes, mood swings and night sweats.

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A thought on herbalism

Many people in recent years have been turning to herbalism for many different reasons.

Some of those reasons are:

Distrust in doctors

Distrust in pharmaceuticals

Searching for a deeper understanding of nature

Searching for a connection to earth

Spiritually

Learning and understanding ones self

Trying to heal the body when modern medicine and science have failed

Belief that herbal medicine in inheritly safer or more effective

There are many of these things I agree with, and many I disagree with but understand. But one thing I must state for those who are just learning about herbalism or have only come from the analytical approach to it, is that truly effective herbalism first and foremost relies on one to listen to, understand, and nourish ones own body. Another statement I must make, is that though there are many paths, plants and aspects of herbalism that ARE safe, that herbal medicine is not inherently safe because it is natural. Many plants that are worked with for faster results and accute conditions are in fact quite poisonous, sometimes far more poisonous than the pharmaceuticals available. And in knowing that, you then need to be conscious of your choice to take one form of poison or another. Neither is inherently wrong, but truly in depth research and objectivity should be applied regardless of your choice.

I personally work with nourishment, and safe - mostly safe herbs alone for conventional healing, and only move into real poisons upon addressing spiritual healing and personal expansion. When i cannot heal with these, I will choose the pharmaceutical. BUT I will not ever call someone out for choosing differently than myself unless I see their choice coming from a place of dogma, misinformation or fear.

I choose to work with herbalism not only to find a deeper connection, but a deeper form of healing. And that comes from true nourishment, and taking your time to first work withresearch, and meeting individual plant allies before moving on to mixing and combinations to achieve something stronger or more well rounded.

You will never have a well rounded and in-depth understanding of your herbal allies through study alone. And though research in invaluable and necessary, taking expensive courses is not the only way to learn unless you’re truly going to explore the poisons. Don’t get me wrong, I am not calling people out for taking a course. I only aim to encourage others to be brave enough to learn without being leashed to a bank account if they so wish to.

In time, I hope to start sharing the recipes I’ve worked with over the years with others and work to help answer questions on what I know, and when I don’t know, direct people to those that do.

Just keep in mind that no two paths in herbalism are the same, and what may be wrong for you may be the right fit for another. It’s ok to only know 3-4 plants in depth and never desire to explore further. It’s also admirable to strive to know every single one under the sun. But don’t hate on or lash out at others because their path and ways of healing do not mirror your own.

To you, the reader (if your there) tell me your thoughts, opinions, and experiences. Do you have arguments? Questions? I’m certainly open to open discussion so long as it does not devolve into name calling or devaluation of myself or another individual.?

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Rosemary Milk Witch Herbal Tea

You don’t have to drink milk to get your calcium, You can just keep drinking your tea. 

A cup of this tea contains roughly the equivalent calcium as a cup of milk. 

When using herbs for calcium, be sure to use dried. Dried herbs have roughly seven times the amount of calcium as fresh. This is because the fresh herbs contain a great deal of water. You can make up a large batch of this recipe and store it in a jar with a tight fitting lid.

2 parts dried parsley

1 part oat straw

1 part dried dandelion leaf

1 part dried peppermint

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Sore muscle salve

This recipe is for a quart jar. You may need to adjust the recipe for yourself accordingly.

Base recipe

10-15 chillie peppers dried seeds removed

1/2 cup comfrey dried

1/2 cup mint dried

1 large ginger root, sliced thin and dried

2 table spoon of cloves dried and crushed

Oil

Bees wax

Optional add-ins for increased potency and range of use:

1 cup St. John’s wort oil (made from fresh flowering tops)

1/2 cup Arnica dried

1/2 cup stinging nettle dried

1 cup of spruce, pine, or fir resin infused oil

Put all dried herbs into your jar, and fill to the top with your oil of choice. My favourite is a 50/50 mix of sunflower and avocado oil. But grapeseed, and olive oil are also fairly affordable and skin friendly options. Fill your jar to the very top with oil, and use a stick while filling to knock out all air bubbles. cap (preferably with a canning lid).

Allow the jar to sit in a cool dark place for 8 weeks. After which I recommend using a seed heating mat or a slow cooker set to the absolute lowest setting for 24 hours to slightly heat the oil and pull out as much of the properties from the plant material as possible. High heat will break down compounds, so you want to keep the heat souce low. If using a slow cooker keep the water at the “almost too hot to touch range”. ***please don’t finger test the water and burn yourself***

Next strain your oil into a measuring cup. You should wind up with roughly 3 to 3 1/2 cups of oil. Divide your oil volume by 1/2 and use that to measure out bees wax. Heat your oil on medium low in a pot and add in bees wax until dissolved. Once bees wax is fully dislolved allow to stay on heat for 5-10 minuets more as this will prevent your finished product from having a weird gritty texture.

Finally pour this finished product into containers and allow to cool uncovered at room temperature. This will have a shelf life of 1 - 1 1/2 years before the medicinal properties start to drop off.

*** photo is my own personal jar, and I have used it quite a lot hence those odd air gaps***

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Monotropa unifora found in the wild on Vancouver Island. This plant is rare find as not only does it have a very short season but also beacause its a parasitic plant that requires very specific growing conditions and cannot yet be cultivated.

I have found at least one patch every year since I was old 12, and it has always been an exiting find given its unusual almost ethereal appearance. The common name “ghost pipe” is clearly appropriate for this rare beauty.

If you find these, please leave them be, and take only photos as it is considered anything from at risk to endangered depending on location.

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Roses

Roses have a variety of uses as a very gentle herbal medicine. In fact the entire plant can be used, though most often what you will find used are the petals and the hips (fruit).

Rose petals can be distilled into a hydosol that makes an excellent toner for skin and has a warm and sexy scent that in itself brings a warm and uplifting sense of calm.

The dried petals and leaves can be used in tea, or infused in an oil for softening and gently soothing the skin.

Fresh hips can be used to make food, dried can be simmered for 15-30 minuets to make a vitamin C and antioxidant rich tea through autumn and winter. Hips are best harvested after the first frost.

Making an elixir (a tincture with honey in it) from rose petals can be used as a very mild and gentle self care medicine during times of heartache or loss.

In all uses, roses are gentle and uplifting, good for the immune system, and are a perfect self care tool for anyone.