Night Allies: Herbs for Sleeping and Dreaming

There's plenty of advice out there on how to get better sleep, solve insomnia, and become a level 54 lucid dreamer. While I'm not going to repeat a lot of what is useful (reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, unplugging before bedtime, getting yourself into therapy, and participating in the sudden onset of world peace that alleviates our collective existential anxiety), I do want to look at the ways that herbs can support our sleeping and dreaming practice. I'll highlight some common sleep complaints and then share with you some of my favorite relaxing and gently sedating herbs in a way that might help you find a plant ally to work with.

There are a lot of reasons that our sleep gets disrupted, some of which is in our control (choosing to turn off our phone instead of scrolling before bed) and some of which is less so (stopping your neighbor from throwing logs in the back of their truck outside your bedroom window every morning at 5 AM). Hormonal changes, aging, autoimmune illnesses, thyroid conditions, seasonal allergies, physical injury, changes in the weather, and so on can lead to restlessness, insomnia, and difficulty accessing deep states of rest. It's also important to remember that any herbs that we incorporate into our healing work for sleep are best used in conjunction with other practices, a few which I'll mention below. For our purposes, I'll be focusing on herbs that help to support our nervous system and emotional health which in turn can help to address many varieties of sleep issues and bring us easier nights. 

Our journey to better nights, however, begins in the morning.

image via @anniespratt

Good Mornings for Good Nights

When we've fallen out of rhythm with our nights, starting our days with supportive plants can be very useful. I generally recommend a daily routine of nervines such as Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), and/or Rose (Rosa spp.) as one of the first things ingested upon waking up. Beyond exhaustion, restlessness and insomnia can heighten stress and anxiety in our lives. By beginning with gentle nervines that help to relax tension and alleviate stress, we are practicing being restful throughout our day, guiding us to a place of deeper rest and sleep as night comes on. 

Below I've listed some feelings focused key indications for some of my favorite relaxing nervines - these are just starting points and it's important to follow up with more research, including contraindications, or working with an herbalist to find the best plants for your needs. As stress can be an underlying symptom of many sleep issues, these herbs can help us to release physical, emotional, and mental tension while inviting in relaxation.

• If you're feeling burnt out and like your nerves are frayed Milky Oat (Avena sativa) might be a good ally to work with.

• If you're struggling with the pressures of social technologies, of missing out, and a general sense of anxiety, consider Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis).

• If you're feeling cranky and out of sorts, your digestion is struggling, and/or you are struggling with feeling emotionally regulated, Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) might be a good option.

• If you're feeling spiritually restless, tenderhearted, perhaps even dealing with issues of grief and loss, Rose (Rosa spp.) or Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) can be a beautiful allies to connect with. These are good plant allies for boundary-setting, too, in your sleep practice with yourself and others.

• If you're really struggling with feelings of anger and frustration and like you could really use a compassionate parent in your life, Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) might be the friend you need.

In addition to starting your day with helpful herbs, you might consider incorporating breathwork or meditation into your morning practice. A few minutes of breathwork here and there throughout the day is another way that we remind our body that we know how to become restful, especially at low stakes moments (i.e. not only using breathwork at the time when you're trying to fall asleep, but practicing breathwork when there is no goal of sleep immediately ahead of you). 

image via @bunibrunetti

Winding Down and Settling In

As the day gives way to night, it's time to help our body find its restful rhythms. Much of my practice of herbalism is woven together with the idea of homecoming. To invite ourselves home to a feeling of peace and resiliency, of restoration and homeostasis is about creating an environment within and around us that supports our unique needs. Of course, this process of creating an environment where we thrive is not just an individual project, but as with all healing work, is about how we are part of our surroundings, including our community in whatever forms it takes. In other words, take care of what you can manage on your own and get help with everything else (which is going to be, appropriately, a lot because we are a social species meant to rely on one another). 

Working with herbal remedies in the evening is a signal to our body to begin to ebb and settle after a long day of extension and flow. Any ritual we have, whether preparing a cup of evening tea, changing into our pajamas, bathing, and so on, can act like a doorway and sacred boundary between one aspect of our life into another. With sleep-supporting herbs we are inviting ourselves to cross from a space of waking and doing to one of resting and returning. 

• For a general end-of-day restorative tonic that helps us transition from waking to sleeping, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is one of my favorite plant allies to recommend.

• If you struggle with overwork and excess expectation of what you should be doing, struggling to just be and rest, Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) may be a good ally.

• If your thoughts are busy and racing, waking you up as you feel like you're on the edge of sleep, you might begin and end your day with Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora).

• If you struggle to fall asleep and are prone to anxious, looping thoughts, you might want to work with Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata).

• For general restlessness accompanied by tension and a disposition towards excitability, consider Hops (Humulus lupulus).

• If you can fall asleep but struggle to stay asleep and consider yourself a light sleeper, and/or if you've tried Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) without success, California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) might be a good ally for you.

I often like to imagine that our sleeping self is something we call home to ourselves every evening. Sometimes our sleeping self gets lost or confused as to where it's supposed to be - sometimes our sleeping self has the energy of a toddler going through a sleep regression. While you're seeking ways to support healthy sleep habits in your life, it can be a useful exercise to take a moment to imagine your sleeping self, what that part of you feels like and needs, and the waymarkers and environment it needs to come back home to your waking self. You might ask yourself questions like:

• What helps me feel not only relaxed but safe to be vulnerable?

• What parts of my sleeping self do I struggle with (i.e. taking "too much" time to sleep is "selfish" or I'm not being "productive" when I rest and sleep)? 

• What are some of my most cherished memories of sleep and rest? 

Alongside these more internal searchings for sleep, make sure to address the practical solutions, too. Get those earplugs, turn off the screens, create your sleeping rituals, and be patient and loving with yourself as your sleeping self finds its way home to you. 

The Dreaming Self

Along with supporting our sleeping body, herbs can be wonderful allies in supporting our dreaming self. Supporting the dreaming self isn't about being able to remember our dreams or become lucid dreamers, though both those aspects of dreamwork can be aided by plant allies, but I think of dreaming herbs as serving nourishing the bridges between our nervous system and the collective nervous system. Nourishing our dreaming body is to tend to the intangible connections we have with other people and places, memories and futuredreamings. Many of the herbs I've already written about in this post support the dreaming body (Melissa officinalis, for example, is one of my favorite dreaming herbs for adults and children when it comes to helping the dreaming body explore freely without the stress of the waking body, Passiflora incarnata can help us have more vivid dreams, and so on), but there are a few more I want to mention.

• For general dream health, Mugwort (Artemisia officinalis) is a long-trusted plant ally, helping us to sleep deeply so we can dream deeply, protecting us from nightmares, and assisting us in connecting to our intuition as we sleep. While Artemisia officinalis is often recommended, I love working with local Artemisia varieties (like A. californica) and if you have a safe one that is local to where you live, consider working with that in conjunction or in place of A. officinalis.

• If you struggle with indigestion in the evenings and suffer with nightmares, digestive herbs like Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) can be a good option.

• If your dreams are anxious and stressful, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) might offer relief.

• For those interested in a plant ally to support your lucid dreaming practice, Mucuna (Mucuna puriens) might be a good ally for you.

image via @anniespratt

What About Valerian?

If you've been reading about herbs for sleep, you've probably come across Valerian (Valeriana officinalis). Valerian is a lovely anxiolytic herb and for some folks it is an excellent choice for helping relax the body into a state of deep sleep. It's also an herb that is sedating without the addictive quality that other allopathic sedatives can have. 

For many years, I recommended Valerian without hesitancy to my clients. But I started to notice that a number of them were experiencing the opposite of what was supposed to happen with Valerian. Instead of a feeling of restfulness and gentle sedation, they were experiencing restlessness and agitation. Many herbalists have observed similar experiences with Valerian amongst some of their clients. Different herbalists have theories as to why this might be - in my own observation I think it's a mix of physiological reaction in the body (i.e. in the same way a percentage of the population becomes drowsy with caffeine, some folks become agitated with Valerian) and an emotional response to moving into a state of relaxation and deep rest which doesn't feel safe to everyone, especially if there is a history of trauma involved. Valerian, while gentle, is one of the more powerful herbs in the traditional western herbalism materia medica and I've also observed that highly sensitive folks, a population that I work with often, can sometimes feel overstimulated rather than relaxed by Valerian. Yet, there are plenty of highly sensitive folks for whom Valerian is a beloved ally.

So should you work with Valerian? Valerian is an herb that can be really great for many folks, but agitating for others. It can be disorienting to work with an herb thinking that it is going to be relaxing but then find yourself in a state of restlessness instead of sleepfulness, so I try to recommend it carefully. If you want to start working with Valerian, I recommend starting with small doses such as 5 to 10 drops of tincture once before bed or a very mild tea of a ½ teaspoon or less per 8 ounces of water. You can always work with an herbalist one-on-one to help you find the best herbs to support your sleep rhythms.

Preparing Remedies

My favorite way to prepare herbal remedies, especially when we are seeking to restore balance to our nervous system and bodily rhythms, is to make a tea of them (i.e. one heaping teaspoon of herbs to eight ounces of water and steeped for 15 - 20 minutes). The process of making and drinking tea can be an invitation to mindfulness and is a way to engage all of our senses in the experience of making and taking a remedy. Other forms of herbal remedy that work well in supporting the resting body are herbal baths and showers as well as herbal oils (i.e. whole herb oil infusions). Of course, you can use the form of remedy that makes most sense for you and the herb being prepared, such as tinctures or glycerite, so feel free to find the type of remedy that works best for you and your rhythms.

I've created a simple one-page guide to making different types of herbal remedies (i.e. the different proportions and preparation techniques between an infusion or decoction and so on)  for everyone who signed-up for my infrequent but intentional newsletter if you're interested in incorporating healing herbs into your sleep practice.

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Sleep is such a precious thing and so vital to our health that it can cause a lot of despair when it's disrupted. I hope that you've found some inspiration for supporting your own sleep practice and that you're feeling encouraged to ask for help and seek out further resources. If you're interested in a lunar healing perspective on rest, come this way.

May rest be an ally, sleep a beloved companion, both easy to find whenever you need them.

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thank you, friends. ❤︎

Let's Make Herbal Vinegars!

Herbal vinegars were some of the very first remedies that I made for my shop back in 2010 and one of my earliest recipes + tutorials post was on making your own Four Thieves Vinegar. I sold three types of vinegars in my shop: my Tough As Nails Iron Vinegar as a easy-to-digest source of iron, my Amazon Brew for pre- and post-workout support, and a topical Herbal Hair Vinegar for scalp and hair health. 

Suffice to say, herbal vinegars have a special spot in my heart for a number of reasons. First, they are abundantly easy to make and very inexpensive (especially when compared with other extract-based remedies that use alcohol as their menstruum). Second, they are alcohol-free and I have always served people who for various reasons do not consume alcohol. While I do use small dose amounts (1 - 3 drops) of alcohol-based remedies in my own personal practice on occasion, I don't drink and have always been interested in alternatives to alcohol-based remedies. In part, removing alcohol as a primary way of creating remedies meant that I had to become skilled at more popular remedy styles such as herbal teas as well as lesser used forms of herbal medicine (at least within modern Traditional Western Herbalism at the time that I was a student and beginning my herbal business) including herbal powders, glycerites, herbal vinegars, and oxymels (when vinegar and honey is combined, also known as honeygars). Finally, herbal vinegars are quite tasty and easy to work into meals, whether adding into sauces or salad dressings.

Using (preferably raw and local) Apple Cider Vinegar as a base for your brew brings in the added benefit of the minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, and help the body maintain an acid/alkaline balance. Apple Cider Vinegar is an especially good choice for extracting minerals from herbs and I find Apple Cider Vinegar to be an excellent preservative when only dried herbs are used and no additional water is added (following the advice of herbalist James Green).

I'll be sharing all three of my favorite herbal vinegar recipes - two via my site and the third, my Tough As Nails Iron Vinegar will only be available to my Magick Mail subscribers via their super secret Magick Mail member's only page. It's free to subscribe and in turn I give you free stuff. Because that's how I roll (Or maybe pour my tea? Or blend my brews?). But before I do that, I want to make sure you know about an important issue in the herbal community - protecting our herbal heritage, such as vinegar-based remedies that have been around for a very long time, from folks who are damaging that legacy and going after the herbalists trying to protect it. 

Fire Cider is a recipe that most herbalists will learn about during their training - whether they come across it in a book or are exposed to it through a class it is a common, well-traveled, and much-loved herbal remedy. As for myself, I made Fire Cider as a student and continued to make it for a small cafe that I worked for in Maine. The Four Thieves vinegar is part of the Fire Cider legacy and herbalist and beloved community elder, Rosemary Gladstar, has documented use of creating and sharing her Fire Cider recipe with her students for well over three decades. It came as a shock to many of us in the herbal community when one company decided to trademark the term "Fire Cider," not announce the trademark through notices to other herb companies until after the period of Public Opposition was over, and then proceeded to order cease and desist notices to many small herbal businesses. If that were not awful enough, they then proceeded to file a lawsuit against three herbalists Mary Blue of Farmacy Herbs, Nicole Telkes of Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine and Kathi Langelier of Herbal Revolution alleging trademark infringement and other nonsense. Learn all the details via the FREE FIRE CIDER site on how to support the boycott, the Fire Cider 3, and how to participate in the upcoming 2nd Anniversary of the Fire Cider movement. You should also learn how to make your own Fire Cider such as the one posted by Mountain Rose Herbs. Or watch a lesson on how to make Fire Cider from Rosemary Gladstar herself!

I like a little bit of revolution in my remedy-making, don't you?

The following recipes are provided in the spirit of continuing to celebrate our craft and heritage as remedy-makers. I encourage you to tweak them (such as adding honey if you want something a bit more sweet and therefore turning them into an oxymel - how magickal!) to fit your unique needs and bring your special spark to your brew.

Amazon Brew

My Amazon Brew is formulated specifically for athletes recovering from training or games, the vinegar helps reduce recovery time with its anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, and nervine properties. It's an easy addition to a training regime to help reduces soreness and swelling and can be taken before and after hard training sessions and/or competitions. I've had a number of injuries as an athlete over the years and I have found that herbs can provide great supplemental support to proper training and a good sports-medicine trained bodyworker (blessed be the bodyworkers!).

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita): Anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, antioxidant, nervine, and analgesic, Chamomile also addresses arthritis pain, headache, cramps, and exhaustion on a mental and emotional level. In my original recipe I included Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and while I do think that it is quite a useful herb

Nettles (Urtica dioica): Nettles are full of iron, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B, calcium, just to name a few of this green beauty’s constituents. An adrenal tonic, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying.

St. Joan's / John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum): Vulnerary, nerve restorative, anti-inflammatory, St. John’s Wort treats pain and promotes confidence in self and athletic performance.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense): Anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, and nutritive. Red Clover supports the natural detoxification process of working out by clearing the body of toxins. Promotes tissue repair and reduces swelling as well as pain.

Optional herb: Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) was part my original recipe but some folks find it to be stimulating rather than relaxing, so I as with any herb, I encourage  you to do your research on what does and does not work for you.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis): With a name derived from the Latin valere “to be in health,” Valerian is both a restorative and relaxant. Increasing blood flow to the heart, Valerian improves performance and stamina while also helping promote a better night’s sleep, supporting the idea that our ability to completely relax enhances our ability to completely invest in our performance.

To begin, grind together the following dried herbs into a coarse powder:

• 1 part Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
• 1 part Nettles (Urtica dioica)
• 1 part St. Joan's / John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
• 1/2 part Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
• Optional: 1/4 part Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

Add 1 part of your herbal blend to 5 parts apple cider vinegar. In other words you are creating a 1:5 vinegar extract. You can determine your weight (1 part of herb) to volume (5 parts measurement) by first weighing out your herbs. You might have, for example, 200 grams of powdered herb. Multiple 200 by 5 which would bring you to 1000 which is how many milliliters of vinegar you need. Combine the herbs and vinegar into a glass jar and mix thoroughly. Cap tightly either with a metal top that has a piece of wax paper between the contents of the jar and the metal (to prevent the vinegar from eating away at the metal) or a bpa free plastic lid. Shake daily and sing your charms for three weeks making sure that the herbs stay fully emerged in the vinegar to prevent molding from exposure to air.

After three weeks, strain the herbs from the vinegar and store your Amazon Brew in a glass bottle with secure cap. Refrigeration is not required and recommended dosage is 1 tablespoon in a cup of water before and/or after training sessions and games. 

Herbal Hair Rinse

Our Herbal Hair Rinse combines golden, raw apple cider vinegar with healing herbs that will help promote hair growth and beautiful locks. Raw apple cider vinegar is an all-natural conditioner for the hair, aids in manageability of your luscious locks, and cleans the scalp of residue and build-up. Vinegar is very acid/alkaline balancing and helps restore health to a scalp prone to dandruff and itchiness.

Our Herbal Hair Rinse includes the following scalp-nourishing, itch-reliving, hair-growing, highlight-enhancing herbs:

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita): Accentuates golden highlights as well as relieves an itchy scalp.

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis): Soothing to the scalp and spirit while helping the hair to grow

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Prevents hair loss and promotes hair growth

Peppermint (Mentha piperita): Balances the pH of the scalp so hair is not too oily or too dry.

Rose (Rosa damascena): Nourishes and revitalizes hair.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum): Great for hair growth.

Nettles (Urtica dioica): Promotes the growth and regrowth of hair, reduces dandruff and helps thicken hair.

Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) Essential Oil

Lavender Lavandula officinalis Essential Oil

Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis Essential Oil

To begin, grind together equal parts of the following dried herbs into a coarse powder:

• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
• Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
• Rose (Rosa damascena)
• Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
• Nettles (Urtica dioica)

Add 1 part of your herbal blend to 3 parts apple cider vinegar (or a 1:3 vinegar extract). Learn how to make a weight-to-volume measurement in under the Amazon Brew recipe and follow the brew time directions. Once strained, you can choose to add in the following essential oils per 16 ounces of your vinegar brew:

• 6 drops Lavender Lavandula officinalis Essential Oil
• 5 drops Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) Essential Oil
• 5 drops Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis Essential Oil

To use the Herbal Hair Rinse shake it up and then combine 1 – 3 tablespoons with 1 - 3 cups warm water.  After you’ve wet your hair thoroughly, slowly pour the Herbal Hair Rinse mixed with warm water onto your head, massaging it into your scalp. Rinse (or not - I like to keep the vinegar in my hair) and enjoy your majestic mane!

Looking for a vinegar-based source of iron? I've gotten such positive feedback over the years for my Tough As Nails Iron Vinegar from folks who have tried other iron supplements only to feel nauseas afterwards but find my vinegar-based recipe to be gentle on their stomachs. I'm making my Tough As Nails recipe available to my Magick Mail subscribers only who have their own super-secret member's only section on my site. It's free to sign-up and I give you free stuff in return - pretty sweet, right? Sign-up today to get access to my Tough As Nails recipe and more!

I hope you're inspired to make some herbal vinegars of your own!

Looking for more fully enchanted recipes? Check out my recipes + tutorials section including my newest #DIYHerbalGifts series.

Connecting With Our Plant Allies

One of the most common emails I get (besides “Who are you and where do you come up with the names behind your products?! Zombie bait, what?!”) are ones that ask me about my path of becoming an herbologist and how to start working with herbs. I wrote about 10 ways to start your herbal studies, but I wanted to focus more in-depth on a subject central to the craft of the herbologist – cultivating our relationship with the plant medicine.

As I suggested in the previous post about herbal studies, I recommend starting with one herb. You do not have to work exclusively with only one herb, but choose to work with one herb consistently for an entire year. You should, though, spend at least some time working only with that herb in order to understand its full complexity. You may choose to work with an herb that you already feel a resonance with or something that you spot growing down the street from you. You may dream of an herb, study a plant that has a long history of significant use within your culture or choose an herb that may have a beneficial impact on a particular health imbalance. The importance of working with one herb regularly for an extended length of time is manifold:

• Many herbs are best able to impart their healing qualities over the long term when used consistently in small doses.
• Just as it takes time to build meaningful relationships with humyns, so too does it take time to build honest relationships with plants.
• If you are able to grow or find the herb in the wild, observing its physical journey through the year provides us with many lessons about its medicinal uses and magickal gifts.
• Finally, commitment is an excellent skill to be practiced by the herbologist.

In my own practice, both personal and professional, I work with a handful of herbs at a time, and while I enjoy a complex tea blend or a raw cacao concoction with multiple herbs dancing in wild harmony, when I am learning about a plant or dealing with a chronic health imbalance, I generally stick to one or two herbs. We are in the midst of an herb revival within North America, as well as many other parts of the western world, and that means that there is an abundance of information and access to a wide array of plant medicine. I tend to think that we will learn more about ourselves and the plant medicine we are interacting with if we treat our practice with the rhythm of a slow, regular tea time conversation as opposed to a social media aggregate of endless stream of herbs shuffling through our lives at a rapid pace.[1]

It is pleasurable and useful to recognize the affects of individual plant medicines on our mind, body, and spirit. Working with one or two herbs at a time allows for greater clarity and distinction between the subtleties of difference between herbs with similar healing qualities. Moving steadily in our relationship with plant medicines, we begin to build our knowledge of the energetic signatures of herbs along with their physical qualities. These energetic signatures combined with their physical qualities is one reason why one herb will be so successful for Person A, but seem to have little affect for Person B in a similar situation. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), and Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) are all remedies for migraines, for example, but each have unique energy signatures that affect our physical, emotional, and mental systems differently.

As you begin working with a chosen plant medicine (whether you chose them or they chose you), I offer the following considerations for your journey together, based on the idea of recognition, engagement, and kinship.

Recognition

• Recognize your needs.
  • What our your needs, wants, and desires in your relationship with the plant medicine?
  • Are you seeking a cure or kinship?
  • Recognize the plant’s needs.
    • What are the needs, wants, and desires of the plant both within and apart from the relationship you are seeking from it?
      • If you are growing the herb, what are its growing needs? How is it sustainably harvested and/or wildcrafted?
      • Create a supportive environment for the plant to express itself to you.
      • Be able to identify the physical and energetic characteristics of the plant as it grows, how it tastes, smells, and feels.

Engagement

• We must be accountable to our interdependence with the plant world and how we engage plant medicine is a reflection of our understanding of our interdependence.
• Maintain a willingness to experience the world from the plant’s perspective. In turn we are better able to empathize with those we serve as herbologists and healers.
• Engage with your plant ally every day, every night, whether greeting them in your garden, meditating with them, using them as internal or external medicine, and/or some other practice.
  • Learn about the historical, mythological, and modern uses of the plant medicine.
  • Sing sacred songs, draw, write poetry, dance, and engage in pleasurable experiences with your plant.
  • How do you and the plant make medicine?
    • When you harvest the herb, when do you do it, where do you do it, and how do you do it? When you purchase it, how do you do it, and from whom?
    • Try creating different types of medicines – from teas to tinctures – with the plant.

Kinship

• As you work with a plant ally, you become accountable to one another.
  • How do you remain honest with yourself and your plant ally on your healing journey?
  • How do you create sustainable structures of healing whether through the principles of permaculture, mindful wildcrafting, social justice organizing or similar practices of interconnectedness?
  • How do you honor the medicine of your plant ally?
    • Perhaps as a herbologist, storyteller, medicine-maker, teacher, ritual-facilitator, rabble-rouser, or heart-opener?

Each of us will engage our herbal practice with different insights, experiences, and personal skills that shape every aspect of our lives and relationships. As an herbologist, with my experiences as a Pagan, queer, feminist, multi-racial, tea-loving womyn living in the United States with the myriad of privileges I have and lack access to, my relationships with my plant allies is rooted in these experiences - a foundation of legacy and futuredreaming. The process of working with plant medicines is about learning the ways that I may help facilitate healing between plant and people and creature, but also is about my own personal journey and how I relate to the world within and around me.

I hope that your own journey with the plants of our ocean planet is sweet, challenging, ecstatic, luminous, and balancing, and that you grow in your own wild and greening healing energy.

Be well, clever friends!

[1] Can we take a moment to imagine the Twitter account or Tumblr of some of our favorite plant medicines? Hawthorn will always be posting the latest heart-warming video about puppies, while Cacao keeps posting an endless stream of abstract party photos involving a lot of nudity, and Elder’s stream would be sorta spooky, badass, and intriguing.

The Longest Night: Herbs for the Winter Solstice Season

The wheel of the year turns deeper into the dark, bringing us to the longest night of winter.  The Winter Solstice is both a time of honoring the reflective gift of solitude and the distant promise of the seed sparking to life.  With this spirit we invite herbs into our practice that root our dreams into reality as well as warm us with the inner fire of the sun's promised return.

So put on the kettle, prepare your charm, and welcome in the winter!

PINE Pinus sp. Evergreens are sacred trees and remain green throughout cold seasons when other trees lay bare.  The needles of the Pine tree can be made into a tea and is an excellent source of vitamin C (more vitamin C, in fact, than citrus fruits such as lemons and grapefruit!).  Drink Pine tea throughout the day to clear up congestion and excess mucus.

ROSEMARY Rosmarinus officinalis Warming Rosemary gives us the gift of a dry, Mediterranean heat in the long dark days of winter.  After a bought of sickness or a round of the blues, drink Rosemary tea to restore your body’s inner warmth and fire for life. Rosemary is very restorative to all of our blood organs such as the liver, heart, spleen, and kidneys, bringing back balance after a period of fatigue.  It is also helpful for a dispelling the winter fog from a dull mind.

VALERIAN Valeriana officinalis A root of water and earth, Valerian is gently sedating, helping us to fully settle into the Season of Slowing Down.  Restlessness, insomnia, nervous stomach, and tension, dissolve with the use of Valerian.  My favorite way to take Valerian is as a glycerite, but it can also be enjoyed as a tea (even though we use the root, it should not be decocted since that would destroy its delicate volatile oils).  Mix Valerian with other herbs such as Mugwort, Anise, and Peppermint to create a potent brew for inducing visionary dreams.

CHAMOMILE Matricaria recutita A classic herb for stomach upset, nausea, and indigestion, Chamomile also supports a sense of peace and cheerfulness in the body through its nervine qualities.  Chamomile flowers are miniature suns and can be used in bath, steams, teas or made into an herbal oil to uplift the spirit, calm the cranky, and center wayward energy.  I think a jar full of Chamomile flowers is a pleasant sun-honoring addition to the home altar.

I also find Flower + Gem Essences to be beneficial at any time of the year!  The following are excellent deep winter wonders:

SAGE Flower Essence The Winter Solstice is the cusp between the signs of Sagittarius and Capricorn - Sage is a plant of Sagittarius and its ruling planet Jupiter.  As a flower essence, Sage has an initiatory quality to it, helping us to ease through life transitions.  It is an excellent rite of passage herb and provides release to stagnating emotions.  For the season of the Winter Solstice, Sage helps us to express our deepest kept secrets in ways that bring us joy.

Sage Salvia officinalis

OAK Flower Essence As the Wheel of the Year turns from the Holly to the powers of the Oak, the energies of Capricorn begin to shine.  A tree of Saturn (which rules Capricorn), Oak is a great flower essence for those folks who struggle on even though they are exhausted - they put on a happy and courageous face, hiding their feelings, and never complaining in hopes of not being seen as weak.  While they appear tireless, they have only become rigid in a state of constant stress brought on by a need to achieve the next thing on their list.  An excellent remedy for Capricorns who tend to burn the candle from both ends (you know who you are).  Oak helps us know our limits and be kinder to ourselves by realizing that taking time to rest is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of intelligent strength.

HEMATITE Gem Essence A reflective mirror of night, Hematite is grounding and centering during the hustle of winter holidays.  Hematite is also a very protective Essence and helps folks feel shielded from fears, especially those of the "lurking in the dark" sort of insecurities, teaching us that it is not the dark we fear, for darkness is beautiful and necessary, but what we perceive to dwell within the shadows.

Be well and drink deep the darkness for after the Winter Solstice the days begin to grow longer as we prepare for the burst of spring!  

Create your own delicious + fully enchanted recipes for the winter with The Winter Apothecary!

Hematite Gem Essence is available in our Apothecary along with other fully enchanted herbal remedies for the wintertide.