A Winter's Respite

La Befana

As the wheel turns to the darkest part of the year, we begin to slow down at the Apothecary.  In honor of that slowing, this will be our last blog post until just before La Befana travels throughout the land delivering her gifts.  Though, we'll be checking our email (wortsandcunning [at] gmail [dot] com) and comments every once and a while if you have very important something to say.  Also, our shop will be open until December 19th until we go on break until our little shop break until December 28th.

Before we go we would like to say "Thank you!" to everyone for making our first few months online such wonderful ones - may there be many more months of knowing and growing and gleaming!

Be well and warm and close to the ones you love this darkening season (or hot and at the beach if you're down under) and we'll meet you behind the bristles of La Befana's broom.

More Stars for More Merriment

As with any part of the year, whether you are tired, invigorated, flabbergasted, illuminated, joyful, disgruntled or bursting with any other exuberant expression of emotional being-ness, we hope that you'll always have time to drink deep the incredible (tea)cup of life that we're all experiencing.

All that said, we are simply tea-sellers at the end of the day and we would like you to know that we've more stars to light your way.  Our Star of Yule Tea Blend is now available in our standard 3 ounce size in our little online shop. You can still find it in our Winter Remedy Kits, too, in a smart-looking 1 ounce tin (who doesn't want to look clever?).

Winter Remedy Kits

As the year grows darker, it is especially important to nurture those inner fires of joy and gentleness. Or were they fires of passion and desire?

Maybe they were dim lights for dozing...

Never fear what fire you have that might need stoking, for we've created our line of Winter Remedy Kits to meet all your darkening year needs.  Well, maybe not all of them - we'll leave it to your parents to get you that pony you've always wanted.  So absent of a pony, we do have a special treat -  two of our Winter Remedy Kits feature our newest tea blend: Star of Yule!  Our Star of Yule blend was made to invoke the feelings of the winter with fresh notes of scent, freckled with warmth and starlight.

Star of Yule contains the following:

STAR ANISE Illicium verum: A great winter holiday remedy for all sorts of digestive complaints, including indigestion, belching, and gas.

CINNAMON Cinnamomum zeylanicum: Stimulates digestion, promotes circulation, warms the body and protects against colds and the 'flu.

LICORICE Glycyrrhiza glabra: Delightful to the taste buds, Licorice is a wonderful rejuvenate herb.

ROSEMARY Rosmarinus officinalis: A nervous system toner, Rosemary is also warming and uplifting.  Promotes clear thinking ("Rosemary for rememberance!") and protects against infection.

LEMONGRASS Cymbopogon citratus: Great for stomachaches, headaches, and promoting relaxation.

JASMINE Jasminum sambac: Uplifting, pain relieving, and an aphrodisiac.

PEPPERMINT Mentha piperita: Another great remedy for digestive complaints, Peppermint protects against colds and the 'flu.  Adds a "pick-me-up" perk to our blend without being overstimulating.

Check out our Winter Remedy Kits after the jump!

Our Days of Dreaming Remedy Kit includes one ounce each of A General Sense of Wellbeing, Flower Song, and Bliss Blend.  A General Sense of Wellbeing to carry you through the morning with a crown of cool atop your head.  In the afternoon Flower Song will be your "tune" between meals, chores, and family greetings.  When the evening settles in Bliss Blend shall be your friend, gently guiding you towards dreams.

Nights of Glowing includes one ounce of Star of Yule, Ambrosia, and Flower Song.  The Star of Yule sits high in the sky, reminding us of the pleasures of darkness and the promise of returning light.  Flower Song is the bright bouquet enticing friends and family to settle in to quiet moments together.  Ambrosia is the promise of each star shining in the night that we are loved and adored and all is just right.

Star of Health includes one ounce each of Star of Yule, Flower Song, Ambrosia, Super!Love!Rainbows!Go! Herbal Powder, and your choice of Flower Essence.  With the Star of Yule to shine upon us, Flower Song to brighten our mood, and Ambrosia to enliven our hearts, you'll be a beacon of brightness this holiday season.  To further strengthen your powers of joy we've included a vial of Super!Rainbows!Love!Go! Herbal Powder to make sure you've got a steady source of holiday high-fives.  A Flower + Gem Essence of your choosing rounds out your remedy kit, promoting the alignment of that remarkable mind, body, spirit known as you.

All of our Winter Remedy Kits are available in our S H O P!

Vibrational Medicine: Flower + Gem Essences

Borage

Flower and gem essences are a form of vibrational healing that recognizes the energetic foundation of all healing work and that all living things are infused with energy. Flowers and gems appear again and again through the ages as potent healing medicines, often used in religious rites to alter the states of those present, to cleanse hearts, bodies, and minds of impurities, and to protect against illness and disease. There has been a recent renaissance of the use of flower and gem essences as a healing therapy, starting in the early 20^th century with the work of Dr. Edward Bach and continuing to grow and flourish as a practice around the world.

Flower and gem essences are inherently mysterious in the way they work – a perfectly enchanted form of healing that we love at the Apothecary. There are many theories on why and how flower and gem essences work, but essentially they affect our emotional, spiritual, and mental foundations. A flower or gem essence can be taken to deal with anxiety, address feelings of inadequacy, and in conjunction with traditional herbal remedies to heal physical symptoms such as acne. Vibrational medicine by and large affects our emotional states, but have definite impact on our physical conditions.

Milkweed

Creating flower and gem essences are simple. The basic idea is that the healing essence of the flower or gem is imprinted in the water it resides in through use of sunlight, moonlight or heat. Flower and gem essences are generally taken 3-4 times per day and at small dosages of usually only 1-5 drops. A dosage cycle usually lasts about a month, but changes are usually felt within the first few uses. We'll cover creating your own flower and gem essences in later posts.

Our flower and gem essence blends have been created in the same way that all of our remedies are created – through building a relationship with the plant and gem material, being as guided by their wisdom as well as guided in our training in traditional techniques of herbalism. The process of creating our flower and gem essence blends is a bit magical and we hope that you feel as enchanted as we do when using them.

Our current flower and gem essence blends are:

Grounded & Centered: When you feel unbalanced, light-headed, and have difficulty staying focused. Helps you feel grounded, steady, and centered. Includes the essences of Hematite, Feverfew, Lavender.

Uplifted: When you feel burdened and overwhelmed by responsibility. Helps relieves anxiety around the tasks at hand while helping you to find what brings you joy in life. Includes the essences of Lavender, Chamomile, Blue Violet, Amethyst.

Courageous: When fears fill your head and you don't feel strong enough to face them. Helps you to find courage while feeling protected and nurtured at your very core. Includes the essences of Wild Mustard, Borage, Rue, Milkweed, Feverfew.

Renewed: When recovering from an illness, emotional trauma or other times of strain on your system. Helps return vitality to your whole being, freeing you from previous disruptive patterns of behaviour. Chive, Wild Mustard, Chamomile.

Find all of our essences and more in our S H O P!

Teas to Bring About a State of Awesome

Sometimes we just need a tea to help us restore us to the state of awesome we deserve to be in.  What, pray tell, is the state of awesome?  Awesome is a state of inspiration, of being awe-full, and full of wonder all at once.  In many ways, being in a state of awesome is what so many of us need to be able to remember the world as an enchanted place.  The more folks reside in a state of awesome the closer we get to bringing the unicorns back. I have made two teas to help return to and maintain a state of awesome in your daily life.  A General Sense of Wellbeing is probably one of my most consumed teas amongst my friends, family, and my own home.  It is a very nutritious and soothing tea with a slightly sweet taste made to set hearts, minds, and bodies at ease.  Start your day with A General Sense of Wellbeing and you'll be feeling pretty shiny with that crown of awesome a top your head.

A General Sense of Wellbeing is made of:

CHAMOMILE Matricaria recutita: One of my favorite herbs for providing relief from stress and upset tummies.  Chamomile is also antispasmodic, which helps to soften twitching muscles, as well as antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic.

OAT Avena sativa: Nutritious to the nervous system, Oats help relieve melancholy, states of exhaustion, and build up our strength and ability to focus.

NETTLE Urtica dioica: Nettles rejuvenate, nourish the whole body, and repairs our energetic wiring so we are able to function at our best.  Nettles are very alkalinizing which helps to balance our bodies pH balance.

The next tea to help you in your journey of awesome is the beauteous Bliss Blend.  While Bliss Blend can be enjoyed throughout the day, I find it to be wonderfully suited to the evening hours.  I made this tea originally when a friend of mine was feeling overwhelmed and anxious by trying events in her life and I continue to recommend it to folks who are more prone to anxious states, nervous chatter in the head, and insomnia.  Bliss Blend will help to relax you, refresh you, and help you sleep if that's your need.

Bliss Blend is full of bliss and the following herbs:

SKULLCAP Scutellaria lateriflora: For nervousness, fear, and a sense of being overwhelmed, Skullcap stimulates the brain to produce more endorphins in the system.  It also relaxes spasms and promotes healthly sleep patterns.

LAVENDER Lavandula officinalis: Settles the nerves and promotes calm while providing the mind with much needed clarity and focus.

SACRED BASIL Ocimum sanctum: Brings us to a vibrant state of health and well being through its adaptogenic properties.

You can find both of these teas in our S H O P.