Tag Archives: Herbal

June 9, 2026 · 5:18 pm

Herbal Actions, Energetics and Chemicals 101 )O(

My Mom’s pot of nasturtiums!

Merry meet all,

Herbal actions, energetics and phytochemistry – say what? If you have ever gazed at a patch of stinging nettle or sniffed a peppermint leaf or added pungent basil to your salad, you would never have guessed there would be way more to herbs than met the eager eye. People have been using herbs for medicinal purposes, cooking or for spiritual purposes for about 60,000 years. In this post, I will share a few different ways for you to become more familiar with herbs. 

Organoleptics

There are many ways to get to know herbs. Let’s take a look at the most basic way- other than growing them or enjoying them in tea. It’s called organoleptics and we have been doing that all this time. Organoleptics refers to the sensory properties of a substance that can be perceived by the senses, particularly taste, smell, and touch. Peppermint has potent volatile oils. If I brush by peppermint in the garden, a  refreshing scent is released. yum!  I see chamomile blossoms soak up the sun in the garden. I have been stung by stinging nettle. I feel the prickly needles from a pine or spruce tree in the winter. Those are all examples of organoleptics. 

There is more to herbs than their beautiful aromas and flavor. We will explore herbal actions, energetics and phytochemistry now.  If you have ever heard the terms anti-inflammatory, antiviral or antimicrobial before, then you are a bit familar with herbal actions. 

Herbal Actions

Herbal actions are specific, physiological or therapeutic effects that an herb or a plant has on the human body, such as soothing or strengthening tissues or systems. These actions range from sedatives for calming a frazzled mind or adaptogens for stress and classify how herbs work.

A few examples of herbal actions and usage:

  • Adaptogen: Helps the body adapt to stress and boost the immune system (e.g., ashwagandha)
  • Alterative: Supports the metabolic processes and cleanses the blood (dandelion, nettle, burdock root)
  • Antimicrobial: Protects against infection (e.g., Echinacea, goldenseal)
  • Carminative: These herbs aid in digestive issues (e.g., ginger, fennel and chamomile)
  • Demulcent (Soothes and protects irritated tissues (valerian, marshmallow)
  • Nervines (Calms and supports the nervous system (passionflower, lavender, chamomile and lemon balm)
  • Vulnerary (Heals and promotes wound healing (e.g., calendula, comfrey)

Herbal Energetics

Energetics refer to a system of traditional medicine that classifies herbs based on their temperature (hot/cold), moisture (moist/dry), and tone (tension/relaxation). It matches these qualities to an individual’s constitution, or the tissue state of a disease, to restore balance, such as using cooling herbs for inflammation.

Key Concepts of Herbal Energetics
  • Temperature (Hot/Cold): Determines if an herb increases circulation and heat (e.g., ginger) or reduces heat and inflammation (e.g., peppermint).
  • Moisture (Moist/Dry): Indicates if an herb adds moisture to dry tissues (e.g., marshmallow root) or dries damp/swollen tissues (e.g., goldenrod).
  • Tone/Structure (Tension/Relaxation): Relates to tightening loose tissues (astringent) or relaxing tense muscles/nerves (antispasmodic)
Usage Examples
  • Hot & Dry: Used for individuals who are cold and damp, often using stimulant or warming, drying herbs.
  • Cool & Moist: Used to soothe hot and dry conditions, such as using demulcent herbs (slippery elm, licorice) to treat inflamed, dry, and irritated mucous membranes.
  • Relaxing & Warming: Used to treat tense, cold individuals, utilizing aromatic, warming herbs like cinnamon or ginger to increase circulation

Synonyms and Related Terms

  • Constitutional Medicine: Tailoring herbs to a person’s unique, long-term body state.
  • Humoral Medicine: An ancient system classifying people by humors (sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, melancholic) which connect directly to hot/cold/wet/dry qualities.
  • Vitalist Medicine: An approach that works with the body’s innate healing force rather than just fighting symptoms.
  • Tissue States: A model often used in Western herbal medicine to identify physical states like depression, stagnation, or inflammation. 

These principles allow for a “person-centered” approach rather than merely matching a single herb to a single symptom. The energetic qualities of an herb refer to the subtle ways that plants impact the human body, mind and/or the spirit. For example, ginger (Zingiber officinale) is energetically warming because it stimulates blood flow in the body. Marshmallow root (Althea officinalis) has a moistening energetic due to its demulcent properties. Echinacea ( Echinacea purpurea) tincture boosts the immune system and can make a person’s tongue tingle. Some energetics are strongly felt by the body while others are more subtle. Herbs like peppermint and spearmint are cooling and refreshing and herbs such as ginger and cayenne are warming.

Conditions

Conditions are considered as qualities or properties and can be referred to in terms of temperature, moisture and tension; energetic descriptors include warm, dry, cool, moist, tense, and relaxed.

Conditions are referred to in Western herbalism as tissue states. A fever is warm, a cough can be dry or moist, and swelling can be damp. Choosing herbs to heal that have the opposite quality to help counteract these energetics in order to return the body to balance. For example, if a person has heatstroke, you would choose cooling herbs. To help heal a sunburn or a burn from hot steam, a person could choose the soothing energetic properties of aloe vera.

The energetics of an individual are evident in their constitution. In Ayurveda, it is believed that everyone has a prakruti,which means their natural, unchanging constitution. An individual’s constitution can change throughout their lifetime. A person can have a dry constitution such as dry skin, dry nails which is made worse during certain seasons of the year, such as fall to winter.

Herbal actions and energetics can help us understand a person’s health condition and temperance. The task of understanding which herbs would be best suited to treat the person’s condition is much easier if we understand a person’s state of overall wellbeing and health conditions. Someone who routinely experiences excessive stress would benefit from ashwagandha, echinacea, or eleuthero root. Someone who suffers from sinus infections and moist coughs with excess mucus would benefit from the dry properties of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) while a dry cough with very little mucus could benefit from the moistening properties of licorice root (Glycorriza glabra or marshmallow  root). Licorice root has a moistening effect on dry tissues.

Let’s look at a few more terms about herbal energetics: cooling, warming, relaxing and stimulating. They sound like herbal actions, but are regarded more as properties. For example, the term “cooling” can be confusing and mean more than one thing. Let’s go back to our example of peppermint. If the herb has a cooling action, then the herbal property would be thought of as lowering the body temperature. But if the herb was considered a diaphoretic, that would suggest the action of encouraging perspiration to bring down a fever. That makes the term “cooling” a property. Cayenne and ginger are warming and stimulating. Ginger root relieves nausea, it has an antiemetic action and property. It contains potent antispasmodic volatile oils that soothe spasms in the digestive tract. However, ginger root is quite potent and pungent and I recommend ingesting ginger root when nausea has passed. 

Herbal actions explain what an herb does to the body, and properties refer to descriptors of the action. Peppermint aids the digestive system (carminative) and energizes the human body (stimulating).

Phytochemistry

Phytochemistry is the study of phytochemicals- chemical compounds that are derived from plants. Phytochemistry combines botany with plant chemistry. It studies the structure, biosynthesis, metabolism and certain functions. There are many chemical compounds within herbs. They range from menthol derived  from peppermint, gingerol derived from ginger root, tannins derived from acorns and saponins derived from soapwort. These are a few examples, as there are lots of chemical compounds in herbs and definitely more than one chemical compound in herbs at the same time. There are too many to mentiom here. 

Scientists who regularly study the chemical compounds within herbs often prefer to isolate a sole chemical compound. That means that they do not study all the chemical compounds in the herb/s and then they don’t value all the chemical compounds as a whole. Nature, as we all know, is far more complex than that. It refuses to be boxed or contained.

I find phytochemistry fascinating! I love studying all about the many chemical compounds in herbs and how they benefit the human body. Willow bark contains salicin, the active compound. That is where aspirin was originally derived from! I will share an example of willow bark with you, salicin, the chemical compound found in willow bark. 

Key Aspects of Willow Bark
  • Active Compound: Contains salicin, which the body converts into salicylic acid, providing analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-inflammatory effects similar to aspirin.
  • Common Uses: Effective for treating low back pain, arthritis (especially osteoarthritis), muscle pain, and fevers.
  • Benefits: It acts as a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, often used in tinctures, capsules, or tea.
  • Safety & Side Effects: While generally safer than aspirin, it can still cause side effects like diarrhea, nausea, itching, and rash. It should be avoided by those with aspirin allergies, bleeding disorders, or kidney issues.
  • Dosage: Studies often cite 120–240 mg of salicin daily as effective for pain relief.

It is advisable to use these herbs in moderation or low doses. You never know how your body can react to it, especially if a person is taking a prescription. Using a small dose is best. It is also advised to talk to your family doctor if you are on medication while taking herbs for medicinal purposes. Some herbs such as St. John’s wort react very badly to the Wayfarin prescription. So go slow! 

I created my own willow bark tincture. I have made several tinctures and again, I would encourage using a low dose if you are not familiar with its effects. Making your own tinctures actually helps you save money in the long run. Do speak with your family doctor if you are on medication. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Maybe this will encourage you to learn more about our herbal allies. 

Till next time

Blessed be, Spiderwitch

 

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January 7, 2026 · 9:49 am

My Monograph Project

Merry meet all,

I recently completed my Advanced Monograh Project. I’m so happy it’s done. It was a lot of work. Today’s post will focus on how I compiled all the monograohs into one document. 

First off, I had to write the mongraphs. I did research various books about the herbs. It was fascinating. I researched the modern day herbal books and the more classical books. I put each monograph into its own document and then something happened. I became inspired! I wanted to compose a book of my monographs and borrow the artsy style of the Herbal Academy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That changed everything. For the front cover, I found an older print of dandelions and scanned it in color, then I printed it out and mounted it on a piece of parchment paper. It looked beautiful! I added the words Monograph Project to the page and played around with the fonts. I included the page about identifying the shapes of leaves and flowers to the book, my list of local native plants I identified on the nature trail, a table of contents and a small introduction. 

I added an old in color monograph print of the herb to each monograph. I used Helvetica font for the title for each monograph. Getting Microsoft word to do what I wanted it to do was much easier said than done. The fonts, the font size and the spacing did not have any interest in doing what I wanted it to do. The headings were a whole other monster. When I was finished writing each monograph, I compiled it all into one big document. 

I decided on making the headings such as taste and energetics, uses, safety and dosage into a larger font than the text about the herbs. The monographs were written in 11 size font. I decided that would be too hard for my eyes. I changed the font to size 12 for all the text. Okay I changed the fonts to size 12 about twenty times. I printed the document out in black and white, then I proofread the entire collection. 

I found herbal clip art and printed them out in color, thyme, dandelions and rose leaf clip art. I glued them to the pages of the monographs when it was printed out in color. I even learned how to adjust the size of the clip art and insert it into the footer. I changed my mind several times of where to place the page numbers. I ensured the headings, the spacing for the headings and that the headings were all consistent, the pagination was consistent, and the sizes of the font were all consistent. Again, easier said than done, but I managed. Then once the proofreading was finished, I finally printed the document in color. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The result? It was amazing. I am so happy with it. I bound the book at Staples. The pdf is stored on my desktop and the monographs are all stored in the Advanced Monograph folder if I ever feel like adding more information to the individual monographs.  

I learned a lot from completing the project that I thought I could never finish. I did and I feel so good about it. My new project is sewing myself a nightgown. It has its challenges. 

The next turn in the Wheel of the Year is Imbolc! Finally! Imbolc is the first Sabbat and heralds the arrival of an early spring. I love Imbolc. I shall post more about it as we get closer to Imbolc. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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November 6, 2023 · 10:16 pm

Root tinctures & weird fiction )O(

 

Merry meet all,

I was out foraging for dandelion roots this morning. The earth is carpeted by beautiful autumn leaves, colouring the earth in a resplendent mix of browns, golds, yellows, oranges and fiery reds. I just love it and the weather was warm enough for foraging. I look forward to drying the roots in my dehydrator. 

I enrolled in the Business course at the Herbal Academy. The workbook is on its way to me. I am sure I will learn a lot from the course. I have to decide what I plan to do with my herbalism training. This course will help me with that. I still have a long way to go. The Business course teaches everything on how to manage a herbal-based business. Good thing too, as I don’t have the first clue. 

My bound book is so beautiful and cool. I ordered book corner protectors from Etsy. The corner protectors have an octopus on them to represent a character from Lovecraftian fiction. Here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1253357176/the-bookworms-from-shaggai-lovecraftian?ref=yr_purchases. I can’t wait to see how amazing my book cover will look. I have plenty to look forward to here. Now I have to write more poems to fill the pages of the bound book. 

I received the copies of Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird and the Halloweenthology anthology my story is published in. Both books are designed beautifully. I have to stock up on coffee because I shall spend many happy hours perusing the fascinating pages of Weird Tales. Yes and I have those three past issues of Weird Tales magazine to read too. I love to read, I am addicted to the written word. I will invest in a nice bookmark to accompany the huge book, 100 Years of Weird Tales. That is quite the book. 

That is a lot to keep me busy reading during the dark half of the year. I attended a psychic fair yesterday. I can’t recall the last time I was at a fair. It was so good to be at a fair and even better to be around real mediums. I hung out with the wannabe toxic queen bee drama witches for so long. I really enjoyed the fair. I bought a Harry Potter wand. 

I’m brewing a jar of apple slices in rum. I hope to conjure a brew of Apple Spiced Liquor. The potion has to brew for a few more days then I can strain out the apples. I cannot wait to sample the potion. The apple slices look beautiful steeping in the rum. It will taste amazing. I added cinnamon and cloves to the mixture. The apple slices have an amber color and the rum looks like a deep deep red/ burgundy color. I can’t wait to taste it. 

I am also making a skullcap and ashwagandha tincture. I am blending the herbs in two separate jars but I will eventually blend them into one. The intention is to use the tincture  to calm myself, ease stress and help me sleep. The calendula oil is still steeping, as well as the lavender oil is still steeping and the echinacea root tincture. 

I have dried the dandelion roots and the plantain leaves and seeds. I stored the seeds, roots and leaves in jars but I left the lids off. I want the herbal goods to have a chance to fully dry to avoid mold. I waited hours for it all to dry. It takes that long. If you don’t wait that long from morning to night, everything will be moldy and ruined. It takes patience and I have to stay home all day but I enjoy drying herbs – leaves, roots, seeds, bark in my dehydrator. I do not know how I ever managed to live without it. 

Before the frost hit my garden, I spread the last of the straw mulch over the garden. The leaves now cover the garden like a thick beautiful blanket. My soil, the beneficial insects and the roots of my herbs and other plants are now well protected. I harvested the echinacea seed heads. The frost has hit my garden but I know that even though the snow falls and the garden is laid to rest, in the spring it will be born anew. 

I would love to hear about your garden preparations for winter and tincture making. The Herbal Academy is offering a course in tinctures currently. https://theherbalacademy.com/product/tincture-making-101-mini-course/ 

Blessings Spiderwitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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November 1, 2023 · 5:55 pm

November Blues

 

 

Merry meet all,

Snow falls on the cold streets of Halifax. I am looking forward to continuing my studies at the Herbal Academy. I can’t believe how fast the year has gone.

I finished the book. I love how it turned out. I stapled the signatures and trimmed the pages at Staples copy and print centre. I glued the pages in and the finished book looks great. I am very happy with how it turned out. I now have the task of filling the pages with new poems. I want to add in the completed poems, not drafts. I learned a lot during the project and it may be a long while before I make another one, but I do feel it was worthwhile.

I tea stained the pages. I had dyed the fabric with goldenrod and I used the cloths to separate the pages from each other. I am glad I did that now. It made it much easier for me to form the signatures, which were eight sheets to a set, and I was able to create 12 signatures. There were 12 folios in total, which meant there were 96 pages in total. By separating each page and letting them dry for 48 hours, and being that patient. I was able to have a good set of papers to bind. I arranged the pages in the way I wanted, knowing that how I arrange the pages and then glue them into the book will be permanent. I repaired any tears or frayed edges gently and used glue. I used white glue, a lot of glue. I stacked them just to see how it would look with the covers. 

When I was sure, I went to the local print and copy centre, Staples, where I stapled each page twice using a long arm stapler. I trimmed the edges of the pages there too. My Mom carefully helped me fold the pages because if they are all relatively even, then they are easier to glue to the spine. So you can see a lot of thought went into this. I took real care and handled the pages carefully, carrying them in a special plastic folder and putting the folder in a plastic bag home from her house and to Staples. I bound the pages in, checking and rechecking that it was all the way I wanted it to be. I glued a strip of white cardboard to the front and back covers of the book on the inside to reinforce the spine section. I glued a strip of green cardboard to that. When I was satisfied, I glued a strip of the fabric I dyed with acorns to the spine of the book. I then glued another strip on top of that to help me know where to place the pages. So the spine had four layers, the green cardboard being the thinnest layer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I set a clamp over the outer edges of the tea stained pages arranged into the sets. I made sure each inner edge of the pages was touching the glue on the spine. I used a LOT of glue on the spine. I kept the clamp on the pages and let the paper and spine dry overnight. The pages were now set in the book permanently. In the morning, I was happy because the pages dried from being tea stained properly. They had now dried properly from the glue and adhered properly to the book spine. 

I love how it turned out. All those tiny and big steps all made a difference in how the book turned out. I glued my poem into the page and then I set about making the front cover fancy. Once the brown velvet was adhered with mitered corners, I could not tell the front cover from the back so I used my intuition. I could not feel the Celtic knot work I had etched in onto the davyboard on the front cover. I had to guess since once the velvet was on, it was no longer as obvious. 

I printed out a black frame border and coloured it all in black. I glued it to a piece of the print cardboard with a halloween orange pumpkin print. I like how it looked. I glued a felt witch to that. Then I tried embossing the front cover with gold foil, and I like how that turned out. I think the gold folio gives the front cover a rustic but more mystical appeal. Yup I am in love with it. In fact, I want to add a little more gold folio as it is missing in some spots. I have to paint the spots where the gold foil is on where I don’t want it to be. I won’t do that till I have the gold paint. 

I included a black and white photo tucked in a small envelope which I glued into the book, and I also added a note on the outside of the envelope. I had taken acorns from a grave and I wanted to show acknowledgement of that. I included a black and white photo of a scene in Mount Ollivet cemetery here in Halifax. I have to write more poems! 

Well I tried the gold foil adhesive. I think I need to get a better adhesive for the gold foil to stick. I just googled to apply gold foil to paper and got twenty different results but I will be right back to tell you about the method that worked best for me. Ok so gold foil does NOT work for me. Since Halifax went from spooky October to white winder wonderland in 24 hours, I’m going to paint the frame gold tomorrow with gold acrylic paint. I have to buy the paint but yeah I am sure that will work better. After taking all this care to make the book, I don’t want to mess up now. I will wait and I am sure the gold paint will work. 

Stay tuned to find out how that worked for me. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

 

 

 

 

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June 9, 2023 · 11:10 am

Solstice Cauldron

Merry meet all,

It’s a hot day today. It’s rained here all week which helped the firemen to control the wildfire. I am ready for more sun though. I planted a spearmint seedling in the garden. It didn’t regrow this spring. My garden is just beautiful and everything is growing so fast! 

I finished the bookcase project. The two bookcases are now at my Mom’s house and I have one tall bookcase holding a LOT of books. I also switched the witch books with my writing books. That was a huge undertaking. I sorted out the ones I wanted to donate which left me with enough room to hold all the books I did want. It took me a couple of hours to sort through. I have way more room in my bedroom now. I love it!

I finished binding my Herbal Academy lessons in the Intermediate level into books. I had to touch up the covers with green tissue paper, paint and glue but it looks great now. The Celtic dragon trim arrived in the owl mail. I can’t wait to sew that onto the black wool cloak. The cloak will look great. 

Midsummer is almost here! The Wheel of the Year turns again. It’s a magical Sabbat! Honour the fiery power of the sun by going outdoors! Yup that’s right. Let the warm breeze sweep away your troubles. It’s summer, after all. Gather flowers, herbs, leaves and press them or use them to decorate cookies. Host a summer party, go to the beach or indulge in forest bathing. Plant herbs , veggies and flowers and tend them as they grow. As you plant each seed, empower it with your intention and bless the seeds. 

Try a new herbal recipe, educate yourself about herbs that you aren’t familiar with, and go for a long walk on a nature trail or to the forest with a plant guide book or your cellphone app to help you identify plants. Take your dog with you! They love the outdoors. 

Burn candles to celebrate the solstice! There is a ban on fires here in Nova Scotia so I have to settle for candles. Bake garlic and herb bread, brew some mead or cider, and wear a pretty sundress and pair it with a witchy hat. Spritz on an essential oil perfume mix and sunscreen. Men can wear whatever they feel comfortable in too. Then get out there! Summer was meant to be enjoyed. 

I wish you all a wonderful Solstice!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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April 3, 2023 · 1:35 pm

Magickal Spring Herbs )O(

Merry meet all,

I want to post a lot about herbs and gardening. It is my passion and my focus right now. I still love the paranormal and I will keep posting about that. I want to see my readers succeed if they choose to grow your own herbs for medicinal and magickal purposes. But magic and herbs skip together and have for thousands of years. I hope you enjoy the series of posts about how to grow the best most beautiful and magickal herbs ever. 

In other news, I am excited about spring! The next turn in the Wheel of the Year is Beltane! Everyone loves Beltane. I bought a new pair of green herb scissors, a cool grey watering can, a book about identifying plants titled Botany in a Day and a magazine about alchemy. My herbs, marigold and vegetables are all growing well. I transplanted the marigold plants, mugwort and calendula into new bigger pots- more room for their roots. They are happily growing by the windowsill. The radishes, carrots, tomatoes and pepper plants are doing fine. I added mycorrhizae to the soil. I am sure it’s benefitting the plants by helping them grow better roots. 

I grow my herbs and veggies with love and patience. I believe it really takes patience. That is the number one skill for a budding gardener/ herbalist to have. Patience. I watched a two-hour video about a woman who created nightshade ointments but it took her fifteen years to master the ointment making. She was dealing with poisonous herbs so I can see how it would take years of dedication and practice. That sounds about the right amount of time. She really knew her stuff. Wow I was so impressed. It has taken me a long time to master what I know now only to have to start all over again at the Herbal Academy. I have so much to learn and thankfully plenty of time to devote to learning it all too. I want to share what I learned with my dear readers!

She can be found on Instagram at bane folk! 

I signed up for a Foraging course at the Herbal Academy. I get two foraging pocket guide books that are a part of the course. I will be busy scribbling in the pocket guides too. I look forward to improving my foraging skills and learning new things. I have foraged elderberries, burdock roots, dandelion roots, goldenrod, St.John’s wort and other herbs but now I can build on what I know. 

I like to think that anyone who aspires to be a green Witch, a hedge witch, a kitchen witch or just learn about herbs in general, that the Herbal Academy is the place to be. I wouldn’t study anywhere else. I highly recommend them to anyone who is curious about the amazing world of herbs! 

I do believe I grew my plants too early this year. The squash and mugwort are growing quite big! They will take over the space soon. It’s only April. Next spring, I will start them in April instead of February. At least they get a longer growing season this way. 

I have a ticket to StokerCon and a ticket to the first Paranormal Symposium. I can’t wait for both events. I am a bit more excited about the Paranormal Symposium because there has to my knowledge never been one before. It takes place in October. I have a long wait but I know it is worth it. I have new books, Demons and Demonology by Rosemary Guiley, The Horror Trope Thesaurus, Writing Gothic Fiction and Writing in Deep POV. I will enjoy these books! I want to work on a new writing project so those books will definitely help me!

Enjoy spring!

Blessings Spiderwitch )O(

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February 7, 2023 · 8:13 pm

Seeds of spring- Imbolc

Merry meet all,

Hello my lovely readers! Even though we are on the cusp of spring, winter lingers. Last night, the howling wind kept me up half the night. 

I have a lot on my mind right now. My grandmother is not well. She has to be moved to the city and that means uprooting her. I hope it all works out smoothly. I am very worried about her. My grandmother is in her nineties but is in otherwise good health. 

I scattered birdseed at the Mumford Terminal  and in my backyard. I saw the rat and waited and watched for a sign that the birds had found the seed. Indeed they did. I look after all my little ones. It’s cold out and I worry about them. Food is scarce for my avian friends. 

I just watched the amazing movie Alien with a friend. I respect the exhausting effort that must have gone into making the movie. Yes art means effort. And that movie truly is amazing. I remember watching the sequel years ago. 

I donated my copy of Todd Keisling’s book to the library. Due to my negative experience with him, I saw no sense in keeping it. I only welcome positive energy here. 

It is spring in my apartment! If it can’t be spring outdoors, it will be so indoors. I’m growing a pot of basil and rosemary cutting and I have a pot of parsley. I set up my grow light kit where I am growing a number of herbs by seed. I have another pot with radishes and carrots germinating.  I hope they all grow well. I know the herbs will grow well in the grow light kit. I will post what I am starting by seed in the grow light kit soon once I find the list. I can’t remember right now. I keep watering the herbs a little, enough to moisten them but not drown them. 

I love herbs. I’m progressing nicely with the herbal courses at the Herbal Academy. I am on Unit 2 in Advanced and I am enjoying the Mastering Herbal Formulations course too. I recently reviewed the Becoming a Herbalist mini course that the Herbal Academy once again offered for free. Tomorrow I no longer have access to it and so I ensured I downloaded the pdf of the course. 

I have to work harder at composing the 15-20 monographs for the Advanced course. I hate distractions and I am my own worst enemy. The herbs and flowers are dormant now but soon spring will raise her green head. I cannot wait. It cheers me though I love the dark half of the year. I am a herbalist/ gardener by heart. I water the seedlings in the grow light kit the most because the soil dries out so fast. The green seedlings need moist soil. That is how they thrive. 

I am so grateful the Herbal Academy gives me so much time to complete the courses. I can study at a better pace that way. I never stop learning and I love everything I am learning. There is so much for me to learn. It is a truly fascinating subject!

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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January 15, 2023 · 4:14 pm

Seed starts

Merry meet all,

Today is rainy, snowy and very overcast. Snow lightly covers the ground. Raindrops splatter the windowpanes. It is a sleepy, stay home type of day. The next turn in the Wheel of the year is Imbolc. Before I get started, I just wanted to write here that I know I haven’t posted much. This week, I had to deal with an infected tooth and an abnormal amount of pain. I had to get that under control’s which involved freezing my tooth at the hospital, and a lot of painkillers and an antibiotic to clear up the infected tooth. I am feeling much better now. 

Imbolc is coming soon! My kitty Penny woke up from her long nap. I just gave her a cuddle. Imbolc is exciting to me because it is the first of the three Spring Sabbats. Imbolc is a time of renewed hope, purity and the return of the light. The cold remains but hope and new life stirs beneath the soil. I will post more here about Imbolc. I have a recipe on how to make Imbolc inspired cookies already. I can’t wait to try it!

Imbolc is the perfect time to read seed catalogues and to plan what you want to grow this spring. Or at least to think about which plants you want to start indoors. I plan to get the seed starting kit back from my Mom’s. I have to wait to get soil. Once I do, I plan to start seeds early. It’s my opinion that tomato plants take a long long time to grow, and I believe that they need to be started earlier in order to reach their maximum growth earlier in the year to bear fruit. This has been my observation.

Tomorrow I hope to get the Mastering Herbal Formulations book from the Herbal Academy in the mail. I can really get deep into the course once I have the workbook. I wish they did delivery on weekends but I guess USPS doesn’t work that way. I have read Unit 1 and I get most of the ideas. The calculations look complicated but not impossible. I really need to learn this stuff in order to sell my teas at the local farmers market. That is my goal and part of why I am studying at the Herbal Academy. I want to run a herbal business when I graduate. First, I have a lot to learn. I want to take my time and learn and then I will have a better chance of running my herbal business.

I had reservations about blending two or more herbs in a tincture and other preparations. The Mastering Herbal Formulations course will take away my reservations and give me a renewed confidence. I look forward to reading and learning more in Unit 2-3. The courses at the Herbal Academy are fascinating. I love everything I have learned so far. So to return to the topic of spring seed planting, I have a few new herb seed packets to try this spring. I have many packets of seeds. However, this spring, I have motherwort seeds and I can’t wait to start that from seed. There are too many for me to count here that I want to get started. That will have to be in a future post. 

If you ask me, time is speeding up. I can’t believe how fast time goes now. It seems like I was holding a bonfire in my back yard and now I want to pore over seed catalogues. Does anyone feel like time is speeding up? To what purpose? It’s hard to say. I will just ride the crest of this ‘wave’ as best I can. The possibility of the return of spring cheers me greatly. 

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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December 9, 2022 · 12:39 pm

Holiday Treats

Merry meet all,

I conjured up peppermint bark. My dark pagan gods, I never tasted anything so divine in my life. This post will show you how to make your own amazing peppermint bark!

You will need cocoa butter or coconut oil, peppermint extract, white chocolate chips, honey, fennel seeds, and candy canes. I used organic coconut oil. Cocoa butter is expensive and hard to find outside of regular grocery stores. First, make your toppings. Candy the fennel seeds. Add two tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of sugar to a pan. When it sizzles, and the sugar has dissolved, add the fennel seeds. Set it aside. Crumble the candy canes in a blender. I used six candy canes for a topping. 

While you are making the bark, your kitchen will smell great. Melt the cocoa butter or cocoa powder and coconut oil together in a double boiler. When it has thoroughly softened and melted, add the peppermint extract. Then pour the chocolate onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Let it cool in the fridge. 

Clean the bowl you used for the dark chocolate to melt the white chocolate chips. I used coconut oil again. The white chocolate chips weren’t melting the way I would like. Do not let any water get in the bowl or it will seize. Add more peppermint extract to the white chocolate and pour it on top of the dark chocolate. It is tricky. You don’t want the white chocolate and the dark chocolate to blend. Quickly add the toppings – the fennel seeds and the crumbled candy cane. Let the chocolate harden and dry overnight. 

Now you have a true divine treat to enjoy and share with your loved ones over the holiday season. Store the peppermint bark in an airtight container in the fridge or the freezer. You will never have to buy it again. You will never want to buy it again. Homemade peppermint bark is far more delicious. 

It is optional but not necessary to add the honey. I totally forgot. I was using two different recipes for the bark. It is so quick to make and affordable I just might a second batch. To give as gifts, break the pieces apart and tuck into small cellophane plastic bags and tie with a holiday string or bow. 

I have a bottle of cider in the fridge for the holidays. I also have a bottle of brandy to enjoy with the cider or a hot toddy. I made a beautiful gift for my Mom. I just can’t wait for this holiday. I scored a lovely silver table cloth and I decorated my goth tree. I don’t have much money but I am determined to enjoy the holidays. 

I wish you all a Happy Solstice

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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October 21, 2022 · 1:03 pm

Root work )O(

Merry meet all,

I was just out harvesting MORE dandelion roots. They are drying now on the kitchen cupboard. I’m buying another bottle of vodka soon and tincture the roots. Or maybe I will use brandy, no, I should stick with vodka. The alcohol acts as a natural preservative.

Dandelion, Taraxacum Officinale, is so good for your health that I really question why anyone wants to spray or kill it. Dandelion root is bitter and its actions are diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and it has hypeglyemic properties. “Dandelion root is a powerful diuretic, stimulating kidney function as well as the movement of bile from the gallbladder and liver. Folklore and scientific evidence supports the use of dandelion as a diuretic with intriguing possibilities that it may help with controlling blood sugar and inflammatory processes (Castleman, 2001). Due to its diuretic properties, dandelion may help PMS (Castleman, 2001, Hoffman, 2003) and, most recently, andropause symptoms (Noh, H-Y, 2013).” *Copied and taken from the Herbal Academy website. 

Digging up a dandelion root isn’t easy. Dandelion root, like yellow dock and burdock roots, have a single long stemmed taproot. I have gotten the hang of digging up the roots. If you don’t dig it up right, the root cracks. I ease my trowel into the soil slowly, and I take all the leaves and stems in one hand, then push the trowel in and around the root. Then I tug gently and the root leaves the soil. It is an art. Now you all know why I want to dig up dandelion roots. They are full of vitamins as well as the listed above benefits. 

I bring the roots home, avoiding the curious eyes of passerby, and fill a bowl with clean water. I dunk the roots in the water in the bowl outside, then empty the bowl outside. I bring the roots in and I scrub them clean with an old toothbrush. Soon I will chop up the roots and dry them on low heat in the oven. They can’t be left on the counter for long or they will mold and be tossed to the compost pile. All of those nutrients would be lost.  I have to store them and get the vodka then I plan to make the tincture. It will be amazing! You can dry the chopped roots in the oven on parchment paper at 350 F for thirty minutes. 

I already have a tincture of burdock root and dandelion roots tincturing. I plan to leave it for 3 months! But you usually wait 4 to 6 weeks or a full moon phase, if you want to get witchy about it! You can store the roots in the alcohol for a long time. Some people make dandelion tea or wine. I would love to try dandelion wine!

I’m harvesting the elecampane root tomorrow. It better not rain tomorrow or I may do it today after all. Today’s weather is overcast and clear. I have never done this before. I don’t want to kill the plant. I know how to harvest the root, I am just not experienced enough at it. I guess this is all part of learning to be a herbalist. I watched Youtube videos to see how it’s done. It will be fine. I will dry, chop and store the roots over the winter in a labeled dated jar. I love to get artsy with the labels too. 

Digging up a plant for its roots is killing the plant. In terms of elecampane, I hope to leave the roots or new buds for replanting. I have found an amazing article all about harvesting elecampane roots. I’m going to soak the roots once dug up to see the new buds. That will tell me I can successfully replant the elecampane. I have no intention of killing the roots. I just wish I had a pitchfork but my big garden shovel will work. I’ll use my boline to gather the roots I want to harvest. The rest goes back in the soil with a sprinkle of fertilizer. 

I still have to wash the pots, harvest the beans once they turn brown and hard, and make my offering. I am almost done my garden chores. I am sad and happy at the same time. I love the harvest but the harvest signifies the finale for my garden for the year. The rich gifts the earth blesses me with makes it all worth it. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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