Tag Archives: root

November 10, 2023 · 9:53 pm

Garlic and autumn roots )O(

Merry meet all,

Today I want to talk about planting garlic. I planted organic garlic today in my garden. Garlic and other root veggies are very beneficial for your health. It is a good idea to stock up on root veggies to protect our health during fall and winter. 

I planted garlic in the big wooden box because the soil is deep in the box. I hope this ensures the garlic will grow bigger and better. Garlic is not a perennial because I live in Atlantic Canada. We get cold here but garlic does benefit from a cold dormant season. 

I had no soil so I used soil from the other pots in my garden. The garden and grassy yard is so strewn with colourful leaves. I emptied two pots of soil into the wooden box. I used the shovel to break up and loosen up the big chunks of soil and mix it in with the rest of the soil in the box. Unfortunately, I had to put the soil in over the straw but I guess the straw will compost in the soil anyway. The soil that was in the smaller planters had plants growing in it such as nasturtiums, the tomatoes, beans and chamomile. The plants are dead and withered but the soil that they grew in was full of nutrients. Earthworms have tunneled through it. I think using that soil was better than buying sterile soil from a store. Using soil already full of nutrients and had the benefit of beneficial insects working the soil is going to pass on those nutrients to the garlic and the soil the garlic grows in. I don’t have to work too hard to make any nutrients as it has already been done for me by the little unseen heroes: beneficial insects, the weather, birds, and the plants themselves. True, there is the other plant box now woefully short of soil but next spring, I will add fresh soil then. 

It is so important to have soil full of natural organic ingredients. Our ancestors knew that. Back in the day, and all the way back to ancient times, famers practiced organic gardening methods. The garlic will sit there in the box all fall, winter to spring. The soil needs food to sustain the garlic during the cold season. The soil is now full of the nutrients it needs such as the straw, the Gaia Green organic fertilizer, compost, the leaves, and the garlic skins. Wow that is such a potent mix not to mention the insects that are likely nesting in the box all winter, fed by the straw, leaves and compost. What a potent combination. I will add fresh fertilizer and compost next spring and summer. For now, that will do the trick. This is making me so eager to see how the garlic turns out. Pesticides and other chemicals never offer a good enough benefit. I have a thriving garden because I never use any of those chemicals. 

It felt magical to use the soil I already had and break up the chunks. It felt good to plant the garlic. We turn inward during the winter. Also today the moon is in a waning phase. It is the ideal time to plant garlic during the waning moon phase because the garlic is planted deep in the soil. During a waxing moon, we can plant things that grow above the soil. 

I added fertilizer to the soil like Gaia Green organics and other fertilizers. I added the compost soil from my compost box to the box. I planted the garlic, cloves separated and pointing up. I watered the soil and tamped the soil down. I planted each clove of garlic a few inches apart from each other. I also added large rocks to the box. Squirrels and bluejays are fierce thieves. I don’t want them to uproot my garlic and dig their own holes in the soil, thereby ruining my efforts. I will harvest the garlic next summer. I am so excited about growing garlic. I just hope that this time I get the satisfaction of large bulbs. I was offered a mix of soft neck and hard neck garlic. I guess I won’t know which is which in the box till next summer. 

I am very happy too that I have been patient enough to grow compost soil in my garden. I added it to the soil where I was growing the garlic. I believe that the key to growing a great garden is having your own compost available. I believe that will greatly benefit the garlic and hopefully grow better and bigger.

Garlic is extremely good for your health. I will now list a few health benefits that garlic has. 

Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, and is a hardy perennial belonging to the Liliaceae family. Other members of this family include onions, leeks, chives and shallots. They are distinguished by their pungent aroma and distinctive flavour.

1. Contains a compound called allicin, which has medicinal properties

2. Acts like an anticoagulant, so reduces the risk of heart attacks

3. May inhibit the growth of cancerous cells

4. Has been known for its antibacterial properties

5. May relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/ingredient-focus-garlic

Does this make you want to plant garlic in your own garden? What are your plans for fall? Let me know in the comments below. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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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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October 22, 2022 · 9:15 pm

Elecampane Root Harvest )O(

 

Merry meet all,

Yesterday I harvested the elecampane root. It was a great day. I turned the actions of digging the elecampane root up into a ritual.  The weather was sunny and relatively warm. I gathered together all the tools I need: a garden shovel, a garden trowel, and a stainless steel bowl to wash the roots after. 

I dug a large ring around the root ball. I removed the leaves and rocks from around the plant. Then I dug in with my garden shovel in a ring. I dug away all the soil surrounding the roots. I loosened the soil with the shovel and eased up the roots. I had to remove more small rocks that served as an edging around the plant. The elecampane plant was quite established. 

I removed the roots from the soil. I held the amazing elecampane roots in my hand. Wow. I felt the weight of the roots in my hands. It was so cool. I removed and cut up a long tree root from the soil and a rock. That may have been why the elecampane roots didn’t grow deeper. I carried the roots and the main crown to the back stone step. The roots were smaller than I anticipated. Undaunted, I proceeded to wash the roots. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I scrubbed the roots clean with a toothbrush. I cut roots off from the main crown. I rinsed the water and cleaned them again. I noticed that there were a couple of buds on the main crown. I brought the roots inside to clean them again. I planted the main crown back in the soil. I left an offering of cornmeal and fertilizer. I was so excited and emotional. I have a strong emotional connection to the earth. It hurt me to even dig up the roots. The scent of the elecampane root was amazing! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I returned the rocks to edge the elecampane plant and scattered the leaves over the soil. I hoped the main crown would grow new roots in the soil. I had fun with my fresh rich elecampane roots in the kitchen. They smelled so good and left the scent on my fingers. I cleaned them and chopped them. I arranged the roots on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. I dried the roots in the oven overnight at a low temperature. I removed them from the oven in the morning. The roots were dried, and a pale white colour. I stored them in a jar. I didn’t get as much as I wanted. Since the root crown has rooted again and there were new buds on it, I will get new growth next spring. I may have to wait a year or two to harvest more roots. It will be worth it. 

I am not sure what to do with the elecampane roots. I stored the seeds in a jar. I want to grow a lot more elecampane. Next spring, I will clear away tree branches, roots, rocks and weeds to make a clear space to grow more elecampane. Elecampane is medicinal for lung health and digestion. I am trying to build up an apothecary. This project will take patience. I already have fifty jars (a slight exaggeration) full of herbs: roots, seeds, bark and berries). 

I planted the nettle, mugwort and rue. The herbs will root themselves and emerge in the spring, just like the elecampane roots! I checked the next day and the elecampane main crown resisted when I gently tugged on it. That was exciting!

I love harvesting medicinal roots. My life is more exciting gathering medicinal roots. I hope it’s the same for you. 

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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October 18, 2022 · 11:30 am

Root, bark & berry )O(

Merry meet all,

I just went out for a walk on the trail shown in the photo above. I love going for walks on the trail. I really feel the Samhain energy in the air. If you look hard at the above photo, you will see what I mean. 

This Samhain, I am once again – ok always, flying solo. I am a solitary Witch. I do everything I want to do by myself. I am not all that alone though. I can feel the presence of Spirit on the trail and in my garden. I have harvested a ton of herbs, roots and berries this fall. I leave offerings of cornmeal, coins or gemstones. I like to maintain a positive relationship with the spirits that dwell here. I never see the spirits but I feel them around, peering around the trees, watching me as I stroll down the trail. I recognized a couple of witch hazels. I love witch hazels! The witch hazel is so beautiful in my garden this fall!

I have harvested a lot of dandelion roots, burdock root, elderberries, lemon balm, lavender, sage, goldenrod, asters, wild chamomile, oak leaves for cauldron ash, and leaves for pressing. I plan to dip the leaves in beeswax to preserve them. I made a lovely jar of dark purple elderberry syrup, asters, goldenrod and wild chamomile for tea. I found several red clover buds outside. I can’t stop bringing a nature item home with me. 

I’m leaving an offering of cornmeal, milk and honey on Samhain eve. I like to do this ritual in my garden in the spring and fall. I harvested a few witch hazel seeds from my tree but I plan to scatter them out on the trail. Since we lost an elderberry shrub to Hurricane Fiona, I’m going to propagate the elderberries this winter from a few canes once it goes dormant. 

I like to work in harmony with the nature spirits. I am the only one in the neighborhood who does, but I am pretty sure I am the only witch around here. I am so lucky too because the herbs, roots and berries I need for the Herbal Academy all grow in abundance on the trail. They were there all along and now I finally recognize them. It saves me lots of money. This weekend, I also plan to finally harvest the elecampane root! I can’t wait. 

I hope you all had a wonderful harvest this fall. Let me know all about it. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

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May 22, 2022 · 11:44 am

Scandinavian Dandelion Syrup )O(

Merry meet all,

Today an overcast sky darkens the gorgeous verdant green grounds here. The trees and plants are so bright green, resplendent against the dark sky. I just strolled through the garden, marveling at how fast everything is growing. They get big overnight, it’s amazing. 

The other day I concocted a brew of Scandinavian Dandelion Syrup. I am so proud of myself. It’s an actual syrup. Now I feel like a true herbalist! I have tried so many times and wasted so many herbs to make syrup. I finally did it! Here are some tips on how you can brew this awesome potion too!

Put on your herbalist hat and get outside! I took a bag and a pair of scissors with me. I ventured out to the nature trail where I collected fifty dandelions. Yep you read that right. You can collect more if you like but not less. I washed them at home and snipped off the green stems. Be sure to leave plenty of dandelions for the bees. Only pick dandelions that are healthy and undamaged. Pat them dry with a paper towel. 

Put all the dandelion flowers in a pot. Bring the dandelion tea to a boil then let it simmer for half an hour. Tip: Let the dandelions steep in the pot in the fridge overnight. It makes for a richer, more healthy tea. In the morning, strain the flowers and toss the flowers to the compost goddess. Chop up 1 rhubarb stalk, two apples, add the juice of a lemon, and let it simmer. Strain the tea again. Toss the fruit to the compost. Now you make the syrup. Measure how much tea you have and that will tell you how much sugar to add. Be sure to strain the tea well. I had two cups of the tea so I added the same amount of sugar. Let it boil but not scald on the stove. The tea will smell amazing. The sugar will dissolve. Leave it on the stove and occasionally stir until the liquid has evaporated but again, don’t scald the pot. Turn the heat off and allow it to cool. If you scald the mixture, it will change color and you don’t want that. The mixture should thicken as it cools. 

Pour the syrup into a sterile jar and leave it to thicken into the jar. The syrup should look and taste amazing! Now that I have enjoyed my own homemade syrup, I may never buy processed syrup again! I had so much syrup I split it with my Mom. The photo above shows the jar of syrup. See the gorgeous color? I am so proud to have brewed a jar of syrup! You will fall in love with it too. 

Store the dandelion syrup in the fridge. Pour it onto roasted root veggies or pancakes! Enjoy!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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September 30, 2021 · 12:50 pm

Autumn Herbs

Merry meet all,

Tomorrow is October 1st. I have a new rolling cart to store my multiple jars of herbs. By. herbs, I mean of course seeds, bark, leaves, flowers. I had to assemble the cart and that was a nightmare. Are you all getting ready for Samhain? I am! I am also preparing for the Materia Medica course I am taking at the Herbal Academy in addition to the Introductory Herbal course I am already taking. That does involve getting more organized, which is why I bought the cart.

I ordered seeds from a company on Etsy. They are as follows; German chamomile, black swan poppy, Scott bonnet pepper, black cumin, purple echinacea, halloween calendula, Howden pumpkin, borage, sunflower, black tar poppy, chef’s pick parsley, Larkspur, anise, purple echinacea, purple salsify, Vietnamese cilantro, and foxglove blend. Next spring, I will be having fun planting all that!  I gathered the Chinese lanterns, burdock seeds, mullein seeds, and I will soon gather the nasturtium seeds from my garden. I gathered mullein in an empty field and it also grows on the nature trail. A witch hazel grows on the trail too! 

A materia medica means healing materials. It basically means a book about herbal profiles. The profiles are called monographs. I plan to have the most amazing material media by the time I am done studying. The material media course teaches you how to complete a herbal profile. I have access to the Herbarium. I can download any herb monograph I choose to. I ordered a herb journal – titled My Herbology journal, A Green Witch Journal from Amazon. I also ordered a paper making screen deckle and mold! 

Here is the link to the journal: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08TQ7DX6J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 Several herbs that I need for the course grow on the nature trail. Goldenrod, burdock, mullein, asters, raspberry, elderberry, chokeberry, coltsfoot, queen Anne’s lace, black elderberry, staghorn sumac, creeping juniper, perennial sow thistle, red clover, and  thistle all grow on the trail. I may have already mentioned this. I have an app on my phone that helps me identify plants. If you want to forage in the wild, bring gloves to protect you, a charged cellphone that has an app for identifying plants, wear something to protect you from bug bites and poisonous plants, a water bottle to stay hydrated, and scissors. It helps to carry a big plastic bag or cloth bag to hold the herbs you gather. Don’t consume anything if you are not sure. You could make yourself sick. I want to gather goldenrod next summer to dye a piece of fabric yellow. I just want to try it. !!!

I still have to dehydrate the elderberries. I brewed a jar of elderberry, rhubarb and blueberry am.  I should added cinnamon and clove. I am making a jar of elderberry tincture. The berries were dried and I added vodka. I labeled the jar and also lined the top of the jar with natural waxed paper. The metal can’t contaminate the mixture. I can’t wait to try it. But I do want to caution: elderberries contain cyanide, so please if you make a remedy using elderberries, use black or purple berries – not green, and be careful. I will make the tincture last a long time. I don’t plan to consume it every day. The berries are not cooked for making a tincture. Some cyanide could still be present in the berries. Everything in moderation. 

I gathered herbs for my first lesson in the materia medica course. They were lemon balm, goldenrod, thyme, lavender, mint and chamomile. It grows in the garden and on the nature trail.I need to study the herbs for the courses. (What a hardship, eh?) There are so many herbs to learn about and I live in the right environment. Fall is here. Many of the plants are winding down for the long cold rest. The nature trial is now full of the thistles, queen Anne’s lace, burdock, goldenrod all going to seed. The queen Anne’s lace seedbeds resemble bird’s nests. 

I have to collect the raspberries from my garden. The tomatoes are still ripening. The pumpkin patch is growing! I have tried for 11 years to grow a pumpkin patch and now I have! Hopefully the frost will hold off! I pickled my own cucumbers. The flavour is truly divine. I stored two jars of applesauce in the freezer too. I am well stocked. I have to puree the pumpkin. So much to do, so little time. 

I am enjoying my studies at the Herbal Academy. Well obviously right? I decorate my binder with butterfly stickers, protect the notes and printouts in sheet protectors, and do my best to keep it organized. I want to be a herbalist and work in a trade that involves herbs. It will be a long road but an interesting one!!

The link to the Herbal Academy- in case you want to study there!!

https://theherbalacademy.com/my-account/?awt_a=5cXw&awt_l=Bv79G&awt_m=mUTf3FOR61wS3Xw

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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September 16, 2021 · 12:39 pm

The Feminine Macabre Volume 2

Merry meet all,

I am very excited about the good news of the upcoming second volume of the all-female paranormal journal The Feminine Macabre!!!!! )O(

Have you gotten your copy of The Feminine Macabre Volume II yet? It’s 100 pages longer than Volume I with a foreword by Michelle Belanger and introduces you to 40 up and coming researchers in the occult, paranormal, and metaphysical.

Return to the world of The Feminine Macabre in Volume II of the all-female paranormal journal. Explore essays written by women from all over the world, highlighting their research and theories on witchcraft, hauntings, folklore, dark history, tarot, cryptids, and more.

With a foreword by Michelle Belanger, Volume II features the writing talents of Hannah Ahboo, Tiffiny Rose Allen, Chris Amandier, Gina Armstrong, Al Becker, Amy L. Bennett, Stephanie Bingham, Sarah Blake, Ashley Casseday, Kate Cherrell, Mallory Cywinski, Erica Gibson Delight, Deanna Erskine, Liana Gaffney, Kenzie Gleason, Claire Goodchild, Charlotte Grace, Jen Hall, Kristin Harris, Amanda Hellewell-King, Zo Jacobi, Heddy Johannesen, Lorien Jones, Melissa Lathrop, Donna Malmborg, Marianne McCarthy, Drea Mora, Morgan Moran, Victoria Mundae, Hilary Opiel, Roxanne Rhoads, Vanessa Rowan, Nicole St. Germain, Krista Schwimmer, Sarah Stream, Aoife Sutton, Victoria Vancek, Tamora L. Vang, Emily Wayland, Karen J. Weyant, Cherise Williams, and Amanda R. Woomer.

The editor, Amanda, interviewed me about my background in the paranormal and my story that’s published in the book. I know I posted about this before. I am just so excited I had to post it here again. I enjoyed doing the interview. The book is available on Amazon. Here is the link to it: https://amzn.to/3zsT1Fu. 

The interview will be posted on Sept.29th on Facebook. In other news, I am enjoying the Herbal Academy courses and the short story course. It forced me to write a draft about a female werewolf. 

I have a herbal apothecary now. I have jars and jars of all kinds of herbs, seeds, roots and flowers. I created a second air drying herb rack. I harvested mint, lemon balm, dill, chamomile and mullein! I love it! I am so enjoying learning more about herbs all the time. Lemon balm has a long history of use dating back 2,000 years. Mullein is a good lung tonic. Eleuthoro root is delicious in herbal teas. Chamomile is a great herb from the tiniest leaf to the root. It can all be used. The many benefits of chamomile have been enjoyed for thousands of years., “the star among medicinal species.” Chamomile is a good nervine and also a good analgesic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory,antimicrobial,  antispasmodic, antistress, good for gastrointestinal disorders, protects against polio, a sedative, and has wound healing properties. Wow. You get all that in one chamomile plant. That is not all it can even do but that lists some of its healing powers. 

I enjoyed a cup of lavender and chamomile tea last night before sleeping. I love herbalism. It’s an ancient tradition. Homeopathy isn’t related to herbalism. Homeopathy is a relatively new healing path. This may be a new career for me! Bring it on! I have two awesome books now about herbalism. One, Rosemary Gladstar’s book titled Medicinal Herbs, and two, Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition. The third book I recently acquired is Entering Hekate’s garden by Cyndi Brannen. The books are beautiful and jam packed with herbs. 

I own a ton of new apothecary supplies such as tins for salves, balms, amber coloured jars, muslin sachets, a kitchen scale. I love my kitchen scale. I feel all ready for a new year in herbalism!!

Mabon is almost here! Are you ready for it, my dear readers? I will post more about it as the date gets closer. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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