Lemon balm has a particularly long history of use in Europe. It was considered the herb of the goddess Diana, and the herb that assisted ancient bee keepers in keeping honey bees happy and well fed.
About Nathan Thompson
Nathan is a writer interested in both the big questions of life and the everyday details. In addition to writing, he is a Zen meditation and yoga practitioner, herbalist, and teacher.
His main blog can be found here. He also has a small online herbal medicine business, which is dedicated to supporting personal health and inspiring deeper connections with our great planet Earth.
The Gifts of Comfrey
Comfrey is considered a premier first-aid herb. It rebuilds tissues, stops hemorrhaging and helps heal wounds, sprains, fractures, bruises and stomach ulcers.
Learning in the Community Garden
A little boy, maybe 4 or 5 years old, asked me about the bees. Then he saw the little star-shaped blue flowers of the borage plant nearby. I bent down and told him, “You can eat these. They are tasty and good for you.” He looked at me kind of wide-eyed and said, “Really?”
Passionflowers
The Aztecs were the first recorded to have used the Passionflower as a medicine. Spanish doctor Nicolas Monardes documented the use of Passionflower in Peru in 1569 and brought the plant back to Europe, where it eventually became widely cultivated.
The Beautiful, Powerful Coneflower
As a child, I remember being drawn to Coneflowers’ showy, mostly purple flowers. My hands would pet their heads and glide across the petals. In high school, I worked in a plant nursery and noticed how little care they needed to thrive.
Catnip: It’s Not Just for Cats
Catnip is not just for cats. It makes a nice tasty bedtime tea, and also has a number of healing properties. Catnip has a long history of use in Europe and North America.
Thyme for Health
The Romans used Thyme for melancholy, to purify rooms and as an ingredient in beer and many cheeses. During the medieval period in Europe, Thyme was also placed under pillows to support good sleep and ward off nightmares.
The Magic of Mugwort
Mugwort is also said to provoke prophetic dreams, and is ritualistically used for purification and for clearing and marking sacred space.
Awakening
In the middle of the storm, water floods the streets, the creek beds, the basements of buildings, everywhere resisting containment.
The Burning Life
Suddenly you see so clearly how the world is filled, every single square inch of it, with tiny blossoms.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 19
- Next Page »