Blackberries and Peaches284

How to Use Summer Berries and Peaches as Medicine

Our first abundant fruit harvest has hit, and my kitchen is overflowing with blackberries and peaches (along with green beans, cucumbers, and zucchini)! Many of us think only of the food value of these fruits. Did you know that most summer fruits also have medicinal value? Let’s take a look!

Adaptogens and Adaptogenic Herbs287

Adaptogenic Herbs: What They Are and A Helpful List

Adaptogens are plants that support the body’s ability to manage physical and emotional stress. Use this list to find which adaptogenic herbs may help you. They usually support the proper functioning of the immune system and are often used to help fight and prevent cancer.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Hair800

Apple Cider Vinegar for Hair: A Natural Conditioner

Why use apple cider vinegar for hair? It’s a pH balancer, antibacterial, anti-fungal, detangles, removes soap and oil build up without stripping, and even helps protect against dry skin and dandruff. You’ll love this apple cider vinegar conditioning rinse I’ve been using for years!

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12 Beneficial Herbs to Help Relieve Pain Naturally

If you are putting together a home medicine chest filled with natural remedies it would be good to know about the herbs that are well known for natural pain relief. These herbs can be made into teas, tinctures, or encapsulated for easy use.

Natural Remedies for Eczema232

Natural Remedies for Treating Eczema Flare-Ups

The natural remedies for eczema in this article (both internal and external) can help relieve the pain and itching of the eczema rash by treating the cause of the problem, not the symptoms. Whether it’s something you’re eating, applying, or otherwise, following these suggestions should help.

Grow Sunflower729

Four Great Reasons to Grow Sunflower this Year

Most people who grow sunflowers do so to harvest the seeds. Sunflower seeds or sunflower oil are a big deal and how cool to grow your own. But did you know there are many other reasons to grow the sunflower? Here are several other reasons you may want to grow sunflowers in your yard.

Natural Remedy for Arthritis and Asthma344

Red Clover: A Natural Remedy for Arthritis & Asthma

Red clover: a natural remedy for arthritis and asthma! It can be used in tea, as a flour additive, added to salads, added to soups, and even as a vitamin supplement! You can also pull the individual flowers from the flower heads (like when you were a child) and add them to rice dishes and casseroles.

Child Garden147

Children’s Garden Ideas and How to Get Kids Involved

I’m often asked how to plant a child garden, and how to get kids more involved with gardening. My main strategy is to excite their senses and to include them as much as possible, because kids love being involved! Here are 6 plant ideas to get you started.

Capsicum Annuum Cayenne Pepper280

20 Interesting Facts About The Cayenne Pepper Plant

Capsicum annuum (a.k.a. Cayenne peppers) is a digestive stimulant, a cardiovascular tonic, a first aid application for bleeding, a food, and so much more! For example, did you know that–botanically speaking–the pepper is a berry, not a vegetable?

Honey Bee Swarm243

Things You Should Know About Honey Bee Swarms

For years I have collected bee swarms for people. When I started, I was doing it to add to my bee-yard, but soon learned it was a great opportunity to educate on swarms and honey bees in general. Here are answers to some of the most common questions I have heard over the years.

Companion Planting323

Companion Planting: 5 Great Plants for Your Garden

The practice of companion planting–or purposefully planting things together–can enhance the beauty, health, growth, and flavor of your harvest. Scratch open a bare patch of soil, let it be for a few weeks, and you’ll see how nature intended companion planting!

Edible Flowers Viola odorata518

Using Violets for Your Dinner Table and Medicine Cabinet

Violets (Viola odorata) are edible and medicinal flowers packed full of Vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium. We like to use the flowers to make salads, tea, syrups, infused vinegar, poultice, tincture, and even eat them candied!

Folk Medicine101

Folk Medicine: Finding What Works & What is Fable

Folk medicine doesn’t have to be based on coincidence and strange superstition. By its very definition, it was a vast collection of what the common folk did to keep themselves alive. Let’s take a look and discover which work and which are fable.

Medicinal Flowers352

Picking, Eating, or Drying Flowers for Use as Medicine

Medicinal flowers can mean quite a few things. Today we’re talking about the simple act of just picking, eating, or drying the flowers for use as medicine–not to be confused with the specialized medicine form called flower essences.

Growing Horseradish550

Growing & Using Horseradish For Food and Medicine

Let’s talk about growing horseradish! What do you think of horseradish? Do you hate the taste of it and how it burns your mouth and nose? Do you love it on everything except chocolate cake? I am in the latter camp and can’t get enough of it. I am determined to make more converts.

Aloe Vera Uses376

How to Grow, Harvest, and Use Fresh Aloe Safely

Aloe vera uses range from external cuts and burns to internal use as a digestive aid. Whatever you’re using it for, be sure to practice these safe use guidelines, and consider growing your own so you can control how it is harvested thus avoiding harmful carcinogens.

Are Rhubarb Leaves Poisonous127

6 Toxic Spring Plants to Avoid Eating this Spring

Are rhubarb leaves poisonous? Is Lily of the Valley poisonous? Is Foxglove poisonous? Let’s find out, and let’s discover three additional Spring plants to avoid eating. Foraging has become more popular in recent years, but we have to make sure we know what we’re looking for!

Perennial Vegetables224

My 5 Favorite Perennial Vegetables for Your Garden

This year, put away the tiller and plant some perennial vegetables. You will eat earlier, work less, and build your soil all at once! Delicious edibles pop up with the first warm days allowing you to eat fresh garden produce much earlier than normal.