A vibrant orange flower that is planted in the fall, easily grows throughout the winter, and greets you in the early spring, is none other than Calendula officinales, also known as pot marigold. Not a true marigold, Calendula should not be mistaken as a marigold for it maintains unique and very strong medicinal properties.

Here in Central Texas, Calendula seeds should be planted in the fall in full sun. They will grow during a mild winter and reward you with early bright orange, sometimes yellow flowers that bloom steadily and can be harvested as needed. During the heat of our summers, you might loose your Calendula crop, but a few of my plants have surprisingly survived over one or two summers. The flowers of Calendula are edible and quite beautiful in a fresh green salad. The flowers have anti-depressant properties (who could stay depressed just looking at these bright, sunny flowers), as well as excellent anti-inflammatory properties most useful for skin disorders.   I use the flowers most often to make a soothing Calendula Salve. I often make a simple Calendula Salve, but also combine this incredible herb with other herbs that are useful for skin problems. I include Calendula flowers in all my salves including All-Purpose Salve, Fungal Salve, Scratch No More Salve, Black Salve and Wound Salve. Applied externally Calendula salve will effectively treat burns, stop bleeding, soothe the pain of injuries and irritation, and promote the healing of wounds, insect bites and bruises. Calendula is also excellent for chapped lips, frostbite, hemorrhoids and a wide variety of skin disorders. Calendula can also be taken as a tea to reduce fevers, ease menstrual cramps and help promote healing of eruptive skin disorders like measles.

A miraculous little flower, Calendula has a permanent home in my garden. Last year on Valentine’s Day I had a Calendula flower blooming through the snow that fell that day. Calendula enjoys the cold weather and that is why it needs to be planted in the fall so we can enjoy its winter or early spring arrival.

So if you didn’t have the opportunity to plant seeds this fall, go out and buy some 4 inch plants and transplant them in to your garden. Remember to collect the seeds so you’ll have a fresh crop every year.

Fall is the best time to plant many herbs, flowers and vegetables here in Central Texas. So get busy in the garden,  prepare your soil and enjoy the bounty that Mother Nature so graciously provides you.

With Warm Green Blessings,

Ellen

 

 

 

 

 

We all need to take good care of our heart, our center, our organ that pumps blood, oxygen, nutrients and life throughout our body. There are many herbs that are “heart-healthy” and I will mention just a few of them is this Blog.

Cayenne Pepper, Capsicum annum, is a strong and easily grown herb that has a profound effect on the heart. You can grow Cayenne in the summertime here in Central Texas where you will be delighted to harvest these beautiful red peppers over the summer. I have recently made a new Cayenne Tincture and it is available for sale here. Cayenne is quite helpful in lowering blood cholesterol, assists with high blood pressure and can even delay or stop a heart attack when taken immediately as any pains begin.

Did you know that Roses, Rosa, spp. are not only beautiful flowers, but roses are also herbs. Roses are large or small shrubs, moderate to vigorous climbers and appear in numerous colors, scents and shapes. I love Antique Roses as they grow the best in our environment, require less care than the Hybrid roses, are more disease resistant and produce more fragrance and better, more nutritious rose hips. Rose petals are velvety soft and high in mucilage. Roses are also “cooling” for fevers, and are used as an astringent for infantile or childhood diarrhea. Not only a symbol of love, friendship and passion, but growing roses and using the rose flowers, leaves and hips can be rewarding for use in cosmetics and medicine. Rose Tincture is an excellent remedy for a broken heart and specific for treating grief. It truly OPENS the HEART and allows more love inside. Cleopatra had her servants gather rose petals to scatter in her boudoir to entice the affections of her chosen one. Legends have it the couple would stand knee deep within the deep fragrance of the blossoms, swooning from the erotic aroma.  Try some incredible Rose Tincture today.

Another “Heart” herb is Hawthorn, Crataegus oxyacantha, a large shrub or tree that grows in many areas of the world. Hawthorn is a cardiac tonic and can be used both preventively and for some acute situations. I take a Hawthorn blend of the flowers, leaves and berries and use it as a preventative since both of my parents have had heart disease. I was delighted to see dozens and dozens of Hawthorne trees in bloom on my recent Plant Lover’s Journey to Ireland.  The Irish said they haven’t seen a year like this in a long time.  The Irish are not the only lucky ones!! You can drink a tea from the dried berries or take the blend as a tincture. Hawthorn is known to normalize blood pressure, it is strengthening to the heart muscles weakened by age and helpful for nervous heart problems and irregular heart beat. Hawthorn has been used for many, many years as a safe, heart tonic and does not have any known contra-indications for use with allopathic medicines.

Red Clover, Trifolium pratense, is another effective herb that  benefits the heart.  It can particularly help with the strengthening of menopausal heart muscle.   One important contra-indication to using Red Clover is that it has a blood thinning constituient,  Coumarin, so if you are on a blood thinning medication like Coumadin, you probably should avoid using it.  Red Clover also has benefits for the lungs, is used in cancer therapy and is a great herb for the female reproductive system.

Also beneficial to the female reproductive system is one of my favorites, Motherwort, Leonaurus cardiaca. This lovely, purple-flowering herb grows very easily in our central Texas gardens and will reseed itself readily, so once you have it, you have it. Like Hawthorn, Motherwort has a tonic effect on the heart. It is used to promote circulation, for rapid heartbeat, arteriosclerosis and helps to dissolve blood clots. Motherwort also acts as a sedative for stress following childbirth and at menopause. Because of Motherwort’s ability to stimulate uterine contractions, it should not be used during pregnancy. It is, however, used during actual labor to facilitate childbirth. As the famous 17^th Century Herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper wrote “Motherwort drives the melancholy vapors from the heart”. Used as a sedative and heart tonic, Motherwort can ease depression and calm the nervous system.

There are many ways to stay heart-healthy. Using herbs is just one. I believe it is important to eat a healthy diet, to exercise regularly, to maintain good relationships and to do something everyday for you, someone else and something creative. Your heart will stay open, vibrant and strong.

 

With Warm Green Blessings,

Ellen

 

 

 

 

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I just received a package of freshly harvested Kava kava Root, Piper methysticum, from my source in Hawaii so I am inspired to write about it. He digs it up from the ground and quickly sends it along with some dirt still on it so it is FRESH! I am so lucky to be able to process and sell this fresh Kava Root as a tincture. I call Kava my ‘Big Guns” as it is probably the strongest herbal medicine I make.

Kava has been used for centuries in places like Hawaii, Fiji and the Polynesian Islands where it grows naturally. It is a ceremonial herb that is usually made in to a tea and shared with others in a community. Kava kava is quite relaxing as it works on the nervous system to alleviate anxiety, ease tension, reduce the frequency of insomnia, and helps to create a euphoric mood. Kava kava is also a strong muscle relaxer. If you have neck, shoulder or back tension, using Kava may relax your muscles and help initiate the healing process.

Years ago Kava was taken off the market for a period of time, as some considered it unsafe. Kava is strong medicine and should be used wisely but it is safe when used occasionally for specific situations. The problem was that some students in California overused it to relax and some liver issues developed. This has never been proven that the liver problems were from the Kava. Needless to say it is always wise to use any herb, or drug, or food, moderately and only when needed.

Kava Bars have gained much popularity in Austin and around the country. I believe there are several here now and they are fun to visit and share some Kava tea with friends for a calm, relaxing and fun evening. Kava kava facilitates good communication while feeling relaxed and alert.

I like to process it as a tincture for convenient use, but traditionally it is processed as a strong tasting tea served in locally made traditional bowls and cups. This is quite a nice and interesting way of imbibing this tea.

In recent times, sports persons and business people use Kava to significantly improve performance by reducing daily stresses. It is also interesting to note that the use of Kava has been employed by the military, in some parts of the world, to reduce anxiety and improve the focus of its soldiers.

Kava kava will help you sleep; it will relieve muscle tension and will create a feeling of calm. It is strong. It will leave a tingling, numbing taste in your mouth. Use it wisely and it will be a good friend.

Many of my customers buy it for plane rides, for sleep when other herbs just don’t do the trick and for relaxation. Try some today if you like, check out my tincture page: http://www.ezherbs.net/herbal-products/tinctures/ but I also recommend trying Passionflower or Peaceful Spirit or California Poppy first, as they are less strong but still very effective.

Respect for this ancient herb is well deserved and please use it consciously. You will enjoy and appreciate it’s good effect.

Many Green Blessings, Ellen

Spring can arrive early in Central Texas. The bluebonnets will soon appear, the Indian Paintbrushes, Evening Primrose and Indian Blankets are on their way. My garden is full of poppies, especially my beloved Dorothy Poppies. They are crowded in the vegetable garden just like Dorothy’s were. Several different kinds of poppies live happily in the garden including Red poppy, Papaver rhoeas, some white and lavender poppies, Dorothy poppies and California poppies, Eschscholzia californica which I will discuss today.

First of all, if you want lots of poppies in your garden you can plant them from seed in December and they will be one of the first to arrive in spring. Once you have them, let them go to seed and you will have them everywhere, forever. You can harvest some of the seeds from the delightful poppy seed pod (a very attractive seed pod often used in dried flower arrangements – come see them in my greenhouse), and use them for baking cookies and breads and give them away to friends. Those tiny seeds go a long way.

The red poppies seem to be a prolific grower here. The Dorothy poppy is a full double or triple petal, a gorgeous rosy pink and the most incredible, sweet, luscious flower. After some time the pom pom rosy poppy will revert back to a flat flower. How interesting!!! The Oriental poppies including the red, white,  lavender and pink all contain a number of alkaloids with sedative and hypnotic properties. The latex, which exudes from the stem, is a narcotic and should be avoided.

 The lovely little orange California poppy, Eschscholzia californica, is another perennial poppy that grows well here and the entire plant can be used as a sedative. This poppy does contain flavone glycocides but is not considered narcotic. The California poppy can be made into a tincture and used to relieve pain, as a sedative for insomnia, to help with anxiety, to allay diarrhea and to inhibit the cough reflex.

Many herbalists agree that California poppy, known as “nightcap” in the United States, can be used safely and gently as a sedative for sleeplessness, stress and tension and is often used for children. It blends well with other sedative herbs like Passionflower, Passiflora incarnata, Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis and Valerian, Valeriana officinalis. Remember when using an herb for the first time to use just a little to test for any allergic or negative reactions. If you would like to give this potent tincture a try check out the California Poppy Tincture my website and purchase some today.

If you ever get an opportunity to visit the high desert areas of Southern California in the early springtime, you will be delighted to see hills full of bright orange flowers. When I lived in Southern California I would load up the kids in the car and visit these wildflowers every year. How lucky we are to be able to grow them in our gardens in Texas.

Enjoy this glorious weather, get out there and tend your garden and walk in nature enjoying its miraculous wonder.

With Warm Green Blessings,

Ellen

 

It’s January, we are experiencing cold weather, we crave to warm up and I love to keep our wood-burning stove alive each night.. The herb that has been on my mind to write about is an aromatic, sweet, pungent herb, which many of us think of as a spice. That lovely herb is Cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum. A native of Sri Lanka, Cinnamon thrives in tropical climates. The tree prefers sandy soils, a lot of rain and a sheltered position. It was originally grown in Southern Asia and used as a treatment for diarrhea and fever long before it began it’s use as a culinary spice.  

I think of Cinnamon this time of year as I crave Cinnamon sticks in hot, spiced apple cider, in mulled wine, in my 10 herb, tasty  Chai tea and in Wassail. I recently sniffed the delightful aroma of cinnamon on many decorative Christmas ornaments, including fireplace brooms and scented pine cones for the fireplace. Cinnamon is not only used in cooking and baking, but it is also quite medicinal. Acting as a stimulant, Cinnamon warms the organs to treat diarrhea, cramps, heart and abdominal pains, coughing, wheezing and lower back pain. Being an excellent carminative (as many of the aromatic herbs are – the ones we use as spices); Cinnamon helps to relieve nausea and vomiting (due to the chemical constituents called catechins) and flatulence. One delicious way of preparing Cinnamon is simmering it in milk, with a bit of honey and then using it for indigestion, gas and diarrhea.

The dried bark of Cinnamon is used to stimulate circulation so it is an effective tea for the common cold. Cinnamon is excellent at lowering cholesterol and as a heart tonnic. It’s wonderful taste and action as an effective catalyst for other herbs, makes it quite useful in formula tea blends. The essential oil of Cinnamon can be used as a chest rub and as an abdominal massage for babies with colic. For the gardeners out there, Cinnamon essential oil is used to treat fungal disease on plants as it contains antifungal and antibacterial properties. Just mix a few drops of the essential oil in water, along with some orange oil, and spray the mixture on the affected parts of the plant.

Cinnamon zeylanicum is generally considered to have a somewhat stronger medicinal action, than it’s close relative, Cinnamomun cassia, although most species maintain similar properties.

Not only sweet, aromatic, delicious and great on toast, but good quality sticks of organically grown Cinnamon can be brewed up as a tea, by itself ( my students this last semester just adored the Cinnamon tea I brewed),  or mixed with other herbs when needed for colds, fever, indigestion or nausea. Cinnamon is an important ingredient in my quite famous High Energy Chai Tea which is a staple in my house for an afternoon tasty boost of energy.  Chai is good for the metabolism and digestion and brewing it creates the most delightful aroma in your home.

High Energy Chai Tea contains: Cinnamon chips, Ginger Root, Cardamom Pods, Coriander, Cloves, Chinese Star Anise, Black Pepper, Black Tea, Ginseng powder and Guarana powder.  The last two ingredients are what gives it the name of “High Energy”  It truly does give me a boost when I need it at 4pm in the afternoon.

Chai means “Tea” in Sanskrit.  When traveling to India you can sample many different kinds of Chai.  In America, Chai is a wonderful alternative to coffee, a tasty and refreshing beverage and has some medicinal properties.  Chai is good for digestion, containing many “Carminative herbs”, and assists in stimulating one’s metabolism.

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Brewing Directions

Use two tablespoons of dried herbs per quart of water.  Gently boil the herbs for 45 minutes.  Strain the herbs and mix tea with your choice of milk and sweetener. After straining the herbs, refill your pot with water and reuse the herbs a second time.  Boil for 30 minutes.  The tea is just as good the second time.  Your pot of tea can be left on the stove, without refrigeration, for up to 48 hours, and sometimes longer. So delicious and so economical!

Chai Tea is one of my best selling herbal products and one that I enjoy nearly everyday at home.  Perhaps you’ll give Chai a try and brew up some of your own.  You will love it!

May all of you be blessed with a joyous, healthy New Year with peace, love, kindness, generosity and wisdom.

With Warm Green Blessings,

Ellen