
Rooibos for Radiant Health
Like many other herbalists, I like to drink herbal tea with or after my meals. However, it’s not always easy ...
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Reishi, the Longevity Herb
I love discussing my favorite herbs as they tend to have many diverse, not to mention effective, uses. The topic ...
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Touring the Kirstenbosch Gardens in South Africa
Since a young child I’ve been a traveler, and one of my favorite places to visit are gardens. There are ...
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Loquat Leaf: For Much More than Just Coughs!
The shift from summer to fall is perhaps the most difficult adjustment for most folks healthwise; colds, flu and viruses ...
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Echinacea: The Powerhouse Herb
When I was recently (and accidentally) bitten by a cat, I immediately reached for my echinacea tincture. Does that choice ...
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Rosemary Tea Instead of Coffee? Yes!
Many of you may already know about the traditional dandelion and chicory “coffee” combination, but are you aware of rosemary ...
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Magnolia Magic: A Spring-Blooming Tree May Be Your Medicine
Magnolia bark (Magnolia officinalis, hou po) is a bit of a magical herb because it not only comes from a ...
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Welcome to Spring: Honeysuckle
I know spring is here to stay when our honeysuckle blooms. I remember in my early childhood plucking the flowers ...
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Citrus Peel and Hawthorn Fruit for Food Stagnation
The other day I saw a woman with complaints of burping and belching all day long that was worse when ...
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Dosing: A Key to Herbal Effectiveness
How do you know if you’re taking enough of your herbs or herbal formula? Or what if you’re taking the ...
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Not Your Usual Herbal Gift Ideas
In addition to the usual herbal gifts of herbal wreaths, vinegars, soaps, candles, spices, potted plants, flowers, beauty products and ...
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The Wonders of Teasel
Teasel is a beautiful herb with a tall bristly head that grows in many places around the world. I once ...
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Turmeric: For Best Results, Use It Properly
Turmeric has become increasingly popular over the last decade, first for blood purification and then for joint pain. As it’s ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat, Part 6 of 6
In the West we tend to think of heat as inflammation; yet, it can take many other forms as we’ve ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 5 of 6: Cucumber, Hibiscus and Watermelon
September is the time of year that “Summer Heat” often arises because it’s either extra hot this time of year ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 4 of 6: Goldenseal/Coptis and Oregon Grape/Barberry
Continuing our discussion about herbs that clear heat, the next category is a very commonly seen one: herbs that clear ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 3 of 6: Tree Peony, Chinese Figwort, and Marshmallow Root
The herbal category, Herbs that Cool the Blood, is not known in Western herbalism but is one of the five ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 2 of 6: Echinacea and Red Clover
This blog series that began last month considers how Western herbalism treats heat as inflammation with little differentiation in herbal ...
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Herbs that Clear Heat 1 of 6: Sweet Violet and Pansy
Like Western medicine, Western herbalism today considers heat as inflammation with little differentiation in herbal treatment. Yet, heat is not ...
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The Salty Flavor: Seaweed
To finish up the flavors for the year, we have one left – salty. Most herbs that are salty are ...
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Delicious Herbal Holiday Recipes for Kids and Adults
I often receive letters from children about my Kids Herb Book expressing their joy in making things and learning about ...
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2020 – What a Year for East West!
Finally, we’re reaching the end of 2020! I can’t tell you how many people have yearned to see this year ...
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Spicy Flavor and Digestive Trikatu
The spicy flavor has many understandings and an interesting function. When most people think of “spicy,” they think of spicy ...
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Watermelon Medicine: Fruit, Seed and Rind
Sweet is the flavor of the Spleen time of year, including this month of August. In July, I discussed the ...
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Jujube Dates to Usher in the Earth Time of Year
From July through about mid-September, we are in the “Earth time of year” with its organs, the Spleen and Stomach ...
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Chamomile: Gentle Yet Powerful
Since we are in the “season” of the Heart, we’ve been covering bitter herbs. The bitter flavor cleanses the blood ...
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California Poppy: Gentle Sedative and Pain Reliever
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we are in the Heart “time of year,” early summer, meaning that the heart’s ...
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The Bitter Flavor in Herbs
The flavor of an herb is different than its taste. Taste is subjective while flavor is a major indicator of ...
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Symptom-Specific Herbal Protection from Viruses
We are in cold and flu season, which especially hits during the summer-to-fall and winter-to-spring months. How do you prevent ...
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Colds and Flu: Common-Sense Prevention Tactics
Anyone who’s heard tales from grandparents or great-grandparents who lived during the 1918 flu pandemic will understand the world’s great ...
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Staying Healthy This Winter
Whether you live in balmy, tropical Hawaii, or sub-zero, frosty Minnesota, the energy of winter is the same: storage. At ...
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