.herbs || lemon balm.

 The days are still hot here but getting shorter and shorter. I always find myself holding onto August, not wanting summer to be over just yet, but it feels like this year and this summer have flown by. The best part of late August is the bounty! It feels like everything in my family's gardens is overflowing! I tried a new nectarine jam recipes this weekend and have started preserving our herbs to enjoy in the fall and winter in a cup of tea. Yesterday, I cut some lemon balm and tied it up to dry.

Lemon balm is such a special herb! Not only does it grow very easily, it's a part of the mint family so if you're familiar with how mint grows then you know it's doesn't hold back, but it also has a lot of wonderful properties that we could all benefit from during this time! In April, I attended a virtual course with one of my favorite herbalist, Steph Zabel of Flowerfolk Herbs that focused on herbs for navigating uncertain times. One of the herbs she highlighted was lemon balm! Some of the wonderful properties of lemon balm she mentioned were:

1. It calms + relaxes - soothes social nerves
2. It's a gentle sedative - this makes it great for a bedtime tea
3. Its lifts spirits - traditional herbalist says that it brings joy
4. It's kid safe - it's a part of the mint family so it's gentle enough for anyone to consume
5. It has anti-viral properties

If you want to learn more about it's history, Steph wrote up an interesting blog post here or keep scrolling to find some yummy lemon balm tea recipes!

Lemon balm can be enjoyed fresh or dried as a single herb tea or as a blend. 

Lemon Balm Tea

1 heaping tbsp dried leaves or 2 heaping tbsp fresh leaves (with fresh leaves I like to muddle or chop them to get the yummy bright essential oils to release)

1 cup of boil water

Steep leaves for 10 mins or more. The longer you brew the more properties of healing herbs will be available, unlike black or green tea that have shorter brew times. 

Anxiety Releasing Tea recipe by Steph Zabel

2 tbsp oat straw

1.5 tbsp skullcap

1.5 tbsp lemon balm (double if using fresh)

2 tsp rose petals 

Steep tea for 10 mins or more and enjoy!

-------------------

Have you tried lemon balm before? What herbs are growing in your garden?

 

.full moon in aries tea.

Words, Recipe + Inspiration from Steph Zabel:

"I trust that I know the truth for myself."

Trusting ourselves involves connecting in to our own power and taking action with confidence. But before there can be trust there must be truth. Trust -- above all -- involves truth, honesty and integrity.
It can be challenging to trust in the external world as there are many illusions that surround us -- many people and situations certainly prove themselves to be untrustworthy.

But despite what happens in the external world we can always cultivate a deep trust in ourselves. And if we all work on trusting ourselves then the world becomes a more truthful and trustworthy place.
Just as you can only trust another person when you know they are telling the truth, you can only trust yourself when you are completely honest with yourself.

When you doubt yourself you move around in confusion and shadows; when you trust in yourself you clearly see what is right and true for you. 

With this moon tea you can affirm: 

I trust that I am exactly where I am meant to be. I trust that life -- my life and all of life -- is unfolding exactly as it should.

 I trust that I make the best decisions for myself. 

I trust that I know the truth. 

Keep these statements in mind as you make the tea, and especially as you drink it...

CALENDULA
(Calendula officinalis)
~ to center us in our power ~

HAWTHORN
(Crataegus spp.)
~ to offer support & comfort when we feel self-doubt ~

FENNEL SEED
(Foeniculum vulgare)
~ to help us clearly see what is true ~

ROSEMARY
(Rosmarinus officinalis)
~ to remember who we really are ~

HOW TO MAKE THE MOON TEA:

~ Take the herbs above and place as much or as little of them as you feel is the right amount into a clean glass jar. (As a starting point I usually use anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of dried herbs per 1 cup of water.)

~ If you don't have all of these herbs, it's ok. Use what you have. You can used dried or fresh herbs. Everyone's moon tea will be a little different. 

~ In the evening pour pure, room-temperature water over the herbs then let your covered jar sit in the light of the full moon overnight.

~ Your tea can steep anywhere the moonlight will touch it. This can be in a backyard, on a balcony, or on a windowsill. Try to place it somewhere elevated and with a clear view of the sky so it can catch as many moonbeams as possible.

~ If moonlight is not able to reach the steeping jar (as when it's cloudy or rainy) that's ok -- the intent behind the moon tea will still be strong, and that's where much of the transformative power of this tea resides.

~ Remember that other readers are placing their tea jars out to steep on the same evening, and send them telepathic greetings and well-wishes. Keep the intent in mind as you do so. 

~ The next morning strain out the herbs (and compost them, if possible).

~ You can drink this brew throughout the whole next day or all at once. Remember to keep the intention in mind as you drink:

"I trust that I know the truth for myself."

.full moon tea.

Inspired by the words + recipe of Herbalist, Steph Zabel’s most recent newsletter that contained blend for a full moon tea I am making my very first full moon tea tonight! 

A full moon tea is blended and then soaked in the full moonlight overnight. Full moon tea can be a grounding ritual to help align with the cycle of the moon, a moment to meditate, a nourishing self-care practice to give gratitude, a release of energy of the past moon cycle, a moment to set intuitions for the a start of a new moon cycle, and a hundred other reasons. For me it offers a moment of pause to set intention for the next few weeks.

I connected with Steph’s words: 

"When we are drawn away from our center we lose some of our strength, power, and clarity. We are more prone to anxiety, worry, fear and anger. We have a harder time knowing what is true and right for ourselves. We are more likely to react to external situations rather than respond from our centeredness.
 

The intent of this moon blend is to return our attention back to our internal world, that place of peace, truth, joy and possibility. This place is our center.

Keep this intent in mind as you make the tea, and especially as you drink it”

Her blend included:Wood betony, St. John’s Wort, Sage and Rose. I didn’t have all these herbs so I made my own blend.

|| Full Moon Tea || 

1 tablespoon Raspberry leaf

1 tablespoon Calendula

1 tablespoon Milky Oat Tops

1 tablespoon Rose Petals 

Raspberry leaf, Calendula and Milky Oat Tops are great herbs for awakening the heart and calming/nourishing the nerves and Rose Petals hold a balancing energy.

Blend herbs and place in a glass jar, fill the jar with water and set the jar outside or in window where it can soak up the moonlight! Leave overnight. Strain herbs in the morning and enjoy the tea!