.happy solstice.

Happy Solstice! A moment to celebrate the returning light and the beginning of the winter season. A moment to remember to slow down and embrace the season to turn inwards. I'm a summer person - I love the heat and the energy but this year I feel like I'm opening more and more to the gifts and beauty of winter. I have a favorite woodland near my house that I walk a few times a week and have found some beautiful young pine trees on these walks. Today I collected some to make pine needle vinegar. It's super simple, similar to balsamic vinegar and super high in vitamin C.

||Pine Needle Vinegar ||

Just collect white pine needles - enough to fill jar size of your choice. Then wash the needles and remove brown parts. Pour organic vinegar (I use ACV) over the needle to fill up the jar and cover with a plastic lid or I covered with wax paper and metal lid. Let set for 6 weeks and then enjoy! You can find more pine needle ideas here.

Winter's Cloak 

By Joyce Rupp

This year I do not want
the dark to leave me.
I need its wrap
of silent stillness,
its cloak
of long lasting embrace.
Too much light
has pulled me away
from the chamber
of gestation.
come late,
let the sunsets
arrive early,
let the evenings
extend themselves
while I lean into
the abyss of my being.
of my soul,
for too much light
blinds me,
steals the source
of revelation.
Let me seek solace
in the empty places
of winter's passage,
those vast dark nights
that never fail to shelter me.
Let the dawns
Let me lie in the cave

.cultivating calmness.

S L O W Sunday/// I attended a wonderful herb class yesterday called cultivating calmness. The class introduced me to  calming - grounding herbs: milky oats - hawthorn - tulsi - lavender. The herbalist talked about the need for our bodies to slow down during this holiday and winter season. To find out natural rhythm, which is to turn inwards this time of year. Just like the trees are dropping leaves - no longer putting their energy outwards but instead redirecting their energy inwards, down to their roots. I resist winter, always. I am quick to move, curious to try something new, hungry for change - slowing down is something I don't know how to do. I really felt the need to start incorporating these herbs into my daily life - my self-care routine. So today on this beautiful slow sun drenched Sunday afternoon I am taking time to blend calm teas.

Here is a little recipe of the tea I made:

Cultivating Calmness Tea
recipe via Steph Zabel

2      tablespoons milky oat tops
1.5   tablespoons tulsi (holy basil)
1      tablespoon lemon balm
.5    teaspoon lavender

Use one heaping spoonful for every 8-12oz of hot water. Allow to steep for at least 10-15 minutes in order to get all the wonderful properties of the herbs.

Drink this tea daily to help nourish your nervous system, support adrenal fatigue and ground your energy. Take time this season to practice more self-care!! xx

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You can find these herbs at most natural foods stores in the bulk herb sections or a great online source is Mountain Rose Herbs.

.beautiful.

well woman tea

It differentiates for every woman, the first day of your menstruation. Sometimes cycles can even alternate with the month - this awareness aids us to better understand the process of our fertility and better care for our bodies. This month I'm feeling a little extra sleepy, achy, anxious, and emotional so I made myself a well woman tea and found it to be just what I needed.

.well woman tea.

2 tablespoons Raspberry Leaf  - helps support the female reproductive organs

2 teaspoons    Nettle Leaf - helps regulate the menstrual cycle, great source of iron.

1 teaspoon   Skullcap              - a mild relaxant to ease tension.

This makes a pot of tea. 

Brew for at least 10 mins to get all the benefits of the herbs!

note: I like to add a little bit of honey to mine.

wholistic woman: herbal teas

I've always been fascinated by herbs and natural healing and even more so after my natural medicine training in Malawi. Herbs can be digested in many forms, but mostly I love making teas!! (note to reader: always consult with your doctor to know if something is right for you. all our bodies digest, absorb, and process herbs/food/medicine differently and herbs are powerful!). 

How to make herbal teas:

-8 oz of boling water

-1-2 teaspoons of selected herb (some ideas below)

-honey or your favorite sweetener (optional)

-your favorite mug

*let steep for about 5 mins and enjoy*

wholistic herbs for women

raspberry leaves:

"Raspberry leaf tea has been used for centuries as a folk medicine to treat in persons of all ages and anemia, leg cramps, diarrhea, and morning sickness in pregnant women, and as a uterine relaxant. Commentators frequently state that recent scientific research found no benefit in raspberry tea for expectant mothers, but this is not correct. The study published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health in 2001 found that women who drank raspberry leaf tea had shorter labor, and fewer of their babies were delivered by forceps."* It's also just a great overall regulator of female reproductive organs!

nettle leaves:

"Nettle leaf is among the most valuable herbal remedies.  Because of its many nutrients, it is a slow-acting nutritive herb that gently cleanses the body of metabolic wastes.  It has a gentle, stimulating effect on the lymphatic system, enhancing the excretion of wastes through the kidneys.  

Nettle’s iron content makes it a wonderful blood builder, and the presence of vitamin C aids in the iron absorption.  As a hemetic (an herb rich in iron), this is an excellent herb for anemia and fatigue, especially in women.

Stinging nettle is beneficial during pregnancy due to its rich mineral value and vitamin K, which guards against excessive bleeding.  It is also a good supplement to strengthen the fetus.  It is used during labor to ease the pains, and will increase milk production in lactating women. Stinging nettle is often recommended for pre-menstrual syndrome because of its toxin-ridding activity.  When the liver is sluggish, it processes estrogen slowly, contributing to the high levels that cause or aggravate PMS.  It acts as a restorative remedy during menopause, and the astringency of the herb helps in excessive menstrual flow. "

I like mixing nettle leaves with my favorite black tea (irish breakfast), a teaspoon of honey, and a drop of milk! yum.

skullcap:
"It was highly valued by the Cherokee and other tribes as an emmenagogue and female medicinal herb, sometimes used as a ceremonial plant to introduce young girls into womanhood. This plant has considerable value as a sedative. Skullcap reduces stress, anxiety and nervous tension, promotes inner calm, and counteracts insomnia. Because of its antispasmodic action, it may also be helpful in treating menstrual cramps, childbirth pains, and convulsions."



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all this wonderful herbalicous info is brought to you by http://www.mountainroseherbs.com it's also a great supplier of bulk organic herbs!!http://aliciaelizabeth.blogspot.com/2012/04/blessing.html