Five Herbs to Get You Through Winter

Every season has its herbs, the plants that speak to what the body needs when conditions are specific. Winter is not a time to be without plant allies, and these five are the ones that matter most when the days are short and illness is more likely to be around....

Chamomile: The Herb That Everyone Thinks They Know

Most people have had chamomile tea. The little round teabag, the faintly apple-scented steam, the mild flavor that is pleasant enough without being remarkable. That version of chamomile is not wrong, exactly. But it is like meeting someone at a party and thinking you...

Cleavers: Spring’s Sticky Gift to the Lymphatic System

If you have walked through a hedge in spring and found yourself covered in small sticky green things, you have had an intimate encounter with Galium aparine. Cleavers, goosegrass, sticky willy: it has more country names than almost any plant in the British tradition,...

Dandelion: The Whole-Plant Medicine Growing in Your Garden

The dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) grows on every continent except Antarctica. It appears in every garden not treated with herbicide, in pavement cracks, in neglected corners, and in the most inhospitable places. It produces medicine in every part of itself across...

Warming Herbs for Cold Days: Ginger, Cinnamon, and Their Friends

The concept of warming herbs makes immediate intuitive sense on a cold day. Every herbal tradition has developed warming plant medicines, and while they differ in specifics, they share a recognition that cold, contracted, and sluggish are states that certain plants...