Calendula: Growing, Harvesting, and Using the Pot Marigold

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is the plant that most herbalists describe as the first herb to grow if you can only grow one. It is extraordinarily easy to grow from seed, flowers prolifically from early summer through first frost (giving it one of the longest...

Herbs for Skin in Summer: Sun, Heat, and Plant Allies

Summer is simultaneously the season when the skin gets the most use and the most abuse: sun exposure, heat, insect bites, swimming in chlorinated water, and the general combination of outdoor activity and environmental stress that the season delivers. The medicinal...

Herbs for the Skin in Late Summer: Sunburn, Bites, and Heat

By August, summer has been doing its work on skin for several weeks: sun exposure, insect activity, swimming, heat rash, and the general abrasion of an active outdoor season. The herbs that address these specific late-summer skin situations are often growing in the...