Hawthorn: The Herb of the Heart

Hawthorn is a hedgerow tree, one of the most common in the British and European landscape, thorny and dense and ancient-looking even when young. In late spring it covers itself in white blossom. In autumn the branches are heavy with deep red berries (haws). Most...

Herbal Honeys: Making Medicinal Infused Honey at Home

Honey and herbs have belonged together for as long as human beings have had access to both. Every ancient civilization that left medical records used honey as both medicine and preparation vehicle. The Egyptians made medicated honeys for wound dressing. Ayurveda...

Lemon Balm: The Joyful Herb

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has been called the herb that makes the heart merry. Herbalists who worked with it centuries ago wrote this, and it captures something that anyone who has spent real time with the plant recognizes. There is a gentle, lifting quality to...

Making a Simple Elderberry and Thyme Oxymel

An oxymel is honey and vinegar together as a vehicle for plant medicine. The word is ancient Greek and the preparation is at least as old as Hippocrates. In the winter context, there is no better combination of herbs for this format than elderberry and thyme: two...

Elderflower: From Spring Blossom to Medicine Cabinet

The elder tree (Sambucus nigra) is almost entirely useful from root to berry tip. Most people know the berry from winter immune supplements, but fewer know the flower, which has its own distinct and valuable medicinal character. The flower and the berry come from the...