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Repost – Elderberry….what is not to love?
Sambucus is the genus of this amazing plant. From our love of blueberries and now a growing love for acai, we know that polyphenols are essential to good health. This lovely berry also has them and oh so much more. It has scandal, medicine, and color! I can’t even recall where I read this little tidbit but it’s something posted on drflower’s facebook page a few weeks ago. It still resonates. “Did you know that the exact chemical components of all essential oils remain unknown? There is still a micro-frontier! Amazing!” psst… Polyphenol research is a part of this mystery. We must back up and look at the forest as…
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Repost – Part II: Elderberry….what is not to love?
Be sure to read Part 1 here. 😉 In my research I find that I’m not alone in my elderberry flower/fruit obsession. It seems that elderberries.com has created a ning network of folks that are as passionate about this botanical as I am! Yayy! There are several recipes on this site that could be of interest. I believe it is sponsored by a spice company. Many of the recipes that I’ve tried have come from The Essential Herbal magazine. The folks there are very helpful and accessible for any questions you might have. If you have questions about what an elderberry bush looks like, the elderberries.com forum has many good…
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Healing Weed Food – Vernal Equinox
This past weekend was a scheduled girls event at Rock Star Farms for a bunch of ladies to get together and work on the garden that is meant for herbs. It’s been amazing seeing the changes transform at this farm! Last year, this circle was the only section planted. This year, most of the heavy food planting is done in beds around this circle that is destined to be a medicine wheel. Our objective was to weed and get all those volunteer plants up and out! Another neat transformation that occurred during this process was a shift in how this group saw weeds. There were two kinds in particular that…
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Genetically Modified Organisms – Are we being nice to Mother Nature?
I’m sure that you’ve heard this Acronym before, GMO. What does it really mean? The first time I heard about it, I had to look it up too. Read this article and we’ll give you a little bit about what it is and why opinions are so high about it. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. What are they? To get to the heart of it, we have to throw out a few more acronyms. One you’ve probably heard before that has transformed the criminal justice system. DNA evidence ring a bell? DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid. If it’s a living thing, it has this and another one…
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Part II: Elderberry….what's not to love?
Be sure to read Part 1 here. 😉 In my research I find that I’m not alone in my elderberry flower/fruit obsession. It seems that elderberries.com has created a ning network of folks that are as passionate about this botanical as I am! Yayy! There are several recipes on this site that could be of interest. I believe it is sponsored by a spice company. Many of the recipes that I’ve tried have come from The Essential Herbal magazine. The folks there are very helpful and accessible for any questions you might have. If you have questions about what an elderberry bush looks like, the elderberries.com forum has…
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Elderberry….what's not to love?
Sambucus is the genus of this amazing plant. From our love of blueberries and now a growing love for acai, we know that polyphenols are essential to good health. This lovely berry also has them and oh so much more. It has scandal, medicine, and color! I can’t even recall where I read this little tidbit but it’s something posted on drflower’s facebook page a few weeks ago. It still resonates. “Did you know that the exact chemical components of all essential oils remain unknown? There is still a micro-frontier! Amazing!” psst… Polyphenol research is a part of this mystery. We must back up and look at the…
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Herbal Drops – Candy with a health kick
As an avid reader of many things herbal, the magazine sporting the name of The Essential Herbal is of course a favorite. Several issues back, there was an article on making horehound cough drops. Since then, I’ve gone from “very much like” to extreme obsession of Elderberry. The idea of using this herb/fruit to ward off flu strains instead of vaccinations has been a lot of my motivation to learn more. (If you ask my friends, few conversations about health don’t contain the word elderberry. It’s why I say obsessed.) Last week, we made lovely herbal drops without horehound or even peppermint anywhere in sight! Elderberry and lemon balm were…
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Ten neat things about the Garlic plant…
Ten neat things that I’ve discovered or rediscovered about garlic. Garlic sauteed in olive oil is a comforting smell in our home. This plant is packed with legends, stories, science and more. Some of this information you know, some facts you don’t and maybe there’s a few that you’ve forgotten. Legend is that it will repel vampires….what it really repels is bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Yayy! Garlic cloves peel easier if you smash them first with the flat side of a knife. Wash hands with any stainless steel kitchen tool to remove the odor of garlic. Garlic is one of the main ingredients in the four thieves blend that is…
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Last Thursday's Atlanta Botanical Garden Lecture
Some days you just need a good excuse to travel downtown into the City! Atlanta is a beautiful city of trees. Sometimes it’s hard to stop everything and take the time to drive down. I’ve just joined the Atlanta Botanical Garden to do just that! This lecture series is one of several nudges to do so. As I learn more about the gardens, I’m sure I’ll understand a bit why they call this lecture a part of the Alston Lecture series. What drew me to the lecture? Two main things. It was free and the topic was plants as medicine. A talk on plants…does it send you into the idea…
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Are you Treating yourself?
Are you running from one task to the other? Trying to get everything done that you need to? Are you just a little bit stressed? This is just a little note to remind you to be good to YOU! You’ll be a lot more productive if you take a moment and do something nice for you. No one knows better when you need it most…. Some folks put half and half in their coffee. Some folks have a nice cup of hot tea. Other folks have a nice glass of wine when they get home. About to take a shower? Don’t forget to reach for that bar of Dr. Flower’s All Natural Handmade Soap. It’s…
