Herbs
Offerings: Homemade vinegars, teas, salves, fire cider, tinctures, infused herbal honeys, burning bundles, bath salts, food as medicine; local foraging walks with care; herbal workshops including making your own salves
Some Winter herbal care
This is a time of year for rest, nourishment, care for the kidneys and water in the body, and deep restoration. Here are a few ways to work with an herb this winter, seaweed.
Seaweeds are amazing, and have a ton of minerals and nutrients that can feed your extracellular matrix and support a lot of your body systems, including the adrenal system, that helps you process stress. They can help ease tension and soreness, promote tissue repair, and lubricate the joints. You can find a great guide to seaweeds through Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism’s podcast, here and here. There are lots of edible varieties, and a little bit goes a long way. You can often find them in your local grocery store in the sushi section. You can also support your local seaweed farmers in Maine.
Throw a slice of kombu or other seaweed in when you’re cooking rice or stew. Make a bone broth or shiitake mushroom broth with seaweed, garlic, ginger, miso, and greens. You can add in some Japanese Knotweed if your yard has this weed handy. This is amazing for supporting the joints and for arthritis conditions.
Make a foot bath or bath with seaweed, chamomile tea bags, epsom salts and ginger. Put a pot of water to boil on the stove, add the seaweed and any other herbs you like, and wait for it to cool enough to put your feet in. If you’re running a bath, it’s easier to clean it up if you let it dry, then sweep it up- or you can use a coffee filter as a bag.
Soak some seaweed in warm water, and put it right on your shoulder, or wherever you feel sore or tight. You can wrap it with an ace bandage if you like. This is amazing for sprains and bruises, as well. You can re-use the seaweed patch a number of times- let it dry, and soak it again when you are ready for more. When you are finished, the seaweed water and seaweed are great compost for plants.
