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Tag Archives: Health
Community Herbal Intensive in Northeast Ohio at the Trillium Center
I have been following the exciting developments at The Trillium Center for some time now so when fellow herbalist Leah Wolfe contacted me and asked if I’d share information about the upcoming Community Herbal Intensive, I quickly said, “Yes!”. This is sure to be an awesome opportunity for all plant enthusiasts to further their study in a hands-on, community-oriented way.
The Trillium Center logo
Here’s a little more from Leah:
The Community Herbal Intensive is an educational program for herbalists and other plant lovers who want to make a connection between herbal medicine and community health. The monthly workshops will take participants out into the field to work with plants or into the streets to develop community projects. This program is for anyone interested in furthering their studies of herbal medicine in a hands-on environment while developing skills for creating community projects. The goal of the program is to give participants skills, ideas, and strategies to start community projects that emphasize holistic health, folk medicine, education, gardening, and foraging. They will be introduced to the concepts of public health and liberation theory so herbs, education, and community health can be interwoven into well-planned projects. Get the application to learn more.
You can find the application by visiting this link on The Trillium Center’s website: Why CHI? With link to Application
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Autumn Wellness
Wandering around the yard it’s really starting to look like Autumn. Our big old oak has splotches of orange leaves, the sunflowers are falling over, and animals are scurrying about getting ready for winter.
Autumn is a beloved season by many — there are pumpkin flavored treats, spooky holidays, and the beautiful colors of late blooming wildflowers along with the splendor of changing trees. It is a time to treasure. However, the changing weather can also lead to increased susceptibility to colds, and some blue moods as the days get shorter and cold weather starts creeping in.
This season’s herbal wellness box is designed to help support your enjoyment of autumn’s beauty while also facilitating the inevitable transition to darker and colder days.
A spiced sugar scrub will delight your senses and leave you reveling in the joy of autumn while a hand cleansing gel with traditional anti-germ oils will help buffer you from seasonal illness.
We continue the celebration of autumn’s harvest with an apple cider infused soap, inspired by our prolific apple tree. There’s also a relaxing tea designed with my love of cozy fall nights in mind. It’s relaxing, but won’t totally put you to sleep either so it’s great for a mid-day break, too.
You’ll also learn about the importance of Bitters for digestive health as well as the role of adaptogenic herbs like holy basil in managing stress that can occur during seasonal transitions. Each of my wellness boxes comes with an informational letter teaching you about each of the products and how to use them appropriately.
The Autumn Share of my Seasonal Wellness boxes is available for you to enjoy for purchase through my Etsy shop. I’m also happy to arrange for pick-up of local orders!
I think you’ll enjoy celebrating the transition to this wonderful time of year with an Autumn Wellness Box. We thank you for your support, too!!
{We also have a class coming up this Thursday (10/8/15) on the farm. We’ll go for a plant walk around the yard and then discuss some recipes that you can make to support your transition to Autumn. Find out more here.}
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Revolution Review
It’s rare to find a documentary that appeals to both my interest in learning about the human condition as we live on an Earth with limited resources, and my interest in animal biology and ecosystem health.
Coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef has declined by 36% over the last 25 years. That’s an enormous loss. Photo © Rob Stewart. From the documentary film Revolution.
Revolution did just that with an appealing storyline, gorgeous cinematography, and an important message to share with viewers.
Through a mix of personal history, interviews, and travels to various sites around the world, Rob Stewart, who previously released the award-winning film Sharkwater, shares a compelling call to action. Our Earth is full of wondrous, magnificent places and beings and we are rapidly destroying much of it. Not only is this a tragedy because of what we are losing in biodiversity, but we do this much to our own detriment. To use resources the way that we do in the Western world, we would need SIX Earths to sustain us.
Obviously, we do not have six Earths, but we do have a lot of people who are waking up to our circumstances and are demanding people and politicians to also open their eyes and act accordingly.
Rainforest, Brazil. Photo © Brennan Grange. From the documentary film Revolution.
Expanding from filmmaker Rob Stewart’s background investigating the large scale slaughter of sharks, the film explores the interplay between ocean and terrestrial ecosystem health, why many ecosystems are in trouble, how this impacts us as humans, and what we must do to change the current course of events.
This complex subject is shared in an easily accessible and engrossing format that will leave you ready to make change in the world as well.
The movie is available to watch by following this link. I hope that you find it valuable and visually exciting as well.
Rob accepting the “Fossil of the Day” award on behalf of Canada – for doing the most to disrupt the climate negotiations at the UN Climate Conference UN CLIMATE CONFERENCE, 16TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP 16), in Cancun Mexico. Photo © Tristan Bayer http://www.earthnative.com From the documentary film Revolution.
FTC DISCLOSURE: As a way to support my blogging and related activities, I may receive monetary or other compensation for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services within this article. However, it is my promise to you that I am sharing my honest opinion and that I only recommend products or services that I have personally used or recommend and are in alignment with Light Footsteps ideals.
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Walking Mindfully
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” —John Muir
Today I was reminded of how important it is for me to do walking meditation.
There are many ways one can train and focus the mind, but walking meditation is by far my favorite, and I think it’s also an important part of feeling more connected with the natural world. Continue reading
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Steer Clear of Toxins to Improve Health and Fertility
Today I have a guest post from Nita Ewald of Nurture with Nita. We are both members of a local women’s group of holistic health providers and educators. I’m pleased to share with you this piece about the importance of avoiding toxins to improve your overall health and in particular, your fertility.
Steer Clear of Toxins to Improve Health and Fertility
Nita Ewald
Couples thinking about starting a family in 2015 should begin by taking a closer look at the products they use. They might want to switch deodorant and throw out the waffle iron. Continue reading
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Prevent Colds & Flu with DIY Elderberry Syrup
There are so many great ways to support your winter health with herbs. Starting with simple dietary additions (like garlic!) and ending with soothing choices to make your cold or flu more tolerable and shorter, herbs are my go-to for prevention and treatment.
One of the tastiest herbal allies, however, is the elderberry.
This shrubby perennial plant has been used as medicine for centuries to support health and well-being. I often see it growing naturally in moist soils, but it has also historically been planted at the edge of gardens as the protector of the garden. Even its name, Elder, speaks to its wise and respected role in our collective medicine chest.
Elder’s lacy, delicate flowers, and bright purplish-black berries can both be used for their medicinal properties. The flowers are diaphoretic meaning that they help to lower fevers by inducing sweating. It is a common ingredient in many cold-care tea formulas.
The berries are rich in vitamins C & A, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, beta-carotene, iron, potassium, and phytosterols. They are often used in prevention and treatment of colds because of their ability to boost the immune system. As an antiviral, they are helpful in treating upper respiratory viruses including colds and flu, but have also been used in treatments for other viruses such as herpes and shingles. Elderberry’s effectiveness is not just an “herban” legend, but its ability to reduce the duration of the flu and to fight viruses has been published in a number of scientific articles (links to abstracts in the resources below).
As a food, elderberry can be consumed as a jam, wine, or in pies, but it’s easiest to use as preventative medicine or for treating cold and flu when made into a tasty syrup. Luckily, it’s really pretty easy to do, too! I even made a handy graphic . . .
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Our New Homestead!
After at least 10 years of dreaming, 2 years looking at properties, and 7 months working on closing on this particular piece of land, we finally have our permaculture homestead. These 23 acres are the land that will sustain us into the future, where we hope our dreams will blossom into fruition, and where we will grow together as a family and into our community.
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Homemade Miso Soup
It’s the time of year where rich, heavy dishes are becoming less appealing and I am longing for cleansing, lighter foods. However, it’s still a bit chilly out and yesterday it even snowed again! I thought we had seen the last of the snow, but I suppose not….
Luckily, the sun was shining so we had one last frolic in the snowy woods with a friend and her little man. It was a thick snow that clung to the trees and flew off in puffs in the wind. I have to admit, it was quite lovely although I do think I am ready to move on and embrace spring. It’s going to be so fun with a little one around!
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Immuni-Tea: Herbal Immune Support (that’s Delicious!)
Although we’re getting closer to the end of winter (I think…I can’t tell by looking out my windows today!), it’s still as good a time as any to talk about a tea that was formulated to help prevent the last of the winter (or beginning of spring) bugs that might still be going around.
This tea is very simple to make and it tastes DELICIOUS!
Previously, I’ve provided recipes for a honey and onion syrup to help with coughs, colds, and more, and I have also provided instructions for making an echinacea tincture. The honey and onion syrup how-to actually remains my most popular post to this day. Given that, I thought I’d also share this brew that has nipped this family’s winter bugs in the bud.
This tea is composed of three ingredients: echinacea (Echinacea spp.), pau d’arco (Tabebuia spp.), and an herb to flavor the blend (cinnamon, orange peel, licorice root, etc.). I like to use cinnamon — yum! Continue reading
These Light Footsteps 