Ruby’s House

03/11/2026

Preparing some time to gather these precious buds. 💚 Have you ever tried using cottonwood/poplar buds?

Balm of Gilead is one of the oldest natural remedies out there, with references dating back to biblical times. 🧙‍♂️

When used correctly, this healing salve is known to relieve pain and ease inflammation thanks to natural compounds like salicylates.

𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁: Though biblical mentions would have been derived from trees found in the Middle East, it’s most common now for Balm of Gilead to be made from certain poplar trees found in North America. The balm is actually a resin extracted from the sticky buds of 𝘗𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢 (𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘢𝘮 𝘗𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘳) or 𝘗𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘢.

After making an oil infusion from the buds, you can mix it with beeswax for a thicker, easier-to-apply consistency. From here, it can be used as a topical pain reliever, as a tonic for rashes, burns, and insect bites, or even for respiratory support when used in salves or steam inhalation. It can even be used as a regular moisturizer!

This timeless and time-honoured herbal remedy is a great reminder to look to the past. For thousands of years, humans have relied on remedies like this one, and we can get all the same benefits when we turn to nature’s pharmacy.

If you’re interested in learning more about the healing power of the plants and herbs around us, Wild Rose College’s Herbal Village is for you. Learn more on our site (link below)! ✨

🌸 www.wildrosecollege.com

03/10/2026

Spring is in the air (mostly 😅) and it's time to refresh. I'm currently on day 7 of 12 using this fantastic program from Wild Rose - it is one of my teachers and mentors, clinical herbalist Dr. Terry Willard's creation.

100% plant based, #1 herbal detox program in Canada since 1975.

Only half way in, and I feel amazing! There's a handy guide and lots of support on how to get the most out of the program. (PS - yes, I have lost weight, but I am also following the food guide and working out 5x a week for 20mins 😉)

Biggest change - my stomach isn't unhappy and my digestion is definitely improving!

Check out the info at wildrose.ca
💚🌿

03/06/2026

In our recent winter wellness class we had been talking about the reishi/chaga/cinnamon decoction and even had some!
There's lots of ways to use it besides drinking it as "tea" - soup or stew base, in smoothies etc. Today I made my oatmeal in it and added an extra sprinkle of cinnamon. 😆 It was really quite nice lol.

03/06/2026

I have a couple bottles of freshly made elderberry syrup up for grabs. Let me know if you would like one!

250mL

03/04/2026

Patiently waiting for dandelion season. 🌼

03/03/2026

Because... it's the Monday-est Tuesday ever 😅
Buy yourself the flowers.

03/02/2026

🌿📚Ruby's Recommendations 📚🌿
The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies -
Nicole Apelian, PhD and Claude Davis

First - how is it March already? 😅

But this book!! I first learned about it in a group session I was leading, from a friend, last year. It definitely doesn't disappoint!

The highlights:
🌿User friendly. I love how it's laid out. Easy to find what you're looking for.

🌿Guidance on how to create oils, salve etc and even a household remedy section (like how how use activated charcoal, boric acid, bleach etc)

🌿Lovely colour picture of the plant, she does have good descriptions as well. Might not be the best ID guide if you're not already familiar with some of these herbs and ID features, or even when they aren't at their "height" of the season, but it's a start!

🌿Alllll the information. Each section for each plant has great to the point information on what it has been used for and cautions. It's a great quick glance reference for out and about or in your kitchen.

🌿The herbs and plants discussed are absolutely relevant to this area. Many of them are foragable and accessible for the most part if thats your jam!

This book did not disappoint. There is a "Part 2", it's smaller and I haven't had a deep look into it but if you're going to get any, this is a fabulous place to start.

Cost is for sure a consideration, topping in near $100 unless you can snag it on a sale day. (I've seen it range from $92 - 129 Canadian) It's soft cover and about 300 pages, sizeable but not too bulky.

If you're starting our your herbal book collection and price isn't a factor, for sure a great book. A must have for the herbal veterans out there and professional amateurs. 😅 Learn something new every time I open it!

02/27/2026

Disconnecting for the weekend so I can reconnect with my studies. Enjoy the last few days of February, stay warm!
🌿💚

02/26/2026

I'm pretty sure the whipped tallow teaches me something every time I make it.

This time: it's ok to start the process over. The result: beautiful, luscious, infused with the highest quality herbs ready to soothe, moisturize, and even aid in healing your skin.

What do you love about whipped tallow?

02/25/2026

Can we take a moment for beet root powder?! 🙌

We were experimenting with "red velvet" cookies today that called for red food coloring.

This was the perfect opportunity to sub out for beet root powder, which, by the way, is amazing.

Equal parts is all it took, so 1tsp food coloring was replaced with 1tsp beet root powder.

A few tips if you're going to try beet root out in your baking:

🧁Don't over bake - too much heat will dull the colour, so keep the temperature low if able according to the recipe.

🧁Adding in an equal part of lemon juice with your beet root powder is suggested (for 1tsp beet root use 1/2 to 1 tsp lemon juice), as the acidity helps keep hold of the colour, especially if baking soda is part of the recipe (as it is alkaline) Apparently you could also use baking powder instead.

🧁This pairing - especially with the coco powder - helps mask the earthy taste of the beet root and also give a truer red velvet profile.

10/10 would bake again. These aren't going to last long!

The recipe was on the back of the White Cream Chipit package 😆

02/25/2026

So ready to see more green and smell like forest! 😅