Circé + Medée

11/25/2025

I need to share a difficult personal update and explain a temporary closure at Circé + Medée.

Earlier today we learned that our dog Bluebell has advanced cancer with metastases. We have booked her goodbye appointment for Friday December 5. For us, this is the loss of a true family member.

I have decided to close the clinic effective immediately and to reopen on Tuesday December 9.

Here is what this means for you.

Retail shelves and front reception will be closed until December 9. There will be no regular walk in hours during this period.

All existing clinical appointments that are already booked until December 9 will go ahead. I will be in the building for those appointments only.

If you have an appointment with another practitioner at the clinic, they will contact you directly to confirm details. They will meet you at the door and let you in. If they are with a client when you arrive you may be asked to wait outside for a few minutes.

If you had planned to pick up tinctures, teas or herbal products before the holidays, I will still be monitoring email. Please write to me and we will arrange a time for you to pick up your order. I live next door to the clinic so we can set up a simple pick up that does not take away from my time with Bluebell.

This year has held a lot of extremes for our family. Opening Circé + Medée has been one of the brightest parts of my life. At the same time we have had serious health challenges in our household and now we are preparing to say goodbye to Bluebell. My heart is heavy and my energy is not endless.

The usual advice on airplanes is to put on your own oxygen mask first. The same applies here. I cannot care for my clients and community if I do not take care of myself and my family through this loss.

I know that closing in the weeks before Christmas has a financial cost for my small business and it may be inconvenient for some of you. I did not make this decision lightly. I trust you will understand why I need to choose presence with my dog and my family right now.

Thank you for your kindness, your patience and your continued trust in my work. It remains a privilege to serve this community and I look forward to welcoming you back into the clinic on December 9.

If you have any questions about appointments or product orders, please contact me by email.

In care,
Andrée

11/23/2025

I finally made it back to the Pubnico Point Trail today. I missed it more than I realized. I did not get out there as much as I hoped this summer and fall, but today’s walk reminded me why I love that place so much.

The shoreline was calm. The wind felt clean. And the rock art along the trail stopped me in my tracks more than once. Little stacks. Careful patterns. Small surprises tucked into the landscape. To every person who has added a stone, a shape, or a moment of creativity out there, thank you. Adults, kids, and everyone in between. It makes the trail feel alive.

If you have not been out to Pubnico Point lately, go. It is stunning. It is simple and honest in the best way. A good walk, a good view, and a good reminder of why we love it here.

11/23/2025

Tomorrow is Dumping Day for our LFA, and the whole village is buzzing. Boats are already getting ready. Crews are checking gear. You can feel the tension and the pride in the air.

To everyone heading out tomorrow at zero dark thirty, I’m wishing you a calm run, steady weather, and a safe return home. Your work carries our coastal communities, and we see the dedication it takes.

Be careful out there. Take your time. Come home safe.

11/22/2025

Plantain: the herb your lawn calls a w**d and your skin calls a miracle.

It pulls splinters, soothes stings, cools inflammation, and doesn’t even ask for credit.

Meet the quiet powerhouse growing right under your feet.

The Quiet RestorerA modest plant with a powerful restorative nature. Plantain is one of the most dependable first-aid herbs in Nova Scotia. It meets irritated, inflamed, or damaged tissue with steady cooling, softening, and rebuilding action.Written by Andrée Noye, MA, Clinical Herbalist. Reading T...

11/21/2025

📃A tiny behind-the-scenes win today.

If you have ever watched me prepare new products, you already know the bane of my existence. Labeling. I do not dislike it. I intensely dislike it. Nothing ever prints where it should, everything drifts, and by the third attempt I usually question all my life choices.

After one too many rounds of “why is this label half an inch too high,” I finally lost it and restarted then entire thing from scratch.

I stopped using Avery. I stopped using pre-made templates altogether. I built my own template from using a ruler, I chose a Canadian label company called Larix, and ordered boxes of new blank labels. For the first time ever, an entire sheet printed perfectly centered and exactly where I placed it. Every single one.

It only took nine months. But we got there! It's like giving birth, right?

Now I need to repeat this magic for every other product I make. That will be an adventure. But at least I finally know how to do it.

Small business friends will understand this level of celebration. This is the kind of victory that deserves cake.

11/21/2025

Sekhmet has issued a formal complaint today.
Her favourite hooman, Cassandra Francis, is at home recovering from that nasty ankle break, and apparently I am only the “spare hooman.” She let me know loudly and repeatedly that this situation is unacceptable.

Since she also insists on being pressed directly against a torso at all times, and I needed both arms, she is now riding in the baby sling like the tiny goddess she believes she is. If she could climb inside my face, she would.

But beneath all the theatrics, she really just misses her Cassandra.

So, my dear Cassandra, from all of us at Circe and Medée, we are wishing you the quickest, smoothest convalescence. You are well equipped with the pain tincture and ReliefKind, and we hope you are healing nicely. We also hear the cabin fever is real on your end. Hang in there.

Sekhmet is holding down the fort, loudly, until her favourite hooman returns.

11/21/2025

Licorice 🌿

A Small Root With A Deep Inner Calm

Licorice root looks simple at first glance, a golden brown treasure that seems almost ordinary until you understand what it can truly support inside us.

Most people recognize its gentle sweetness and unmistakable flavour. Beneath that comforting taste is a natural regulator of cortisol, the hormone that shapes how we respond to stress.

When cortisol rises because life demands too much or moves too fast for too long, the body shifts into survival mode. You feel tired but unable to settle, anxious but restless, mentally full but energetically unstable.

This is where licorice comes forward.

It supports the adrenal glands by slowing the natural breakdown of cortisol. This gentle mechanism helps prevent the sudden crash that often follows extended stress and creates a steadier, calmer, more consistent energy.

Licorice is more than a plant. It is an anchor.
A small daily ritual that soothes the nervous system, supports hormonal steadiness, and brings back a grounded, living sense of focus.

CORTISOL BALANCE BLEND HERBAL INFUSION

A soft, aromatic, deeply supportive blend for times of mental or emotional overload.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 part licorice root for adrenal support and cortisol stability
• 1 part milky oats to nourish the nervous system and ease hypervigilance
• 1 part tulsi for gentle adaptogenic support and balanced mood
• ½ part astragalus root for long term immune and adrenal nourishment
• ½ part German chamomile to release nervous and digestive tension linked to stress

PREPARATION

1. Use one tablespoon of the blend.
2. Infuse covered for ten to twelve minutes.

Drink one to two times a day during periods of prolonged stress.

WHY THIS BLEND WORKS

Licorice slows cortisol breakdown through its glycyrrhizin content and its action on the 11β HSD2 enzyme. This helps steady energy and reduces the chance of an adrenaline crash.

Milky oats nourish the nerves, easing irritability, emotional fatigue, and overactivation.

Tulsi moderates the stress response, calms the mind without drowsiness, and supports mental clarity.

Astragalus strengthens adrenal resilience over time and supports chronic fatigue and recovery.

Chamomile relaxes the body and digestive system, both often strained during ongoing stress, and brings harmony to the overall blend.

A GENTLE REMINDER

Licorice is contraindicated in cases of uncontrolled hypertension, kidney insufficiency, use of diuretics or corticosteroids, or during pregnancy. Always check your medication or speak with a qualified practitioner.

Between you and the plant there is a dialogue. Listen to it. It leads to harmony.

This post is a translation of a text prepared by one of my mentors/instructors, Veronique Paré.

11/20/2025

Caught in the act… again. Charges pending: excessive flavour, unlicensed effervescence.

Look at this lineup.
The Mad Fermenter has filled the fridge again and I am not mad about it.

From left to right:
Traditional Root Beer, Cranberry Ferment, Old-Style Fizzy Lemonade, and Strawberry & Dragon Fruit Ferment. All naturally carbonated, brewed in small batches, and made with real juices, roots, and botanicals.

During fermentation, the natural sugars in the juice are eaten by the live cultures. The result is a drink that still tastes sweet and fizzy, but with less sugar than the original juice and a bright, tangy finish. Every bottle is alive with beneficial fermentation microbes that support a healthy gut ecosystem.

This will be our regular lineup.
For now we keep about ten 750 ml bottles a week, plus a limited run of the new 500 ml size for root beer and the strawberry & dragon fruit pop. First bottle of root beer sold before I could even get the label on.

Small batch. Local. Fussy about ingredients.
Totally worth the extra dollars.

Come grab yours before this week’s batch disappears.

11/20/2025

Happy Dance! We are so excited. Two amazing suppliers for our tiny espresso bar with an herbal twist.

11/20/2025

Masala Matchai has arrived at Circé + Medée and it is a little bit ridiculous!

I tried this new blend from my matcha supplier this morning and holy moly, it might be one of the happiest drinks I have had in a long time.

Think Masala Chai meets Matcha.
Not as heavy as black tea. Not as grassy as straight matcha.
It lands right in the middle where everything feels warm, bright, and surprisingly fresh.

The blend is made with matcha, coconut sugar, cinnamon, black pepper, and yuzu. The yuzu gives it a citrus note that lifts the whole thing. It is warming and comforting and still clean enough to sip in the morning without feeling weighed down.

For me it was a little sweet because I am already sweet enough 😉, but most people will find it perfect.

A cup is six dollars.
I promise you it is worth the stop.
Come try it and let me know what you think.

11/19/2025

🐾 Healthy Pets Healthy Home

We are now carrying Sedorable's dog treats, and there is a reason this matters.

Our pets are part of our homes. They steady us, comfort us, and hold space for us in ways most humans never see. When their bodies feel good, the whole household feels lighter. Healthy treats are a small act of care that makes a real difference for them and for us.

Jacqui’s recipes are clean, mindful, and supportive, including ingredients like propolis that help with digestion and resilience. They are made with intention and they are made here, by someone who loves animals as much as you do.

Choosing healthy treats is simply choosing wellbeing for the little soul who greets you every day.