From Past to Present

03/18/2026

🌿Rosemary & Peppermint

This tincture can be used to aid with focus & memory, boost mood, ease sore muscles, painful gas/bloating, tension headaches, sinus congestion and more. Both herbs have a wide range of constituents and pair wonderfully together.

🍃Needed items
½ cup dried Rosemary
½ cup dried Peppermint leaves
2 cup Brandy
1 pint jar
Amber glass tincture bottles
Small funnel

🗒Directions:
-Place dried herbs in a clean/sanitized mason jar.

-Pour alcohol into the jar and make sure the herbs are fully submerged.

-Close, shake well, place in a dark cool area.

-Set a reminder to shake daily. Record in a notebook herbs & alcohol used, and the date created.

-This will sit and extract for 6-8 weeks.

-Once tincture is complete strain with cheesecloth or other mesh cloth. May have to repeat to get all particles out.

-Add tincture to amber glass tincture dropper bottles.

-Label tincture bottles appropriately and store in a cool, dry place.

🔡Dosage:
Adults take 1-2 droppers. Dilute with juice or water if the taste is harsh.

Not for children under 12.

Children 12 and up ½ - 1 dropper dilute in juice.

🏷Label:
Herb/s used
Alcohol & proof
Date bottled
Record in a notebook

📦Storage:
Stored in a cool, dark place for up to 2 years.

⚠️If you are taking prescription or OTC medications consult with a physician prior to taking. Rosemary has interactions with multiple prescription medications.
⚠️Peppermint should not be given to children under 12. Consult a doctor prior to use.

03/17/2026

🌿Nettle, Urtica dioica

🗺Growing to 3 ft in height, nettle is a perennial native to Europe, Asia, North America, and Northern Africa. Between June and September small green flowers bloom. It is referred to as stinging nettle for the stinging rash you get when handling the raw plant. Wear gloves!

✨️Key constituents:
Vitamins: A,C, K & some B
Minerals: calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron.
Flavonoids
Amines (histamine, serotonin)
Glucoquinone

✨️Key actions:
Anti-inflammatory
Diuretic
Antihistamine
Astringent
Tonic

🌿You can utilize nettle internally and externally. The root and aerial parts are foraged and sometimes the seeds. It is most common to use the aerial parts (stems/leaves). The plant can be used many ways including teas, tinctures, poultice, ointments, infusions, culinary dishes and more.

⛑️Internally nettle can aid with increased vitamin and mineral intake(varied constituents listed above), allergies, hay fever, headaches, cleansing and more.
Externally it is wonderful for eczema, slows/stops bleeding, fresh leaves are used on skin for rheumatic pain and more.

⚠️As always make sure if on medications to talk with your doctor before consuming. If on blood pressure or diuretic meds you may want to avoid taking.

⁉️What are your favorite ways to use nettle? I use it in tea and make a great compost booster with it.

03/15/2026

🐝🌼A beautiful moment caught in time. I followed this bee around from flower to flower watching it. Thankful for our pollinators, and all of Mother Nature's wonders.

What are some of the wild finds you have made recently?

03/14/2026

🌺Hibiscus syrup

🍸🍹 Add a dash of sweetness in drinks such as lemonade, cocktails, and mocktails.! You can also use the syrup to go on and make fruit snacks. 😋

🫕Items needed:
2 oz dried dried hibiscus
4 cups/1 quart cold water
1-2 cups sweetener (sugar, honey, stevia)
Medium saucepan
Strainer
Jar/container for storage

📋Directions:
Begin by adding water and hibiscus to a medium sauce pan over medium heat.

Once water begins to steam, put heat on low and cover with a lid.

Let simmer for 25-30 min until 1 pint or 2 cups of water remains.

Strain liquid into container and discard hibiscus.

Put remaining liquid back into the sauce pan, place over low heat and add sweetener. Begin with 1 cup and taste. Add additional ¼ cup until syrup is to your liking.

Simmer on low for an additional 10-15 min, stirring.

Remove from heat and add to the jar/container of choice. Let cool to room temperature before closing or putting it into the refrigerator.

✨ ️ Some people add alcohol to their syrup to help extend shelf life. This is not necessary. The more sugar added the longer the shelf life. Keep it all in mind when you are marking your label for expiration.

When using minimal sugar the syrup should be good upward of 2 weeks. Maximum sugar is 2-4 weeks. Adding alcohol can extend it out to upward of 3 months. Check for discoloration, off smells and other signs when using if it has been stored for some time.

03/14/2026

03/11/2026

🌿🌼Calendula, Calendula officinalis

🌼A brilliant orange annual flower that gets to 2 ft in height. Native to Europe, calendula grows well from seed and thrives in most types of soil. The flowers begin to open in early summer when they are harvested and dried for medicinal and cosmetic products.

🍶For herbal remedies calendula can be utilized both internally and externally. You can make tea infusions, tinctures, infused topical oils, salves, ointments, creams, and more. Such a versatile flower.

⛑️Skin is primarily what calendula is great for. Aiding with wounds, bug bites, psoriasis, eczema, ringworm, sunburn, athlete’s foot and more. The herb acts as an astringent toward capillaries, shrinking them down, helping to staunch bleeding, reduce varicose veins, and lessen inflammation.

⛑️Calendula is also good for digestive disorders such as peptic ulcers, acid reflux, and colitis. Taken as a tea infusion 3x a day it has shown to heal and repair the gut.

✨️Key actions:
-Astringent
-Detoxifying
-Antimicrobial
-Antifungal
-Wound healing
-Anti-inflammatory

✨️Key constituents:
-Resins
-Bitter glycosides
-Volatile oils
-Mucilage
-Triterpenes

⁉️What are some of your favorite ways to use calendula flowers? I keep a salve on hand for bug bites, sunburns, and rashes. It works wonders.

03/10/2026

Lets talk about herbal hair rinses. There are a number of herbs that can be beneficial to the hair and scalp. Here I used:
Rosemary
Lavender
Sage

Working together they cleanse my scalp and help my hair with shine and strength. If you have flaky, dry, and itchy scalp this may help sooth it.

To create a wonderful hair rinse. You can use yhe infusion and leave it to set for a while. Then rinse out, or you can wash your hair, apply herbal infusion, rinse and condition.

If you would like to hear more comment and I will get you the information.

03/09/2026

🌿Rosemary, Rosmarinus Officinalis

🍃Rosemary is a fantastic herb to keep on hand. For use in the kitchen as well as for medicinal reasons. This gorgeous aromatic shrub is one of my favorites! It was the first herb I learned about and the first one I trusted myself to try as a tincture.

Growing up to 5ft in height, rosemary is native to the Mediterranean. It grows well in loose sandy soil that drains well. It is found naturally growing near the sea and its Latin name rosmarinus translates to "dew of the sea".

📖A part of the Lamiaceae family, rosemary holds a long list of constituents. A study performed in 2017 showed that rosemary can be used to help boost memory, reduce anxiety/ depression, and improve sleep quality. It is also known to aid in recovery of chronic illness.

✨️Key constituents:
-Rosmarnic acid
-Tannins
-Volatile oils (camphene, cineole & more)
-Diterpenes (canosol, carnosic acid)
-Flavonoids (apigenin, diosmin)

✨️Key actions:
-Anti-aging
-Anti-inflammatory
-Antidepressant
-Circulatory support
-Neuroprotective
-Antiseptic

🗒It helps with your circulatory system which in turn helps your memory and focus. Rosemary has also been known to alleviate asthma, allergies, ease agitation, and can possibly aid in nerve repair. Used in the UK as a warming tonic which aids in blood flow. This can relieve headaches/migraines and raise low blood pressure.

🪔The list of benefits is long and worth giving this beautiful herb a try. Used in tinctures, infusions, hair oil, salves, food flavoring, simmer pots and more.

⚠️Check with your physician if you take prescription medications. Especially blood pressure medications and blood thinners.

💬What is your favorite way to use Rosemary?

Follow for more information!

03/07/2026

🌿Some of my herbs that made it through our cold winter.❄️

Looking forward to spring. 🤍☀️

What are your favorite herbs to grow? Do you grow them indoors or outdoors? Container or raised beds?

03/04/2026

Everything seems so chaotic lately. Constant media updates, bad news, long days. Its a must to find a sense of calm in my all.

Take a moment and relax. 🤍

03/04/2026

Seasonal allergies will be in full swing soon. What are some herbs you lean on most in spring?
Rosemary is my go-to.

03/03/2026

🫚🍋Ginger/lemon frozen shot

2-3in fresh ginger
2 medium lemons (peeled)
2 tbsp- ⅛ cup tumeric powder
2-4 tsp black pepper

🥣To make: blend all ingredients into a puree. Pour into an ice tray or silicon mold. Pop in the freezer for a couple hours then store in a freezer bag.

🥃To use: place 1 in a cup and add about 4oz of hot/boiling water. Let sit and cool. Drink up. ️ ✨ ️ There is a bit of a pulp in them, you can strain your shot prior to taking if that becomes an issue.

❓️What's it good for?: There are a number of things this shot is good for starting easing bloating and aiding in digestion. Helping to balance hunger, and maintain energy. It lessens inflammation and helps support the immune system.

🌶For this recipe you can add things or take things away. A basic version is the ginger and lemon alone. In the future I am going to try one with cayenne pepper added as well.