Tag: spring

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Herbs and Herbalism plant wonder collective Recipes

May: Yarrow Behind the Scenes

The plant of the month for herbal studies in the Plant Wonder Collective and our Patreon Study Circle is Yarrow! 

Yarrow is a plant that I had not previously worked with very much, outside of adding a pinch of it to tea blends here and there. So I am really loving learning more about it in terms of its medicinal and spiritual attributes. 

Yarrow is a bit of a chameleon; it can be both cooling and warming, aiding flow and stopping it, and in astroherbalism terms it has ties to both water and air. But harmonizing lies at the center where these variances overlap. Finding wisdom in discernment, in balance, in both drawing clear boundaries yet allowing for flow and openness, all bring harmony. (Yarrow cards shown from The Herbal Astrology Oracle and The Herbcrafter’s Tarot.) 

In folklore, yarrow is associated with love and visionary abilities; the tides of emotion and the clarity of communication that a combination of water and air brings. 

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One of my new favorite ways to work with yarrow is in a lovely skin toner. Toners are not just about wiping down your face at night to improve skin and treat blemishes; they are a beneficial ritual that, when used before bed, can offer (magical-metaphorical-mindful-whatever you feel best calling it) plant-infused healing, nurturing, and intention. Botanical glamour magicks or simple self-care, it’s all the same. 

Yarrow is at the heart of this new skin toner recipe I’ve created to offer the medicinal applications of astringency (pore tightening and texture benefitting), anti-inflammation, promoting circulation, and anti-microbial action for acne. But it is also present for its more esoteric value of promoting love, beauty, attraction, happiness, balance, and protection. Its association with war and battle—Achilles was said to have treated his soldiers’ wounds on the battlefield with it—means that your use of it each night is like putting on your own magical armor to defend against outside forces. And the folk application that witches might have used yarrow to boost the potency of workings translates here as an amplifier for your own inner power. 

This toner also includes lavender for calming the skin and the mind, hawthorn for its antioxidants and heart-mending magic, and rose water for moisture, soothing, and beauty.

Materials

¼ cup dried yarrow

¼ cup dried lavender

2 Tbsp dried hawthorn leaf & flower 

2 Tbsp dried hawthorn berries 

½ cup rose water (rose hydrosol)

Witch hazel

1-pint mason jar

BPA-free plastic lid or waxed paper

Method

Add dried plant material to your jar. Add rose water, then top up with witch hazel, leaving about 1 inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Stir with a wooden chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon to make sure all the plant material is submerged and your liquids are well combined. 

If using a BPA-free plastic lid, cap it tightly; if using waxed paper and a regular metal canning lid, add the waxed paper first before screwing the lid on to prevent corrosion of the metal. 

Label your jar with the contents and date, and allow to steep for 2-4 weeks. Top up with extra witch hazel if the plant material floats to the top and dries out. 

Strain the plant material out with a mesh strainer and coffee filter or cheesecloth, bottle (a spray bottle works well), and use by spritzing or swiping over your face gently with a soft cloth. 

Note: you can also add a few drops of lavender, rose, jasmine, or geranium essential oil to the toner if you’d like!

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This year will be my first year to grow yarrow in my little chaotic herb garden at home. I am a bit of a “throw it at the wall and see what sticks” gardener, so I have a few spots where I plan to plant a bit: in those “luck garden” flower beds I mentioned earlier in this month’s Little Rituals post, in a couple containers in my patio tea garden, and around my daughter’s new rose bush because my fellow PWC friend Erin Harwood (@plantmagicwitherin on Instagram and Ponderings & Wanderings on Substack) shared that yarrow can aid in attracting helpful insects that feast on pesky aphids. Check out her Substack for lovely plant content, by the way!

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Aside from love, beauty, protection, and healing, yarrow is valued for its divinitory insight, emotional strength, and has ties with the faeries and animal magic. 

A simple yarrow tea can be drunk to aid in clarity and insight.

A pouch of yarrow can be carried as a token and talisman for courage, protection, and love. 

In the kitchen, yarrow has a long history of use in fermented drinks like beer and mead. If you are a brewer, try replacing hops with yarrow to mix things up! Or, perhaps infuse some yarrow honey, add the young fresh leaves to a salad, or grind the dried flowers for seasoning blends and salts—I plan on trying that soon!

Categories
Herbs and Herbalism seasons

Herbs to Love in May

May is such a special month where I live. The “merry merry month of May” lyric comes to mind. It is generally a time of unabashed sunshine, warming breezes, flourishing blossoms, and frenetic energy. The joy of May is infectious and refreshing! Spring is fully awake, and we are energized and full of her spark. 

While the weather from one year to the next varies, and so, too, does the timing of May’s blooms, there are certainly favorite plant allies that I always find myself drawn to during this month. These are a few of them!

Yarrow: white, pinkish, or more yellow—these blossoms that flourish in mid-spring are magical no matter the color. A harmonizing herb that can both cool and warm, staunch and aid flow, it can be used medicinally for a wide variety of things including styptic powder, teas, salves, steams, incense, and more. In folklore, yarrow has quite the long tradition of use in love spells, protective charms, sachets, cleansing and divination preparations, among other uses. Yarrow is on my planting list this year. Plant some near your home for a bit of beauty and protection, and harvest some for a host of beneficial applications!

Lilac: fleeting May magic! Lilac blooms where I live for a short time in early May, so I have to enjoy it quickly! That’s all part of the fun. Lilac sugar, tea, honey, syrup or jelly, skin recipes, and baked-good adornments are some favorite ways to harness its powerful sweetness. I love the longstanding tradition of planting this shrubby plant near doorways—then when it is in bloom, you can access it easily and quickly. Lilac is also said to be a protector of the home. 

Hawthorn: ubiquitous with May, whether they’re blooming on Beltane where you live or not. Hawthorn guards the gates to faerie realms, protects, gladdens the heart, and calms the nerves. I adore a strong cup of hawthorn leaf & flower tea! Just be sure to show the hawthorn tree her due respect: Mother Hawthorn expects to be approached with care, asked permission before you harvest from her branches, and left with an offering near her roots. Also, it is said that you shouldn’t bring hawthorn branches indoors, as it is bad luck. 

Red Clover: this springtime beauty is equal parts medicinal and magical. Wonderfully nutritive, beneficial to the skin and female system, for balance and movement, and more…and also so lovely in salads, honey, sweets, fritters, teas, lemonade, and other special treats. It is also a wonderful ally in soothing skin applications including bath teas, salves, and more! Red clover tends to grow wild and free in many areas, especially meadows, fields, and pastures—so much plenty for the taking! Just be careful to ensure that the place you’re harvesting from is safe—not too near roads or where chemicals are sprayed. 

Honeysuckle: yes, I know it is an invasive non-native species here in the U.S. But it is so very prolific where I live, and it’s not honeysuckle’s fault it was brought here! It has always been a special plant to me, since I was a kid when we had a magical honeysuckle that grew entwined with a blackberry bush at my childhood home. The great thing about honeysuckle is you don’t have to feel bad about foraging it, and don’t have to worry about taking too much! It smells so nice tucked into vases, twisted and twined into wreaths, or enjoyed in teas, cordials, and jellies. 

Catnip: I adore catnip, and it seems to adore me! It reseeds itself in more of my herb pots each year and springs up in late April and May. This rampant herb in my little container garden is not just for cats. A member of the mint family, it is wonderful for calming frazzled nerves and stress in humans and is gentle enough for children. I like to think of catnip as bringing both a dash of calm and a dose of courage, all in one go. It imparts a strong yet gentle resilience. When my plants are ready to begin harvesting, I plan to incorporate catnip into sun teas, lemonade, and popsicles to share with my kiddos!

Which herbs do you find that you favor in May?

Categories
herbal skincare Recipes

Green Goddess Foot Scrub

Sometimes you just need to treat yourself to a pampering session at home. These late spring days when the weather is just starting to warm up enough to wear sandals is the perfect time for a cozy home pedicure! Natural ingredients can make this a luxurious and healthy experience, and when the recipe is quick and easy to whip up, that’s all the better!

Coconut oil makes a great base for skin exfoliators. Its thick and whippy texture and moisturizing properties are the perfect vehicle for a sugar scrub. Add in nourishing and moisturizing sweet almond oil (or another botanical oil of your choice), nourishing French green clay, circulation-boosting ginger, and tea tree oil with its skin (and antifungal) benefits, and you have a recipe fit for a self-care goddess.

Green Goddess Foot Scrub

Materials

½ cup coconut oil

2 Tbsp sweet almond oil

1-3 Tbsp white sugar

1 tsp French green clay

½ tsp dried ginger powder

Optional essential oils:

8-10 drops tea tree oil

4-6 drops ginger oil

Small glass jars

2 small mixing bowls

Spoon

Whisk

Method

Combine the sugar, French green clay, and ginger powder in one small bowl with a whisk. You may choose not to use all of this mixture in your end product; it depends how much grit versus moisturization you prefer in your scrub. 

In the other bowl, combine coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and essential oils, stirring well to combine. Sprinkle in the sugar mixture and stir well, testing the feel with your fingers as you go to decide how much you want to add. 

Spoon into small glass jars for storage. Use this on rough feet before a diy pedicure, or on rough elbows and knees in the shower. This makes a lovely gift, too!

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For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

Categories
Botanical Anthology Recipes Tea

Jemima Puddleduck Tea

My love for Beatrix Potter knows no bounds. I wish so very much that I could sit down to tea with her and learn about her fascinating life! She was far more than just an author and artist: a studied naturalist, a conservationist, an entrepreneur, a generous benefactor to many causes, and an accomplished farmer and gardener.

One of my favorite tales by Beatrix Potter is that of Jemima Puddleduck. Poor Jemima—she just wants to be left alone to sit on her own nest of eggs. The farmer’s wife and children always seem to find her hiding spots, such as the rhubarb bush, and retrieve her eggs for the hen to warm instead. So, Jemima searches out a secluded spot in the woods to hide her nest, only to be offered a shed by an overly-polite foxy gentleman. More unforeseen events befall Jemima, but in the end she avoids catastrophe and hatches four ducklings on her own.

I created an herbal tea blend inspired by Jemima’s story, which includes the mint and thyme the fox requested for their dinner party, roses seen in an illustration of the garden, and rhubarb from the bush she attempted to hide her eggs in. (This tart tea is made with botanicals appropriate for a Beatrix Potter-themed baby shower, children’s birthday party, or Easter brunch!)

Materials

2 parts mint

½ part thyme

1 ½ parts rose petals

Rhubarb preserves or simple syrup

Method

To make a single cup of tea, add 1 tablespoon to a tea strainer, eco-friendly tea bag, or French press. Pour 1 to 1 ½ cups hot water over the tea and steep for 3-4 minutes. Sweeten to taste with a bit of fruit preserves or simple syrup, if desired. (Strawberry can easily be substituted for rhubarb!)

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This recipe was originally published in the spring 2023 issue of Botanical Anthology! 

For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

Categories
Folklore Recipes

Aries Season Herbal Tea

We are firmly in the heart of Aries season, so I am sharing my simple tea recipe meant to help you ground into this energy! My daughter is a very fiery Aries herself so I am all too familiar with the spirit of this sign.

Aries.

March 21 – April 20.

Cardinal Fire sign. 

Ruled by Mars + the Sun.

Bold, driven, ambitious, energetic, fiery, friendly, confident, daredevil, competitive, adventurous, optimistic.

Associated with the Emperor in tarot; the root and solar plexus chakras; yang energy; red, pink, yellow, and white; and diamond, carnelian, citrine, and fire opal.

Aries Tea—

1 tsp nettle

1⁄2 tsp thyme

1 tsp rose

1⁄4 to 1⁄2 tsp cloves

To make a single cup of tea, add 1 tablespoon to a tea strainer, eco- friendly tea bag, or French press. Pour 1 to 1 1⁄2 cups hot water over the tea and steep for 3-4 minutes. Add honey or other sweetener, if desired.

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For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

Categories
wheel of the year

Spring Equinox Diffuser + Botanical Scents

One of the simple and practical ways I like to mark the turning of the Wheel of the Year with intention is aroma. Botanical simmer pots, handmade herbal candles, or special essential oil blends diffused in my home help refresh stagnant energy and set renewed intentions going into the next season. 

This Ostara / Spring Equinox, I was struck with the idea to craft a cute little passive diffuser for essential oils that is simple, fun to make (with kids or at a friends tea party or craft night!), and captures a bit of the essence of spring in more ways than one. 

First, find a sweet little saucer or dessert plate at your local thrift shop—I have collected many as they are endlessly useful. You’ll also need a hot glue gun, dried moss, wooden craft mushrooms (or get more creative than me and make your own from natural clay), and crystals to adorn if you’d like. Decide how you’d like to lay out the arrangement, and glue on the mushrooms first, pressing as the glue cools to adhere it well. Then add glue to the plate and tuck moss around to give it a springtime forest floor look. Finally, tuck any crystals where you’d like them. You can always get creative and put your own spin on it, adding items like dried flowers, acorns, etc!

Then you are all set to add drops of essential oils to diffuse in your home, to set the mood and your intentions for spring! Here are some springtime favorites of mine:

Ylang-ylang: for sweetness and peace

Geranium: for beauty and grace

Benzoin resin: for comfort and joy

Lavender: for calm and protection

Rose: for love and magic

Bergamot: for health and energy

Mint: for refreshing and clearing

What are your favorite botanical oils for spring? What intentions do you connect them with?

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For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

Categories
Botanical Anthology

Botanical Anthology Spring 2025!

With a reverence for spring and the plants associated with it, TODAY we launch our spring edition of Botanical Anthology.  

As always, I am so proud to be a part of this lovely and inspiring publication! (I write multiple articles for it and also edit it and help a lot with its production.) Our fearless leader Harmonie, the lovely and incredibly creative contributors, and I have all worked tirelessly to bring you this magical spring issue we are so proud of. 

A plant lover’s dream, it is a seasonal, plant centered quarterly digital + print magazine bringing you 40+ articles from 40+ contributors to incorporate herbs into your apothecary, kitchen, foraging and gardening, crafts, rituals, celebrations, and more. 

* Blend lilac sugar scrub, infuse allergy vinegar + whip spring weeds body butter 

* Bake fireweed frittata, candy hazel catkins  + steep beech leaf noyaux

* Forage mustard, grow primroses + dig spring roots

* Make nettle imprints, fashion pressed flower stickers + pour tea candles 

* Brew full moon teas, start a women’s circle + muse over tasseography

* Celebrate Spring Equinox with crystalized eggs and May Day with violet bannocks

* Meet Dr. Jacqui, Ali Falatovics, Brittany Gibson + Growing Up Rooted Apothecary 

From  March 17th –  March 31st, receive the Botanical Anthology Spring edition digital download, plus our All About Violet booklet, for just $15.  

As a thank you for being here with us, enjoy $1 off the digital version of the publication with this code: Take$1BASpring25

Or head to Amazon to order the print version for $24, then email plantwondercollective@gmail.com with proof of purchase so we know to send you the booklet! We also offer bulk pricing on print orders through our website to save you a bit of moolah.

Botanical Anthology is perfect for the budding herbalist, natural health enthusiast, (urban) homesteader, and nature lover in your life. Feel good knowing you are directly supporting a small business and each contributor of this independently published magazine.  

Come April, the booklets will no longer be included, and the price will increase.  

Let us be your guide to work with plants as you journey through the season. 

Check out the Table of Contents below to see what is inside!

Categories
herbal skincare willow & sage

Spring Floral Perfume Oil

There are few better ways to celebrate the delicate blooms of springtime than with a lovely tea party. A tea party in a flower garden? Even better. Or perhaps you can conjure up the feeling of such an occasion with a natural perfume oil incorporating the scents of spring blossoms. 

This recipe combines lavender-infused almond oil with some lovely essential oils: geranium, lemon, ylang ylang, and ho wood. This combination of scents is dreamy and floral, with hints of tart citrus and sweet earthiness. It’s nourishing to the skin and has a lovely calming effect. 

These mini perfume oil rollers would make sweet gifts at a flower garden tea party of your own. 

You Will Need:

To Make:

To make the lavender-infused oil, fill a pint jar about three-quarters full with dried lavender buds. Pour sweet almond oil to cover flowers, leaving about 1 inch of headspace in the jar. Use a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon to push the plant material into the oil so it is fully submerged. Cover with a coffee filter or cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Allow to infuse for four to six weeks, then strain out the lavender buds and put the remaining oil in a clean jar. Add 1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil to extend the shelf life of this oil. 

To make a perfume roller, fill a 5 ml roller bottle about halfway with lavender-infused almond oil. Add a pinch of dried lavender buds if you’d like. Add 3 drops of geranium essential oil, 2 drops of lemon essential oil, 1 drop of ylang ylang essential oil, and 1 drop of ho wood essential oil. (If you have sensitive skin, you can adjust and use less of the essential oils. If you want a stronger scent for aromatherapy, you can add 1-2 more drops of each oil.) Fill the remaining space in the bottle with more of the lavender-almond oil, leaving a little headspace for the roller. Insert the roller and screw on the cap, giving the bottle a swirl to mix the oils in. 

Store any unused portion of the lavender-almond oil in a cool dark space. 

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This recipe can be found in the spring 2024 issue of Willow & Sage magazine!

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For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

Categories
Herbs and Herbalism Tea wheel of the year

Beltane Lilac Tea Meditation

Beltane, also called May Day, marks the cross-quarter between Ostara (the spring equinox) and Litha (the summer solstice). Beltane is a time of heightened romance, carefree joy, ripening fruits, and faerie magic. Take care where you wander on Beltane night as the bonfires burn, lest you stumble into the land of Faerie!

Lilac is, in many parts of the northern hemisphere, ubiquitous with Beltane as its prime blooming period. To celebrate Beltane, harvest some fresh lilac if it is in bloom near you and enjoy a lilac tea meditation ritual. 

((You can also substitute a different fresh food safe flower that is in season near you, such as dandelion, for this meditation, or even dried flowers like jasmine or lavender if fresh flowers aren’t accessible to you!))

Choose a handful of blossoms that look fresh, not wilted. Leave blossoms attached to the stems, but remove most of the twigs.

Dunk in cold water to rinse off any debris and critters. Pour heated water from your tea kettle over the blossoms in a mug to cover the flowers and allow to steep for about 3 minutes before you begin to sip. No need to remove the flowers if they’re attached to the stems—they shouldn’t float loose.

Grab a journal and pen, and seat yourself in an outdoor spot if possible, or next to an open window if not. Sip the tea and feel the sun/moon/breeze on your face, closing your eyes. 

Notice the flavor of the lilac tea. It should be fragrant, floral, a tad sweet and a bit bitter all at once. Very tannic, it should pucker your tongue a bit and leave a dry mouthfeel. Savor the flavor and aroma as you drink, and think of it as nature’s champagne! Rare, beautiful, elegant, joyful, celebratory. Let the taste uplift you and permeate throughout you. Envision a sweet purple light enveloping you, bringing happiness and beauty from the outside-in, if you like. 

Grab your journal. Write down three things you are happy about, three things you are anticipating, and three ways you’d like to grow. Meditate on these ideas as you finish your tea. Then, compost the spent lilac blossoms. 

As an alternative to using a journal, I’ve made a journal page especially for this meditation that you can print and use! Just click on the file below, print, and use alongside your Beltane Lilac Tea Meditation!

Beltane Lilac Meditation.pdfDownload
Categories
Folklore Herbs and Herbalism plant wonder collective Recipes Tea

Butterfly Pea Faerie Tea

Butterfly Pea Flower is just so very magical! It is astounding how brilliantly blue the flowers can so easily turn the water in a cup of tea. It feels like a bit of faerie magic, for sure!

When I was doing some research for the faerie + plant folklore book I am writing (!!), I came across a type of Eastern European faerie called Er Tütra, which means Morning Mist: the name for a type of weather spirit/faerie. These Morning Mist folk are only visible to human eyes in the form of their namesake natural phenomenon, but they are hard at work to promote the health and growth of crops—an invaluable service to the fauna and humans of the land. 

I made the connection between butterfly pea flower and these Morning Mist faeries because of the folklore surrounding this lovely plant. There are strong ties between butterfly pea flower in Southeast Asian cultures and motherhood and divine feminine symbolism, with a distinct focus on protection and mothering. The Er Tütra certainly perform this caretaking role for the land and crops. What’s more, there are very interesting studies on the use of butterfly pea flower in natural insecticides for crops! Yet another cool connection. 

Here is the recipe for the Butterfly Pea Faerie tea! Embody the springtime Morning Mist with this tea blend and perhaps offer some to the Er Tütra for their aid in your spring garden.

Ingredients

1 part green tea or green rooibos 

1 part meadowsweet

1 part passionflower

1/2 part mint

1/2 part yarrow

1/2 part butterfly pea flower

Directions

To make a single cup of tea, add 1 tablespoon to a tea strainer, eco- friendly tea bag, or French press. Pour 1 to 1 1⁄2 cups hot water over the tea and steep for 3-4 minutes. Add honey or your preferred sweetener to taste, if desired.

To cold-brew this tea blend, add the ingredients to a glass jar or French press, steep overnight in the refrigerator, strain, and serve.

This recipe was shared as a part of Butterfly Pea Flower month at the Plant Wonder Collective! If you’d like to support the work of PWC, please consider joining our Study Circle on Patreon for exclusive recipes, articles, digital downloads and printables for the plant of the month, including this graphic available for print as an apothecary jar sticker. We appreciate you being on this learning journey with us!

For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.