Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story with us @lisabrunette . I'd love to learn more about "Brown-Eyed Susan" and how you use it in your home apothecary! It's not a plant I'm familiar with. If readers have any questions for Lisa about her herbal experiences (or indeed the wonders that are currently being carefully prepared in her basement rafters!) do drop us a line. We'd love to hear your questions and stories.
What a great story. I have similar memories of foraging with my mom and grandma. I remember prickling myself on nettles, and being told to look for dandelions and rub the juice over the sting from the nettles. I remember my amazement when it made the pain go away.
Here in SoCal where we live, I can’t forage for it yet, so I grow it in my herb beds. I am building a forest garden though and chamomile are one of the herbs I plan to add. I harvested 1/2 gallon of chamomile last summer and I really enjoy a cup before bed, or if I am stressed out. Chamomile, lemon balm and catnip came to the rescue when our twins were toddlers. It quickly became a beloved routine to do tea and story time before bed.
My kids are adults now, even though they still live at home. I am so proud that when they get sick or have an injury they go for the herbal solution first. Comfrey soaks for sprains and swelling, mint and fenugreek for stomach pain, mullein and mint steamers, for a stuffy nose and cold. This and so much more. I love that herbal medicine keeps being passed down through the generations.
It’s also the reason I am planting medical plants in the forest garden too. I it will be a place where I can introduce the next generation to foraging for herbs and food.
Lemon balm is my chamomile because, along with mint, it’s what my mother and I have been growing for a long time. I love the smell of lemon balm and it’s calming tea. Last winter, an epic cold snap got my lemon balm and I was devastated. Not being able to find another plant to replace it with salted my wounds and living far away from mom meant getting a start from her would not be happening for a while, but I got a nice surprise in my late spring garden- lemon balm volunteers, everywhere! I couldn’t believe how far the wind had blown the seed from where I had originally planted it.
The mint gets added to iced tea in the summer and makes a nice hot tea when the weather starts to cool in the fall. I also make a mint syrup that my husband likes to put in his bourbon and for refreshing mint mojitos on hot summer evenings.
I’m not sure chamomile will do well in my southern climate, but I just sowed some seed today and will see how it goes. I do have a good local source of loose dried flowers that makes a lovely soothing tea. It is the only thing that has been calming my gum flare ups which I suspect may be due to lingering long covid mast cell problems. Sometimes I add a bit of dried ginger, fennel, and licorice root to the chamomile to help with other digestive issues.
I started drinking hawthorn tea this past winter which I purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs. I’ve heard it’s good for the heart and the spirit, and I’ve enjoyed it very much.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story with us @lisabrunette . I'd love to learn more about "Brown-Eyed Susan" and how you use it in your home apothecary! It's not a plant I'm familiar with. If readers have any questions for Lisa about her herbal experiences (or indeed the wonders that are currently being carefully prepared in her basement rafters!) do drop us a line. We'd love to hear your questions and stories.
What a great story. I have similar memories of foraging with my mom and grandma. I remember prickling myself on nettles, and being told to look for dandelions and rub the juice over the sting from the nettles. I remember my amazement when it made the pain go away.
Here in SoCal where we live, I can’t forage for it yet, so I grow it in my herb beds. I am building a forest garden though and chamomile are one of the herbs I plan to add. I harvested 1/2 gallon of chamomile last summer and I really enjoy a cup before bed, or if I am stressed out. Chamomile, lemon balm and catnip came to the rescue when our twins were toddlers. It quickly became a beloved routine to do tea and story time before bed.
My kids are adults now, even though they still live at home. I am so proud that when they get sick or have an injury they go for the herbal solution first. Comfrey soaks for sprains and swelling, mint and fenugreek for stomach pain, mullein and mint steamers, for a stuffy nose and cold. This and so much more. I love that herbal medicine keeps being passed down through the generations.
It’s also the reason I am planting medical plants in the forest garden too. I it will be a place where I can introduce the next generation to foraging for herbs and food.
Lemon balm is my chamomile because, along with mint, it’s what my mother and I have been growing for a long time. I love the smell of lemon balm and it’s calming tea. Last winter, an epic cold snap got my lemon balm and I was devastated. Not being able to find another plant to replace it with salted my wounds and living far away from mom meant getting a start from her would not be happening for a while, but I got a nice surprise in my late spring garden- lemon balm volunteers, everywhere! I couldn’t believe how far the wind had blown the seed from where I had originally planted it.
The mint gets added to iced tea in the summer and makes a nice hot tea when the weather starts to cool in the fall. I also make a mint syrup that my husband likes to put in his bourbon and for refreshing mint mojitos on hot summer evenings.
I’m not sure chamomile will do well in my southern climate, but I just sowed some seed today and will see how it goes. I do have a good local source of loose dried flowers that makes a lovely soothing tea. It is the only thing that has been calming my gum flare ups which I suspect may be due to lingering long covid mast cell problems. Sometimes I add a bit of dried ginger, fennel, and licorice root to the chamomile to help with other digestive issues.
I started drinking hawthorn tea this past winter which I purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs. I’ve heard it’s good for the heart and the spirit, and I’ve enjoyed it very much.