Proper Credit for Cannabis Article

I was informed last night that the Cannabis article in the current issue was copied and pasted from a PubMed posted research paper.  It just didn't cross our minds that we needed to research submissions to be sure they were original, and I am deeply sorry for that oversight.

Proper credit and the complete article can be found HERE

The Nov/Dec '19 issue is out and hitting mailboxes!Look over the table of contents below, and you'll see that there are some amazing and fascinating articles inside.  We're pretty excited about it, and hope you'll love it too. Send us a picture of your copy in your home, at work, on the beach... and we'll put it on our Facebook/IG pages.

Also, stay tuned for a subscriber-only benefit coming up next month.

Field Notes from the Editor, Tina Sams
  I’ll miss the plants outside, but then again…

About the Cover
  Photo by Signe Sundberg-Hall
                                                                              
Cannabis Root MedicineRyz NR, Remillard DJ, Russo EB (2017) Cannabis roots: a traditional therapy with future potential for treating inflammation and pain, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research 2:1, 210–216, DOI: 10.1089/can.2017.0028.
  There’s so much talk about the cannabis leaves and flowers,
  but there’s a lot to say about a deeper medicine. 
                                                
DIY Natural Spa Days, Jackie Johnson
  Easy to follow general instructions for lots of treatments.   
                                  
The Art of Entertaining with Tea, JB Schaffer
  Do you put on a pot of tea when guests are expected?  Get
  some tips for making people at home with various herbal teas.
                           
Elderberry Toxicity, Rebekah Bailey
  A peek into to some soon-to-be published new research! 
                                   
Holiday DIY - Gifts, Marci Lautanen-Raleigh
  Wow!  Recipes and instructions for gifts, décor, and special
  culinary touches to use in entertaining or gift giving.
                                             
Move over Turkey - It’s Stuffed Pumpkin, Theresa Koch                                   
  Mmmm… a delicious vegetarian main course.

Nutmeg Gets Noticed, Kristine Brown
  Do you ever think, “I wonder who was the first person to
  try this thing?”  How about nutmeg?  How did that happen? 
                    
Cranberry Nut Bread, Nancy Reppert
  Festive and seasonal bread perfect with tea or as a gift. 
                                     
Book Excerpt: Evolutionary Herbalism, Sajah Popham
  The Vital Force Within Plants
                                                                                
Home Weeds Home, Lalanya Bodenbender
  Sometimes it takes a while to settle into a new plantscape.  
                               
Keeping Herbs, Rita Richardson
  You don’t have to miss herbs during the winter.   
                                                 
Conifer Forest Soap, Marci Tsohonis
  This one is on our list of things to make!
                                                              
CO2 Extracts: What are They & How Do I Use Them? Liz Fulcher
  Sometimes I hear terms but don’t really recognize that I don’t
  know exactly what they mean.  CO2 extracts fall into that category,
  so I figured I wasn’t alone. Liz graciously agreed to tell us. 
                            
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream & Double Berry Wine Cooler, Nancy Reppert
  Two delicious and elegant - yet fairly simple – recipes. 
                                       
Herbal Oddities, Kathy Musser
  Less common, but interesting plants at the herb farm.
                                         
Moving, Sandy Michelsen
  Checking in after a long absence, a new place to learn and get
  to know.      

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Autumn Projects for the Still Room

Sept/Oct 2015 issue, Essential Herbal

Catherine Love www.stillroomherbs.com

I love autumn.  It is my favorite of all the seasons.  Though it is harvest season for many, it is also planting season for me (Texas).  Autumn is the best time of year for planting perennial herbs here, and many of the cool weather loving herbs thrive in our typically mild winters, so they are planted in the fall as well. 

Once the brunt of the hot weather is over, I begin harvesting and cutting back the heat-loving herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and mugwort, in order to make room for other less heat hardy varieties like cilantro, parsley, dill, nasturtium, and calendula.  These are less aggressive in growth as well, and they do nicely tucked in between perennial herbs that will grow more slowly in the fall and winter. 

Once the garden is planted, it is time to have fun stirring and stitching up some things with the herbs that have been recently harvested and dried.  This fall I will be making:

·         Sweet Lavender Rose sachets- Just a simple blend of dried lavender, rose petals, and corresponding essential oils tucked into pretty patterned sachets that I sew from fabric scraps.  Sometimes I forgo stitching altogether and simply cut small squares of fabric with pinking shears, gather the herbs into those and finish with a ribbon tie. To make things even simpler, I buy premade muslin bags from my local Natural Grocer. With those all I have to do is fill, pull the drawstring and tie.  If I want to dress them up a little, I stamp them with an herb leaf or design before I fill them.

·         Sweet Dreams pillows- These are great for putting the abundant mugwort harvest to good use by blending it with other relaxing or dream inspiring herbs such as: rose petals, lavender, and lemon verbena; along with a few drops of lavender and rose geranium essential oil.  I make these as flat muslin pillows to tuck into a pillow case.  When I make them for gift giving I use a pretty floral fabric or something that will correspond with the recipient’s décor. 

·         Rosemary needle pillows- These make a simple but useful gift for the seamstress. Sew a small rectangle bag, fill it tightly with dried rosemary and stitch closed.  The rosemary is said to help keep your sewing needles sharp when they are poked into these bags.  At the very least, they make a fragrant spot to store extra pins and needles.

·         Moth repellant bags- Sew small bags with a hanging loop (those premade muslin bags work well here) for draping over a clothes hanger in the closet or to tuck between sweaters and other clothing that moths tend to ruin.  A mixture of cedar chips, lavender, rosemary, southernwood, and wormwood are mixed together with a few drops of lavender essential oil for these. 

·         Mediterranean Medley potpourri- This is a refreshing blend of my most hardy herbs- rosemary, sweet marjoram, thyme, lemon verbena, bay leaves, and lavender; with dried pot marigold and blue bachelor’s button flowers thrown in for color.  A few drops of lemon and marjoram essential oil will enhance the fragrance.  No real recipe here, I tend to just mix as I go adding more of this or that until it pleases my eye and nose.  Use what you have on hand and experiment! 

These are just a few ideas I have for fall herb crafting.  I hope they inspire you to create something new to you with the herbs from your harvest. 

My motto is: Have fun and see what happens … with herb crafts, it’s hard to go wrong.  I have had some funny flops, like the lavender cookies that tasted awful. I posted the recipe on my blog before I taste tested them because I was sure they were going to be delicious.  When I realized the mistake I quickly named those Bathwater Cookies, posted an update on my blog, threw that recipe out and started over, posting a new recipe later.  It is ok to admit when we mess up, we’re all human and laughter (even at our own expense) is good for the soul.

I encourage you to continue exploring new ideas and trying new things with herbs.   Share the successes and laugh off the not so successful projects.  There’s always tomorrow and another herbal adventure to enjoy!

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