Just a few days until release for The Big Book of Herbal Medicine!

 I thought it might be nice to share a little share a little of what's inside and how it's going!  Okay... we'll call it a bragging post.

The other day I noticed that the book hit #1 in Naturopathy Medicine

This morning I was thrilled to see that we also hit #1 in Herbal Remedies!

This is getting pretty exciting.
Some bits pulled from reviews?  Sure ...

~ As a seasoned folk herbalist, I was impressed by the sheer volume of remedies and treatments detailed in the book.

~ It’s a wonderful instructional manual that I’ll go to again and again.

~ Oh , how I wish I had found this book when I began learning about herbs! It would have been so helpful, and saved me a great many mistakes, time and money.

~ I love the small paragraphs at the beginning of the recipes that give some insight into why or how the recipe is helpful.

~ The recipes are all very easy to understand and the Getting Started section makes working with herbs and essential oils wonderfully accessible.

~ Throughout the book emphasis is laid on how very simple it is for anyone to use these methods. Most of the items needed to create the remedies in the book are probably already in your kitchen. There's no need to spend large sums of money on buying specialist equipment.

~ This book would also make an excellent gift for someone interested in herbalism or natural beauty or health.

~ The book is up to date on modern herbal trends, and the author is able to clarify things that may be confusing like herbal infusions and dosages for herbs.

~ I've been flipping through it for several days now and always find something new that I didn't know, or something new to try!

~ It is at once, a primer for those who want to begin using natural remedies and a resource for those who have been working with medicinal plants for years.

~ BIG book is true and this has literally replaced tons of herbal notes on index cards that I've collected and scattered everywhere! 

Would you like to see a few pages?  Here you go...

So now you know. 
You need your own copy!
Choose to purchase from Amazon for fast (and sometimes free) shipping - https://amzn.to/3qeTZ5Y

or from The Essential Herbal where we'll be shipping signed copies via slow Media Mail :-)

Essential Herbal Magazine, March April 2022 - What's inside?

The latest issue is out.  It is really crammed full of great articles to keep all of us herbal types alive until things warm up!  

Maryanne did such a great job covering for me while I've been recovering from surgery.  She's been carrying a pretty heavy load around here, and I hope to pick up my share soon.  She even stepped in and wrote the Field Notes for me when it became apparent that stringing sentences together might be beyond my scope of abilities.  It's been interesting... We are confident that you will enjoy this issue.

Get your copy HERE or Subscribe HERE

Current issue Table of Contents

Field Notes from the Editor, Maryanne Schwartz
The quiet, introspective sister covers the notes this issue, and it’s kind of interesting to see our lives through different eyes.

Extraordinary Flavors for Festive Events, Alicia Allen
Delicious ideas for entertaining, including Margherita Roses and Strawberry Basil Pound Cake along with several others!

All in a Froth, Rebekah Bailey
Scrumptious and nutritious latte recipes along with lots of ideas for how to create the right foam and texture.

A Brief Look at the Misuse of Plants, Jackie Johnson
“We should be aware that according to Paracelsus, the difference between poison and healing is in the dosage.”

Book Excerpt, “The Complete Guide to Seed & Nut Oils,” Bevin Cohen
All about flax seed oil… I think it will amaze you how fascinating Bevin makes this subject. 

Glorious Ginkgo, Kristine Brown
Ginkgo was one of the “up-and-coming” herbs in the 90’s, but then lost traction in the stampede of newbies to herbalism.  It’s back and well worth a deep dive.

A Love for Lemon Balm, Maia Warren
A nice profile for this beloved herb, along with tea recipes.  You’ll want to be sure you’ve got lemon balm in the cupboard!

Foaming Lemon Cleaning Paste, Nancy Lewis
Turning leftovers into a delightful cleaning product is brilliant!

Dragon’s Blood Soap, Marci Tsohonis
We love this gorgeous, fragrant, soap.  Our ren faire patrons would have beat feet to our shop for it back in the day, as the resin also has some protective properties.

Planters for Herbs 2022, Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh
Different means of planting for smaller spaces!

Rose, Water, Stone, Kathryn Tonneson
Poetic expression of recognizing everything around us.

Nicknames - a Word Search Puzzle, Tina Sams
You can do this as a word search, or click on the link and do the crossword!

Simply Salvia, Kathy Musser
A discussion of different salvias, where to plant them, and how to care for them.

Meet Our Contributors  

New book: The Big Book of Herbal Medicine

 I'm thrilled to announce my latest book!

 Get it HERE

This book is huge (400+ pages!) and full of so much information.  It is exactly the book that I wish my sister and I would have found in our early days of herbalism.  

• 90 herb profiles
• 300 remedies and instructions
• How to make all kinds of medicines 
• Safety information
• Safe use of essential oils
• Herbal Energetics
• What you'll need to get started
• How to choose the best herbs
• Resources 
• Herbal and Ailment Indexes
• and more!

The book has been beautifully composed and is easy to use.

Gazpacho from the Garden

Gazpacho from the Garden 

While we were working at our shop at the Renaissance Fair years ago, it was often very hot this time of year, and the foods available tended to be deep-fryed, heavy, and not very appealing while we wilted in our costumes.
The woman who had the soup booth came up with the idea of selling gazpacho during these days - just when the garden was brimming over with bounty. Served icy cold, it was almost as refreshing as the strawberry banana smoothies on the other end of the shire. Traditionally, this soup is served with chunks of bread. Our soup vendor sold her soup in deep bread bowls.

4 cups vegetable juice
4 large juicy tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped fine
1 small green bell pepper, chopped fine
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 container sour cream or plain yogurt (optional) 

 Combine vegetable juice, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and black pepper in food processor. Process until smooth. Pour into soup tureen; add cucumbers, bell pepper, and onion. Stir in cilantro. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with dollops of sour cream.
Makes 6 servings.

Don't be that person...

This post has been gurgling around in my mind for nearly 10 years. 
Currently, I'm spending a LOT of time looking at the ceiling whining to my sister, and sometimes ranting, so today is the day. 
Firstly, let me tell you that I am in the beginning phase of recovering from a knee replacement.  The honeymoon period is over.  Psych.  There was no honeymoon period.  I'm fortunate to have my sister staying with me and taking excellent care of me.  She's great company, but I'm having grouchy spells.

For many years, The Essential Herbal has had the great fortune of having a very successful business page on Facebook.  

That used to translate into sales, but that isn't the case any longer.  It IS still a good option for passing along information, like a new book, new issue, or whatever.

Before the surgery, I started putting away photos I could post with bits of information or short recipes/remedies - sort of the thing the magazine is known for.  I still have a week or two of them left!
But there's something so negative that happens, that some days I feel almost physically assaulted.  

Without fail, no matter what I post, someone will let me know there's something wrong with it.  It's worth noting that while Maryanne (sister) does a lot of things to help with the magazine, the Fb page is all mine.  One person being sure to post something interesting every day.  People seem to think that they're addressing a larger company with "staff" and "no feelings."

Let me show you a couple examples.  I only went back a few days, and it started to get to me.  You'll see what I mean...

Nice enough, right?
Wrong...

And then today, I posted a teaser to an exciting new announcement.

Apparently there is something very offensive about letting the cat out of the bag.  That comment no longer exists. 

Here is the thing.  Why?  Why do people write these things?  Are they home bored, looking for something that will make them feel better?  Do they feel that they are actually helping keep the world free of bad information? 
The other week I said something that taught me (seriously) that I was being culturally insensitive about something, and in that case, I could understand the value of the post - if not the delivery.

This is not to say that I am flawless in my posts.  I can remember the people who went out of their way to privately message me to suggest that information was incorrect (thank you Karen Bergeron).  It's the public "calling out" that seems unnecessary, especially since most of the time they are the ones who wind up looking ill-informed. 

So please... before you decide to smack down a post on the internet, please consider why you are doing it.  Could it be handled privately?  Could you just scroll on by?  What is your motivation? 
That last one - motivation - I would dearly love to know. 

Now my sister is pointing out that I probably wouldn't write about this if I wasn't in a lot of pain, and subsequent medication.  She may be right.  I'm doing it anyway.