HERBARIUM PROJECT FOR CHILDREN

An herbarium is a collection of dried plants that botanists use for studying, identifying, and classifying plants. Making an herbarium is a great way for kids and their parents to learn about botany and the plants used in herbalism. An herbarium will help you and your child get to know what plants look like, along with […]

via HERBARIUM PROJECT FOR CHILDREN — Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

FUN ON THE WILD SIDE ~ INTRODUCTION TO HERBS FOR KIDS: WILDCRAFTING

Take a trip outside your door and look down! What do you see? Do you see little plants growing? Perhaps it is one single little dandelion or maybe you have found a whole area of plants growing and thriving. You won’t have to go far to find wild plants! Sometimes wild plants found around homes, […]

via Fun On The Wild Side ~ INTRODUCTION TO HERBS FOR KIDS: WILDCRAFTING — Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Jewelweed Salve

By Luna Walks Alone

Spellbinding Sweet Woodruff Cake: Prosperity Magic — gather

In my tiny wildish garden, nestling at the foot of a tall tree, is sweet woodruff. Her glossy leaves and small white blossoms may be hidden by a profusion of taller plants, but it is her scent that perfumes the air. Fresh, her fragrance (like rain, earth, fresh air and green grass all condensed into…

via Spellbinding Sweet Woodruff Cake: Prosperity Magic — gather

Honey Bees; Heros of Our Planet

By Crooked Bear Creek Organics

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs's avatarCrooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Have you ever had the opportunity to observe the busy work of a tiny honey bee as it meanders from flower to flower on a clear, sunny day? There’s something truly captivating about honey bees that draw us deeper into their world. We see honey bees frequently in books, movies, and television, where they are often associated with making hives filled with delicious, golden honey. You might recall reading about a hungry bear character in search of the honey bee’s golden treasures in various children’s stories. Honey bees are known for their production of honey and beeswax, as well as the large role they play in the pollination of plants and flowers. Honey bees can also be considered super-organisms due to their complex social systems and dynamic, tight-knit interactions with one another and their environments.

Bee Species

There are actually seven recognized species of honey bee within the genus Apis…

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Companion Planting with Herbs

By Crooked Bear Creek Organics

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs's avatarCrooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Boost your garden this season with the right pairings of plants.

Companion planting is a fantastic addition to any garden. By specific plants next to certain fruits, flowers, and vegetables, you can boost their health and increase their production. Of course, knowing what pairings work best is key, especially when it comes to herbs.

How It Works

Companion planting improves growth in a number of ways. To start, some plants serve to repel unwanted pests while providing shelter and safety for beneficial insects. Others encourage pollination, which is especially needed for those fruits and vegetables that don’t have noticeable flowers. Species with bright shades of blue, white, or yellow and/or with high concentrations of nectar can attract bees to these lesser-flowered plants. Larkspur, sunflowers, sweet peas, cosmos, zinnias, and mints all do well in vegetable gardens {though the mint does spread quickly}. Companion planting is a wonderful tool for organic…

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The Common Backyard Plant That Treats Breast Cancer & Repairs Wounds

Greetings!

On Sunday, April 22nd, I’ll be leading the Wild Medicinal Mushroom Workshop at Una Biologicals in Pittsburgh.  This is a 2-hour class that will focus on the medicinal properties and health benefits associated with various local wild fungi.  Participants will learn the steps involved in making mushroom decoctions and tinctures, and everyone will receive starting materials to create a personalized medicinal mushroom extraction!

Space for this class is limited, and if you’re interested in attending, you can pre-register by following this link:  Wild Medicinal Mushroom Workshop

Moving forward, let’s talk about Stinging Nettle.

Some people love it, and some people dislike it, though there’s no denying Stinging Nettle’s potential role in treating serious illnesses.

Last year, I filmed a video in which I discussed this plant’s ability to treat type 2 diabetes, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and allergies.

Since then, many more scientific studies have been published on Stinging Nettle’s therapeutic qualities.

For example, in the past two years, three studies have documented Stinging Nettle’s ability to treat breast cancer.  Another recent study discovered that Stinging Nettle can significantly enhance the wound-healing process.  And one more recent study evaluated the best way to make an infusion (i.e. “tea”) from Stinging Nettle in order to extract the maximum amount of vitamin C (which itself is associated with numerous health benefits).

After personally digging into the research on Stinging Nettle, I felt the need to share the latest information with you.  If you’re interested in optimizing your personal health utilizing locally sourced, wild edible plants… check out this brand new video!

Thanks for reading and watching, and perhaps I’ll see you at the Wild Medicinal Mushroom Workshop on April 22nd!

-Adam Haritan

The Power of Pungent Herbs

By Crooked Bear Creek Organics

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs's avatarCrooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Energetically warming herbs and spices can help us spark a little fire in the body by improving digestion, boosting circulation, moving out congestion, and more. Not only that, they’re readily available in our pantries, lending themselves to some tasty medicine.

When it comes to herbal flavors and actions, many of our most potent and memorable herbs are “pungent.” Think of those foods you use in cooking to add a kick to your dishes – ingredients like garlic, onions, horseradish, ginger, cayenne pepper, black pepper, mustard, and turmeric. These all add a whopping dose of spice and flavor, but they also play an important role in herbal medicine, providing warmth and reviving bodily systems.

Heating Up The Body

Pungent herbs are particularly popular during the colder months because they boost circulation, warm our bones, enhance digestion {of those harder -to- digest starchy storage crops and meats of winter}, stimulate the senses, help move…

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ARTEMISIA MOONTIME ELIXIR: A RECIPE FOR DREAM MAGIC

By Gather Victoria

“Has artemisia come to help us unlock the deep dreams that day to day living has swept seemingly out of reach? Has she come to guard us and protect us while we realign ourselves with the strength of feminine energy? Has she come–with her liver cleansing and digestive tonic– to help ease the pain of […]

via Artemisia Moontime Elixir:  A Recipe For Dream Magic — gather

The Health Benefits of Alfalfa

By Crooked Bear Creek Organics

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs's avatarCrooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

We grow and cultivate alfalfa as a commercial crop, to feed our livestock and as well, I grow some around the house. I make sprouts, a herbal tea and I love the gorgeous little flowers in the late spring, early summer.

Medicago sativa

Also, Known As:

  • Alfalfa
  • Buffalo Herb
  • Lucerne
  • Mu-su
  • Purple Medic

Alfalfa is a common sight in many temperate grasslands of the world. Alfalfa belongs to pea family (Fabaceae). The herbal remedies made utilizing the alfalfa have been generally prescribed by herbalist for the treatment of a variety of ailments and disorders, the alfalfa can be taken in the form of an herbal tea and it is also used in the form of herbal tablets or capsules, at times the dried plant itself is consumed by patients. The effectiveness of the herbal remedies made from the alfalfa in treating disorders is available from many testimonials written by people who…

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