Bitters — Articles — Hearthside Healing

Dec 7

Dec 7 Dandelion

Right around the Spring equinox there in Portland Oregon the dandelions (Taraxacum officicinale) start to sprout up like some wild jagged toothed friendly golden haired freaks from down the road. These are the botanical creatures that drive many home owners nuts. You can see them with their cans of spray desperately trying to eradicate anything but the tame blades of grass that carpet their lawn front and back. Dandelion is seen as a scourge, an enemy to be controlled and eliminated. But dandelion is unruly, doesn’t listen very well- sprouts wherever it can find a foothold and doesn’t easily leave its perch once well established. Queen of the weeds, friend to every herbalist, dandelion has much to offer and we would do well to tend her patches and bring her into our life as a dear friend.

Dec 5

Dec 5 Oregon Grape

Aromatic Arts

Walk through a forest near my home in Portland, Oregon and you will often find Oregon Grape carpeting wide swaths of land. In city and suburban gardens, the taller Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium) is often planted as a hardy perennial for its pretty year round glossy green foliage, yellow flowers and blueberries. This is a plant that is near and dear to many herbalists as it is deeply useful for a variety of health complaints.

Dec 3

Dec 3 Bitter Herbs: Nature’s Great Healers

Aromatic Arts

Imagine yourself at the beach soaking in the sunshine and occasionally dipping your toes in the ocean. For some this would be paradise that we would never want to end. But for many of us we would get…well…bored. Humans love to climb mountains, push ourselves in an exercise class, travel to challenging environments and spend additional energy working hard on something we are interested in. Without challenges most of us would get a little soft and complacent. We need some stressors to build more resiliency, to gain skills, deepen our experience and to grow as humans.