Buchu Leaf: A Complex Aroma That Herbalists Are Divided On
We all know some herbs that are good for us but don’t necessarily smell or taste appealing. Sometimes we have to get past an unpleasant smell to get the desired benefits we desire. We asked a few adventurous Mountain Rose Herbs Mercantile staff to take a quick break to smell one of our botanicals with a hard-to-describe aroma! Buchu leaf may not be anyone’s favorite smell, but it has a lot of uses. Around the world, you’ll find it in the perfume industry, as a component in artificial fruit flavors, and in alcoholic beverages, frozen dairy desserts, candy, condiments, and relishes. Buchu leaf can also be combined with other herbs and ingested as a healthful tea or tincture.
7Song’s Scientific & Humorous Approach to Herbalism
In the summer of 2022, our Creative team traveled to Ithaca, NY, to spend a few days learning about 7Song (@7Songsevensong) and his Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. Our friend, esteemed herbalist 7Song, has been inspiring herb students at his school since the early 1990s. While some herbal schools are rooted solely in plant medicine, the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine focuses on the human body, critical thinking, and botany. As a self-described cynic, 7Song brings humor and practicality to an often challenging field of work.
Visit 7Song at 7song.com
Follow him on Instagram @7songSevenSong
Follow him on Facebook @Sevensong.Sevensong
The Sacred Copal Tree + Ceremonial Uses for Día de Muertos
Copalli—the Nahuatl word for Copal—is a resin extracted from the Copal tree and has been used in Indigenous practices for thousands of years. In honor of Dia de Muertos, our friend Patricia Cortez has written a beautiful blog about her memories of how her Mamá Trini trained her in El Salvador to work with Copalli. We love the story of how she learned to befriend and honor the Protium Copal tree and the traditional way of using maguey cactus to harvest the copal. And did you know that in 2016 the Mexican government designated Dia de Muertos as a Cultural Heritage to the world? We all have Ancestors to honor and celebrate regardless of where we are from. What do you recall about your ancestors and how do you honor them?
Voiceover graciously provided by Patricia Cortez.
Patricia Cortez is a bilingual-bicultural holistic practitioner at Eugene Reiki Healing in Eugene, Oregon. Visit her here: www.eugenereikihealing.com.
Artichoke: An Underutilized Herbal Ally | Featuring Shana Lipner Grover
Shana Lipner Grover takes us along a garden stroll to learn about one of her favorite plants to grow for abundance—artichoke! When we think of artichokes, we think of the delicious flower buds. But did you know that the most abundant part of artichoke plants—the leaves—are an excellent, nourishing bitter that is supportive of the liver? This fantastic plant not only makes a stunning addition to your landscape with its large, impressive leaves and big flower buds, it can also help support healthy liver function and, as a bitter, is helpful for digestion.
Find organic artichoke leaves here: https://mrh.life/ArtichokeLeaf
Shana is a clinical herbalist, health and nutrition educator, and field botanist. She was a student of award-winning author Michael Moore and also one of Mountain Rose Herbs’ favorite herbalists, Howie Brounstein. Today, she is the director and primary educator of Sage Country Herbs School of Botanical Studies in San Diego, CA.
You can learn more about Shana and the Sage Country Herbs School by visiting htpps://www.SageCountryHerbs.com or by following her on Instagram @sagecountryherbs
Why You Should Grow Lemon Balm in Your Garden
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of the best herbal allies to grow and form a deep relationship with. Join us as clinical herbalist, field botanist, and nutrition educator, Shana Lipner Grover, shares the uses and benefits of lemon balm, and why sometimes the best medicine is just sitting with the plant. She will also teach us about other plants that pair well with lemon balm and how taking it over time helps us to reap the most benefit.
Shana was a student of award-winning author Michael Moore and also one of Mountain Rose Herbs’ favorite herbalists, Howie Brounstein. Today, she is the director and primary educator of Sage Country Herbs School of Botanical Studies in San Diego, CA.
You can learn more about Shana and the Sage Country Herbs School by visiting htpps://www.SageCountryHerbs.com or by following her on Instagram @sagecountryherbs
