Smoke & Forage: wild remedies that work (2026)

06/10/2024

This summer, near solstice, I harvested St John's Wort flowers. I was taught how to use the fresh flowers for making tinctures and oils, by my good friend Jaycee of .

Fresh St John's Wort creates a vibrant red oil when it is steeped. You can squeeze the flower buds to see the bright purple juices that create this colour. I use my Wild Flower Body Oil for massages, and also as an after sun oil, as well as for cold sore prevention.

This year I made my Wild Flower Oil with St John's Wort and Yarrow. The oil is mildly pain relieving, anti-microbial, and excellent for scar healing.

I have found St John's Wort to be a lovely herbal ally, bringing warmth to the body, much like the sun near solstice.

👉 I also made St John’s Wort tincture. It sold out to folks on my mailing list.

👐Find my Wildflower Body Oil in my shop.
🧘‍♀️Along with my recently restocked Chill Out Tincture.

https://smokeandforage.ca/products/wildflower-body-oil

14/06/2024

One of my favourite remedies is back in stock: Cottonwood Salve, also know as "Balm of Gilead".

https://smokeandforage.ca/products/cottonwood-salve

Not only does this salve relieve pain it also aids in healing injured tissue. My Mom has arthritis in her hands and she swears by this salve. She tells everyone about it. I've seen it help heal many injuries including broken bones, headaches and soothing general soreness. It is also a great ally for red skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

Cottonwood is my favourite salve in my collection and the medicine I offer most frequently as a gift. It is a core, truly irreplaceable piece of my medicine practice.

This oil has been steeping for months and only recently was made into salves. I shook the oil daily as it steeped and ran it through a blender before straining to help release the resins from the buds.

The Cottonwood buds I work with are harvested from the central Kootenays by herbalist friends of mine. I choose to work with Kootenay Cottonwood buds because they are the darkest, richest buds I've ever seen. I'm a Sagitarius Sun and Rising, as well as a former tree planter. I like to wander and I've been to many places all over BC. I have never seen buds like the ones in the Kootenays anywhere else. They produce a potent garnet oil which is wildly fragrant and works like nothing else for relieving pain.

This year I also added buds from my home on the West Coast (but kept the amount of oil they steeped in the same), making this infusion extra potent. West coast buds contain a resin that is golden orange in colour. I am so glad to be able to harvest Cottonwood in my home town again.

They come in 2 and 4 oz jars, which will last quite a while, even with regular use. This medicine typically sells out before it is re-stocked the following year, so if it is of interest to you I suggest picking up a jar sooner rather than later.

As always, if you have questions about this remedy, or anything else I make, you can book a consultation with me. I offer 15 minutes for free. 1 hour consultations include free shipping on the next order you place.

Book here: https://calendly.com/andi-49

11/06/2024

Ghost Pipe ✨

One of the most viewed videos I ever made was about Ghost Pipe.

It is my most viewed video on Tik Tok and amongst the highest on Facebook.
I know there is an almost primal reaction that arises for people when they are introduced to this plant, so I thought I would share about it with you more deeply.

Ghost pipe is a strong hypnotic nervine. It can be used to treat drug induced psychosis, and is used this way by folks practicing festival harm reduction. It can also help reduce seizures. Most notably Ghost pipe is known for it's ability to assist people to sit next to their trauma, rather than be consumed by it. It can be useful in ritual as well as navigating away from dependence on substances.

I imagine Ghost Pipe as having the ability to place all our hurt in a safe box, which we can sit next to with total clarity. The box allows us to take each hurt out one by one and learn from it, and gives us a safe place to rest the story.

Ghost pipe is a plant with no chlorophyll, which is why it is not green and is often mistaken for fungi. Rather than gaining energy from sunshine, Ghost pipe lives in reciprocity with fungi and trees, allowing for sharing of life force. Understanding this leads me to believe Ghost Pipe also carries medicine about weaving community, and the ways holding grief is central to this work.

Ghost pipe tends to pop up in similar places to Chanterelle mushrooms, earlier in the season.. Some people believe it should not be harvested at all, due to concerns about over harvesting.

That being said, on the North Island I have seen Ghost Pipe grow in abundant patches where it is possible to harvest a few pieces, in ways that don't have long lasting negative impacts.

Ghost Pipe is a beautiful, powerful medicine that deserves reverence and respect.

I make Ghost Pipe tincture, but I don't sell it publicly on my website because I feel people need to really think thoroughly and clearly about whether or not this is an appropriate medicine for them to be using.

If you are interested in working with Ghost Pipe you can book a free consultation with me to discuss if it could be a good fit for you.

Book here: https://calendly.com/andi-49

05/06/2024

A few weekends ago I was lucky to catch a ride on my friend's sail boat to my favourite Nettle patch.

The patch can only be accessed by boat. From the moment I first heard about it I have been scheming ways to get there. Multiple years I kayaked, including while pregnant with my daughter. Another year I convinced a helpful and friendly Tinder date to take me there on his friend's boat. This year my friends who own a gorgeous sail boat were generous enough to take not only me, but also my partner and both our kids on the adventure.

This patch is close to my heart and one of the places I find most peaceful.

Stinging Nettle is one of my favourite plants to harvest. It is deeply rich in minerals and energetically protective. It supports healthy liver, kidneys and blood formation. It is supportive to people experiencing anemia. It helps reduce allergies and eases stagnant breathing. Stinging Nettle likes to grow near trees that produce pollen that many people are allergic to (in this way we see the plant mirror the medicine it offers us, in where and how it lives). Nettle is supportive of the whole pregnancy and post-partum journey, by offering the body a wide array or nutrients and replenishment.

I like to make Nettle tea whenever I am feeling run down or stuffed up. I drink it both hot and cold and I like to add the spent leaves to soups and stews. Nettle is one of my favourite plants to add to soups and broth. I also make nettle pesto and cook with it anywhere I would use cooked spinach.

I've made a fair bit of content about Stinging Nettle (who it supports and how to find it).
Scroll back through my feed to learn more.

As always, if you have any questions about how to bring Stinging Nettle (or any of the other plants//fungi I work with) into your wellness routine, please feel encouraged to book a consultation (15 minutes free).

Order everything I make with Stinging Nettle here: https://smokeandforage.ca/collections/stinging-nettle

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