Raspberry Fields Herbal

09/29/2026

A little bit about Goldenrod as we come to the end of the herbal harvesting season.

Goldenrod is one of the most easily recognized plants. It also gets a bad rap for causing allergies, when it is often the ragweed growing nearby that is responsible for the pollen that causes allergies.

Goldenrod is one of the most gentle kidney medicines we have, increasing the action of the kidneys.

Despite it's reputation for causing allergies, Goldenrod is used in the treatment of allergies, especially cat allergies.

A poultice of Goldenrod is especially healing for old purulent wounds caused by edema.

Honey infused with Goldenrod takes on a beautiful anise flavor, while the tea can be quite bitter and aromatic.

Did you pick any Goldenrod this year for teas or honey?

09/07/2026

Boneset. A Herbal friend for fevers with chills and bone and muscle pain. A plant used in the old days for mosquito born diseases, with more relevance than ever today. Obviously useful for setting bones and healing connective tissues.
You can find boneset growing in damp places in North America. Look for the opposite leaves that clasp the stem tightly, appearing as a single leaf.
Use it hot in a tea to help sweat out a fever, or in a cool decoction for fevers that blaze.

Everywhere I look this fall boneset has called to me. Perhaps this plant is going to be well needed in the future.

08/21/2026

In August everything seems more golden, from the sunsets to the flowers.

An easy to find and easy to use plant is Goldenrod. Even it's name reminds us of the August sun, Solidago.

Simply dry it and add it to a tea. It doesn't get much more simple than that.

Matthew Wood says it is a specific for cat allergies, and purulent lungs. He recommends it for when you are tired and worn out.

Drink it at the first sign of a bladder infection. It is the most gentle kidney medicine.

Use the tea topically for skin infections.

Goldenrod is truly a gift from the meadow.

Often confused with ragweed allergy, the pollen is actually too heavy to cause pollen allergies. Allergies to the Goldenrod plant can still occur in some people.

August is a beautiful time to enjoy the beauty and medicine of this plant.

07/17/2026

How amazing is this mullein plant?

Coming in at about 7 feet tall or maybe more, these are the biggest mullein I have ever grown.

And while many of my wild medicinal plants here are really struggling, these beauties just keep growing taller.

It seems Mother Earth in her innate wisdom knows exactly what kind of medicine I will need, and she's growing it for me.

Usually I only hug trees. So I'm ecstatic to be able to hug these scratchy mullein.

Want to really dive deep into how to use mullein as medicine? We're hosting an herb walk August 9th. DM me for more details 🌿💚

07/13/2026

It's going to be a hot week! Don't worry, your herbal allies are here to cool you down. Here's a few that will keep your body cool and comfortable during this heat.

07/12/2026

Join us for a fun and educational herb walk featuring some of the common plants that grow in our area.

If you have ever looked at the plants in your yard or your woods and wondered what they did and how to work with them, this herb walk is for you.

Be sure to register early because spots are limited.

07/09/2026

To be clear, if you haven't yet submitted comments to Health Canada's Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD), that is priority #1.

You need to do that by July 12.

If your comments are in, give yourself a pat on the back!

You've done the hard part.

Now, there's one more simple way to help.

Forward the same personalized letter—or a slightly adapted version—to your local MP, the Minister of Health, the Director General of the NNHPD, and all the federal Health Critics.

We were going to publish a separate template for this, but we realized that would just make more work for you. You've already taken the time to write your personal letter. It makes more sense to use that. By also sharing it with Canada's decision-makers, you can help ensure that both Health Canada and elected officials hear directly from the people who may be affected by these proposed policy changes.

Every respectful, informed, and personalized voice helps strengthen the conversation.

Take a few more minutes and send your letter to the people making decisions. A list of additional federal decision-makers to contact, along with their emails can be found at the link below.
https://tr.ee/7r9JH_dZDT

07/08/2026

Some of you may have heard about Health Canada's proposed new rules.

If you haven't, let me break it down for you. The new legislation is written to be very unclear about what they are requiring. The best that we can suss out is that this new legislation will affect the ability for herbalists to freely compound herbs. It will also affect whether we can craft our own medicine without having nearly laboratory conditions to do so. Herbalists will also be forced to use herbal medicine that has been mass produced if it is available, instead of our own medicine.

This is very concerning because it goes against laws previously put in place to protect herbalists practicing safe and effective plant medicine. This new legislation solves a problem that does not exist. It also puts the client in a position where they have to accept herbal medicine that may not be as effective as what an herbalist can produce.

We have two days to fight this. They didn't even give us enough time to properly rally the public.

If these rights go away, the consumer loses access to even more natural health products than were removed during the last legislative change.

Things you can do:
Contact your MP.
And learn herbal medicine for yourself. They can make lots of things illegal but they cannot make the plants themselves illegal. At least not all of them.

07/07/2026

07/07/2026

We've seen a bit of confusion about how to participate in the consultation, so here's the simplest way to think about it:

Priority #1: Submit your comments to Health Canada's Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD) before July 12.
This is THE most important step. Use one of our response templates as a starting point, personalize it with your own experience, and submit it through Health Canada's public consultation.

Priority #2: Share far and wide.
Help spread the word by sharing our Consultation Toolkit with colleagues, patients, customers, friends, and family - anyone who cares about preserving access to personalized natural health care and a diversity of NHPs. The more informed voices that participate, the stronger the consultation will be.

Priority #3: Contact your Member of Parliament (MP) & the Minister of Health.
This is an additional advocacy step. We're also creating a separate letter template for this if you'd like to raise your concerns with your elected representative and the Health Minister.

📍You'll find the Summary & response templates in our link in bio on our Instagram

Every respectful, informed, and personalized submission helps decision-makers better understand how these proposed changes may affect Canadians.