Nutritional Needs

05/23/2026

05/18/2026

Before the drugstore aisle, there was the garden, the hedgerow, the root cellar, the kitchen shelf, and somebody’s grandmother who knew exactly what to reach for.

People used what they had. Willow bark. Elderberry. Nettle. Eucalyptus. Lavender. Yarrow. Lamb’s ear. Plantain leaf. Clove. Spilanthes. Garlic. Thyme. Calendula. Chamomile. Feverfew.

Some were steeped. Some were wrapped around wounds. Some were made into syrups, salves, poultices, oils, teas, vinegars, or whatever the situation called for.

And here’s the thing: a lot of these plants didn’t just disappear because the shelves got shinier. Many are still used today in teas, salves, oils, tinctures, steams, syrups, ferments, and home remedies passed down through families.

Not every old remedy was perfect. Some worked better than others. Some were more tradition than science. Some were used because there simply wasn’t anything else. But a whole lot of plant knowledge stuck around for a reason.

People paid attention.

They knew which leaves cooled the skin.
Which roots were worth digging.
Which flowers belonged in a salve.
Which bark had a place in the medicine chest.
Which herbs were kept close when winter rolled in.

That kind of knowledge didn’t come from a marketing team. It came from use, observation, tradition, and generations of people passing things down because they had to.

Before everything came from a lab, it came from the earth.

⚠️Always do your research before introducing into your diet, especially if you have any underlying or pre-existing conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are taking medications.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms around the world!

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my book loving mamas today! I hope your day is amazing!!

05/10/2026

Love this sport!

05/09/2026

Take a look around your local health foods stores for natural alternatives to soda!
Go organic & avoid unnatural food
coloring.

05/09/2026

That low-growing plant with purple cylindrical flower heads and square stems. The one your mower clips regularly. The one your neighbor calls lawn mint.

That's self-heal. Native across most of North America. And one of the few flowering plants that can complete its entire bloom cycle at lawn mowing height.

Most lawn flowers put up tall stems that get clipped before they finish. Self-heal flowers at three inches. The bumblebees and small carpenter bees visiting it are foraging in your grass between mowings, at a height the mower doesn't reach if the blade is set above three inches.

She's in the mint family — square stems, opposite leaves, small lipped flowers. Unlike most mints, she stays low and doesn't spread aggressively. A patch holds its ground without taking over.

During the midsummer gap — when spring flowers have finished and fall blooms haven't started — many suburban yards have almost nothing flowering at ground level. A lawn with self-heal in it is still feeding native bees through that window.

🌿 What to do with self-heal in the lawn:

- Leave it. A patch of self-heal is a feeding station for native bees during the weeks when little else is blooming at lawn height
- Mow above three inches — self-heal flowers work at that height and bumblebees keep visiting between mowings
- Skip broadleaf herbicide where it's growing — self-heal recovers slowly after spraying and what fills the gap is usually something less useful
- If you're seeding a meadow strip or no-mow zone, add self-heal to the mix. It establishes quickly and holds soil while taller plants grow

The plant most people mow past without noticing is the one keeping bees fed when the rest of the lawn has nothing to offer 🌿