The Gift Of Herbal Infused Honey

The Gift Of Herbal Infused Honey

Did you know you can infuse herbs in honey?  Well, yes you can!  And you end up with a little jar of heaven.  The herbs kindly give themselves to the honey resulting in a sweet, gentle preparation that not only tastes amazing but has the healing properties of the herbs and honey all contained in a little jar.   The perfect present for friends, family, teachers and, of course, for yourself!

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Spa Day For Kids

Spa Day For Kids

Host a super fun, messy, gooey spa day for your little ones and their friends.  Perfect for a hot summer day!

This is a great way for kids to explore using natural materials to care for their bodies while providing a fun activity filled with tactile, creative opportunities.

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Moon Time Raspberry Leaf, Strong Support

Each month we are blessed with a chance to change, to recreate ourselves anew giving birth to new ideas and visions, projects, attitudes and ways of being.  Sometimes this is a challenge.  Cramping and fatigue can make it hard to enjoy this time of rebirth.  Raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus, spp.) gives us a stability, a strong support for a smooth moon time so that we can fully embrace the gifts available to us.  Using raspberry as part of a healthy lifestyle through the entire month nourishes our bodies and ourselves to promote this vital health.  Many herbs are wonderful allies that can be considered super foods, providing beneficial tonic actions to the body through their superior high vitamin and mineral content and raspberry is one of those herbs.  Tried and true this wonderful plant has been used for centuries by a multitude of different people for its beneficial health properties.

Raspberry leaf is most commonly known as a herb for pregnancy.  Raspberry's effectiveness for pregnant women is due to not only its high mineral content but also its ability to strengthen and tone the uterus while at the same time enabling it to relax.  These same properties benefit menstruating women.  Raspberry is a tonic plant for the uterus which helps to increase the tone of flaccid muscles in the uterus or relax overly rigid muscles, which ever action the body might need.  This is action is thought to be due to a constituent called fragarin which found in high amounts in the leaf.  The tonic action of raspberry leaf is said to regulate the action of the uterine muscle thereby aiding in the reduction of menstrual pain, particularly that which occurs at the beginning of menstruation.  Raspberry's high tannin content imparts an astringentquality which strengthens capillary beds and mucus membranes thereby helping to curb excess menstrual bleeding and mucus discharge.

Raspberry is high in vitamins and minerals providing many nutrients necessary for female health; including manganese, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins B, C and E.   This power packed plant is helpful for building strong bones and teeth.  Raspberry also tones the digestive system and has long been used as a remedy for diarrhea especially in children.

Raspberry ~

  • strengthens and yet relaxes the uterus
  • reduces cramping, especially cramping which occurs at the beginning of menstruation
  • eases excess bleeding
  • tones the digestive system
  • cooling on a hot day
  • is high in vitamins and minerals

It is so easy to gain all of the amazing benefits from raspberry by making a simple infusion of the leaves.  Click here to read about infusions and how to make them!  Raspberry has a wonderful cooling effect on the body and is great to enjoy iced on a hot day.  You can also add other herbs to your brew to increase the nourishing tonic properties of your drink.  Nettles is high in vitamins and minerals as well as astringent.  Like raspberry it will help curb excess menstrual bleeding and provide excellent nourishment to the body.  Red clover and alfalfa have phytoestrogens which aid in hormone balance and increase overall health due to high nutrient content.  Peppermint and spearmint are both wonderful tasting, cooling to the body and again high in vitamins and minerals.  Experiment with combinations of all of the above plants to find a nutritious brew to support your health and well-being!  Click here to read about finding the best herbs to buy.

Definitions ~

  • tonic ~ encourages increased health.
  • astringent ~ creates dryness, tightening and toning in the body.
  • phytoestrogen ~ provides high quality material which assists the body in making its own estrogen.  Phytoestrogens are thought to compete with environmental estrogens for binding sites on cell membranes.

Originally published in Moon Flow magazine

Herbal Infusions for Children

Herbal infusions are great for all people and are especially wonderful for
children because infusions are high in vitamins and minerals which growing bodies need.
The best herbs to use for infusions are like healthy foods and each have their own set of characteristics.  To appease children many herbs can be made into very yummy beverages.  You can serve infusions warm, at room temperature or iced.  Feel free to add lemon, agave nectar, honey or even juice to taste.  Below is a quick reference list of a few favorite herbs for children's infusions.  For further information about these herbs please visit the Materia Medica section of Mama Rosemary.
Chamomile ~ Tastes appley, bittersweet… kids say: great!
  • calming, relaxing
  • good for digestive stuff (tummy aches especially related to nervousness)
  • promotes rest
  • useful for complaining and whininess.
Contraindications ~ A very few people are allergic to chamomile and other plants in the Asteracea (daisy) familyImportant ~ Only steep chamomile for 3 to 8 minutes as it gets very bitter if left to steep any longer, my kids won't drink chamomile if I infuse it for longer than 4 minutes.
Lemon Balm ~ Tastes lemony, yummy …. kids say: delicious!
  • refreshing and cooling so great during hot weather
  • calming for hyperactive children
  • helps relieve nervousness and crying
  • good for digestive stuff
  • antiviral and bacterial so great during cold and flu season
Lycium Berry ~  Tastes fruity, super yum… my kids love them soaked in apple juice!
  • high in bioflavonoids and polysaccarides
  • tonic for blood, eyes, kidneys and immune system.
  • Can use as a substitute for raisins.
Mints (Spearmint/Peppermint) ~ Tastes yummy, classic mint taste… kids say: great!
  • centering
  • helpful for digestive stuff, eases gas and cramping
  • antiviral
Nettle ~ Tastes green, milky, kinda like soup… kids say: not bad
  • extremely high in vitamins and mineral
  • whole body tonic especially for  mucus membranes and blood         
Oatstraw ~ Tastes bland… kids say: great
  • soothing to nervous system
  • high in vitamins and minerals

Rose Hips ~ Tastes yummy, kinda sour… kids say: great!

  • high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids
  • tones and nourishes mucus membranes
  • Soak the hips in juice or water to make a super yummy "jam".

Note:  Taste ratings are mostly taken from Kids, Herbs & Health, this is a great reference book for parents!

 Yummy Combinations ~
 Equal parts spearmint, peppermint & lemon balm, add nettle or oatstraw for even more nutrients.
 Equal parts lemon balm, oatstraw and rose hips
  Equal parts lemon balm and chamomile
  Equal parts rose hips and lycium
  Equal parts nettle and oatstraw
Another Fun Drink for Kids: 
Almond Milk ~ high in calcium and protein, hypoallergenic (most kids do great with almonds)  To make fresh, simply soak 1 cup of  raw almonds overnight in water in the refridge.  Drain and rinse the almonds . Place in a blender with 1 quart of water and blend for 1 to 5 minutes.  Strain thru a jelly bag and enjoy!  Almond milk will keep for 2 days in the refridge.  Use the left over nut meat in baked goods, casseroles etc…
 A Couple Great Books for further study:
  • A Kid's Herb Book by Lesley Tierra 
  • Kids, Herbs, and Health by Linda B. White and Sunny Mavor