My Summer in the Wild: Herbal Adventures and News

This past summer was absolutely enchanting! Life has become vibrant, bountiful and enriching, as my summer has been spent going on several plant walk adventures, traveling, wildcrafting and creating. 

The phrase, "What you seek is seeking you," couldn't have rang more true as opportunities presented themselves. This summer I also: attended the first annual Great Lakes Herb Faire and D-Town Farm's 9th Annual Harvest Festival, attended a couple Herbal Chat & Chew events, had a marvelous time at Sage Smoke (gathering of community healers), cat-walked through botanical gardens, participated in community healing spaces, went camping for the first time, or as me and my friend Lottie called it glamping (glamour camping).

I began this blog after years of vision boarding/journaling sessions during which I'd written and drawn out my desires to pursue my passion for holistic health and merge it with my love for communications. In a split moment I decided to stop my whining and belly aching and get started putting my desires in motion. It was the best decision ever, as I still love my job working full-time in the creative arts field; I'm now able to create healing spaces while sharing what I've learned along the way.

It's my hope that you too will be encouraged to follow your dreams. You may not have it all mapped out right now, but take it one step in the direction of your dreams and the rest will begin to fall in place. I feel so much more alive because I don't feel creatively stifled, I'm able to bring my A-game to my work and personal life. 

I have soooo much more to share of the wonderful blessings that have been set in motion, please stay tuned and check back often for additional resources, information and updates. Oh, and a few of us Detroit-based wellness advocates will be opening an apothecary in a few weeks, check it out here. 

In the meantime I wish you much success in going after your purpose >>>muah<<<



D-TOWN FARM HARVEST FESTIVAL

D-Town Farm's Annual Harvest Festival

Malik Yakini, founder of D-Town Farm

Face painting at D-Town Farm
Harvest Festival

Signs of harvest season at D-Town Farm Harvest Festival

Free hayrides for kids at D-Town Farm's Harvest Festival

Devita Davison from
Detroit Kitchen Connect
and Foodlab Detroit, keynote
speaker at D-Town Farm's Harvest Festival

Paying homage to Detroit's
own food justice warrior, Charity Hick

Mama Sol from
Mama Sol and the Nuts performed
at D-Town Farm Harvest Festival

Pokeweed at D-Town Farm

International herbalist, Phe teaches learn-shop at D-Town
Farm's Harvest Festival. Attendees learn
how to make immune boosting tonic
formerly known as Fire Cider

GREAT LAKES HERB FAIRE 

Lisa Rose with her
 Burdock & Rose Botanicals products

Stacey Quade leads plant spirit walk

Energy field and plant meditation lead by Stacey Quade

Internationally renowned herbalist
and keynote speaker: Jim McDonald

Learned to make fermented food
(pictured: sauerkraut and fermented beans)
 from Shawna Wilcoxson
of Blue Dog Family Family Farm

Tinctures bought at this year's Great Lakes Herb Faire

Stickers, compliments of Mountain Rose Herbs
free at Great Lakes Herb Faire

Tincture I'm making...

Opening panel discussion from 
the Great Lakes Herb Faire

Yurt and classroom during Great Lakes Herb Faire

Working on Wellness (WOW) Summit at Exhalation Integrative Wellness Center

WOW Summit panelists 

WOW Summit Attendees

Dr. Karla Mitchell speaks about
alternative healing models at the WOW Summit

 

BOTANICAL GARDENS

Echinacea at the Chicago Botanical Garden

Cool pic in downtown Chi

Chicago's botanical garden
encourages you to stay on your
path, how fitting ;)

Me at Miami Botanical Gardens

 HERBAL ADVENTURES & WILD FINDS

Me wildcrafting herbs

Lottie wildcrafting herbs

Huge tree had to snap a pic

Bleeding hearts... 
is nature trying to tell us something? ;)

Garlic Mustard's flower

Vinka a.k.a. periwinkle

Mullein growing...

Plant walk in class 
with Jim McDonald

Deer in the woods at work...
ironically, this wasn't during the plant walk

Winding road through the woods

Red clover

Milkweed

- Avec Amour

HERB Crush: Chill Out with Motherwort

It's not often I mention an herb that isn't related to helping heal or nourish the skin. In my recent experience working with motherwort herb; however, I discovered so many new, amazing herbal interactions. I couldn't keep my findings to myself, so I just had to share.

I've recently had the pleasure of working closely with motherwort herb from wildcrafting to drying to nutritional and medicinal use; and in my opinion everything about this herb is awesome!

For the overworked, exhausted, high-energy, intense, analytical, high-strung sorta person; nature created motherwort juuuust for you. All jokes aside, it's pretty easy to get overloaded these days and over-extended (whether raising children, paying bills, running errands, dealing with the loss of a loved one... work, school, family ahhhh!!!), seems as though everyone is wearing too many hats these days.

Think about it, stress can wreak havoc on the skin causing acne, wrinkles, blotchyness, dryness or dark circles. It also exhausts internal organs, energy and body systems (but that's another blog post).

Nevertheless, when you're feeling overwhelmed, motherwort is a great herb to help check and balance stress. It's like the loving embrace that only a mother can give, hence the name.

Motherwort Herb
CREDIT: D. Gordon E. Robertson

The characteristics and its aesthetics are rather exquisite, as it's native to Asia, but now grows wild here in Michigan and throughout North America. This herb belongs to the mint family (genus) and is often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine when addressing women's reproductive and heart maladies. It is not to be mistaken as a minty tasting or fragrant herb, as the tea is bitter... VEERRRRRRRRRY bitter. I mean think of the most bitter thing you've ever eaten and its probably three times more bitter. But don't let that scare you off as it's very effective. I often add a little cinnamon and/or carob powder to make it more palatable.

Motherwort also is often used to help balance adverse PMS and menopause symptoms. It can help reduce menstrual pain, ease irritability, produce blood flow (good for menstrual cycles that are a little delayed), and improve mood. It is often used when addressing heart-related issues, as it's been known to help regulate blood circulation and induce a state of calm for hypertension.


In my personal experience with the herb, I've mixed the dried leaves with just a tad bit of kava kava in tea and felt a non-sedative sense of calm, and overall mood lift.

There is so much more I could say about this herb, but I to encourage you to get to know motherwort for yourself, something tells me you'll be "glad" you did. As always, please keep learning and researching for yourself. Here's another great source 
to get you started.

If you've had motherwort tea, tincture, syrup or have had this plant in any other capacity; please post your experience below. I'd love to hear how this plant worked for you. Cheers to motherwort! 


Avec Amour!