Beautiful Sustenance : A Taurus Inspired Chaga Chai

Enjoy the following recipe from the Lunar Apothecary! In addition to the full year of material already posted, I also update the Lunar Apothecary with new material every single month! Ready to join our starry circle? Come this way!

Click here to learn more about the special powers of the Taurus Full Moon and additional Taurus herbs to use in your remedies and charms. You'll notice in the recipe below that I left space for you to further explore the healing powers of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) and it's connection to the Moon! Enjoy your explorations - preferably while sipping on a cup of chai!

Keep It Cool : An Adaptogenic Elixir Recipe

Eleuthero is one of my favorite adaptogenic herbs - it enhances mental focus and physical stamina without being too overstimulating and can be taken for longer periods of time than other adaptogens. It is great for folks of all ages and it is a plant that I recommend for folks who work odd hours (looking at your birthworkers) and night shifts to help with recovery. Eleuthero is, of course, great for athletes and I use it as part of my training tonic. Energetically, I find that Eleuthero helps us to re-connect to our inherent vitality and enhance all of our perceptive senses, from the audial to psychic.

Want to learn more about Adaptogenic herbs and they're amazing healing qualities? Come learn with us!

The Keep It Cool blend is, as the name implies, a cooling blend for those hot summer days and for folks who tend to overheat or run too hot. Think, too, about type A folks who get hot and bothered or are prone to angry outbursts. While the recipe below is for a alcohol or vinegar extract, you could adapt it easily to be a tea blend. Simply decoct the Eleuthero root first and then add the Peppermint and Hibiscus to taste. Blend together the following:

• 1 part Eleuthero Root (Eleutherococcus senticosus)
• 1/2 part Peppermint (Mentha piperita or your local variety)
• 1/2 part Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

Cover with your choice of menstruum (whether alcohol or raw apple cider vinegar) and a dash of water in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake daily for a full cycle of the moon, decant, and enjoy! The dosage for the extract is 1 - 10 drops up to 3 times daily, while you can enjoy 3 - 4 cups of the tea daily. Enjoy!

Want to learn more about Adaptogenic herbs? Click below!

Winter Solstice: Recipes of Mirth + Brightness

If we take time to seek out mirth in the darkness, we're bound to find it during the long nights of winter. I probably create and dream of more new recipes during the winter months than any other time of the year. Perhaps it is the flow of introspective energy or maybe its all the twinkling lights that send my mind musing on new ways to connect with our plant allies. Maybe it all comes down to my love of giving and receiving gifts, full of surprises and shouts of glee, and practicing generosity towards ourselves and our community.

Juniper Liniment

I created this liniment as a topical treatment for inflammation, sore and stiff muscles, and as a sacred forest anointing water to celebrate long winter nights. Juniper is a cleansing and protective herb, well suited to the work of pulling pain from the mind, body, and spirit.

• 8 oz Organic Juniper Berry (Juniperuscommunis)

• 300 ml Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) Extract

• Optional essential oil blend:

  • 3 drops Clove Bud (Syzygium aromaticum) Essential Oil

  • 3 drops Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) Essential Oil

  • 3 drops Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Essential Oil

  • 6 drops Juniper (Juniperus communis) Essential Oil

  • 6 drops Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) Essential Oil

Begin by creating an extract by combining your ground up Juniper Berries with the Witch Hazel. Let brew for a full cycle of the Moon, shaking and singing to daily. Strain the Juniper Berries from the Witch Hazel and you can either bottle the beautiful brew now or add the optional essential oil blend. I take the leftover Juniper Berries and wrap them up in cheesecloth and add them to my evening bath.

To use your Juniper Liniment make sure to shake the bottle up and then add some to a clean cloth. Use the cloth to either wrap or rub on the liniment to the area causing you discomfort such as aching knees or sore shoulders. You can also add the brew to a spray bottle and apply the liniment by spraying it on the affected area. The liniment should keep for a number of years if stored in a cool, dark place when not in use.

Winter Sun Sugar Scrub

While I haven't been a fan of traditional sugar scrubs that use white sugar, I think coconut sugar is pretty swell since it is not only healthier for the body than standard processed sugar but is a more environmentally sustainable source of sweetness. The Winter Sun Sugar Scrub is like the right sort of candy for the body combining the exfoliating qualities of sugar with healing herbs and essential oils. Chamomile, like other bright, sun-like herbs, are wonderful during the winter months aligning our earthly bodies with celestial signs (since herbs like Chamomile and Calendula are well suited to the signs of Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces) and bringing cheer to dark nights.

• 1 cup Coconut Sugar

• 1 tablespoon Chamomile (Matricariachamomilla) Powder OR 2 tablespoons whole Chamomile Flowers

• 1 - 2 tablespoons Sweet Almond Oil

• 2 drops Clove Bud (Syzygium aromaticum) Essential Oil

• 1 drop Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Essential Oil

• 2 drops Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) Essential Oil

• Optional Essence blend:

  • 1 drop Chamomile Flower Essence

  • 1 drop Oak Flower Essence

  • 1 drop Sage Flower Essence

Mix all ingredients together while dancing and store in an airtight container. Use by rubbing the blend onto damp skin and then washing off, leaving your skin sunshiny and smooth.

Solstice Bath Tea

I created this blend as one of the many holiday remedies I'm sharing with friends and family this year. Bath teas are an accessible and easy-to-use form of herbal medicine. Toss them in a tub and don't worry about the taste! Our Solstice Bath Tea is full of skin-nourishing herbs that also work wonders on soothing the nervous system. A lovely bath blend for folks of all ages right before bed!

• 1 part Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) Flowers

• 1 part Elder (Sambucus nigra) Flowers

• 1 part Calendula (Calendula officinalis) Flowers

• Optional:

  • Add 1-2 cups of healing salts to every cup of herbs

  • Add one or more of the Winter Solstice Flower Essences depending on your need

Mix all the flowers together in a golden blend while singing songs of merriment. Add 1/4 - 1 cup of Solstice Bath Tea to every bath either by adding the flowers directly into the water or wrapped in cheesecloth. Alternatively, you can brew the Bath Tea ahead of time for 20 minutes to a few hours, strain, and then add to your bath water which allows you to access more of the medicinal qualities out of the blend.

I hope you enjoyed these recipes for your winter festivities! I’ve written a lot more about winter wellness and herbs of the season since writing this post in 2013 so be sure to check out the following posts if you’re looking for extra inspiration:

• How to Create a Winter Wellness Apothecary

• Healing & Magickal Practices for Winter

• Winter Warmer: A Gentle Adaptogenic Tea

• Darkest Night: A Winter Solstice Spread

• A Might-Do List for Yule

Wherever the season takes you may it be full of merriment and joy!

The Blah-beast visits the Apothecary

It happens.

We try our darndest to keep it centered, but then there is the knock at the door.

The Blah-beast has come with its one-monster show of stressful cacophony, the dullest brew of boredom, and the persistent fear that we might never get back on track.

"NO! Not the Blah-beast!" We cry out.

And, then we have a thought.

"Blah-beast, could you hold on just one moment? We wanted to position ourselves in a much more effective repose of despair and put on the kettle so its sharp wailing will add to your monstrous sense of foreboding!" We shout from behind the door.

"Blah, whatever, it doesn't matter, I'll be wiggling my toes in your head very soon," The Blah-beast grumbles.

Gross. We think, but don't dare say. "Thank you, great Blah! We'll be but a moment!"

Quickly, quickly, what to do? Gather together herbs for the heart, herbs for passion, and herbs to disassemble the structure of stress attempting to build a small suburb along our spine. Jars full of herbs are pulled down from the shelves, the magick wooden bowl is brought out for the mixing, and with a wild-eyed charm (Will it work? It must! It will!), a tea pot is given four spoonfuls of a new herbal tea.

There is a shout in the kitchen for the kettle is hot! There is a grumble at the door of a Blah-beast anxious to come in!

Pour the dancing water in the pot, let it brew, keep it hot. Pour a cup and drink it up!

The Blah-beast has been tricked! It roars and beats its paw upon the door - but it has been overtaken with an overwhelming sensation to bust a move, drop it like its hot, and groove its suddenly happy heart off into the sunset.

Phew. We made it, our Blah Buster Brew to keep the Blah-beast bustin' a move to their own happy dance and not our own personal groove.

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The Blah Buster Brew

Blend together the following herbs:

• 2 parts Hawthorn Berry (Crataegus monogyna)
• 1 part Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• 1/2 part Hawthorn Leaf + Flower (Crataegus monogyna)
• 1/2 part Rose Petals (Rosa spp.)
• 1/4 part Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
• 1/4 part Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)

Boil up fresh water and add 1 heaping teaspoon of tea per every cup of water to your teapot. Brew for at least 15 - 20 minutes, but the longer the better! Pour into your favorite tea cup and get ready to set some boundaries with the Blah Beast + break out into your own sweet groove! Enjoy!