Courage, Parents, Courage!

The process of bringing a new baby into the world is a process of unfolding, expansion, and great change.  Many parents experience a broad range of emotions from elation to fear, joy, uncertainty, and sadness that are all part of the very normal and quite extraordinary journey of parenthood.  Blue Skies Postpartum Courage Blend can help lend courage to the heart and strength to the mind.

For those parents in particular who are experiencing a bit of the postpartum blues, Blue Skies may help to alleviate mild issues of baby blues, anxiety, exhaustion, and the feeling of being overwhelmed with all the changes birth and baby bring.  Blue Skies pairs well with any of our Flower + Gem Essences, so please peruse those listings to see which Essence may best suit your needs.

For serious cases of Postpartum Depression, always consult with your health practitioner and find support with friends, family, and community.  Sadness is a normal human experience, but it shouldn’t have to be faced alone, so always seek help and assistance if you are feeling depressed or overwhelmed.

LEMON BALM Melissa officinalis: Uplifts the spirits through alleviating melancholy and helping new parents adjust to the changes in their lives.

BORAGE Borago officinalis: Instills courage (what parent doesn't need a bit of that?), increases milk flow if breastfeeding, relieves depression, reduces inflammation, and contains calcium and essential fatty acids.

ROSEMARY Rosmarinus officinalis: Tones the liver, has antidepressant properties and also assists with breastfeeding.

OATS Avena sativa: Nourishing to body, mind, and spirit.

SKULLCAP Scutellaria lateriflora: Soothing, anxiety relieving, and particularly strengthening to the nervous system with extended use.

Our Blue Skies Postpartum Courage Tea Blend can be purchased in our PoppySwap or Etsy Shop.

::right now::

Right now, I am...

:: amazed at the glow of desert colors.

:: thinking about what the next month will look like with so many unexpected changes happening in our household.

:: wearing pants with flowers on them.  Everyone should have a pair.

:: considering moving the family to the woods in Vermont, but knowing we could end up anywhere.

:: hoping that I can have as much strength of love that my Grandparents have - they just celebrated 65 years together!

:: loving the unabashed kindness of a puppy kiss.

:: laughing at the notion of anything more stable than change.  It is the month of the Storm Moon and the winds have moved in!

:: enjoying every precious moment I have in this wee Apothecary of ours.

:: smiling at small mint seedlings chattering in the windowsill and appreciating the incredible one who grew them.

:: deciding on what tea I will be serving at tonight's Clever Hedgehog School of Herbology class.

:: feeling a bit stretched, a bit sore, and beautifully alive.

:: readying myself for a big spring leap and all the excitement that brings!

:: brewing Slipper Elm Ulmus rubra for a new salve.  Remember those vending machines where you could get little containers of florescent goo?  The oil sorta has a texture like that - cool!

:: considering

:: working on my Materia Medica for Borage Borago Officinalis.  Can we all take a moment to appreciate the gift of courage that Borage brings?

:: watching the wind push trees, birds, and dust.

:: listening to that same wind rattle walls and windows.

:: grateful for my beloved, sturdy bike and my beloved, sturdy Dandelion companions.

:: remembering the way forward.

:: feeling a need to clean for spring.  The itch started last night and this Virgo Full Moon has pushed the urge into full swing.

:: wanting to spend more time with one of my incredible housemates who is leaving tomorrow on a new adventure!

:: wishing everyone a fulfilling week!

Flower + Gem Essences for the Journey: The Third Trimester

Over the next few weeks we’ll be exploring Flower + Gem Essences that are particularly useful during pregnancy, labor and postpartum (to learn more about what Flower + Gem Essences are visit our previous blog post).  The great thing about Flower + Gem Essences is that they are good remedies that, by their very nature, can do no harm which makes them wonderfully safe to take during pregnancy.

Ok, I’m totally pregnant and it’s almost over and it’s just beginning.

OLIVE “I am revitalized”

An excellent remedy for both the third trimester and labor, Olive helps us to maintain energy during a time of great transformation, especially when we may feel that our energy reserves are completely spent.  Olive aids us in finding space to be emotionally and mentally presence even when we feel physically exhausted.  More than just bringing relief to our physical exhaustion, Olive helps us to connect the dots between our mental wellbeing, emotional wholeness, and our ability to thrive in our physical bodies.  Excellent for those folks who are feeling too exhausted to “deal with it all” because it helps them to reconnect with the ever-renewing energy of our deepest selves and find pleasure again in day-to-day life.

AMETHYST “I go with the flow”

The purple stone of Amethyst teaches us to go with the flow but not get overtaken or overwhelmed by the current.  With the early stages of labor on the horizon, there is excitement for baby and, at times, a feeling like all of the “to-do’s” will never get done in time.  Amethyst is helpful for folks who are moving quickly, but sometimes feel they are in a race against time.  In addition to its centering properties, Amethyst is also helps address those anxious thoughts that wake us up in the middle of the night and spur on arguments between loved ones.  Amethyst helps us to float gently when the waters feel tumultuous, eventually leading to a current that guides us gently back to shore.

RED CHESTNUT “I radiate calm”

Realizing that soon there will be a new baby and all of the responsibility that comes with a bundle of joy, can bring up issues of dependency, worry, and, at times, anxiety between partners.  Red Chestnut can help folks feel centered in their own ability to love themselves, to love others, and to care deeply for all without becoming overwhelmed but the unexpected nature of life.   Red Chestnut assists in facilitating the transformation of patterns of co-dependency into models of adventurous trust and a peaceful knowing that we are fully able to care and be cared for unconditionally.

Read our recommendations for the First Trimester and Second Trimester.

We carry Amethyst in our Etsy Shop and Poppy Swap Shop.  Essences such as Olive and Red Chestnut can be found from a variety of resources such as the Flower Essence Society and Bach Flower as well as local health food and natural healing stores.

Explore our full series of Flower + Gem Essences for the Pregnancy Journey:

• The First Trimester
• The Second Trimester
• The Third Trimester
• Labor + Birth
• Postpartum - coming soon!

The Tricky Tea Leaf is on the move...

Jingle-jangle, tippy-tumble, rolling-rumble, the Tricky Tea Leaf Traveling Tea Party has come to town!

The Tricky Tea Leaf Traveling Tea Party is a monthly membership club of great renown!* Each month, Members receive a 3 ounce bag of loose leaf tea. Some months you will receive one of our more popular teas and other times you will receive a tea that has yet to be offered in our Apothecary. We currently carry 18 different varieties of gorgeous, good-for-you tea! Our Members also receive a 10% discount (already applied to purchase price) and a 15% discount coupon for future purchases. Shipping and handling is also already included in the purchase price.

Visit our Etsy Shop or Poppy Swap Store for more details.

*As rated in the Unicorn Quarterly of Tea-Drinking Aesthetics.

::right now::

I have been reading the beautiful and inspiring SouleMama blog by the incredible Amanda Soule for a few years and I am continuously inspired by her values and vision of her family life in beautiful Maine.  Part of what has kept me reading her blog for so long is that her life seemed so incredibly exotic compared to my own upbringing - growing up in the metropolis of Tokyo and the southlands of L.A. is a bit different than the openness of the ever-greening Northeast Kingdom.  I continue to read her blog and having now lived for a while in Maine, it reads less as a well-written and culturally-sensitive ethnography and more of a Materia Medica of plants that might not live directly in my bioregion but I've met before in my travels - acquaintances with the possibility of a deeper friendship.

Living in Portland, ME for nearly two years, I found myself in the same places SouleMama was featuring on her blog, and even saw her with her family at a restaurant (I was star-struck to say the least).  So, in an effort to blog more consistently about the life and work of the clever Apothecary I inhabit, I am taking inspiration from SouleMama and beginning a weekly ritual of a "Right Now" blog post.

Right now, I am...

:: thinking about Slipper Elm Ulmus pumila and is mucilaginous-ly nurturing qualities.

:: wearing animal print boots that remind me of childhood quilts made by my talented mum.

:: considering opening a second shop on Etsy of a more magickal persuasion.

:: hoping that business continues to pick up and I can sustainably to support our family through service to plants and people.

:: loving the folks I've met so far through our brick-and-mortar shop.

:: laughing at a puppy who has such joy for life.

:: enjoying having a private space to work and think and pace and dance over and over again.

:: smiling at the thought of an evening with the A-babe and reading her stories about bees and puppies.

:: deciding what plant to study for the next Clever Hedgehog School of Herbology.

:: feeling the difficulty I am sure many herbalists feel when having to choose just one plant.

:: readying myself for a busy-quiet weekend with the pup while the household attends the MANA conference.

:: brewing some Slippery Elm oil.

:: considering preparing a Slippery Elm honey as well.

:: working on my flow as we move from late winter to early spring.

:: watching a cloudy dessert sky promise rain and hoping that we get a good soak.

:: listening to I Blame Coco who sounds a lot like her father.

:: remembering to breath and stick to the rhythm that sustains my bitty soul and not the linear march of the end of the month and its many financial responsibilities.

:: feeling grateful that there are so many herbal folks sharing wisdom on the digital web o' wonder.

:: wanting to spend the next few days reading continuously and writing, but a few hours here and there will do.

:: wishing everyone a really beautiful weekend full of good company and quiet moments.