The Dancing Herbalist

Chamomile is a plant in the aster family. The flower is often dried for use in a tea. It is known for its apple like taste. While most often thought of as a herb used for sleep support, chamomile's true virtue is as a digestive herb.

Cayenne comes from the same plant family as tomatoes, the night shade family. Often used for its spicy flavor, cayenne is known for warming up the body, increasing circulation, and relieving pain.

Commonly discussed for its use around depression, St. John's Wort was traditionally more used topically as an oil extract. The bright red extract comes from the small red dots you can see when you hold the leaves up to the light. This is hypericin, the medicinal component. With topical use, St. John's Wort can be used for healing damaged nerve tissues.

Catnip is not just for cats. Its lovely calming tea can be used to clam the mind and body of all ages. Please follow the link for a full article on catnip.

Lemon balm is a great carminative herb in addition to its calming effects. It is a plant in the mint family which can best be identified by its square shaped stem.

Yarrow is best identified by its feathery leaves. It is traditionally a styptic herb that reduces bleeding when applied directly to the skin in the form of a poultice.

Tansy was traditionally used frequently for medicine but is no loner used regularly. When taken in high doses it can cause miscarriage and is not recommended for use due to this.

One of my favorite onions, chives are related to onions and all parts of the plant can be eaten. Onions are known for their antimicrobial effects due to their high concentrations of allicin.

Comfrey is an amazing herb at healing damaged skin. Both it's leaf and root are used but there is caution around using comfrey internally as it may cause liver damage. Consider using The Dancing Herbalist's First Aid Salve for the healing action of comfrey for the skin.

This flower from the aster family is most often thought of for use when sick. The root is best used while the leaves and flowers may have a more mild activity at stimulating the immune system. Read about some of the techniques TDH uses when they get sick.

You have probably heard of hops for their use in beer. Hops were first added to beer by a group of monks using it for it's anaphrodisiac effect, meaning it lowers the sex drive of men. It is also a lovely calming herb that you can read more about here:

Both the berries and flowers of this shrub are used for medicine. You can make a syrup of elderberries at home and take 1-3 tsp, 2-3 times a day when you are sick. This is a great herb for children.

As you can probably assume from its name, feverfew has long been used for fevers and headaches. Traditionally a single leaf would be eaten on buttered bread daily to prevent migraines.

This bitter tasting herb is often used for digestive stimulation and as a carminative herb. Mugwort specifically can support the digestion of a meal that is high in fats.

While not commonly used today, this soft plant was often used on battlefields to dress wounds due to its antimicrobial and healing properties.

Often extracted into an essential oil, the aroma of these leaves and flowers offers a calming experience for a stressful day.

Rosemary is a lovely circulatory stimulating herb. This is one of the reasons it is often used to support the memory. Rosemary infused oil can be massaged onto the scalp to encourage hair growth due to the increased circulation.

The most popular herb used to make pesto, there are both medicinal and culinary varieties of basil. The medicinal variety, holy basil or tulsi, is sometimes described as a 'hug in a cup' to sooth your worries.

Thyme is amazing as an antimicrobial herb. It is commonly used in mouth washes and I personally enjoy using it in my syrups when I am sick.

Traditionally used for coughing and sore throat that makes you sound like a 'hound.' Horehound is often found in cough drops today but can also be made into a tea.

Parsley is very high in minerals and is often recommended for eating when you are low in iron. To get the large amounts needed, consider adding it to your pesto.

A delicious culinary herb often found on pizza, oregano is often used for digestive upset, cramps, and urinary tract infections. Like most aromatic herbs, oregano contains antimicrobial compounds in the form of essential oil components.

Garlic produces new bulbs from it's flowers. These bulbs can then be planted to grow new plants. The bulbs are used as a flavoring agent and are excellent in fighting infections both internally and topically.

This not great tasting herb does exactly what you need mom to do-give you a kick in the but to get moving while also comforting you. This cardiac herb helps relieve anxiety, menstrual challenges, and intestinal gas mostly through it's bitter taste.

This herb from the apiaceae family is most often used for sleep challenges. It encourages an effective sleep schedule when taken consistently.

This lovely spring herb is edible! Candied violet flowers are a delicious spring treat and they can be made at home.

This herb is great for immediate use on the skin for cuts, bruises, and especially bites. It is one of the common herbal ingredients in a drawing salve to help 'draw out' the sting and bite.

Commonly used as a tea for respiratory challenges, red clover is a fun herb to harvest with your family. Be sure to pick the purple flowers and not the white as they can act differently in the body.

This delicious nutritious herb is great for relieving constipation and treating sore throats. It can be helpful for a large number of conditions due to its nutrient content so why not make a cup!

Dandelion is a multiuse plant. Its flowers are often made into wine, the leaves act to clear the urinary system, and the root is especially good as a bitter choleretic for digestive support.

This super fun plant is native to New England and spreads through the appalachia. The fruit, when you can get them from the animals, can be made into preserves and pies. The root was often used for constipation but today there are safer alternatives.

Cleavers is so fun to wear with you. It is best identified by it's velcro like feeling when you run your hands through the patch. This herb is often juiced and drunk for it's medicinal benefits.