What begins with B? Borage! This plant is an interesting one because it is lovely for helping with skin issues. But if you were to try to harvest this plant fresh without protection its hairy little leaves will make you SO ITCHY! Here’s why I love having this plant in my garden as well as my apothecary. 👍 Pros : It grows like crazy in home gardens. Low maintenance plant. Loved by pollinators. Wide range of medicinal uses. 👎Cons : Can’t think of any. How I use it safely for my family; This is a lovely herb for adding to salves or poultices for skin issues like bug bites, rashes, and sunburns. As a bath and body product formulator, I also use it in a beef tallow lotion recipe; it’s one of my favorites. While the plant itself holds a higher medicinal value, the flowers are edible and I find them a perfect dainty little addition to a sleepy time tea mix. As I mentioned before, I think of herbal care in terms of numbers. This is level 1. Super gentle, easy to prepare, abundant herbs with a wide range of uses. This is what makes Borage one of my favorite additions to my home apothecary. I’ll be sharing the sleepy time tea recipe. And a three part video lesson for making borage infused oil and turning that into salve and a beef tallow lotion 😊

Astragalus root : Traditionally used in Chinese medicine, Astragalus root is an adaptogenic herb. This means it helps our bodies adapt to stress. Not just to mental and emotional, but to chemical and physical stress as well. Here’s a quick run down of why this plant holds its place in my home apothecary and how I most commonly use it. 👍 Pros : Generally safe for children and adults Excellent for boosting the immune system Excellent for using in herbal mixes Relatively long shelf life 👎 Cons : Sustainability challenges Heavily imported I typically think of levels of herbal care in numbers. Number 1 would be preventative care. Circumstances that would require level 1 care would be times when we know our health might possibly be at risk. Cold and flu season for example. And for level 1 care I would look to level 1 herbs. My definition of level 1 herbs are generally the safest, most abundant herbs and are often adaptogens. In my household, my favorite use for Astragalus is throughout cold and flu season. It’s an herb that is best used for a daily semi-long term preventative. We pair it with elderberry and licorice root in a syrup made with our favorite local honey, and everyone gets a couple spoons full a day. 🥄 Astragalus is a great addition to this mix, but it is not a necessity. Elderberry and Licorice root alone are very effective. While Astragalus is nice to have when available, it is not an herb I consider a priority in my apothecary. Elderberry and licorice root on the other hand, are two that I prefer to never go without. Printable Immune Boost Syrup recipe available for VIP members. Questions? Please feel free to ask!