Simple Thrift and Herbs

Saving money, time, energy. And chatting about herbs.

  • It’s been a rough couple weeks

    I’m not going to get into all the politics – heaven knows it’s contentious enough already. Suffice it to say that I think for everyone, it’s been a rough couple weeks. To recommend herbs to anyone without knowing circumstances and history would be ill-advised, but I do feel comfortable recommending flower essences. Just so I Read more

  • Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

    This one has kind of outgrown its bed and I need to harvest the root (when I have time – HA!) Licorice is an amazing plant, and one that most herbalists don’t want to do without. It also is one of those herbs that is poorly understood, and has developed a reputation for raising blood Read more

  • Zucchini Recipes – Part II

    I did a post last summer with recipes for different varieties of zucchini bread – scroll down the page for that one (it might be on page 2 of the posts). To me, zucchini itself doesn’t really have much flavor – it just picks up the flavor of other ingredients in the recipe. Zucchini has Read more

  • Elder (Sambucus spp.)

    Was checking the garden today and noticed that I had quite a few elderberries ripe. The berries are not ripe until they are fully black or dark purple. Unripe berries will make your stomach very unhappy. There are two parts of elder that we use as herbalists: The berries and the flowers. The leaves and Read more

  • Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.)

    Everyone has a pint jar of cinnamon, right? I mean, I’m not weird or anything…. well, moving on… Many herbs and spices that we use in everyday cooking have medicinal uses as well. Supposedly, many were used to cover the smell or taste of foods that had gone ‘off’ in the days before refrigeration. Maybe Read more

  • Oats (Avena sativa)

    There are many medicinal ‘herbs’ that are traditionally thought of a ‘food’. Who says they can’t be both? One of my favorites, turmeric, is considered a spice and even a food in Indian cooking. I don’t know that I could live without it, but that’s another post. The photo above is from a few years Read more

  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

    The word I think of when I think of yarrow is stop. It can be ‘stop’ or ‘STOP!!’ Yarrow is known as a warrior herb. If you think about the name, it makes sense: Achillea for Achilles (Greek legend that was unstoppable, except for his heel) and millefolium (thousand leaves). Yarrow is a member of Read more

  • We’re All donuts

    I know, I know – you’re thinking I’m nuts. Well, possibly true, but we are all donuts. Bear with me. I would love to say this analogy is originally mine, but it’s not. Thanks to one of my herb teachers, Kat, I can share this. We have an inside and an outside – and those Read more

  • Althea officinalis and friends (why Latin names are important part II)

    This is my friend Althea. She is just the most calm soothing herb you could ever run into – great for almost all tissues (skin, intestines, lungs, any mucous membranes) and so gentle. A little more detail for you. Althea officinalis or marshmallow is full of mucilage and immunomodulating polysaccharides, so using it internally as Read more

  • Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

    I’ve been seeing a ton on FB lately about mullein. Which is a little strange to me since I think of it as being primarily for respiratory issues and earaches. I first got mullein from my friend Judy that lived a lot closer to the mountains than I do – Hwy 85 south of Greeley. Read more