Herbal Remedies Through Generations
Picture this: me as a baby (pic below for reference) and my mom making a concoction of steeped nettles to massage all over my head to get my hair (normal, fine baby hair) to grow thicker. She still attributes my curls to the nettles ;) When it wasn’t this, it was using chamomile tea to help with teething gums, ginger and mint to help with tummy aches, calendula to help with all the childhood scratches, dry mustard patches to for coughs, and so much more. I grew up with a mom who was so in touch with using herbal remedies and natural ingredients whenever possible instead of medications. The thing is, she was far from hippie-dippy, that was just how it had been- you use what you have, and the rule was anything natural is always better.
Baby Darina
So, I grew up with a lot of this herbal knowledge ingrained in me, becoming second nature, and of course it’s what I have always turned to with my own family. We’ve been lucky to have had only one ear infection, which we quickly treated with homemade garlic oil. I turned to calendula for diaper rash, and Arnica for bruises. Spray made from dried/steeped lavender to help calm (and also as a “monster spray”, to ward off scary things from under the the bed). Eucalyptus in a steamy shower to help with cough, various herbs used in a detox bath the second we feel sick…the list goes on. One of the top things in my search history has always been “natural remedy for ____”, and I’ve always been intrigued to learn more.
Then, we met this wonderful woman, Anna Marie Beauchemin, founder of East Bay Herbals, who came to speak on seasonal herbalism at our Fall Reset Retreat - she’s the REAL deal (Clinical Registered Herbalist, Holistic Nutritionist, Biologist/Natural Historian, etc.) She has a wealth of experience and passion for all things herbs AND is doing an incredible program where she will impart this knowledge on participants. If you are interested in learning more about how to incorporate this practice and resources from the earth to care for yourself and your loved ones, check it out here.
How do you use herbs as remedies? What are your go-to’s? Please comment and share!
Flavia also got inspired by Anna’s talk and has started harvesting and drying herbs from her beautiful garden. In the next blog post, we’ll share what she’s been up to!
xx, darina