Last night, it froze for the first time this year. It was that magical first frost that happens every year which releases the colorful leaves from the branches and brings them cascading down to the ground.  My husband and I woke early, bundled up, grabbed the camera and headed outside for a Sunday morning walk. We’re lucky to live in the country, and to have great natural beauty right in our own back yard. It was one of those days that felt like, a wonderful dance and our timing was perfect.  I was able to photograph herbs covered in frost, some warmed by the sun, and to witness the glorious beauty of the fall.

The cold nights turned the branches of wild rose hips a brilliant red…

…and melted away the few remaining rose and calendula blossoms.

The season has turned, and despite what the calendar says, today felt like the beginning of winter.

The fuzzy Lady’s Mantle (above) and Mullein (below) leaves have an extra coating of frost.

And the hawthorn berries have all turned a crimson red, just in time to keep the wild birds fed throughout winter.

The Oregon Grape is frosty.

The pond is flowing enough that it doesn’t freeze in the winter, so the ducks and wild birds have access to the water all winter long.

We found ourselves mesmerized by the almost loudness of the quiet – the rush of the river, the honking of the geese and the ka-thunk of the big maple leaves as they landed on the ground. For this and so many other blessings, I’m thankful.

Before there was a neighborhood pharmacy with the Rx sign outside, there was nature. For eons women have relied on traditional knowledge of herbal remedies and plant medicine. This knowledge has been passed down from great-grandmother to grandmother to mother to daughter, as women have used herbs to comfort and support the common discomforts of pregnancy and childbirth. When combined with the safety and assurances of contemporary evidence-based research, traditional herbal medicine is a natural way to ease everything from morning sickness to swollen feet.

Here are some safe herbal ways to nurture, comfort and soothe yourself, whether you’re expecting a baby or not! Be sure to choose organic herbs whenever possible, both externally and internally, to help reduce exposure to potentially harmful pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

Ginger

Feeling queasy? Ginger root is a time-tested comfort for nausea of any kind, and research supports its safe use during pregnancy. Fresh ginger can be used as a tea, and even candied ginger can help. Ginger essential oil is wonderful in an aromatherapy spray for a quick spritz of relief. It’s even safe to use for queasy, carsick kids and for anyone during flu season.

Swollen balloon-art feet and alarmingly expanding ankles are common in pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. Those hard working feet are carrying an extra load, so they deserve a warm footbath, with plenty of salt and soothing, aromatic and antifungal herbs like lavender and yarrow. Salt used externally soothes, refreshes, and can help ease swelling. But extra salt in a pregnant mama’s diet is a no-no!

Bottoms are a sore subject with lots of mamas-to-be and brand new moms as well. Witch hazel leaves and bark are naturally astringent and help shrink hemorrhoids both before and after the baby arrives. For episiotomy or perineal bruising and tears, look for wound healing, antibacterial and antifungal wonders like calendula, plantain, or yarrow in external balms and sprays.

Stretching, itchy skin expanding to accommodate the brand new occupant is another pregnancy reality. One of the best ways to prevent stretching or scarring is to keep yourself well hydrated, inside and out. Massage on a light, organic oil or lotion with herbs like anti-inflammatory chamomile and wound-healing calendula to help ease the itching that stretching skin causes, and make you less prone to stretch marks.

So little room, so little digestion! Pregnant or not, heartburn is a very familiar problem. Gooey, coating marshmallow root and soothing digestive herbs like chamomile and lemon balm are well loved for their ability to turn down the heat. An herbal tea made from these herbs and a sprig of spearmint makes a deliciously soothing cup of tea.

Oatstraw

It’s the third trimester and time to tone the uterus! Red Raspberry leaf is a time honored third trimester herb to help prepare the uterus to show up for the big day and perform like a champ. Stinging Nettle is high in iron, which is essential since a pregnant woman’s blood volume is increasing daily. Her body also needs an extra dose of calcium since it is building a little someone’s teeth and bones. Calcium is naturally calming. Since oats are high in calcium, help yourself to a nutritious bowl of oatmeal or enjoy a calming cup of Oatstraw tea.

A wee bit nervous? Chamomile, lemon balm and of course oatstraw are reliable soothers, and can be steeped into a calming tea that settles busy minds any time, not just during pregnancy. (Note: People with allergies to plants in the asteraceae (daisy) family should not use chamomile.)

The way an herb is used — its concentration and whether or not it’s used topically or internally — can be as important as which herbs are used. (See 20 Herbs To Avoid During Pregnancy) A little sprinkle of herbs in small culinary amount can be just fine, while too much of a good thing can be problematic. For example, an herb like oregano is perfectly safe when eaten in small culinary amounts in your spaghetti sauce. But highly concentrated oregano essential oil should not be ingested during pregnancy. In other words, don’t ignore your innate mama-wisdom. But when in doubt about, consult a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable about the use of herbs in pregnancy.

It’s a lot of work growing a miracle! Pregnancy is pretty impressive work and deserves a round of applause. It’s key to remember that the discomforts of pregnancy are temporary, and common. And best of all, they can be safely soothed using nature’s herbal gifts.

20 Herbs to Avoid During Pregnancy

• Aloe
• Blessed Thistle
• Comfrey
• Ephedra
• Fennel
• Fenugreek
• Feverfew
• Goldenseal
• Horsetail
• Juniper
• Lady’s Mantle
• Licorice
• Nutmeg
• Oregano Oil
• Oregon Grape
• Pennyroyal
• Rue
• Sage
• Senna
• Thyme Oil

Oh Internet, how we love you, but you do tend to confuse, especially with information about herbs for pregnant women and babies. Over the years, we’ve talked to more than a few anxious and bewildered ladies, all responsibly looking for guidance about what’s safe and what’s not safe for their growing bellies and the baby within.

Its no wonder there’s uncertainty – there’s so much information! An herb’s safety during pregnancy sometimes depends on so many variables. For instance, a dried herb that is infused in an oil and applied to the skin introduces a lesser ratio of the plant’s essences than if that same herb is highly concentrated into an essential oil and ingested. These very different processes lead to very different levels of safety.

Borage (Borago officinalis) is one of the herbs that we frequently receive questions about, specifically the organic Borage seed oil in Natural Stretch Oil. Women have read that the raw borage plant contains Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which in high doses are a potential liver toxin.  It’s true, and that is surely good sleuthing, mamas! But the organic borage seed oil we use is lab tested to ensure that the Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been removed.  We like to be able to put that concern to rest since the benefits of organic Borage seed oil are numerous and wonderful!

Besides being a charming little blue-starred flower, the oil from Borage’s seed is packed with nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and is exceptionally high in gamma-linolenic acid. Those properties make Borage seed oil a lovely organic addition to skin care products because it helps the skin retain moisture and elasticity and reduce scarring. And we hope this helps diligent mamas who are looking for Borage information put their minds to rest!

Last week I took a much needed working vacation and it was perfect. The very first day, during a break in the rain storms, I was greeted by a hungry baby bird in the vegetable garden who hopped around at my feet asking for breakfast. Thank goodness for my compost pile and ready access to a handful of worm for the fluttery, open-mouthed baby.

He was an demanding little thing and his mama was nowhere in sight. After a good meal, he continued to flutter and beg, insisting on being served seconds. Hoping he’d fend for himself, I picked him up and put him in the bird feeder, but he wasn’t having any of it.

Day #2: The chives are just starting to open up along with the azaleas, rhododendrons and dogwoods.

I took advantage of the time to make myself a salad of freshly picked baby greens, chickweed, spring peas, lemon thyme and chive blossoms, and it was delicious.

Day #3 I made organic apple cider vinegar infused with pregnancy herbs for salad dressings. Even though it only had a day or so to extract flavors, it is already tasty! I used dandelion roots and leaves, iron-rich nettles leaves from the plants that haven’t already flowered, uterine tonic red raspberry leaves and oniony chive blossoms.

I had such a good time, going from one project to the next. When it was raining I made veggie chili and cornbread and a big batch of granola (my husband’s favorites), and I  finished the last two chapters of the book I was reading. And when the sun came out, I went back outside and shoveled gravel for the walkway.

I planted wildflower seeds along the drive. And when it poured down rain, I had to abandon my sad little garden cart and wait under the cedars for another sun break.

I straightened the tilting birdhouses…

…and weeded the front herb garden where the lady’s mantle, meadowsweet, echinacea, St. John’s wort and motherwort grow. Then I weeded, weeded and weeded some more.

Oh sure, I checked in at work a time or two,

but I got to play in the rain, make tinctures and vinegars, feed a baby bird, and be in my garden. It was glorious.

Halloween approaches, and as the harvest moon casts an eerie pall over the land, our thoughts turn to all things dastardly and mysterious. The days are becoming shorter, the skies darken, and the wind kicks up, pulling the dead, wet leaves to the ground. As trees creak and groan and things go BUMP in the night, it’s the time when the Dark Garden Flourishes.

 Pale skin? Dilated pupils? That was the beauty of another age when women poured the decocted juice from Atropa Belladonna into their eyes. But this was dangerous business indeed. While that fragile, flight-or-fight appearance was de rigueur, it was also the epitome of toxic cosmetics. The wives of Emperor Augustus and Claudius used Deadly Nightshade to pluck and to poison their foes. All parts of this shade loving plant are potently lethal – the roots, the temptingly sweet, shiny black berries and even the leaves.   

Monk’s Hood lurks in the shade, it’s pretty blue flowers a perfect disguise for danger. One is well advised to be respectful of Aconite Aconitum napellus. When used in Chinese medicine, the bulbs are processed and steamed nine times, sliced and dried to remove the highly toxic alkaloids. But beware – If you accidentally steam them just six times… let’s just say Monk’s Hood will make heads roll!

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is not normally considered a shade-loving plant. But in my garden it flourishes in the sun and in the shade. I suspect that it curries favor with the Aconite and Belladonna because in large doses, its cardiac stimulants can be considered a poison, the pink bell-shaped blossoms ringing a death knell to careless partakers.   

Lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis, though perhaps not deadly, is gruesomely at home in the dark. Lungwort’s elongated leaves have little white spots that resemble a diseased lung. It grows next to its poisonous cousins in the shade garden, never suspecting that, potential toxic flavanoids, it’s merely an unsightly sidekick.

Why grow these hideous herbs, you query? Because, I answer, knowledgeably grown and harvested, they quietly bring balance to the plants that flourish in the sunlight. And treated with respect, these poisonous posies medicinally deliver a medicinal treat instead of a gruesome trick.

 Mwahahahahaha….Happy Halloween!

Over the last many years, we’ve been nurturing and providing safe haven for the wild birds and squirrels that live in our organic gardens. We think their presence represents a valuable contribution for the ecosystem. We have carefully fed and protected the shyest wild pigeons, woodpeckers, finches, doves, nuthatches and chickadees.

Then the neighbors got a new cat. And despite my vociferous attempts to dissuade him, the cat has decided that our bird feeder is the best place on the planet for a nap – and an aviary snack.

We tried sprinkling cayenne pepper around the base of the feeders. We tried a well-aimed squirt gun and light-triggered inaudible cat deterrents. And yet  the cat’s favorite perch seems to be literally inside the bird feeder. In desperation, I wrapped the pole of his favorite hang out in bubble wrap and duct tape, and expected to hear a series of pops and yowls. Nope. Now he  just leaps the elegant plastic and tape gauntlet in a single bound and lounges in the tray on top of the cracked sunflower seeds. Sigh. Next…

I just picked some fresh basil and it smells so good, I can’t stand myself.  The smell of freshly picked basil is sharp, bright and almost resinous. It’s distinctively glorious. I have a huge handful of those smooth, shiny leaves to sprinkle over the fresh green beans and goat cheese we’re having for dinner. I wish I could wave my herb-scented hand in front of your face and have you smell the magic. There’s no kidding around or going halfway with the smell and the taste of basil. Either you like it or you don’t.  And I happen to love it.

In Oregon, one has to take advantage of fresh produce and herbs when they are in season, because the growing season isn’t very long. So when the garden is producing, whatever’s ripe is pretty much what’s for dinner.

If I had to choose my favorite meal, I’d say a just picked, still warm from the sun tomato, lemon cucumber, basil and cream cheese sandwich, all jam packed into a piece of whole wheat pita bread. I’m not sure if I invented it, or if it’s a well-known thing. But I’ll tell you that it’s a summer meal that I look forward to the moment I plant the spring garden. And for some reason, it tastes sigh-worthy when eaten while standing in the garden, leaned over with the juices dripping down your arm.

I understand the correct way to chop basil is to slice it with the leaves rolled up into a ball and thinly sliced horizontally called chiffonade. I know because I saw it on the cooking channel, and we all know that’s the ultimate authority for all things kitchen. One doesn’t have to be a culinary expert, however, to enjoy fresh basil on or in  everything from pizza to pasta, cocktails to canapes.

One of my best friends refers to the smell of fresh picked basil as orgasmic. I’m just saying.

I’ve always had a particular fondness for Leonurus cardiaca, the botanical name for the otherwise christened Motherwort. It means “lion heart.”

Motherwort is a perennial herb that comes back strong and faithful every year. According to the Doctrine of Signatures, the way a plant grows — its habits and characteristics — give valuable clues about the plant’s medicinal benefits. I find the Doctrine of Signatures right on point about this herb.

The blossoms of Motherwort are little pink furry fluffs clustered along the aerial stems. They look soft, sweet and tender, but they have a prickly, spiky edge. The sharply pointed leaves of motherwort are very soft and almost furry to touch. But if you grab onto the blossoming stem without caution you’re reminded that, like lion’s teeth, this plant means business.

Motherwort seems to have an affinity for hollow organs like the heart, prostate and the uterus.  It’s a wonderful cardiac tonic for arrhythmias, congestive heart failure and to help regulate the blood pressure. It is also used for congested lungs, inflamed prostate and as an emmenagogue to help regulate the menstrual cycle. Motherwort is also a nervine, useful for soothing the savage beast of anxiety, insomnia and nervousness. According to the old herbalists like Culpepper and Martha Grieve, Motherwort is especially useful in ‘female weakness, allaying nervous irritability and inducing quiet and passivity of the whole nervous system.’

While I don’t view women as all a-twitter (except on the internet), I have seen this amazing herb help calm and reduce anxiety during childbirth and help bring focus during the postpartum period. It has, in a sense, grounded women in their courage of heart when they need it. This herb is outwardly soft, but at the core is a powerful warrior that calmly helps strengthen emotional and physical ailments of the heart.

Leonurus cardiaca. Doesn’t that just say it all?

When we first moved Earth Mama Angel Baby into the current manufacturing facility, we all knew the place needed to feel like home.  Surrounded by concrete and steel, it was important for us to stay connected to the earth. So in the middle of an industrial park, we planted herbs.

Right outside my office window are beautiful herbs that we fertilize with organic herb compost from the lab. There’s sage to bring us wisdom.

And lavender to bring us calm, focused energy. In spite of the asphalt, big trucks and noise, we’re greeted each day with this amazing reminder of why we’re here. Just like home.

Not everyone thinks dandelions are fabulous. I’d wager most people consider them another lawn weed to contend with, one way or another.  In truth, most medicinal herbs are common plants that are prolific and commonly considered weeds. But weeds are, by definition, plants that grow where they are not wanted.

Not long ago, the kids who live up the road from us were playing in the area down our lane where my dandelion patch grows. When I explained to them, ever so politely, that they were dancing all over my dinner they looked aghast. Now when I see them they look at me like I’m the Nut Case Woman Who Eats Weeds.

I know what you’re thinking – probably the same thing I thought when I first tried them. But if you think about herbs the same way you think about other root vegetables, they are fantastic food. Dandelion leaves, when grown in the wild and not contaminated by common yard chemicals, are lovely, tender, bitter herbs. They are a mild and gentle diuretic, packed with chlorophyll, vitamins A, C, D and B-complex. Bitters are very commonly known to be good for digestion, and I think they are delicious, hearty and fulfilling. Especially when they are in a salad with arugula and other fresh spring greens like chickweed and cleavers. Add a dressing of good organic olive oil, organic unfiltered cider vinegar and some garlic salt/pepper and it’s a spring tonic feast in a bowl.

The roots are spectacular too. No really. Each spring, I am reminded that medicinal herbs grow and flourish exactly when our bodies need them. In this case, they are cleansing – thus, spring tonics.  Dandelion roots are a staple for herbal liver cleansers, and generally considered safe for pregnant women.  Be clear about this, that dandelions do for the earth, much what they do for our bodies – they help detoxify toxins, so it’s important to eat them only when harvested from places that are free from common toxins like lawn fertilizers or pesticides – in other words, in an organic environment. My favorite way to eat them is simply peeled like a carrot, salted, and munched fresh. No kidding, they aren’t scary!

Every part of dandelions is valuable for one thing or another. One of my herb teachers used to make dandelion wine every spring. I haven’t done it, but I plan to next spring. I’ll report back about the results. What could possibly go wrong?
And by the way, kids get that dandelions aren’t just weeds. They know to make daisy chains from the flowers and to make a wish while blowing the seeds into the heavens. They just intuitively know things.