Winter is a great time to harvest Barba de Viejo (Usnea). There are several Usnea species in New Mexico which can be used interchangeably. We usually harvest Usnea cavernosa as it grows in abundance nearby, but we try to make it a point to gather Usnea from downed tree branches. This special lichen has immuno-stimulating,…
This season of giving, we have teamed up with Colibri Corazon to curate and donate a package of herbal goodies for one lucky winner! When you DONATE $20 or more to Breath of My Heart between Giving Tuesday and December 15th you’ll automatically be entered to win this holiday giveaway, valued at $300. Here’s what’s included:…
We stumbled across a big stand of rose hips today! What a sweet find, especially this late in November.. by now they’re usually picked clean by the bears. Rose hips are best known for being a good source of vitamin c, but they also have other vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Long before we even…
Have you ever wondered why we call liquor “spirits”? Recently, a friend was asking me about our spagyrics – what are they? But before you can understand what a spagyric tincture is, you’ll need a crash course in alchemy 101. In the alchemical tradition, alchemists used distillation to purify a liquid and then collect the…
Many moons ago, when I was a college kid I lived in Las Cruces (go Aggies!) for about a decade so I got to know some of the Chihuahuan Desert flora. Most notably of course is ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), which I think is one of New Mexico’s most amazing low desert plants. The flowers, which…
A while back I posted about limoncillo. Well this is limoncillo’s “sister plant” called Pague (dogweed / fetid marigold / Dyssodia papposa). As an herbal remedy, it can be used as an alternative to limoncillo. A tea made from the leaves and flowers of Pague are used to settle the stomach and relieve GI discomfort….
Free Remedios Workshop for Hispanic Heritage Week Me and my comadre, Pilar Trujillo of Viva Vida Botanica, will be hosting a free remedios workshop at Northern New Mexico College on Wednesday, September 18th at noon. We’ll be talking about remedios for seasonal support… just in time for the transition into autumn! See flyer for more…
Limoncillo / lemon scented chinchweed (Pectis angustifolia) has become one of my favorite herbs to take as a beverage. It was introduced to me several years ago by my neighbor after she made a salve with it. It was love at first whiff!! Its scent is just really quite pleasant. And it has a pleasant…
ELDERberry embodies wisdom. From an Ayurvedic perspective, its role is to dry and cool.. so it also serves as a mild expectorant. But perhaps elderberry’s better known attribute is its antiviral properties. My understanding is that it disables an enzyme in the flu virus, so basically it stops viral replication. It’s contains certain compounds that…