Kristen

Herbal Book

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Book titled The Apothecary of Belonging

The Apothecary of Belonging by Alexis J. Cunningfolk is a recently published book which I was lucky enough to receive from the publisher to get the word out about it. I was honestly a little shocked when I read the summary of it because it sounded so similar to writing projects I had in the works myself, so I knew this author and I must be on the same page and was excited to read it. From the very first moment I took the book out of the envelope and held it in my hands, I knew we were indeed on the same mission in life, weaving herbs and community together to heal, beautify, and unite. The foundational value system of this book is community and, as the title suggests, belonging. It is delightful in its vintage and artistic touches throughout, and it provides sound herbal knowledge that is both accessible to beginners and affirming to anyone further along their herbal journey. The balance of both charm and depth is reminiscent of herbs themselves, which delight our senses while also providing deep multi-layered healing.

Inner lining of the book
Artistic drawing of roses

It encompasses much more than herbs, incorporating mindfulness, movement, and community rituals which all support the main idea of healing through balance and belonging. Herbalism itself is all about balance, and this book embodies that truth by leading each season with grounding words before moving into more specific herbs and how they can support individuals through those seasons. The physicality of the book may have a vintage appeal, but the words themselves are visionary and aimed at creating a cohesive, community-based future that looks to the past to bring the best of our human history forward and beyond. The overall feel of it is both cozy and thought provoking, hopeful, and action oriented. 

There is talk of magic along with the historical, traditional, and scientific aspects of the herbs, so it is better suited for those with an openness to the powers of nature that are not fully explainable. If you are looking for an herbal book that sticks to the scientific components, there are more compatible books out there. For those who would like an herbal that touches on all aspects of herbalism, including the esoteric, this book would be an excellent addition to your library or to gift to budding nature lovers everywhere.

Fall and winter are such great seasons for making a dent in ‘to read’ lists. So tell me, what are you currently reading or are planning to read during this quieter time of year?

Release Day

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Just a quick note before I head off to campus for work that today is the release day of my book in French. I love the French language and this just makes me so happy to see! Here it is on the publisher’s site. It looks like it’s coming to Amazon but I don’t know when. I need to reach out to the publisher and get one myself! Unless I can order it through an independent bookstore which would be ideal.

Enjoy your day!

Thirty a Week and Ultra-processed Foods

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There are two trends in healthy eating right now that complement each other nicely. The first is Thirty a Week, with the focus on eating at least 30 different plant foods each week to enhance the microbiome.  

Why has this become a thing? 

Eating a variety of different plant foods means you are giving your microbiome plenty of prebiotics which are essential for helping the good bugs in the gut to prosper and win over the bad bugs, (or too few bugs).  

How to do it: 

Thirty means thirty different plant foods, which can include many categories of food besides the obvious fruits and vegetables. It includes herbs, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and even dark chocolate, coffee, and more. The main point to observe is that if you eat a certain food, such as a Honeycrisp apple, every day at lunch for 5 days in a row, that only counts as 1 of the 30. If instead you eat a different kind of fruit every day at lunch for 5 days straight, then you have 5 out of the 30. There are apps out there to track how many plant foods you eat, if that is your thing, but personally I already have more apps than I care to. For more ideas on how to achieve thirty a week, this linked article is a wonderful place to start.  

How it relates to minimizing ultra-processed foods: 

The Thirty a Week concept works well with trying to get away from ultra-processed foods because when focusing on getting real foods into our bodies, there are less opportunities to choose ultra-processed food. There is more awareness now that ultra-processed foods make up the majority of American diets, (55% is the latest number), and an even larger proportion of youths’ diets. Ultra-processed foods lack nutrition, contain questionable ingredients, are generally packed with excess sugar and salt, and are designed to make people crave foods and overeat. Ultra-processed foods are seen as one of the main reasons if not the number one reason that people are overweight, especially children, and yet unfortunately, they are everywhere.  

What exactly is an ultra-processed food? 

Knowing what is ultra-processed as opposed to simply processed can be tricky. To understand what makes a food ‘ultra-processed’, I am copying this simple explanation from Stanford Medicine’s News Center: 

  • Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: Examples are fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, eggs, meat, poultry, pasta, plain yogurt and coffee. 
  •  Processed culinary ingredients: These include sugar, honey, maple syrup, vegetable oils, butter and vinegar. 
  •  Processed foods: Examples are salted nuts, cured meat, canned fish, canned vegetables, most cheeses and freshly made bread (such as from a local bakery).  
  • Ultra-processed foods: Examples are commercially produced breads, most breakfast cereals, flavored yogurts, hot dogs, frozen meals, potato chips, soft drinks and candy bars. 

As you can see, unprocessed or minimally processed foods are mostly the foods that make up the Thirty a Week guideline.  

The upcoming change of seasons is as good a time as any to commit to healthier, smarter eating. Happy Equinox week! 🥣🌿 

EWG’s Dirty Dozen Updated

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Strawberry

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out an updated list of the produce that contains the most toxins each year, as well as the produce that has the least. They test 47 types of produce and the ones that are contaminated with the most pesticides are called the ‘Dirty Dozen’ and the ones that are least contaminated are the ‘Clean Fifteen’.  

These lists are good references when making choices about when to spend more money on the organic version and when to save money by buying conventional produce when it is too expensive to buy all organic food.  

Dirty Dozen as of 2025:  

  1. Spinach 
  1. Strawberries 
  1. Kale, Collard, and Mustard Greens 
  1. Grapes 
  1. Peaches 
  1. Cherries 
  1. Nectarines 
  1. Pears 
  1. Apples 
  1. Blackberries 
  1. Blueberries 
  1. Potatoes 

Clean Fifteen as of 2025 

  1. Pineapples 
  1. Sweet Corn Fresh and Frozen 
  1. Avocados 
  1. Papaya 
  1. Onion 
  1. Sweet Peas (Frozen) 
  1. Asparagus 
  1. Cabbage 
  1. Watermelon 
  1. Cauliflower 
  1. Bananas 
  1. Mangoes 
  1. Carrots 
  1. Mushrooms 
  1. Kiwi 

I like knowing where it is most important to focus my organic-only dollars and appreciate that the EWG updates these lists yearly. It would be ideal if we did not need these lists at all, and maybe if you grow your own food, you don’t, but for the rest of us, the more we know, the better choices we can make.

Eat Well!🍓🍌🌿🍆✨

Herbal Inhalant

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My considerate colleague just got back from a trip to Thailand, and she brought us all back these individual herbal inhalant mixtures which is just so unique. It reminds me of old-fashioned smelling salts, although I have no idea what was in those or how they were made, but this is an herbal blend intended to be inhaled when in need of a decongestant. It is incredibly strong, so I imagine it would certainly bring someone back from a fainting spell though or at least help revive them when they start to come to. The ingredients are camphor, menthol, borneol, eucalyptus oil, and, surprisingly, bergamot. 

As soon as I experienced this little treasure, I knew I had to make a version myself! Mine are not perfect, but I wanted to use what I had on hand, so this is what I did for my first go at it.  

DIY:  

I have had a blend called EMC for many, many years, and I believe it is a fragrance oil instead of pure essential oils, which I do not recommend, but since I had it, I wanted to go ahead and use it. 

EMC stands for eucalyptus, menthol, and camphor, which is a common blend not only for inhalants but also for topical pain relief. I used some dried herbs and containers that I already had on hand as well. The herbs are astragalus, because I wanted something woody, rose buds for their soft porousness, and star anise. 

I filled the containers with the herbs, then dropped about 10-15 drops of the EMC blend right on them, allowing the liquid to penetrate the woody astragalus and soft rose buds.

https://youtube.com/shorts/yL5X0txDQkE?feature=share

The star anise was more to add a bit of its own scent, especially since star anise is traditionally used for immune boosting and other health benefits around cold, flu, and digestive issues.  

The Kentucky tin had peppermints in it at one point, and I have always wanted to use the tin again for something else. Since I will be visiting my family again soon in KY, I thought this would be a suitable time to reuse the container.  

I love how every culture has their own herbal traditions, just as every culture has their own culinary customs. What are some herbal traditions from around the world that you particularly like or find especially unique? 🌿 

Simple Summertime Hack

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Sunshine through trees

I realize we are heading toward fall here in the northern hemisphere, but where I live, we are experiencing a late heat wave so sunscreen is still on my mind. Also, it is my understanding that stinging bugs, like bees and wasps, start to get aggressive as summer winds down, so repelling insects remains more important than ever these days.  

Making your own bug repellent is easy and a great way to use all natural ingredients instead of toxic alternatives, but in a pinch it’s really easy to just add essential oils directly to sunscreen before rubbing the mix onto your body. The proportion should be about 2 drops of essential oil into about a tablespoon of sunscreen, with important precautions below.  

You can use just about any essential oil, though some essential oils are more effective than others, all have some repelling qualities to them. Just do not use any citrus oils, meaning orange, lemon, lime, bergamot, grapefruit, or any others that I might be missing. This is because citrus oils attract the sun and can cause hyperpigmentation, which undermines sunscreen. Also be aware that even though peppermint is particularly repelling to bugs, only use one drop in approximately a tablespoon of sunscreen because it is strong and can be irritating to skin. Other essential oils known for being excellent insect repellents are thyme, lemon eucalyptus (not a citrus), citronella, and all of the mints.  

I love Mountain Rose Herbs and have been buying herbs, essential oils, and related supplies for well over two decades, so I am thrilled to partner with them as an affiliate. Not only are they a reputable company with quality products, but they also sponsor my favorite public radio station, KEXP, which has increased my respect for them even more. When you find a company, organization, person, station, etc, that you just resonate with so fully, it’s just such a pleasure to share them with the world. I think these current chaotic times have just made me especially grateful for the like-minded people and organizations out there.

Here’s my short video on the hack that I put on social media:

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Happy late summer! ☀️ 

Celebrating Sustainability

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In a world that is increasingly focused on technology and AI, it’s such a treat to celebrate local foods and sustainable living in a county-wide, community setting. The county where I live, King County, named for Martin Luther King Jr. and home to Seattle as well as the surrounding area, hosts a free festival, Chomp!, every summer at a much-loved county park. All the vendors and booths that are there are focused on sustainability in one way or another, whether it’s a restaurant focused on fresh, local, seasonable foods or a booth for upcycled clothing, kids’ activities, twists on traditional fair attractions, and more, they all have the same base values. They also have live music throughout the day, and I was most excited about seeing Kim Deal, of Pixies and the Breeders fame and her band did not disappoint. Her new album partially reflects on her time as caregiver to her parents, one of whom had Alzheimer’s for twenty years, while still managing to transport listeners with her signature, ethereal voice and musical rhythms that play with quiet, voice on wind moments next to big, banging, all-out rocking beats. 

I loved the whole festival, but most of all I love that King County holds this every year. It reminded me that there are others who truly value sustainability and that all is not yet lost. Even Kim Deal, during her set, kept remarking how cool the festival was and how lucky we must all feel, and I had to heartily agree! I can’t say that I’m often praising the government these days nor feeling overly optimistic, but as far as King County goes, I’m extremely impressed with their priorities and values. I wanted to share this so other people can also be encouraged, as I was, that there are still people, communities, and even some leaders in charge who care about sustainability. 🌿 ️

Kim Deal performing on stage with her band.

Happy late summer ☀

Late Summer

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How is it already moving toward fall? I have been seeing ‘Back to School’ promos all over and it seems like this summer has not even gotten started! The mid-August to mid-September time of year has been my favorite in recent years, so I am not really complaining, although the speed of time passing does unnerve me as we seem to be getting collectively busier and busier.

Part of the reason this summer has particularly been a blur is that I’ve been teaching at a new college four days a week, which means a new campus, new procedures, new course material, new students, and new workplace culture dynamics. I’ve also been teaching my first fully remote class with the college that I normally teach at, which has also meant a learning curve with unforeseen challenges. Now that both of those classes are past their zenith and will be over by the end of August, I’m more than ready to turn my attention to some herbal crafting to prep for the fall.

Mountain Rose Herbs is having a 20% flash sale. I'm using this as my signal to slow down and honor the late summer to early fall season with some herbal crafting.
Campus

Lucky for me (and you!) Mountain Rose Herbs is having a rare sitewide sale where everything is 20% off. I’m an affiliate so they made sure that I knew about it in order to share this information with you and I’m so glad that they did because it would have passed me by without my even noticing in the swirl of information that is modern life.

Here are a few things on my list: I’ve been interested in the “hair and body perfume sprays” that I’ve been seeing more and more often lately, and I’d like to try to make my own. From what I can tell, it looks like a lighter perfume than one that is just intended for the pulse points on the body, so I am planning on using a combination of witch hazel and vanilla infused vodka (otherwise known as vanilla extract) which I need to make. I’ll add the essential oils that fit my mood when the vanilla extract is ready, but since that will be occurring in mid fall, I already know it will include sandalwood and nutmeg (just a drop or two!).

I also want to look at gathering a few stocking stuffers, such as these little ceramic diffusers because there is always another corner or car that needs a diffuser.

I have more things I’ll be looking at when I’m home from work, but right now I need to get dressed to get to campus. I just wanted to share this as soon as possible because the sale will be over tomorrow, August 7th, at 11:59 PM PST.

Here are their details: The code is ORGANIC20 and is valid for 20% OFF ALL regularly priced items.

*Offer expires 8/7/2025 at 23:59, PST. Cannot be combined with other discounts or offers, including wholesale pricing or loyalty point redemptions. We are unable to apply this to previously placed orders. Valid online and at our physical retail locations. While supplies last.

Happy mid August! I hope you are having a great summer and are also looking forward to the cooler weather of fall. ✨🌿☀️

Stress Management with Teas

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Traditional Medicinals Teas

Summer season brings to mind frolicking in the sun, days at the beach, vacations, staycations, and…stress…? This year is bringing about more stress than usual if you are remotely paying attention to world events, and I for one am not finding my usual summertime easy cadence. I was just starting to acknowledge this fact to myself and consider if I needed to add some adaptogens or nervines to my daily herbal routine, when I happened to get an email from Traditional Medicinals asking if I would be interested in trying one of their teas, including one for stress. I happily agreed to the stress related one because that tea features skullcap, an herb that is somewhat hard to find in teas and supplements. Skullcap is one of those herbs that other plants can be mistaken for, so it tends to be avoided in formulations, but it has a somewhat unique traditional use as an herb that can calm repeating thoughts. It is a nervine that is generally used for calming purposes, and it can provide added support for those who tend to lie down at night and suddenly get hit with circular thoughts, or those who have OCD related patterns of thinking. (It’s obviously not a cure for anything and if circular or repeating thoughts is a problem for you, please talk to a medical professional about it.)

The tea with skullcap is Stress Ease Tension Relief and has other supportive herbs in it that combine in a pleasant, lightly minty taste. If you drink from a big mug like I tend to do, two tea bags at a time gives a stronger taste and more of a calming feel.

Stress Ease with Skullcap
Organic ingredients

They sent me two other teas in their Stress Ease line which I wasn’t expecting but already I’m taking one of them, Stress Ease Focus, with me to work everyday. It’s a flavor profile I would not have normally bought for myself because I don’t like fruity teas and this one includes apple, but it does not taste fruity at all. It tastes lightly minty and pleasant and I really appreciate the ginseng in this formula for focus and non-caffeinated energy support. It’s actually the adaptogen I was considering adding to my routine before I received these teas so it seems the universe agreed that it’s just what I needed! I like two teabags of this Focus tea as well because my travel mug is large and a stronger taste suits me.

I have to say that I am really impressed with these teas. If you know their legendary herbal tea, Smooth Move, then you know how long this company has been around. When I worked at a natural foods store over 25 years ago, Smooth Move was our best selling tea by far, and I asked Traditional Medicinals if it is still a best selling tea and they confirmed that it is. I see that they now even have capsules of it as well as a couple of different blends, so if you have issues with occasional constipation, you probably already buy this tea, but if not, you might want to have it on hand. One nice thing about tea packets is you can slip a few into your luggage when traveling or stash them in your desk at work and they don’t take up too much room.

Another thing I like about these teas is that all the ingredients, at least in the teas that they sent me, are all certified organic. That is truly rare and is a testament to not only their values but also shows they are a reputable company that has been around a long time. When it comes to herbs, that really is something to keep in mind when making buying choices.

I’ll be leaning on these teas and other stress reduction techniques for the remainder of the summer and beyond. Honestly, in today’s world, it takes a lot to achieve a balanced sense of well-being so do what you can to prioritize finding yours. The world needs you.

Stay well and let me know if you try any Traditional Medicinals Teas.☀️🌿✨

Quoi?! and Connection

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I just had to share that quite by accident I found out that my book is being translated into French! It looks like it will be available in October. Here’s the link if you want to see the French version on Amazon. This news just delighted me to no end and I hope to see it published in other languages as well.

In other news, I have become a subscriber to Tangle. I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you are in America and have relationships that are struggling due to political differences. It is a free newsletter, although there is also a paid version that is ad free, that takes a news item and gives a short synopsis of how the right and the left are presenting the event or situation. It then gives the founder’s take which sifts through the propaganda of both sides and drills down on key facts and his critical analysis. It is a rare gem in that it offers journalistic integrity that somehow manages to reach both sides of the political divide with an avid readership that spans the spectrum. Here is a link to yesterday’s newsletter.

I found out about Tangle through an episode on This American Life back before the November election. At the time I was too tired of the election coverage to look into it myself, but it stayed with me and I finally looked it up and am pleasantly pleased with what I found. If you are interested in hearing about it through great storytelling, check out the episode. You won’t regret it.

I hope you too have some unexpected, great news this week and that hope and connection find you, support you, and hold you tight.

I’m an Amazon affiliate.