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Herbs Unsafe to Use During Pregnancy

May cause abortions/miscarriages:

Ashwagandha, Basil, Bitter lemon, Boneset, Buckthorn, Calendula, Cascara sagrada, Cassia cinnamon, Castor bean, Catnip, Chamomile (Roman), Cinchona, Feverfew, Ginger, Horseradish, Joe-pye weed, Knot grass, Madagascar periwinkle, Male fern, Marsh tea, Nutmeg, Papain, Pareira, Pine, Queen Anne's lace, Rosemary, Rue, Safflower, Saffron, Sage, Sandalwood, Savin, Scotch broom, Shepherd's purse, St John's wort, Stinging nettle, Tansy, Turmeric, Watercress, Wild ginger, Wild marjoram, Wormwood, Yellow cedar.

Genotoxic (causes cell mutations):

Buckthorn, Butterbur, Calamus, Cascara sagrada, Frangula, Madder, Rhubarb, Senna

May cause premature birth:

Cola nitida, Guranada, Licorice, Mate

NOTE: This is not an exhaustive list. I’m just tired of recipes going around for herbal products specifically to promote pregnancy and childbirth when they contain herbs that can be harmful to that process. More will be added to this post in the coming days; I wanted to get it down first.

Bolded are more common herbs.

Sources: [x] (further sources listed in that study; more to come)

#herbs #herbalism #pregnancy #herbs and pregnancy #unsafe #warnings #precautions #warnings and precautions

birch-white

primalpalette

#cooking

thiskitchenwitch

Whew, finally back from school! Now that I’m free, it’s time to reassemble one of my best school essentials for next quarter—tiny, reusable packets of herbs that are perfect for spells on the go (or spicing up a dull meal…what’s the difference, really?).

While I love the look of tiny bottles for portable ingredients, they’re not as space-saving as these repurposed straws. So though my best staples get bottled for easiest refills, I like to keep the odd ingredient (or extra backups of the classics) rattling around in my pockets like this! Some things to keep in mind:

Only melt the ends as they’re separated from the herbs by the pliers/tweezers—food safe plastic or not, you still don’t want that melting on your ingredients!

Most straws work for this, but thin plastic straws may warp and bubble further up the tube before the ends seal shut; try a few tests, and heat with care.

While I always carry around a pen knife, if you don’t, consider keeping these in a little pocket tin with a razor blade for easy opening. Cutting the small notch in the end is pretty effective for fingers-only opening, but may cause leaks in fluid-filled packets and should be avoided in those cases. Small, neat incisions with a knife also make for easier sealing for reuse!

EDIT: while I didn’t touch on it too much here, I also use these to prepare ready-made spells. If you’re doing this, consider matching the color of the candle and straw to the spell intent!

polar-solstice

Shoutout to @magicalcritter for showing me this! This looks fantastic!

visardistofelphame

this is AMAZING

#game #games

Post-Hiatus Cleanup (AKA, The Little Apothecary is back!)

After a long hiatus, the Little Apothecary is back! For now I’ll be cleaning up the blog and reformatting some things, but keep an eye out for new recipes and herbs to be posted shortly!

#apothecary #herbs #herbalism

biodiverseed

#Edible Forest Gardening 101: Pushing Hardiness Zones

Primer: USDA Hardiness Zones and AHS Heat Zones

Most of us living in the temperate zone have that one species of tree—or in my case, 50+ species—that we’d love to grow, but the threat of frost or extended cold snaps deters us. Without an orangerie, we dare not try and grow oranges.

There are limits to how much you can push a plant to survive outside of it’s optimal conditions: in Zone 3 Alberta, I knew experienced gardeners who could grow Zone 5 plants, by providing plenty of winter protection and a microclimate (sheltered, and planted against an object with a high heat capacity and/or radiating heat, like a house). Generally, a good rule of thumb is that a plant can be pushed two zones above the natural climate, while still growing outdoors. Of course, this depends on how much effort you are willing to put in to wrapping and insulating a plant every year.

There are numerous strategies to insulate plants, but here are a few of the most common (and cheapest):

Combine the fermentation of leaf mould with plant insulation by building a cage around the plant, and filling it with leaves. Their fermentation and surface area provides both heat and shelter.

Use empty containers (pots, barrels, boxes, etc.) to provide windbreak

Wrap the plant in burlap (commonly used on evergreens)

Fresh compost or manure laid around the base of a tree, with a heat-retentive dome on top (an upside-down pot, cooler, or garbage can, filled with leaves, for example) can trap the warmth released by fermentation while insulating from winds and frosts

Straw bales stacked around the tree provide warmth and a high insulating capacity

Even if a plant is suited to the zone, it can still be a good idea to wrap it in the first year: I am wrapping my young persimmon trees, because their green wood is frost tender, and I don’t want to see them die back.

You can use any number or combination of these strategies depending on what you have on hand: sometimes providing windbreak is enough, but sometimes the plants need a little bit of extra heat or a greenhouse effect. Any way you look at it, if you’re willing to spend an extra hour or two insulating in the Autumn, you can try some more exotic fare in the garden next year!

#microclimates #over-wintering #DIY #garden hacks

Photos:

Alex Chen

Marie Lanotti

Florida Survival Gardening

Cheyenne Garden Gossip

Doug Hall

Lawnsavers

Gardenista

Greenhaven good life