Blog

Prickly Ash, a Moving Tribute

By CoreyPine Shane on February 21, 2019 / Blog

A few weeks ago I was in Florida and was fortunate enough to find a good-sized stand of Prickly Ash trees (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis), a plant that I’d been hoping to find during my trip. There was enough of it that I felt comfortable harvesting a few branches to bring back and make into tincture. As I was researching the herb to refresh my memory of its more obscure uses, I thought it would be a great to share with you. Both because it is an amazing and under-used herb but also it gives me a chance to talk about heating remedies and what they do.

The Three Best Digestive Herbs

By CoreyPine Shane on October 13, 2017 / Blog

There are more herbs for digestive issues than for just about any other issue, maybe because digestive problems are one of the most common complaints. Almost every herb we use in cooking has a beneficial effect on digestion, which is part of the reason we use them

The Best Herb for Any Emergency

By CoreyPine Shane on June 26, 2017 / Blog

Maybe it’s these intense times we are living in, but I’ve been seeing more clients recently with a history of trauma. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading more about trauma recently. Or maybe because more people are recognizing what trauma is and wanting to work with it

Remembering Rosemary

By CoreyPine Shane on October 30, 2016 / Blog

Rosemary is steeped in our culture, one of the most common garden plants as well as a common component in French and Italian cooking. Literally “rose of the sea,” it reminds us of the Mediterranean coast where shrubs grow 8 feet high and almost as big around.

The Art of Herbal Formulation by Maria Noël Groves, RH (AHG)

By CoreyPine Shane on March 23, 2016 / Blog

As an herbalist and intuitive home cook, creating a recipe from scratch usually means I stand in front of my options (ie: the herb closet, spice rack, or tincture apothecary) pondering, “Hmmm, what do I feel like? What flavors go well together?” Then I begin pulling jars,

Blending Chinese Medicine Philosophy with American Herbalism

By CoreyPine Shane on December 17, 2015 / Blog

When I first started learning about American herbal medicine in the 1980s, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. There didn’t seem to be much philosophy behind it, no reason why we used one herb instead of another. It seemed an herb was chosen based

Waiting to Sleep

By CoreyPine Shane on July 29, 2015 / Blog

Sleep isn’t always something that comes easily. Insomnia is one of the most common symptoms I see in my clients, even if it is not the problem they came in for. But there are many herbs that can help with sleep, and not just sedatives either. There are

Time for Bark Harvest

By CoreyPine Shane on May 1, 2015 / Blog

I just got back from the woods, where the apprentices and I harvested Wood Betony flowering herb (Pedicularis canadensis) and Witch Hazel twigs and leaves (Hamamelis virginiana). And so begins my 2015 wildcrafting season, and on May Day no less! (or Beltaine in Gaelic.) What a way

Spring Harvest: Nettles

By CoreyPine Shane on April 4, 2015 / Blog

This is the best time of year for so many wild greens. My other favorite with Chickweed (see last blog) is Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica). The badass, leather jacket-wearing, don’t-mess-with-me weed of wet places across the U.S. The dark green of the leaves communicates the wealth of

Spring Wild Greens

By CoreyPine Shane on April 1, 2015 / Blog

I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but here in WNC early spring has arrived! This warm, wet weather means the spring ephemerals like Toothwort, Dutchman’s Breeches, and Spring Beauty are coming soon, and the beautiful Bloodroot flowers are beginning to cover hillsides (picture on

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