Bloom Institute of Holistic Living & Learning

05/29/2026

This Sunday at the Bloom building - there will be lots of medicinal herb transplants avaialable - come early!

05/28/2026

A remarkable healing story —
Stinging Nettle to the rescue!

Nettle flogging, also known as urtication, is not merely an ancient folk practice, but a valuable therapeutic strategy still used today.

Urtication involves applying fresh nettle topically to stimulate circulation, nerve activity, and localized healing.

Meet Rebecca — a lovely client and student of mine. Nettle urtication has brought her tremendous healing, helping restore function to her finger after a serious injury.

Last September, she accidentally severed the tendon in her right index finger with broken glass. An infection led to scar tissue and inflammation that prevented the joint from bending. Over time, it developed into a chronic pain condition with limited use of her hand.

She used herbs throughout her recovery to help stabilize her system after antibiotics and surgery.

Then, when the fresh nettles emerged this spring, she began applying them directly to the affected area. She willingly embraced the sting, irritation, and mild swelling in exchange for what she describes as “the best relief she’s had since the accident.”

She now has more feeling, flexibility, and mobility in her finger — something especially meaningful because she is an artist, and her hands are her tools.

The treatment can become intensely itchy afterward, but Rebecca makes her own herbal salve to soothe the irritation.

She can’t wait to tell her surgeon about it this summer when she returns for a second attempt at surgery.

Nettle will forever be her hero.

I’m deeply impressed by Rebecca’s perseverance and commitment to herbal healing. Sometimes a little short-term sting can bring long-term gain.

05/25/2026

United Plant Lovers 🌺

Plants are an antidote to division.
They are our common ground.

Regardless of culture, religion, politics, ethnicity, gender, or age — we are all deeply shaped by the plant world.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve witnessed the power of people coming together to learn, heal, and grow through herbs. Herb class becomes more than education — it becomes community.

As Katie said this weekend, “Herbs attract the best people.” 😘

And in Jade’s words:
“I don’t normally like people, I don’t have friends, however I’ve found my heart family in herb class.”

Again and again, I’ve watched students reconnect with themselves through the plants, the learning, and the shared experience. One student arrived feeling exhausted and burdened by life, and slowly unfolded again — like a wilted flower returning to the sun.

Herbs heal in more ways than one. 💚

Holistic Herbal Wellness begins this September.
Year-long herbal study and community.
Levels 1–5 now open for registration.
Early bird discount until June 21 🐦

05/23/2026

Wild sarsaparilla, rabbit root
Aralia nudicaulis
Araliaceae (ginseng family)

I wonder, if this plant was researched as much as its cousins, eleuthero and ginseng, would it prove to be an adaptogen as well?

I'm strongly attracted to its roots, chewing them feels enlivening. Apparently rabbits like them too.

This is not the same plant as the sarsaparilla found in warmer climates, the base flavouring of root beer, but a suitable substitute.

Discover this and other local medicinal plants with me, join me for Holistic Herbal Wellness, my year long courses begin in September.
Early registration discount until June 21

05/21/2026

Early bird discount until June 21 🐦
Save $200 when paid in full.
Monthly payment option available as well.

Be like coltsfoot and dandelion, plan now for the seasons of growth ahead. 😊

I would be delighted to explore holistic health and nature's cycles with you. 💚

Follow the link in bio to my website for more info.

05/21/2026

Registration is open for Bloom herbal programs, levels 1-3
Early bird discount available until June 21 🐦

05/20/2026

Great opportuity to adopt plants for your herb garden and to hang out with the local herbal community.

At the Bloom building, this Sunday.

I'll bring mullein, teasel, rue, oregano

05/20/2026

Plant extra rosemary in your medicine garden -
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EacxTYg1M/

A pilot clinical study evaluated a traditional dried rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis) infusion in untreated grade 1 hypertensive patients (defined as systolic BP 140 to 159 mmHg and/or diastolic BP 90 to 99 mmHg) using a pragmatic but loosely controlled design. Over 45 days, participants consumed a daily tea made from 2 g powdered rosemary leaf infused in 100 mL hot water for 15 minutes, delivering approximately 38 mg polyphenols including 18 mg of rosmarinic acid. The use of powdered leaf is noteworthy, as it substantially increases extraction yield compared with intact leaf.

In the hypertensive group (n=30 completers), the herbal intervention produced statistically significant reductions in ambulatory blood pressure, including −6.3 mmHg systolic and −4.9 mmHg diastolic (24-hour averages). These translate to moderate within-subject effect sizes (0.5 to 0.65), suggesting a potentially meaningful clinical effect. There was no impact in a smaller group of normotensive participants, no change in nocturnal BP, and no effect on pulse pressure or heart rate. While these effect sizes are clinically relevant for early hypertension, interpretation is limited by the absence of a randomised placebo-controlled design, meaning regression to the mean and behavioural factors cannot be excluded.

Methodologically, the study’s main strength is the use of 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, which improves reliability over clinic readings, along with phytochemical characterisation of the intervention. However, it is constrained by a small sample size and lack of blinding and a proper control group. Safety signals were reassuring over the 45 days, with no adverse events and stable biochemistry. Clinically, this study should be viewed as hypothesis-generating: it suggests rosemary infusion may exert modest antihypertensive effects, but requires confirmation in well-powered, randomised, dose-ranging trials before integration into standard care.

Beyond blood pressure, rosemary tea shows a range of emerging clinical effects, particularly in the neurocognitive space. Small human studies suggest improvements in mood, anxiety, and cognitive performance, and notably, a pilot trial has reported a marked increase in circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) following short-term rosemary tea consumption, pointing to a potential role in neuroplasticity and stress resilience. Mechanistically, this aligns with its polyphenols (such as rosmarinic acid and carnosol) acting via Nrf2, anti-inflammatory and CREB-related pathways (cAMP response element-binding protein). Hence the dried leaf is suitable in this context (since the polyphenols are retained on drying), even though it is lower in essential oil compared to fresh rosemary.

So at this point there is no harm and possibly great benefit in the suggestion that hypertensive patients could start taking rosemary leaf tea as part of their overall regime.

For more information see: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667031325000569?via%3Dihub

05/19/2026

Student - lead clinic
Openings on Friday, 1 pm and 2:40 pm
In person or online
$25 for 1.5 hour session, holistic health support and customized herbal protocol.

Book your appontment via my webpage