West Coast Herbs

23/06/2025

"In the bed of roses, the mystery sparkles, the secret is hidden in the rose." Attar

17/06/2025

08/06/2025

To make rosewater:

- Gather Ingredients: You'll need fresh rose petals (use a heat-safe bowl), a pot, distilled water, and ice.
- Prepare the Pot: Place a heat-proof bowl in the center of a large pot.
- Add Rose Petals and Water: Surround the bowl with rose petals and add enough distilled water to cover the petals, but not the bowl.
- Simmer: Invert the pot lid, place ice on top of the lid, and gently simmer the water on low heat for 30-45 minutes. Replace the ice as it melts.
- Collect Rose Water: The steam will condense on the underside of the lid and drip into the bowl, gathering the rose water.
-Cool and Strain: Let the rose water cool, then strain it to remove the petals.
-Store: Transfer the rose water to a sterilized bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to six months.

07/06/2025

The water element is the principle of cohesion. In the body, this emerges as nourishment, growth, and lubrication. Water element cools, moistens, adheres, soothes, softens, smoothes, dulls, and spreads.

When you express clarified Water element, you feel nourished by, and connected to, your community. It helps you feel content, express yourself calmly and smoothly, and allow things to “roll off your back.”

Water allows for assimilation, permitting your food and experiences to become part of you. Healthy Water element also insulates your body with a healthy layer of fat, lubricates your joints and mucosa, and produces clear, smooth skin. It gives you open and non-judgmental eyes, and smooth, fluid motion in your limbs.

Deficiency of Water element can leave you dried out and inflexible in body and mind. You may become constipated, emaciated, and bitter. A depletion of the sticky and smooth qualities of Water element leads to a loss of the ability to connect with others, or with nourishment in general.

When water over-accumulates, your digestion slows down, and you may become dull and insensitive to the situations around you. Excess water leaves you sticky, bogged-down, heavy, excessively emotional, or depressed.

The wet quality of Water element douses your digestive fire, resulting in weight-gain, lack of appetite, sluggishness, and apathy. You might also develop yeast infections or white, itchy rashes. Nausea, excess mucus production, loss of appetite, and edema are also common expressions of excess Water element.

Bayan Blog

23/05/2025

The Mystic Rose, by Elsa Barker

I, woman, am that wonder-breathing rose
That blossoms in the garden of the King.
In all the world there is no lovelier thing,
And the learned stars no secret can disclose
Deeper than mine--that almost no one knows.
The perfume of my petals in the spring
Is inspiration to all bards that sing
Of love, the spirit's lyric unrepose.

Under my veil is hid the mystery
Of unaccomplished aeons, and my breath
The Master-Lover's life replenisheth.
The mortal garment that is worn by me
The loom of Time renews continually;
And when I die--the universe knows death

22/05/2025

The unmistakable scent and calming energy of lavender make it synonymous with relaxation. From soothing the mind to easing stress, lavender has earned its place in our gardens, homes, and hearts. The name lavender comes from the Latin lavare, meaning “to clean,” and it does just that—rinsing away worries and calming the nervous system. 🌸

Safe for babies, elders, and everyone in between, lavender is more than a relaxation herb—it supports overall wellness, especially in stress-related conditions.

We make this cream with organic coconut oil and shea butter, blended with lavender to soothe, heal, and soften the skin. It is perfect to use after being in the sun.

13/05/2025

Chamomile & Rose Tea is a perfect drink for the hot weather. They are a lovely, calming & soothing combination to calm the mind and improve digestive. When children are teething, hot, and bothered, they are instantly calmed with chamomila. It is the same for us adults!

10/05/2025

Our sage is flowering in the garden. Sage flowers can be used to make a flower essence in this lovely sunny weather:

Positive Qualities: Drawing wisdom from life experience; reviewing and surveying one’s life process from a higher perspective

Patterns of Imbalance: Seeing life as ill-fated or undeserved; inability to perceive higher purpose and meaning in life events

Definition: Sage flower essence enables the Self to learn and reflect about life experience, particularly enhancing the capacity to experience deep inner peace and wisdom. This remedy addresses a natural distillation process which occurs as the healthy person ages. Throughout the course of life, trials and tribulations are placed in the soul's path so that it can distill impurities and volatile emotions, reaching an ever more clarified and refined state. Through the aging process, the soul should be able to attain increasing inner stability and peaceful acceptance of its condition. If one is unable to experience this graceful maturation process, life events seem ill-fated and undeserved, without higher purpose or meaning. The Sage remedy can be helpful during various life phases and transitions, when one needs to step back and consider the unfolding events of life. However, it is particularly indicated for advanced stages of the life biography, when the Self must learn to survey life experience, and to glean wisdom and insight. Through Sage, the soul comes more in touch with its own spiritual meaning and purpose, and thus acquires profound wisdom to heal and counsel others.

29/04/2025

A new batch of organic golden seal tincture grown in Scotland is almost ready. Goldenseal is an extremely effective antimicrobial herb applied both internally and externally. It can be applied to clean wounds, rashes, and fungal infections. It is also specific when there is excess mucous or catarrh in any mucous membrane, whether that is in the respiratory, digestive, or reproductive system.

As a bitter, it is excellent for stimulating digestion, helping the body produce and release bile. Goldenseal was used by indigenous people as a medicine in North America before the arrival of the settlers. It was valued as a wash for eyes and as a digestive remedy. This speaks to the value of its ability to soothe membranes and support digestion. As it is endangered in the wild, it is best to grow your own or get it from a cultivated source. We have a good crop growing in the woodland area of our garden this year.

29/04/2025

We've got a lovely crop of wormwood this year, Artemisia absinthium. We're making a new herbal bitters blend. It is very bitter, but the addition cinnamon, angelica & peppermint help to relieve gas and make it more palatable. We've also added some gorgeous organic goldenseal that was grown in Scotland, it's going to be a while before ours is ready.

Ingredients: angelica root, artichoke leaf, burdock root, Oregon grape root, cinnamon, andrographis, goldenseal, bitter orange, wormwood, peppermint, water, alcohol.

1/2 tsp. in 1/4 cup water before meals 2-3 x per day.

Do not use when pregnant, if taking medication, seek professional advice.