YCH Wellness and Apothecary

12/13/2025

There are so many different plants that can help reduce anxiety and stress—you’re wellness is worth giving them a try. 💚💙

*there is a main herb for stress relief and anxiety reduction that frequently does not make public lists due to its controversy but is worth looking into. 🌱

🌿 Herbs for Anxiety 🌿

Millions of people suffer from anxiety disorders, and many turn to natural remedies for support. Herbs can be a gentle, effective way to calm the mind, ease tension, and improve overall well-being.

Drugs and medications may be helpful too, but they do come with major short and long-term side effects.

Here’s a great list of calming herbs to help you relax naturally:

Hops
Mullein
Valerian
Lemon Balm
Meadow Sweet
Passionflower
Bergamot
Ginkgo Biloba
Lavender
Peppermint
California Poppy
Vervain
Motherwort
Ashwagandha
Hyssop
St. John’s Wort
Chamomile
Cowslip
Skullcap

💡 Did you know?

Chamomile is known for its soothing, sleep-promoting effects.

Lavender can help reduce nervous tension and improve mood.

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, supporting your body’s response to stress.

Passionflower is often used to ease restlessness and insomnia.

Skullcap is a traditional nervine for calming anxious thoughts.

🌱 Other calming herbs you might consider adding:

Holy Basil (Tulsi) - Supports mental clarity and emotional balance

Rhodiola - Helps manage stress and fatigue

Catnip - Gentle relaxation without sedation

Oatstraw – Helps soothe nervous tension and support the nervous system

⚠️ Important note: Herbs can be powerful allies, but they may interact with medications. Always check with a healthcare provider before adding new herbs to your routine.

✨ Nature’s medicine is often the best medicine.

Which of these herbs have you tried, or would love to try? Drop your favorites below! ⬇️⬇️

10/13/2025

“May your dreams be stronger than your fears”
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May your dreams be stronger than your fears,
and your hope be deeper than your doubts.
May your soul walk barefoot
unafraid of the unknown path.
May you trust yourself,
for every great beginning
once trembled like a whisper,
and still dared to speak.
The world is waiting for what
only you can imagine into being.

✍️ Rivers in the Ocean

10/07/2025

It’s that time of the year again…when I start reminding you to boost that immune system.
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Cold + flu season is creeping in… but don’t worry, I’ve got a cozy game plan for you 🌿☕️

This Five Flavor Autumn Wellness Tea blends herbs and spices that support your immune system, calm stress, nourish deeply, and keep digestion flowing. Plus, it tastes amazing, like a hug in a mug 💛

🌱 Astragalus – sweet + strengthening for the immune system
🌱 Oatstraw – salty + mineral-rich nourishment for nerves and stress
🌱 Rose hips – sour + antioxidant-rich for inflammation support
🌱 Dandelion root – bitter + liver-loving nutritive bitter
🌱 Cinnamon – pungent + spicy digestive + immune ally

Together, they create a grounding daily ritual that helps keep colds and flu at bay while also making you feel warm, nourished, and cared for.

🍎 Bonus: A splash of apple juice ties the flavors together beautifully!

👉Enjoy this recipe card and start sipping your way to wellness this fall.

Do you already have a “go-to” immune tea you make every year? 🍵

09/18/2025

Wonderful Zine! Plant Healer Magazine
It’s free too-why wouldn’t you indulge?
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Announcing the release of the September issue of Herbaria Monthly! It’s again our great pleasure to provide you with the latest information-filled Herbaria, absolutely FREE for everyone to read and share!

We had to skip an August issue because of all the work on this year’s Good Medicine Confluence, so here is your over 70 pages long September zine… featuring:

- Editor’s Tales: Callings & Transitions at The End of Summer
- Kiva Rosethorn: Thorned Gateways: The Enchantments of Wild Rose, Hawthorn, & Blackthorn
- Jim McDonald: Differentiating Herbal Actions & Properties
- Jesse Wolf Hardin: Why I’ve Given Decades to Herbalism
- Resources For Plant Healers
- Ingrid Bauer: Red Flags For Herbalists - When to Seek Conventional Treatment
- Julianne Peterson: Ayurvedic Remedies For Longevity

Subscribe now if you aren’t already, and you can find the link to download this latest issue in the linktree:
https://linktr.ee/planthealer

08/30/2025

Lovely adaptogens-to help relieve stress and support your adrenals. Something as ‘simple’ as a cup of tea can make all the difference in your ability to navigate through stress.

08/25/2025

Ravens carry so much symbolism and are here to guide and guard us 💚💙

“The One Who Brings Light from the Shadows”
— A Raven Legend
They say the Raven was not born in light.
It was born in darkness, where secrets, pain, and truth are hidden.
But instead of fleeing, it learned to listen —
to hear what light could never touch.
In the stories of the Native people, the Raven is a carrier of ancient knowledge,
not from books, but from what others overlook:
the wind blowing the wrong way, the footsteps of a lost soul,
and dreams never spoken aloud.
Its feathers — though black — shimmer with the colors of dusk, fire, and earth.
Because Raven is not a harbinger of death, as many believe,
but rather the guardian of rebirth.
The elders call it Takuah —
“The One Who Finds Light in the Dark.”
If you see a Raven, don’t chase it away.
It may carry a message — not from this world,
but from the place your soul once belonged.

08/20/2025

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07/21/2025

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Did you know the humble cottonwood tree is one of the most sacred beings in Lakota tradition?

This isn’t just any tree—this is a Tree of Life, a voice of the spirits, and a direct bridge between Earth and Sky. 🌌

Here’s why the cottonwood is so important in our teachings:

🌟 There’s a Star Inside
When you cut a cottonwood at a branch joint, you’ll find a perfect five-pointed star. This star represents the Wičháȟpi (stars) and connects us to our ancestors, the Seven Sisters (Pleiades), and the sky beings who guide our prayers.

Lakota Star Story
Long before there were saws or science, our elders knew: the cottonwood holds the stars inside.
They say that five-pointed star hidden in its heartwood reflects the Wičháȟpi Tȟó Wičhíyena—the Seven Sisters—who represent the ancestors watching over us.
These stars are sacred in Lakota star knowledge and linked to the origin of the Sundance and the sacred number seven.
As one elder said:

“The stars live in the trees. When you pray, they hear you. That’s why the Sundance tree reaches up—it carries the prayers to the ones who live in the sky.”

The cottonwood reminds us: the sky lives within the Earth.

The Tree that Speaks
The rustling of cottonwood leaves isn’t just wind—it’s the sound of ancestors speaking, prayers traveling, and spirit messages arriving. Sit under one and listen.

The Sundance Tree
In the Wi wáŋyaŋg wačhípi (Sundance), a cottonwood is selected as the center pole, the axis mundi. It connects the people to the Creator. It's chosen with offerings, songs, and prayers. It becomes sacred, alive with every dancer’s sacrifice and every tied prayer.

It Grows Where Life Gathers
Cottonwoods grow near water, where life begins and heals. They grow fast, adapt, and offer shade, shelter, and sometimes even medicine. They remind us: life finds a way, even through hardship.

It Grows in Circles
Like all sacred things, cottonwood honors the circle. Its growth rings, its branch patterns, its leaf clusters—they mirror the sacred hoop of life.

In our Lakota way, we don’t just take a tree—we pray first, offer to***co or seeds, and ask permission. Relationship comes before harvest. Respect comes before use.

So the next time you walk by a cottonwood, remember:
You are standing before a relative, a messenger, a prayer tree.
One that holds the stars inside.

🌟 Wóphila tȟáŋka (Great Thanks) to our plant and tree relatives.

www.lakotamade.com

06/28/2025

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Medicinal herbs and the uses

06/03/2025

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05/05/2025

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Feeling a tickle in your throat or a bit stuffy? 🌿

This simple herbal steam might be just what you need.

This week on the Herbs with Rosalee Podcast, .orna shared her go-to remedy for supporting respiratory health—a warming, aromatic steam that helped her recover at home during a serious illness.

This is a recipe you can turn to at the first sign of congestion or when your sinuses feel sluggish. It uses thyme—an amazing herb you probably already have in your spice rack.

It’s a beautiful reminder that some of our most powerful medicines are already right at hand.

👉 Type STEAM25 to get access to the full recipe card.