Castleberry's Apothecary

10/29/2024

😮🌼👇

🌼💛 “Hello, I'm a dandelion.
A lot of people call me a w**d but I'm a friend and come to help you!
When you see me, remember that I'm the ONLY one who wants and can grow in that particular spot. Because:
Either the soil is too compact / hard / stomped and I want to loosen it for you with my roots.
Or there is too little calcium in the soil - don't worry, I will replenish that for you with the dying of my leaves.
Or the soil is too acidic. But I will also improve that for you if you give me the chance.
Or a mixture of the above reasons, of course. 😊
I'm here because your soil needs my help so best you let me grow without disturbing me! When everything is fixed, I will disappear again, I promise!
Are you trying to remove me prematurely with my root? However meticulous you are, I will return 2x as strong! Just until your soil is improved.
You can even tell by my growth at which stage my help is at. If my leaves are flat on the ground then I'm far from ready but if they all reach up then I'm already a long way on my way.
Something completely different is that I am 1 of the first bloomers in spring so I will announce spring / summer for you.
During the day when it's hot, I open my flowers but in the evening when it cools off I close them again quickly. In fact, if it's not hot enough during the day I won't open them at all!
My flowers are the first food for insects after hibernation and unlike most other plants, I have pollen AND nectar, not merely one OR the other! And I am generous with them! 🤪😉
My flowers are even delicious for you people by the way, did you know? I used to be called ′′honey (or gold) of the poor′′ because my flowers are so sweet in e.g. jam, sauce or salad! The internet is full of recipes - check them out. Personally, I love soaking the blooms in a bowl of water so the insects inside them will float out, then set the blooms out on a paper towel, dip them in an egg batter, roll them in a mixture of 2 parts meal/1 part plain flour that is mixed with a dash of salt and black pepper. Then fry in skillet with canola oil til golden. …YUM
But wait until the end of May or later before you start picking and even then, don't pick everything yet! The biodiversity and bees will be very grateful!” 🌼

07/18/2024

Castleberry's Apothecary is having a blowout moving sale! Go to my personal page to see listings as they come this week. Link in comments below. 👇

02/20/2024

Some of you know that I am an apothic chocolatier. It is my dream to make botanical chocolates with all ingredients from the 'Āina. To do that, I prefer to ship my chocolate equipment to Maui from the mainland. To support my cause, I have some wonderful adaptogenic mushroom chocolates available. Please inquire if you are interested! This dream is decades in the making and I am almost there!

I posted a really awesome article titled "The Secret Life of Chocolate: Oliver Sacks on the Cultural and Natural History of Cacao" for your reading pleasure in the comments.

Cacao from "Flore d’Amérique" by Étienne Denisse, 1840s Art Print

02/17/2024

Some thoughts on To***co:

To***co is a Sacred Master Teacher Plant. She's a member of the nightshade family, like tomatoes and eggplant, but incredibly fast-growing.

Pastor Bob Otis brought it to my attention that she is a DO******IX. That feels correct. Treat her with respect or she will PWN YOU.

To***co has been commercialized and demonized in the West, though to***co has many healing properties. To***co is grounding, cleansing, and can improve cognitive function. My behavioral neuroscience professor in college actually recommended to those who could afford it to wear a patch even if you didn't ever smoke ci******es every in your life.

My father was a to***co farmer when he was in college, and my Cherokee ancestors prayed with to***co as the smoke carried messages up to the spirit world. To***co is a common offering to give to other plant spirits.

When I have my own land, I will grow to***co, sit with to***co, and breathe with the live plant to see what that is like. To***co can save lives when smoked intentionally, but treat her with respect and reverence. *bows*

01/19/2024

"Reflecting on our present-day relationship with nature, you could say that we are collectively and chronically disoriented. I believe a great deal of the lostness we feel as a culture is a result of how alienated from the natural world we’ve become. Not only are we disconnected from nature but anaesthetised to the enormity of that loss. Many people don’t even realise what is missing because they’ve never known it, but underneath our preoccupations with getting ahead and being accepted, there is a deep well of pain: our unbelonging to the earth herself."

Dreamworker Toko-pa Turner calls us to belong ourselves back into relation with Earth.

07/14/2023

Want a FREE E-Book on Dream Alchemy: Plant Allies For Psychedelic Dreamtime? Let me know in the comments below. 👇✨

05/17/2023