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Morgan County Herbal Therapy, Wichita, KS (2025)

10/05/2025

Saint John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
For the next few posts, I thought I would review herbs that manufacturers seem to want to add to everything. The first time I really noticed this was with St. John’s wort. ‘It’s treats depression’ would be the implied claim. Smart manufacturers don’t claim that any herb or supplement treats something, unless they have data backed up and filed with the FDA. Anyhow….

St. John’s wort is a great herb, but just like any other herb (I’m looking at you, ma*****na) it is not a panacea for every symptom or disease on earth.

I don’t have a photo of St. John’s wort because I don’t grow it, but I do have a photo of the dried herb being tinctured by percolation:

Yeah – I know it looks like blood. That’s one of the reasons the plant is named after Saint John. I was really surprised by how red it was, especially since I was using dry herb to do this perc.

‘Nerves’ are what I immediately think of with this herb: it is indicated for all types of nerve pain like shingles, trigeminal neuralgia, and chronic pain. It also is good for nervous conditions like anxiety, depression, night terrors, and anorexia. However, I don’t use a lot of Hypericum due to the multiple contraindications it has.

You should not use it in pregnancy due to its emmenagogue effect. It should not be used with most medications due to it being metabolized using the same chemical pathway as many many pharmaceuticals. And it will most likely interact with medications like SSRIs, narcotics, triptans, HIV meds, blood thinners, anticonvulsants, and antirejection drugs.

In my opinion (and just like a particular body part, everyone has one), Saint John’s wort just has too many interactions to just throw into a formula. There are other herbs that don’t have those same issues that work just as well (like lemon balm, elder, mimosa (Albizzia julibrissin, and even chamomile).

I don’t know what started the whole ‘St. John’s wort in everything’ trend – an abundant harvest? A poorly researched study? A carload of it that was about to hit expiration dates? I don’t know. I do know there are better options out there. Just talk to your friendly neighborhood herbalist!

09/27/2025

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)
No photo today - I don't grow my own! Let's talk about turmeric. I've known what it is for a long time - a pungent yellow spice that my mom put in pickle relish and it wasn't really summer until I smelled it.

Turmeric is used in lots of foods - pickles, curry, eggs, lots of Indian dishes, golden milk - and as an herbal remedy. You can take quite a bit of it, although it does have some oxalates in it, so maybe not so much if you have gallbladder issues or kidney stones. Turmeric is also not well researched for pregnant women, so it should be avoided while pregnant. Most 'authorities' (like the World Health Organization) advise 500-2000 mg/day, but when researching this, I saw for some acute illnesses up to 10,000 mg were suggested. I think I would turn yellow if I took that much!

I started taking turmeric when I was having knee pain. I had been told I had 'arthritis' in my knee, but that it wasn't near bad enough for anything to do done surgically. I was wearing a brace on it, because it wanted to give out randomly, and it just ached all the time. Finally, I slapped myself upside the head and thought - what is a good herbal anti-inflammatory? Well, turmeric is not a good one, it is a GREAT one! It did take about 3 weeks for it to start really making a difference, but once it did, I have rarely had any knee pain.

Turmeric is a root like ginger that grows in hot climates like India. There it is eaten as a food source. It is such an amazing herb - anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-tumor, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, lowers blood sugar, protects your liver and heart, stimulates digestion, and helps get rid of gas. There has even been a study (I can't remember where, but I know Aviva Romm has quoted it often) that 1000 mg of turmeric a day is as effective as Prozac. What's not to love about this herb??

It's not for everyone. I would hesitate to take it if I was on blood thinners (it can affect clotting times), was trying to get pregnant or was pregnant (it can cause uterine irritability and is considered anti-fertility - but I wouldn't use it for birth control. I don't think India has a concern about its population being too low!), or had gallbladder issues (it can stimulate the gallbladder, too). Some folks get bad heartburn after eating it.

My favorite way to take it is in capsule form with breakfast. I'm upright, so less chance of gastric distress, and I take it with some black pepper already mixed in (a constituent in pepper makes the curcuminoids in turmeric more bioavailable) and with some fat (the creamer in your coffee counts!). If I wanted to take it at night as an extra dose, I would fix golden milk. Golden milk is basically heated milk with some turmeric, honey, and sweet spices. Like kombucha, it's an acquired taste.

If the change in the weather with the start of fall has your joints achy, or you are just feeling kind of 'blah', turmeric might be the answer for you. Start with about 1500 mg/day for a month, then drop back to what works for you. Any brand will do - I prefer mine with black pepper or piperine already added - and my favorite is the full-spectrum one from Swansons. But the ones from Safeway will work just as well.

09/21/2025

It’s been a rough couple weeks
I’m not going to get into all the politics – heaven knows it’s contentious enough already. Suffice it to say that I think for everyone, it’s been a rough couple weeks.

To recommend herbs to anyone without knowing circumstances and history would be ill-advised, but I do feel comfortable recommending flower essences.

Just so I am not repeating myself unnecessarily, please refer to this post: Flower Essences 101 – Simple Thrift and Herbs

I think dosing with Five Flower (also called Rescue Remedy) would be helpful for the next few weeks until the sharpness of any emotional pain wears off. Rescue Remedy contains a blend of 5 flower essences:

Star of Bethlehem: indicated for trauma
Rock Rose: for panic attacks or similar feelings
Cherry Plum: remedy for frustration
Impatiens: for impatience and irritability
Clematis: (one of my personal favorites) for staying grounded and in the present.
Flower essences are typically used as 4 drops four times a day, but can be used more if needed acutely. Rescue Remedy by Bach Flower Essences are available in dropper form, as a spray, pastilles (pill form), or fizzies. This can also be used on pets and is safe for children and elders.

Please take care of yourselves, friends. Being emotionally overwrought rarely leads to optimal outcomes – usually it leads to impetuous words and actions that end up hurting not only the person targeted but ourselves as well.

Do whatever you need to do to keep yourself calm and centered – a bath (with herbs, of course!), even a footbath can be relaxing, a walk in the woods, get your hands or feet in the dirt, watch what you eat (ice cream as a last resort, but do what you have to do!). I’m hoping this season of whatever this is passes soon.

09/10/2025

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

This one has kind of outgrown its bed and I need to harvest the root (when I have time – HA!) Licorice is an amazing plant, and one that most herbalists don’t want to do without. It also is one of those herbs that is poorly understood, and has developed a reputation for raising blood pressure.

I did not expect it to do well here in the plains of Colorado, but it surprised me. It makes me wonder if I could grow other Chinese herbs….hmm. Licorice is a great balancer for formulas as it is sweet and moistening. The moistening component makes it great for soothing mucous membranes (sore throat, dry hacking coughs, gastric ulcers – all parts of the donut!). Its sweetness makes not-so-great teas taste much better.

There has been a lot of research done on licorice. Various studies have shown that licorice is effective in treating polycystic o***y syndrome, chronic fatigue, mononucleosis, various liver ailments, hyperglycemia, and tooth decay. For a shallow dive into the specifics, refer to the licorice section in ‘Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth’ by Dr. Sharol Tilgner (one of my favorite herbal references).

Licorice is not advised for people with hypertension or chronic liver disease. Many of the toxic effects of licorice are attributed to glycyrrhizic acid in it. You can buy deglycyrrhizinated licorice to address this, but even better is just to limit its use. I would suggest not using it for more than 6 weeks at a time to prevent side effects. Licorice can also potentiate drugs like steroids and cardiac glycosides, so caution and follow up with a licensed medical provider is encouraged.

There are very few herbs that I think warrant long-term usage, even my beloved turmeric. Just as eating beans every day for 2-3 meals for months on end would cause you some nutritional deficits – you probably shouldn’t take herbs long term (months or years) without evaluation by both herbal and medical providers.

One other service announcement – licorice the plant does not taste like licorice candy. Just sweet, no anise flavor.

08/30/2025

Zucchini Recipes – Part II
I did a post last summer with recipes for different varieties of zucchini bread – scroll down the page for that one (it might be on page 2 of the posts). To me, zucchini itself doesn’t really have much flavor – it just picks up the flavor of other ingredients in the recipe.

Zucchini has been the one crop that has done really well this year. Tomatoes, cucumbers, melons have been pretty poor – my watermelons set lovely fruit and I was so excited to see that – then the vines all died. I don’t know about the winter squash because, well the weeds are over my head…

There are some pumpkins and winter squash in the mess, though…

There are about the size of volleyballs.

So, what to do with all the zucchini? You can fry it with onions for a nice side dish or make one of the ones below. Zucchini can also be sliced or shredded and frozen for use later this winter. Just thaw and use like normal (if it’s shredded, I usually drain it and use the juice in the recipe to replace water if I can).

Zucchini Pizza

4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup grated parmesan chee

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

15 oz tomato sauce

green peppers, onions, mushrooms, other pizza toppings

Place zucchini in colander; sprinkle with salt. let stand for 10 minutes;, then squeeze out moisture.

Combine the zucchini with eggs, parmesan, and half the mozzarella and cheddar. Press into a greased 13×9 in pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pan, brown beef and onion until meat is no longer pink, breaking up well. Add tomato sauce and spoon over the zucchini mixture. Add the rest of the toppings and cheese. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes longer. This freezes really well if you have leftovers,

Zucchini ‘Crab Cakes’

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini

1 egg

2 tblsp melted butter

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup minced onion

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (this is not optional!)

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup oil for frying

Mix all except flour and oil together until well blended. form into patties and dredge in flour. Fry in hot oil over medium high heat until nicely browned. Serve with cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.

I hope all your gardens are doing better than mine. The mornings are starting to get a little cooler, so you know fall is on the way. Not quite time for pumpkin spice, but it’s getting close.

08/23/2025

Elder (Sambucus spp.)

Was checking the garden today and noticed that I had quite a few elderberries ripe.

The berries are not ripe until they are fully black or dark purple. Unripe berries will make your stomach very unhappy. There are two parts of elder that we use as herbalists: The berries and the flowers. The leaves and twigs are considered poisonous – not necessarily as in ‘kill you dead’ poisonous, but ‘you may wish you were dead’ poisonous. Either way – just don’t use them.

Elder is an expectorant, diuretic, diaphoretic, and nervine – in other words, great for colds and flu. The flowers are considered more gentle than the berries, but both are safe for children. Elder is one of the few herbal anti-virals, and has even been studied by the World Health Organization and found by them to be effective against upper respiratory viruses.

I don’t use the flowers as much as the berries, but elderflower can make a really nice tea or cordial. I do sometimes see it sold as a beverage as well – usually in with the tonic waters or syrups.

It’s almost that time – to start making elderberry syrup for cold and flu season. The syrup works great as a preventative and tastes good (that always helps with compliance!) I make mine with cane sugar so that even littles can take it. You can make it with honey, but then it can’t be used by anyone under the age of 2. I like to add other herbs to mine as well, like lemon balm (another anti-viral, especially indicated for herpes viruses), reishi mushroom (to boost the immune system), and ginger (adds flavor, is warming, and helps move it around the body).

What are your favorite cold and flu preventatives? How are they working for you? Maybe this year, you should try elder if you haven’t before.

08/17/2025

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.)

Everyone has a pint jar of cinnamon, right? I mean, I’m not weird or anything…. well, moving on…

Many herbs and spices that we use in everyday cooking have medicinal uses as well. Supposedly, many were used to cover the smell or taste of foods that had gone ‘off’ in the days before refrigeration. Maybe true, maybe not… I actually was not alive at that time (hard to believe). While other herbs like the ones I’ve shown are amazing and a lot of the photos are from my garden, they are not always widely available. Items like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger (yes you can use the powdered form too), thyme, rosemary, etc can be picked up at your local dollar store – although, homegrown is certainly better. I don’t want you to think that all herbal therapy has to be expensive or hard to obtain. You may just need to use more or in a different way.

Anyhow, back to cinnamon. I do use it occasionally in herbal tincture blends, but it is a small amount. Cinnamon is hot and dry – maybe not as much as cayenne (another fabulous herb), but still. I prefer to eat my cinnamon. And while it feels like 127* here (not really), for some reason I’m hungry for cinnamon rolls and chili.

So, why develop a liking for cinnamon? Cinnamon warms you up and strengthens the digestive system. It is a great hemostatic for any bleeding. As it tends to dry things up, so it’s also useful for diarrhea. Cinnamon can help with nausea and vomiting and is a really good adjunct to other herbs during cold and flu season.

That being said, large amounts of cinnamon over an extended period can do just the opposite and cause gastric irritation and even hallucinations (I’ve never seen this, but several sources list this as a potential). As it can be an emmenagogue, it is contraindicated in pregnancy. So – food amounts of it are better.

In appropriate amounts, cinnamon can decrease insulin resistance and lower blood sugars. It also works as an antibacterial, antifungal (really helpful for oral candida), and boosts vitality. In my opinion, as it is a ‘sweet’ spice, adding cinnamon can let you decrease the amount of sugar you are using as well.

Now, where did I put my recipe for cinnamon rolls? And wow! Thanks for all the comments!

08/10/2025

Oats (Avena sativa)

There are many medicinal ‘herbs’ that are traditionally thought of a ‘food’. Who says they can’t be both? One of my favorites, turmeric, is considered a spice and even a food in Indian cooking. I don’t know that I could live without it, but that’s another post.

The photo above is from a few years ago when I grew a small flowerbed of oats. I wanted it near the house so I could watch it closely because the best time to harvest oats to use as medicine is when they are in the ‘milky’ stage. That’s only about a 3-day timeframe. You can’t see it well, but the seed heads are plump and if you puncture one with your fingernail, there is a white milky juice that oozes out. It is powerful stuff!

I choose to make oat tincture at this time when the ‘medicine’ (constituents) are most potent, and I make it the kitchen herbalist way by blending it with alcohol in the blender, then letting it set for a while, then straining before use.

Hint: next week’s blog (I think) will be about tincture making.

Both the oat heads and the straw are used. I tend to think of the tincture of milky oat heads as being ‘stronger’, but the oat straw can also be used for a more gentle application.

Remember the conversation we had about being a donut? Well, we use oats topically in a lot of ways for our skin. It also helps to nourish our gut. Oatmeal as a food is high in fiber and prebiotics and can help lower cholesterol. And if you doctor it up right, can be delicious.

Oats as a medicine are one of the best herbs for caring for your nervous system. Oat tincture is one of the best tasting ones – it’s a little sweet- and is moistening (most herbs are a bit drying). It helps to just smooth down the ruffled feathers when our nervous system has taken a beating. While it’s usually used for stress or exhaustion, it also helps with insomnia. Oat has been used to help with addiction recovery in that way as well.

To make tea, oat heads are used – not oatmeal (although if steel cut oats were all I had, I’d try it). A tablespoon to a cup of hot water, let it steep for about 15 minutes, then drink.

When it comes down to it though, I’d rather eat my oats than drink them!

08/03/2025

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

The word I think of when I think of yarrow is stop. It can be ‘stop’ or ‘STOP!!’ Yarrow is known as a warrior herb. If you think about the name, it makes sense: Achillea for Achilles (Greek legend that was unstoppable, except for his heel) and millefolium (thousand leaves).

Yarrow is a member of the Apiaceae family with parsley and carrots (and poison hemlock!). It grows about 1-3 feet in height and has groups of flowers on the ends of the stems. The leaves are carrot-leaf-like. Yarrow comes in many colors – usually the plain white is used for herbal preparations, but pink yarrow…. well, it’s kinda special in a flower essence way.

For the herb, yarrow is used to strengthen the person that is dizzy, restless, dull minded, and congested. Yarrow helps to tighten up tissues. It works great as a styptic. Given hot as a tea, it is a diaphoretic; given cold, it is a diuretic. Yarrow is great at the start of a cold or fever – it has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties as well. It decreases capillary congestion, so while it helps with bleeding, it can also break up congested/congealed blood. Because of this (and because it can be a uterine stimulant) it is contraindicated in pregnancy.

As a flower essence, it also ‘stops’. Yarrow is for enforcing boundaries – it tells people, “No, you may not just come in just anywhere. There is the door or gate.” Pink yarrow specifically is for protection of boundaries. I have found it helpful with clients that have a hard time saying ‘no’ to things that are not in their best interest.

Taste wise, it’s not fabulous, but not horrible either. It reminds me a bit of thyme, but a little more bitter and resinous.

Great plant for landscaping and herbal use. And it spreads easily, but not like a mint.

07/27/2025

We’re All donuts

I know, I know – you’re thinking I’m nuts. Well, possibly true, but we are all donuts.

Bear with me. I would love to say this analogy is originally mine, but it’s not. Thanks to one of my herb teachers, Kat, I can share this.

We have an inside and an outside – and those are mostly the same. On the outside – skin. Thick with specialized glands that create oil and sweat and hair, skin is epithelial tissue. On the inside – mucous membranes. Thinner with specialized glands that secrete digestive juices and mucus to line our respiratory tracts, mucous membranes are epithelial tissue as well.

When you think of herbs for the skin, like calendula, or aloe, or marshmallow – those are also good for the digestive tract. Calendula will help heal on the inside as well as the outside. Aloe you need to be more cautious with as it can be a purgative (think super strength laxative). Marshmallow is fabulous for the gut, just don’t take it with medications as it may affect absorption.

When we think of food allergies, we tend to think of gastric upset (abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea) as a sign we are not tolerating that food well. You can also get skin eruptions (rashes, flushing, hives) if you eat something you are sensitive to. The other symptoms of food intolerance are brain fog and joint pain. I know that gluten does not give me stomach issues, but if I eat too much of it, my joints ache.

A great way to tell if you are sensitive to a plant or food is to rub some on your inner arm and leave it for about 20 minutes. If you develop a rash or redness, it’s probably not a great idea for you to ingest a lot of it. Or maybe any of it.

Summer is a great time to try new foods, maybe even do a little foraging to see what is wild and edible in your area. Please use a really good field guide and to quote another lovely forager on FaceBook, “Don’t die.”

07/19/2025

This is Althea officinalis’ cousin (or sister?). Holly hock or Althea rosea. The herbal uses are almost identical to marshmallow (Althea officinalis). Both plants are of the same genus, so that isn’t terribly surprising. I did see a mention that hollyhock can be a mild laxative, so maybe there are some very slight differences.

Hollyhocks are very easy to save seeds from. The green pods you see in the photo above will dry out later this summer and be filled with lots of seeds. You can just let them fall where they may to strengthen your flower bed, or collect them to start them somewhere else.

07/19/2025

July 19, 2025
Althea officinalis and friends (why Latin names are important part II)

This is my friend Althea. She is just the most calm soothing herb you could ever run into – great for almost all tissues (skin, intestines, lungs, any mucous membranes) and so gentle.

A little more detail for you. Althea officinalis or marshmallow is full of mucilage and immunomodulating polysaccharides, so using it internally as a tea or externally as a wash has great benefits. One of marshmallow’s original uses was for poultices for wounds and burns. Those constituents are better extracted with water than alcohol or oil. One tablespoon to a cup of hot water is great for a tea.

One of the most common uses that I have for marshmallow is to balance out other herbs in a formula. Marshmallow is moistening (OK – wet) and most other herbs are dry, so adding a little of her can make other teas not so drying (I’m looking at you, nettle!).

Several cautions about marshmallow. The mucilage can make the tea go bad quickly. About 3 days is the longest I can keep a tea, even refrigerated, before it starts getting strings of ‘ick’ in it. It’s probably not harmful, I just think it looks gross. Also all that mucilage can coat your stomach enough, that if you take any pills at the same time, they will not absorb as well. Just a couple things to keep in mind.

Morgan County Herbal Therapy

10/05/2025

09/27/2025

09/21/2025

09/10/2025

08/30/2025

08/23/2025

08/17/2025

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