July 22, 2026

Happy Herbal Wednesday (er...Thursday), Reader!

Sorry my weekly note's a day late. It's unbelievably busy in the garden right now! I'm swimming in medicinal herbs that need harvesting (calendula, echinacea, hyssop, bee balm, marshmallow, coriander/cilantro, dill, and SO much more)---like the usual veggies---I almost forgot about them in my excitement over my medicinal herbs, LOL.

But what to do with all these things?

My favorite solution is to ferment them...especially in summer and especially if you're in a cooler climate like we are. The summer warmth in the house speeds up the process a bit, which means you can enjoy your fermented veggies so much faster!

Beets are one of my favorite things to grow and harvest. And fermenting them is also one of my favorite ways to preserve these ruby colored lovelies.

Here's a great health recipe for you:

​How to Make Beet Kvass​

In this article, you'll find out why traditional beet kvass (originally hailing from Russia) is SO good for your body.

And...if you want some extra assist for inflammation in the body, here's my recipe for Golden Beet and Turmeric Kvass!​

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NOTE: In the first kvass article, I've included a LOT of other links to additional fermented food recipes for you to enjoy.

Hey! If you'd like me to make some more videos on fermentation and especially how to incorporate herbs for health, please hit reply and let me know if you'd like this.

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In Case You Missed This Formula (Ticks)

I'm putting this formula out to you once again. It's a really good one, and it walks the fine line of being too weak to be effective (i.e. super safe) and too strong and possibly harmful. And that's why it works. Please be sure to read the safety cautions for it.

In this article, I also share clinically studied essential oils that have truly been found to repel ticks, besides my formulation. I hope it helps for you, too.

​How to Make Safe and Effective Tick Repellent with Essential Oils​

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Herbal Teas? Or Herbal Tinctures?

Do you use medicinal herbs for health? Or maybe for fun or more natural living (like with herbal soap-making)? I'm going to guess that if you're here, reading my weekly herbal notes, that you're either herbal curious, are a dabbler, beginning to learn more seriously, and maybe are even more intermediate....

At any rate, you love medicinal herbs and what they can do for your health, glowing skin, and energy levels (and more)!

But where are you with drinking herbal teas?

If you're not a tea drinker, I just want to say, "I get it."

I didn't used to drink herbal teas, and even in my beginning days learning herbalism, I resisted them. They just didn't taste good to me. And the boxed teas in the stores just never felt "fresh" (and they aren't, among other problems).

So, I opted for tinctures.

But then.... I had a situation where I didn't have a tincture, and I needed to use a specific herb. So, I made an herbal tea blend....

What?

It was SO, SO delicious!

Not only did my body receive the health benefits of the plants, but it was just such a delightful experience.

And then there's the soothing ritual aspect.

There's just something about creating an herbal blend yourself, looking at it in its pretty jar, making your own cup of loose leaf (the best kind) tea, and feeling the goodness seep slowly into your body with every sip.

The act of inhaling the steam also provides health benefits.

Interestingly, there's evidence that links holding a warm cup of anything with soothing and regulating the nervous system to an extent. It's just calming.

If you've ever made a cup of tea, and you found it gross, I hope you won't give up on this method of taking your healthy and healing herbs because truly, it's possible to make delicious cups both for pleasure and health.

And that's what my course, The Art of Herbal Tea for Pleasure and Health, is all about.

Until this last few days, the ONLY way to enjoy this $197 course (FREE) is to join the Confident Herbalist Tribe.

But for just a couple more days (Friday) the ability to just purchase it (and for 50% off! at just $63) is going away. At that time, it once again will only be available inside the CHT community.

You might just want to dive into the Confident Herbalist Tribe and experience all that's inside, along with the full course: The Art of Herbal Tea....FREE. That's what I'd do, if it were me.

I'm going to make a bold statement:

Knowing how to create a safe, effective AND delicious herbal tea is the best skill an herbalist can have. And if you're a beginner, it's the best way to get started in herbalism, too.

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Encouragement and Inspiration

For most of my life, I thought I simply needed to become better at handling stress. I was an expert at "shoulding" all over myself, meaning I had almost constant thoughts like:

I should clean the house....

I should finally get the coneflowers harvested and tinctured...

I should call...name a name....

I should work out or at least go for a walk...

And then there were other similar versions of "shoulding:"

I have to get x-y-z done already!

What's wrong with me?

Why can't I be like (name the perfect Instagram woman of choice)?

But here's the thing.....

Did you know that your brain lies to you? It doesn't do it on purpose. And it doesn't do it with your conscious permission.

But it does lie... and it does this to keep you safe! To keep you from growing and becoming better---because there's risk in that process. It wants to keep you small and safe, not because it's a bad thing, but because its primary use is to help you survive.

And God tells us to renew our minds, to shine our lights, to keep our lamps lit...all this so we can become who we're meant to be while here on this earth.

In my latest article over on Substack, I dive deeply into this topic, and I also share my framework for resetting a dysregulated nervous system when you start feeling the pressure of these kinds of thoughts. It's called the Power Reset System, at least for now until I can think of something more snazzy.

Enjoy!

​Your Brain Loves to Lie to You​

*It's free to subscribe.

You might be wondering.... "Why is Heidi writing the Encouragement and Inspirations over on Substack now?"

It's because I've been told my weekly emails to you are WAY too long (and they are) and also, I can't write about this topic in the depth I want here, in my herbalism and aromatherapy health notes.

The fact remains, though....

True holistic health comprises our entire being, and that, to me, includes our emotional and mental health, and also our spiritual health, whatever that is for a person.

We just can't consider ourselves healthy if we're unhealthy in important areas that affect other areas. And all the parts of us (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual) have a great deal to do with the workings of our overall health.

That's why.

I hope you'll subscribe over there if you like these notes. You'll be able to join chats, and as the 'stack grows, I'm planning some very cool things.

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Just one more day to enjoy the sale (50% off) on the Art of Herbal Tea for Pleasure and Health! Use coupon code: TEA50 at checkout!