August 3, 2026

Happy Herbal Wednesday!

Let's start off with one of the many questions sent in recently. This one came in from one of our Family Herbalist students, and its relevant to all of us. I'm sure you may have wondered about this question, too! I know I used to....

🌼 Question from A.E.-- ​
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"I am reading Page 90 of the “Ditch the Drugstore Recipe Book” and have a question. This question pertains to a statement in the “Homemade Alka-Seltzer Substitute” recipe. In it, you state that “the acidity of the lemon juice helps your body digest fat in foods”. That does not make sense to me. Can you please explain? Thank you."
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Before I get into the nitty gritty answer, let me just say that this is why we need to be careful with all the hype out there about instant "magic" wonder remedies.

Especially when it comes to weight loss (which we'll discuss in a moment), there are all kinds of crazy things touted to work (like lemon juice being able to help you lose weight). I know this is an add-on to A's question, but I'm going to address it here, because it's related.

Here is why an acid (apple cider vinegar-ACV- or lemon juice) may be helpful with some types of digestive issues:​
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​What sour taste (acid) actually does is wake up the digestive system. The tongue detects sour, and that signal travels up the vagus nerve and triggers what's called the cephalic phase of digestion — your stomach starts secreting acid, your pancreas gets ready, and your gallbladder gets the signal to contract and release bile.
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Your liver makes the bile, your gallbladder stores and concentrates it, and this bile is what emulsifies fat — it breaks big fat globules into tiny droplets so lipase enzymes can actually work on them. Bile acid insufficiency is one of the core mechanisms behind sluggish fat digestion, and restoring bile production and flow is part of the causal treatment—hence why acids can be helpful to an extent.

So the organs involved are the stomach (acid secretion), the liver (bile synthesis), the gallbladder (bile release), and the pancreas (lipase).
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A spoonful of vinegar or lemon juice before a fatty meal can genuinely help someone whose digestive fire runs cold — this is the same logic behind bitter aperitifs and the bitter herbs for sluggish bile flow, like dandelion root, which is indicated for "sluggish bile flow" and also "poor fat digestion."

Now, let's talk about "weight loss:"​
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​Digesting fat better is not the same as burning the fat you already carry. That's a metabolic process that happens later — the liver processing absorbed fatty acids, and mitochondria oxidizing them for energy, a step that requires carnitine to move fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane. Vinegar does nothing for these actions.

Whatever small effects acetic acid (vinegar) has on postprandial blood sugar or satiety in all the research I've read are modest and don't add up to meaningful fat loss on their own. That's the science.

So, enjoy your shot of ACV if it helps your digestion! But don't count on it helping you to lose weight.

Ready to take your herbal learning farther?

Join us inside the Confident Herbalist Tribe, where we have a little more leeway to discuss health needs and dive into protocols, plant phytochemistry, and special sessions around health!

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Black Drawing Salve to the Rescue!

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden this year. My mom came by the other day and said, "It looks beautiful! Like a jungle!"

And it does.

All the perennials I planted are doing really well in the beds, and then we've tucked vegetables in around many of them. Some beds are devoted to tomatoes and peppers, though, as we eat so many of these. But most are mixed, and this has created a beautiful, lush, functional garden.

But the harvesting....Gosh, it always brings stickers, thorns, slivers, etc. as some medicinal plants are "sticky."

Our favorite salve to use for these kinds of things, especially very long slivers, is my Black Drawing Salve formulation. I think I first shared that recipe back in 2018. And it's still a winner!

Heads-up, though. It can be messy, so plan on wearing a bandage with it after cleaning the area.

​Black Drawing Salve DIY with Healing Herbs and Ingredients​

**This salve lasts a very long time, and is something that should be in everyone's apothecary, at least if you do work outdoors or have anyone in the family who gets splinters of any kind.

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Encouragement and Inspiration

Quick reminder that this section is now over on my KYLLA (Keep Your Lamp Lit) Substack! I'm putting these over there because I can spend more time teaching concepts that can actually help you with the emotional, stress-related, nervous system side to our health.

After all these years, I know 100% for sure that our health and wellness starts in the nervous system. Plus, God tells us to renew our minds and take captive our thoughts...so we can live better. That's what KYLLA is all about!

I've got some great series planned coming up! I hope you'll join in over there with us!

The topic of last week's article is:

​What's Your Personal B-Roll? (Because it's creating your life....)​

If you join us over there, I'd love if you wanted to comment, share, or "restack." And of course...subscribe! You'll then receive these special articles in their own email.

One last thing...I'm really loving Substack as a creative---it's making me up my writing game. And now Substack has installed a feature so readers can see how much of an article or note is "human written." Which, actually, I love. Although...I think that this can come with some margin for error. It's kind of fun, though.

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If you sent me a question for an answer...please know that I've gone through most of them. I've categorized these, and will be answering one to two each newsletter I write. I received hundreds, so I'm choosing the ones that I've heard most to begin with.

Please know that many of you have found your way into my prayers, and I love you all.

Also, my friend, Jasmine Lucero, Editor of Christian Herbal Magazine, is having a very difficult time. Her 17 year old son was killed in a car accident. Please pray peace and strength for their family at this difficult time. She's a very special lady, and I know prayer works.

"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things....and the God of peace will be with you." ---Philippians 4:8-9

If you're not receiving the magazine, it's a wonderful physical herbalism magazine written from a faith based view that comes in the mail to you. I love mine every quarter. This quarter, I'm featured writing about PCOS/PMOS, among other wonderful herbalists writing on related topics.

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. If you have a friend who would enjoy my weekly notes, please forward this along! In fact, here's a link to a page that has all my "FREE RESOURCES" linked up in one place to make getting the things you need easy. Just use the same email for the things chosen so you don't get double notes from me...I know that can be annoying.

P.P.S. I'll be opening our Aromatherapy Specialist Certification Course soon! If you love essential oils like I do, you'll enjoy this program, especially if you want to get serious and make a career out of aromatherapy! It's still at the original price to make things easier for people. I'm not sure if it will be that price when we open to a new cohort of students, but for now it is...and you can get started early.

NOTE: The School of Botanical Arts & Sciences (SOBAS) is now a proud NAHA (National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists) approved school. In the meantime, enjoy the video below of some of my favorite essential oils and why I use them often....

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