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February 19, 2025

Happy Weekly Herbal Wednesday, Reader!

I hope you're well on this beautiful day! We're under a heap of snow in Idaho...but I'm back in my old stomping grounds in the Mojave Desert! It's gorgeous here, and we're doing quite a lot of desert foraging.

We're down in Las Vegas this week for a business conference and to forage our special desert plants (juniper berries, Brigham tea, chaparral, and many others), and wow---I had forgotten how intense pre-allergy season can be! Luckily, we always bring along a special tincture for this reason, and it's been well-used these last few days.

**Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this note for two free offerings, in case you like to skim. 🥰

Now is the time to think about seasonal allergies...even if you're still under snow.

Are you one of the many who are miserable during allergy season, or maybe you know someone who is? Seasonal allergies can be crippling and debilitating.

When I was a child, I had EXTREME allergies that lasted from spring through summer, all fall, and only stopped during the wintertime, and that's when I'd get ear infections, sinusitis, tonsilitis, bronchitis, and many times, pneumonia. Looking back, I guess you could say I was a respiratory system wreck even as a very young child.

AND...nobody knew what to do about it.

I remember a little red prescription pill from my allergy doctor, Dr. Davis. It was called Polaramine that my mom would hand to me on the daily that upset my stomach.

I also WELL remember the allergy shots stabbed in my arm every two weeks each spring and summer. I vividly recall the super nice nurse in Dr. Davis's office with flaming red hair and a big, red, sweet smile named Gertrude who brandished this needle that was about five inches long---in my child's memory.

Allergies didn't end in my childhood.

Oh, no. Allergies made me miserable until I found herbal medicine in my forties. Decades later!

After the childhood daily Polaramine ended, I became the Sudafed Queen in my 20's and 30's. Sudafed also helped keep me thin since it was filled with an amphetamine-type chemical called ephedrine unbeknown to me at that time. This chemical also happens to damage the heart---but of course, Big Pharma doesn't tell us this, except in the fine print. Young 20 year olds usually don't read the fine print.

Thank you, FDA, for keeping us all safe.

(That was a touch of sarcasm, if you're new to me. I don't use it often, but our health system is a total disaster, and it's frustrating.)

Two decades of use later, when the drugstores started asking for my driver's license to buy those little red jittery wonders, I had the thought, "Hmmm....maybe these are bad for me?"

Um....."HELLO"....

And another popular chemical helper for allergy season is Afrin, a nasal spray, I used on the daily until I discovered through experience how addictive and dangerous to the mucous membranes of your sinus cavity it is, then I weaned off as fast as I could. We NEED healthy mucous membranes!

Seriously, Reader, over-the-counter drugs (OTC's) are NOT our friend! They may provide momentary comfort, but they don't help us heal. In fact, most often, they hurt us in the long term.

When I FINALLY was so blessed to come across medicinal herbs, and I made my very first tincture to help, and then experimented with upper-respiratory supportive herbs and essential oils that WORKED for my allergies, well I was MAD! (I was also very grateful.)

Why was I so upset?

It's because herbal medicine is the medicine of the people! It's traditional knowledge that has been passed down in EVERY culture for millennia. It's knowledge we ALL deserve to know and have.

This VITAL knowledge has been STOLEN from us since the 19th century by the combined efforts of Big Pharma, the AMA (American Medical Association--medical doctors very threatened by the effective Eclectic Herbalists of the time), the Health Insurance Industry, and of course, our very own government in the guise of "protecting the people" through the FDA.

You know...those entities interested in big money.

In fact, herbalism in the United States technically became illegal to practice as a medical modality for health in the 1930's.

Now most people are reliant on drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, for their comfort, health, and wellness.

We the People must rise up and re-learn these good traditional skills so we can continue to pass them down! We need to relearn what has been taken from us! We must leave this legacy to our children and grandchildren before it's too late.

Are you waking up to this too? I'd love if you'd reply and let me know your thoughts.

Let's talk about what you can do about those seasonal allergies.

As a holistic herbalist and aromatherapy practitioner, I prefer a layered approach for many common ailments and even acute ones. My definition of layering is knowing how to work with different herbs and different types of herbal preparations for maximum benefit and efficacy, as well as attending to the entire terrain of the mind, body, and even spirit.

I've found over and over again with clients (and myself) that having a tincture or herbal tea as a foundation, especially one that can be used several times a day safely; then an aromatic helper such as an herbal steam, an essential oil inhaler, or roller bottle; and a daily tonic (in the form of tea, tincture, or homemade capsule) of some type that strengthens the body and immune system.... plant magic happens for us.

God created these amazing plants for our food and medicine, and it's up to us to learn how to use them skillfully again!

The plants go to work to support different aspects of our body in the healing process, and they can also potentiate each other in good ways.

Herbal medicine allows our body to heal, and we stop simply masking symptoms.

Another thing to please realize, is that plants are filled with thousands of chemical constituents, and these ALL have a place and an action on our body and mind.

Scientists like to remove the so-called "active" constituent, then pervert it with other things or worse, figure out how to create synthetic versions of the chemical. Hence---jillions of side-effects.

Let's get to some of the ways you can work with your allergies naturally:

Here are some herbal and aromatic (essential oil) remedies that have worked for hundreds thousands of my students:

1) Mullein-Marshmallow Tincture or Tea (Article)

2) Two Roller Bottle Blends for Congestion, One for Adults and One for Kids (Article)

3) Easy Home Remedies for Congestion (Video)

4) Lung Support Tea Blend (I formulated this 13 years ago for a three year old suffering from asthma. His mom loved it too! It doesn't taste that great, but you can help it with some honey.) This is a video.

And there are SO many more remedies on my website, YouTube channel, and especially in Ditch the Drugstore, my Family Herbalist course--over 200 formulations all together in just that one course. This ensures you'll be able to create a truly custom home medicine chest.

About Stinging Nettle and Alfalfa for Seasonal Allergies

Here are two other herbs (along with mullein, marshmallow, and goldenrod, which we cover extensively with many recipes inside the Confident Herbalist Tribe, our herbal village) that may be helpful for some people for allergies.

However, there are some caveats to beware of....

A large homestead channel made a YouTube video last year about the wonders of these two herbs (nettle and alfalfa) for seasonal allergies without sharing all the facts, and it's gotten quite a few views. Be cautious with information online, and do further research on any herb you'd like to work with. In fact, please check in with a real herbalist-aromatherapist---not a dabbler.

Many herbs are considered "GRAS" (Generally Regarded as Safe), but some of these still may have some relatively dangerous contraindications for some people. It's important to mention any safety factors when discussing herbs for therapeutics.

Here are some things to know about these two herbs, and this is why you should always triple check information you find on the interwebs (especially with the rise of artifical intelligence-AI and the explosion of beginning herbalists who know enough to be dangerous).

Nettle (Urtica dioica):

As a seasonal allergy helper, stinging nettle can be helpful for some people because it supports the body in the histamine response. It contains high levels of quercetin, which usually takes at least two months of consistent daily use to build in the body and therefore be effective. This fact is often not mentioned.

Nettle is a "food" herb, very high in important minerals and some vitamins, and therefore can be used fairly liberally in your cooking, in your smoothies, on your eggs and oatmeal, soups and stews, casseroles etc.

Just eat it! It's highly nutritious when directly ingested or taken as an herbal tea.

You don't have to take 15 capsules a day (the adult dose mentioned in the video). Just enjoy it as food, and cook with it! Isn't that easier and more fun?

NOTE: Nettle is filled with minerals. If you want the nutritional benefits in addition to the allergy helps, then you'll want to consume it in a vinegar or water infusion or just take it in your food. A tincture in alcohol will still give you the benefits for seasonal allergies---just not the nutritional benefits in terms of minerals.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa):

Alfalfa is primarily a livestock feed, and it's widely grown throughout the world for this reason. It's a legume, and is considered a "hot" feed, and therefore not good in large amounts for horses. Like nettle it's also highly nutritious.

Some people think alfalfa is helpful for seasonal allergies....

Cautions to know about alfalfa:

1) Alfalfa has no or very few clinical studies on its effectiveness for seasonal allergies, and there's also little traditional use information either. I think this is one of those pieces of information that's been sprinkled around the internet and that has been blithely passed along by bloggers and YouTubers with little experience.

2) Some people are highly allergic to alfalfa (raising my hand), so taking alfalfa, even little bits in capsules, would not be helpful for a person like me and others who might be unaware of an allergy. Homeopathic use *might* be ok, but there are much better herbs out there for helping with seasonal allergies.

3) Alfalfa may be aggravating for some people suffering from auto-immune issues. It's REALLY important to look into any and all contraindications for the herbs you choose to take. Lupus in particular and other auto-immune problems may be affected or aggravated by alfalfa.

4) Alfalfa is also filled with isoflavones, and these may cause or exacerbate certain hormone issues in some people, especially women.

Alfalfa is fairly safe for *most* people, but you can see that you definitely need to know about the person's body you're working with as well as any possible issues that may arise.

Herbalism is an art....and it's a science.

It's worth your while, if you want to become an herbalist, to study with good teachers. Please don't make YouTube your go-to for in-depth herbal education, and always triple check your information.

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If I were to choose a nice herbal complement for seasonal allergies to use with nettle (and mullein & marshmallow), I would choose goldenrod (Solidago spp). It grows practically everywhere, and it has many compatible helping constituents for hay fever.

Goldenrod has highly effective decongestant actions especially those related to allergies, cold, flu, and sinusitis. (Wish I had known this when I was eight.)

NOTE: Some people think goldenrod causes allergies, but this isn't true. This flower has large, heavy grains of pollen, and these aren't carried on the wind. However, it often grows next to ragweed, a smaller and less spectacular flower that DOES cause allergic responses, and THIS plant is the culprit.

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Are You Dreaming of Your Future Garden?

I know I am!

Don't you just love digging your hands in the dirt? Getting closer to nature and the plants through nurturing their growth? Gardening is one of the best things we can do for our health.

When I was a little girl, my dad had a huge garden. I loved getting out there and gardening with him. Later, when I became an adult, I always had at least a small garden. Even when we lived in a neighborhood with a strict HOA, I just had to have fresh vegetables, so I grew my veggies and herbs in and among the landscape plants or in containers.

Gardening became necessary for my soul and for my family's health. I want this for you!

​Here's a VERY special invitation for you! ​

My friend, Audrey Crawford, who owns Audrey's Little Farm, is hosting her Spring Gardening Summit NEXT week, and it's time to save your seat!

It's FREE to join in, and you'll get to experience your most successful gardening season ever before! Click here to sign up (free), and finally get your garden growing. You'll enjoy 20+ expert speakers to help you get started this year!

If you're finally ready to get your garden going, then you'll want to join me next week! I'll be speaking on 20 best medicinal herbs for your healing garden.

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I hope you enjoyed this Wednesday's quick herbal note! I'm trying to be brief, but I do get excited about my plants!

If you have seasonal allergies or know of someone who does, be sure to forward this along! Encourage them to subscribe to our free newsletter to learn more about working with herbs and essential oils for natural living and improved health and a better life.

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Please forward this note along to a friend who wants to be more self-sufficient, is interested in herbal-aromatherapy, gardening, harvesting, and all kinds of plant things.

​P.P.S. This is the LAST week my FREE 53 page guide on Blending Herbs and Oils for Love is going to be available for a whole year! Just click the link above or below.

**Use the same email address you're using for these notes so you don't get doubles.

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This note is proudly sponsored by the

​School of Botanical Arts & Sciences (SOBAS) by Healing Harvest Homestead.

​Join us in a course!​

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Harvesting a second year mullein (Verbascum thapsis) plant in the Southern Nevada mountains a very long time ago.

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