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April 30, 2025

Happy Herbal Wednesday, Reader!

If you're in the Northern hemisphere, isn't it a glorious spring? I hope it is for you too! Here in N. Idaho, it looks like Ireland in summer....so GREEN, everywhere!

Spring---what a bountiful time, and a time of great hope, new birth, and renewal! I think I say this about all the seasons except for summer...It's my favorite time of the year!

Many of you have written asking for updates on what's going on with our homestead, the apothecary, and the move over here, so I'll share a quick bit:

As you probably know, we're moving our homestead! And...we're moving our clinic/apothecary that's down in our little town, too.

We're moving to a home and property where all aspects of our life (business, personal, health, homestead, farm, and more) can once again be all in one place, and what a time-saving blessing that will be!

It'll be better for the poultry, animals, and gardens, for sure, too.

Our herbal business and school outgrew our home on the mountain a couple of years ago, and ever since then, we've made two other moves for the business part, trying to find the perfect place for Healing Harvest Homestead and the apothecary to reside.

Right now, we're in a super cute 1930s cottage down in our little town, so it's a drive to work every day, and it's VERY hard on the homestead and farm parts of our life. Sadly, once again, we're outgrowing this cute place, mainly because we have over 100 medicinal plants, over 50 of them trees, down in the basement with grow lights. The herbs, tinctures, carrier oils, and other supplies take up the entire master bedroom in the home and overflow into the kitchen.

We just moved the trees and plants from the basement in town outside to their temporary place in the front yard, and when we move to the new property in three weeks, they'll all go there, along with plant divisions of as many of my medicinal herbs up on our current property/farm that we can take (like the clary sage, mints, valerian, comfrey, skullcap, marshmallow, motherwort, hops, yerba mansa, and SO much more).

It's an exciting time, albeit overwhelming---I'm using my herbs and oils to help with the overwhelm and the sadness a LOT.

Yes, I'm grieving, and I've shed plenty of tears. We have spent the past nearly 8 years nurturing our homestead on the mountain, expanding it, turning it into something so beautiful and self-sustaining.... And now we're passing it along to another couple who will hopefully love it as much as we have.

Yesterday, the lovely folks we're buying our new homestead from (in another town) invited us to come take a complete tour of the land, which is 65 acres or so. We brought our 4x4 up, and had a great day. We're filled with so much gratitude and hope! It's stunning, and so many different ecosystems there---and even more to forage!

You know, I asked God for one hawthorn tree...and He gave me the perfect one. It was hidden at the current property underneath a massive rose thicket, along with two apple trees. All were barely alive. Now they're thriving.

And He's provided more! On the new property, He has given me hundreds of hawthorn trees! And so much more..... Finding all the new plant medicine is going to be a new adventure!

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As we were nearing the new home yesterday, something happened before we arrived, and this gave me pause for serious reflection on how 99% of the population experiences the tragedy at the beginning of this note all the time....

The tragedy is how much money most people waste on medications and/or prepared herbal products that just doesn't have to be spent!

These amounts here and there really add up.

Here's what happened:

As we were traveling yesterday, I got a phone call from a nearby friend, and she asked me if I could please bring by some of my herbals for her daughter, who had come down with a very bad sore throat, including white spots she thought were thrush from (get this) side-effects from a previously-taken pharmaceutical drug.

We were nowhere near the apothecary, being on the road (BUMMER), but I was near a good Health Store in Grangeville. They didn't have everything I needed/wanted, but they had enough. You can see in the picture all that I purchased for this young lady who was in extreme pain.

But the thing is?

Because I'm prepared, I have ALL these things and MORE ready to go at home.

Unfortunately, I was an hour away, so purchasing was the best and only thing I could do in this situation.

I picked up some strong immune-boosting tinctures, several antimicrobial/anti-viral/anti-bacterial options, herbal ingredients for a sore throat spray, and some soothing herbal pastilles.

The cost?

A WHOPPING $83!!!!!!

I choked as the products were rung up at the register, and once again, AGAIN, I was reminded of the plight of most people who must purchase all their health interventions, whether natural or yucky synthetics.

​Please learn herbalism.

If not from me, from someone you trust. A real person who is a real herbalist. One who thinks holistically and not allopathically. One who is a great teacher with many years of experience who can provide mentorship and guidance. There are many good schools out there these days, and if I'm not your flavor, please find someone who is. The world needs more herbalists to spread the word!

The next student group of our signature course, Ditch the Drugstore is opening in the next couple of months! Stay tuned for more information and many special wonders as the time gets closer....

I simply can't even explain how many tens of thousands of dollars Joe and I have saved over the past nearly 20 years, AND how much more healthy we are now, too. No Big Pharma for us.*

Herbalism doesn't take a lot of time. It doesn't take a lot of money in the big scheme of things, either. You don't "have" to grow your medicine if you don't garden, either. Bulk herbs can be wonderful, especially coming from small, responsible, sustainable farms.

Herbalism not only saves you a TON of money, it may save your life (it has for me, and many others I know).

And get this extra bonus thought.....

If I had had to go to a regular drugstore (and not a good health store) to get throat soothing and immune-enhancing items?

I would have spent just as much, probably more, AND I wouldn't have bought even ONE single thing that would have helped the condition.

That's the trouble with Big Pharma.

It's expensive, and most of it only masks symptoms and does NOT contribute to helping the body heal.

OK, I'll stop now----It's just so, so sad. But I just want to note that one ounce of any of my homemade tinctures (which are better) would have cost way less than the $15 to $26 ish dollars.

Homemade tinctures would have been around $2.00 to $5.00 depending on the herbs, and some of them are nearly free if the herbs are grown or foraged. And...they would be BETTER because when you make your own, you have the freedom to formulate specifically for the person and the situation. (That's using the knowledge of energetics)

I'll have lots of pictures of the new place as soon as we get moved. I should have taken pictures yesterday, but I spent the time in awe. Plain and good awe and gratitude.

Hopefully, I can get back on YouTube again soon once we're actually once again doing our dailies on the farm and homestead. You're going to see some lovely things! Life has been crazy, and God is so, SO good.

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Results of Last Week's Survey

Thank you so very much for answering my one-question survey last week, and we had over 800 responses, so I think the results are spot on.

The question I was wondering about was what topics for medium sized courses were the most important to you?

Here is the summary of the results. If there's something else you'd like to see added, just reply to this note and let me know!

Course topic survey results:

#1) Inflammation: Supporting the Body with Herbs, Oils, and More: 66%

#2) Herbal Energetics: How to Choose the Right Herbs for Every Body: 53%

#3) Polyvagal Theory, Herbs, and Oils (Regulating the Nervous System for Healing and Health): 38%

#4) Herbs and Oils for Women's Health: 31%

#5) Sleep: Anatomy & Physiology, Herbs, and Oils: 27%

(It's over 100% because people chose two results.)

Stay tuned! It's my goal to create two of these this year, starting with Herbal Energetics!

If you're ready to dive into herbal energetics before I get the full course done, I'm planning a series on the topic in our Special Sessions (live with replays) FREE for Confident Herbalist Tribe members starting in May. Being a Confident Herbalist in the Tribe is a GREAT way to learn herbalism.

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Articles and Videos to Highlight this Week

1) Ready for better sleep?

This article is about the importance of sleep, what happens when your sleep cycle is disrupted, and how essential oils can help both physiologically and psychologically. We'll also dive into a bit of the phytochemistry and why they work so well! Finally....enjoy some wonderful aromatic blends to help you get some great Zzzzzz's.

​Essential Oils and Sleep

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2) Dandelion blossoms are here, and your skin needs them!

In this article you'll find out why dandelion flowers are one of my favorite herbals to work with to support healthy and beautiful skin! Plus, you'll find my best dandelion lotion formulation too. Enjoy!

​Skin Hydrating Dandelion Flower Lotion​

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3) Mistakes Beginning Herbalists Make (and a Bonus Issue)

Since I'm encouraging everyone to learn herbalism, I think this is probably a great topic to share. I made this video a couple of years ago, but it's all still relevant now. I love your questions, so please do ask away!

NOTE: I've got a special bonus mistake in this video, so stay to the end!

​5 Mistakes Beginning Herbalists Make​

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Well, this note has gotten quite lengthy, so I'm going to sign off now! I hope and pray that you and yours are doing wonderfully.

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Do you have my FREE Guide to Safe Herbal Dosing? If you don't, you can pick it up here---just use the same email you're using to receive my notes, so that you don't get doubles.

And please, share the link with a friend by forwarding this note along!

In the apothecary.....

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This note is sponsored by the School of Botanical Arts & Sciences and the Confident Herbalist Tribe by Healing Harvest Homestead.

Visit us for more free herbal and aromatic content on the website or YouTube, or join us in a course to start or deepen your herbal knowledge! I'll see you inside!

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*NOTE*: I'm not opposed to pharmaceuticals for things like life-threatening diseases or extreme needs, and nobody should feel bad if you must take these. However, the great majority of what we as a society collectively take these days is just plain gross, and most of our health conditions can be supported with medicinal herbs and essential oil extracts...the plants God has given to us.