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Ten Year Anniversary of the Bodhi Garden
Happy 10th Birthday, Bodhi Tree! In 2020, The Florida School of Holistic Living home base relocated to Altamonte Springs, FL. We are no longer stewards of the Bodhi Tree Garden, but the history of our time in the garden remains alive on this page. In the summer of 2007, the board of the Florida School of Holistic Living gathered to consider how we could contribute in a more meaningful way to the Thornton Avenue neighborhood to which we had just moved our school. Staring at an eroded patch of sand on the property, and desiring for more green space with which to teach our students about plants, we began to…
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Herbal Support for Insomia
Written by Lisa Ray. — It is an interesting coincidence that I am writing this on Sunday night since typically this was the night of the week where sleep used to elude me. Typically on Sunday night, I would get 2-4 hours of sleep, sometimes none at all. It was frustrating, staring at the ceiling desperately needing sleep, endlessly tossing/turning…exhausted. What a horrible way to start out a busy work week! The cycle of sleep deprivation would continue through the rest of the week where only massive intakes of caffeine and sugar would allow me to “make it through the day”. This self-medicating process would begin a Catch 22 cycle…
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An Introduction to Permaculture
Written by our friends at Orlando Permaculture — The term permaculture comes from the words “permanent” and “culture. “ However, many people have different definitions for permaculture and rightly so. The reason for this is that permaculture can be a mix of things. It is a way to design creative strategies as well as long-term solutions. It involves processes based upon the observations and patterns of nature. Permaculture can even be an approach to navigate your everyday inner world. Just as diverse and varied our natural systems around the world, so are the applications of permaculture. It is a way of thinking that’s ahead of its time, but also connects…
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Relaxing Summertime Herbal Tea Blend Recipe
Now that summer is coming to an end, the kids are getting ready to go back to school and the family is beginning to settle into their new routines for the upcoming school year, now is a good time to carve out some “me time” in your new routine. A delicious hot cup of a relaxing herbal tea blend while soaking in a warm scented herbal bath sounds just divine to me, don’t you agree? Heres a recipe for one of my favorite relaxing herbal tea blends. Relaxing Herbal Tea Blend Recipe Step 1: Place equal parts of the following herbs in a jar with a tight fitting…
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Chaya
Chaya is used throughout Central America as a food staple, especially in rural villages where land-based living is still the norm.
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Answer the call of the Plants – Community Herbalist Program
Have you been called by the plants into service? … amazed and transformed by the wisdom of the plants …. desire to share their teachings with others? Our Community Herbalist Program can help be the guide on your continuing path with the plants. The Community Herbalist Program is an nine-month journey into the world of professional herbalism. We deeply explore the herbs in our Materia Medica, and the herbs in the wild around us through research, presentations, and plant walks. We guide our family and the community, supervised by professional herbalists, to grow more confident in our sharing of this wisdom with others. Community Herbalist Program includes rich, guided hands-on study,…
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Herbal Baths for Self Care
Thanks to Alexis from Worts & Cunning for this beautiful article. A few years back I was exposed to the work of Maurice Mességué via Rosalee de la Floret’s blog post on the famous French herbalist. I love reading biographies and autobiographies of herbalist – their stories of becoming herbalists and practicing their craft are always illuminating and inspiring. I especially appreciated Mességué’s approach to herbs which generally involved little to no alcohol-based remedies and a lot of hand and foot baths. As someone who doesn’t use a tremendous amount of alcohol-based remedies in my practice, I am always interested in learning about the herbalists who use alcohol-free alternatives…
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Elder
Elderberry is widely used as a cold and flu remedy due to its antiviral properties and ability to strengthen cell membranes preventing virus penetration.
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Beauty from your Backyard: Facial Care
Hair, face, and skin care from our backyard is one of the gifts the garden shares in beauty and generosity. On July 11, Herbalist Emily Ruff will be offering a Backyard Beauty workshop online, full of recipes and tips for finding radiant glow from your backyard garden. Emily’s herbal mentor, Rosemary Gladstar, is legendary in the herbal world and serves as a source of inspiration for many of Emily’s personal beauty care recipes. One of Rosemary’s tried and true recipes is her cleansing Miracle Grains, a simple blend of kitchen ingredients that brings softness and healing to the face as a daily cleanser or a mask. Rosemary writes “cleansing grains…
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No Florida Bear Hunt in 2016!
We are elated to hear the news that this year the Florida Bear hunt has been called off this past Wednesday evening. We’re humbled and proud of our community that rose together to have their voices heard in honor of our black bears. Craig Pittman of the Tampa Bay Times writes..”..in a surprise move, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-3 late Wednesday to hold off on having a second bear hunt later this year. The vote marks a major change from last year, when the wildlife commissioners voted 6-1 to go ahead with Florida’s first bear hunt in 21 years, which was held in October despite strong…
Learn Herbalism in Florida and Globally
