CHARLEMAGNE'S COMPLETE PLANT LIST & MODERN GROWING GUIDE ~ No Email Sign-up Required
Herbal preparation troubleshooting is part of the craft. Making herbal preparations can be both an art and a science, with occasional challenges along the way. Whether you’re dealing with cloudy tinctures, slow-drying herbs, or weak infusions, this comprehensive guide addresses common problems that herbalists encounter. From simple fixes for storage issues to detailed solutions for…
Water, vinegar, alcohol, oil and honey: how each traditional herbal preparation is made, how it changes a preparation’s Galenic qualities, which suits which constitution — from Hippocrates’ oxymel to the modern tincture.
Oregano (Origanum vulgare) read through Galenic eyes: warm and drying, under Mercury, a wild hedgerow herb for a cold stomach and a wet winter chest — plus what the research on oregano oil can and cannot say.
Garlic (Allium sativum) read through Galenic eyes: hot and dry, ruled by Mars, on Charlemagne’s garden list — the circulation, winter chests, the ten-minute trick, and how to grow it.
Holy basil (tulsi) read through Galenic eyes: a warming, drying adaptogen for the cold, damp, stressed constitution — what the human trials show, how to take it, cautions, and how to grow it in a cool climate.
Alterative herbs read through Galenic eyes: burdock, dandelion, red clover, cleavers and nettle, the old spring “blood cleansers,” with my own account of using them after cancer.
As a cancer survivor in my seventies, I have a personal stake in the herbs people reach for when the body runs hot and sore. Turmeric, ginger and willow bark are some of the most popular herbs in the world right now, and they are often sold as if they could do no harm, which…
How to make herbal tinctures at home, read through Galenic eyes: why spirits are hot and drying, which herbs and constitutions suit tinctures, the folk and weight-to-volume methods, doses, storage and safety.
Rosemary read through Galenic eyes: hot and dry, ruled by the Sun, on Charlemagne’s garden list — digestion, cold hands and stiff joints, the memory, and how to keep it alive through a wet northern winter.
