Prunella Vulgarus- such a pretty plant and a powerful ally! This is one of those herbs that if you ask a lot of old time herbalists to explain the benefits, you will get a lot of uses for it.
My favorite story about Self Heal is when I stopped at a ranger station on the Olympic Penninsula in Washington State. On my way in the door I noticed the self heal growing next to the walkway. I went in to check with the ranger about a particular trail and the poor lady was trying to carry on while tending to a terrible chest cold. She said she had two more days of work but then she could go to the doctor when her replacement ranger came in. I didn’t have any cough it up on me, but I asked if she had been taking the prunella. She asked what that was. I brought her out to see the plant and she exclaimed “Self Heal!”. She hadn’t heard of the uses, just the old fashioned name… I told her to make some tea with it and I sincerely hope it helped.
]]>We have been attending the American Herbalist Guild class on post Covid protocols, and we wanted to share a few take aways from week 1. Hope you enjoy the talk! Have a beautiful day, Jayne and Marc
]]>Wishing you health and happiness in 2023! Some big news...We just minted our first NFT! We are using the eco friendly Tezos blockchain to create an NFT ecosystem that is dedicated to educating people about plant medicine, building community, reversing climate change, and having fun doing it! My NFT project is an effort to use Tezos to offset carbon by planting trees, and many different plants on my farm, and perhaps in your backyard or garden? The project utilities will include opportunities to have trees planted in your honor, land restoration projects, you could sponsor an herb, or maybe you want to collect herb pairs for special airdrops. Hint hint. More will be revealed as we go...Here's the link to the NFT:
If you know nothing about NFTs or blockchain technology and would like to learn more, feel free to ask me questions.
Cheers!
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Winter Solstice Snow in Seattle
Sometimes life says stay home and snuggle up with a nice cup of tea next to the fire! I made some hawthorn, oats and clover tea and it is delicious!
Footprints in the snow from our neighbor kitty- pathway to the catnip plants!
My hope for you is that during the rest of year you can fit just a little more self care into each day. Since I use my body most days for work, I am going to spend some of my self care time in the form of meditation and breathing exercises. I usually start out the new year with a January 30 days of yoga challenge, but also I want to create a ritual around getting ready for my day with a quick meditation and moment of gratitude.
I am reminded daily how privileged I am to be working with the plants and in nature for my livelihood. I want to thank you for you support through the years!
Just two days left for free shipping. Just use the code: THANKU22
Happy holidays everyone,
Marc and Jayne
]]>Our herb sanctuary is bursting with arnica. The steady rains here provided beautiful rows of arnica this summer. Tomorrow we'll be chopping down the grass and harvesting arnica flowers. We might even do a little Facebook Live just for fun. So hope to see you....
Have a beautiful day,
Jayne, Marc, and Ayla
]]>Wishing you bright moments, Jayne & Marc
]]>The stinging nettle plant is very common to the Pacific Northwest and grows wild on Sister Sage farm. When harvesting we take special care, wearing thick gloves and long sleeves because as the name suggests, the nettles have a tiny stingers and agitate the skin causing temporary inflammation and itching. After harvesting the nettles are combined the the other ingredients of our tinctures (local vodka and kosher glycerin) and almost like magic the stinging properties cease and the result is a rich, gorgeous, emerald green tincture we call Spring Zing!
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I try to use the winter to dream, visualize and make an action plan with intention. I am already working on the farm plan this year! One of the crafts I have always been interested in is basket weaving. I have wanted to create herb picking baskets and trays, backpacks and especially bike baskets. Growing a willow hedge with basket making in mind is near the top of the list of projects this year.
I started watching videos on traditional and not so traditional basket makers who grow their own Willows or tend a habitat where they naturally grow. I have been noticing willow everywhere since I started paying attention! There are three basket willows with green and purple colors in them at a garden near me. I have been taking cuttings and learning to make the motions with the fresh strands. Since they are pretty small, it is easy to use when it's fresh. Now that I have a little more experience, I want to try drying and then soaking them again to allow for shrinking.
Now, I want to plant several varieties selected for color and length of canes, and a friend wants to work with live canes woven into a structure for shade in the summer.
]]>You probably already know to order early this year. By the end of the week, all bets are off delivery wise, so get your last minute orders in now!
And most most of all, please enjoy your holidays!
Love,
- Jayne and Marc -
P.S. Herbed vinegar isn't just good for salad dressing (though it is very good for salad dressing) - it's also a good way to extract your favorite herbs and work them into your daily routine. So, see below for an example of a potent herbed vinegar you can make at home. You can adapt this recipe to use whatever you have on hand. I have an elderberry flavored vinegar I have been sipping on…
Ingredients: Apple cider vinegar fresh (or dried) Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Basil, Fennel & hot pepper (to taste).
To make the recipe, gather the herbs you want to use and take them off their stems if they are fresh. Put some of the vinegar in a blender with the herbs and blend them roughly. Add the chopped herbs and the rest of the vinegar to top off the jar. Make sure the jar you use has a plastic or other non metallic lid and that the mouth is wide enough to pour it back out. Let the mixture sit completely covered for a few days up to a couple of weeks. When the colors have come out of the herbs, it’s done!
No matter if you are dining alone or with all your relations, I wish you the best!
As we approach the holiday season, we just wanted pause and say thank you so much for supporting our small business. The rains have come to the PNW and the fall harvest on the farm is done for the season. Time to make new products, and new gift packs for the holidays! Hint hint....Coming soon. Cheers!
Wishing you the very best!
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We were amazed at the force of the wind, and witnessed the trees' ability to be flexible to a point- a couple of downed trees knocked out the power for a few hours to the neighborhood. The ground's "as full as a sponge" right now.
The lights went out and that led us to look for candles and flashlights and check batteries, which led to cleaning and reorganizing the furniture which in turn led to bringing out all the artwork we have been stashing into the cabinet for the past year and a half. Once all your stuff is out in one place, you can put the things that make sense together and see what you have (and what you don't need). I think I probably should have learned that in kindergarten. :-) Now, we have all our art supplies in bins and we can pull them out when it's time to do artwork and when we're done they've got a spot to go.
Next stop the closet- every year at this time when I was a kid we used to pull the "winter clothes" out of the attic and try on everything from the year before. The hand me downs were handed down and the peeps who got taller got new clothes. I just got a bag of clothes from my sister, so it's time to move out the old.
Finally, we're going to the thrift store to drop off what we don't need. Wow, I forgot how spacious our house is when everything's in it's place!
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Wishing you a beautiful weekend, Marc & Jayne
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Last week I was on the phone with my mom. She was complaining about an allergy attack. I said "Mom, did I give you any Spring Zing?" Mom: Yes, I think so. Hold on...She goes to get it. "Yay, I found it." I said "Go ahead and take a full dropper." She did, and then we talked for another 20 minutes and just before we were done with our conversation, mom said: "I forgot all about my allergies, it worked!" Me: laughing to tears. Well mom, you just keep using Spring Zing....
Wishing you all a beautiful day- wherever you may be! Peace and love, Marc (& owner Jayne)
]]>The calendula is looking beautiful even during the winter. We are really looking forward to the growing season. We already have lots of starts growing for our garden and the nettles are everywhere on Vashon Island. We have our spring sale coming up, so stay tuned. More on that soon! Peace & Love, Marc & Jayne & Ayla
]]>We were reminiscing about a cheap wine from the early 90's called the "two buck chuck." Just barely palatable, it was all we could afford. I started calling our scratch and dent sale the "five buck chuck" just for fun. But seriously, we have lots of leftover products from 2020. They are perfectly good. 2021 is the year of self care. Try something new or maybe or buy the 5 buck chuck for a friend.
Wishing everyone the very best! Stay healthy, Marc Here's the link: 5BuckChuck
]]>Good Grief, and the promise of "Good Trouble."
We grieve because we care… We will light candles to honor the lives we have loved and lost this year. May their lessons and their voices live in us and through us. Each year we are reminded of who we have lost and say their names.. For me, My “West Seattle dad”, Jim Dean just recently passed and my heart aches for his family; John Prine was one of my favorite musicians (I might not have made it through high school without his songs!) Marc’s Alto Saxophone teacher and mentor Jeff Clayton, who found the horn he uses today; but of course Breona Taylor, George Floyd and The Civil Rights Leader John Lewis’s passing were particularly difficult.
John Lewis, elder statesman who lived through multiple beatings during the Civil Rights Demonstrations starting in the 60’s believed that “we have to get into a little good trouble” (through civil disobedience) in order to advance the community. You know, shake it up a bit. Sometimes satire, comedy or even sitting down where you are not supposed to will do the trick. Other times it requires getting pushed around, beat up and of course many people died to advance our society and honestly, to create a more perfect union. There were many options for him to meet anger with anger, but he was able to rise above that and meet anger with love and understanding. May our lives be as fulfilling and rewarding as his and may we live up to and honor the sacrifices he made for us.We still have a long way to go before we can say that every life matters to every one of us. We can have no peace without justice, and no justice without compassion (and love).
Rest in Power John Lewis.
What good trouble will you be getting into this coming year?
]]>Hi Folks, Thanks for checking back with us! Jayne and I attended this year's National Herbalist Guild online. We went to over 20 hours of live conferences on various subjects. This is going to be a longer than usual newsletter! I wanted to share a few of the main points from a few of the classes, so feel free to skip to the part of the newsletter that interests you most (click these links to jump to that section). Topics: Stories From Earth Mother Jewish Folk Medicine in Clinical Cases Covid Herbalist In Action. Jewish Folk Medicine In Clinical Cases was one of the classes I (Marc) was most looking forward to. This is my heritage, so I was curious and excited to hear how the subject would be covered. The talk was given by clinical herbalist Morgaine Witriol from Native Roots School of Ancestral Folk Medicine located in New Mexico. The first part was a very succinct history lesson of how Jewish people moved from the holy land (Israel/Palestine) to Europe after the destruction of the second temple, and then later dispersed all over the world. Which brings us to an interesting story about the plague called “Black Death” which struck Europe in 1347. Over in Portugal this was also during the time of the Inquisition. During the plague people started noticing that the orthodox Sephardic (meaning Jews from Spain/Portugal) Jewish women were not getting sick. Why? First, they kept very clean homes. The broom. They had cats, which kept rodents away which spread the virus. They kept to themselves and they wore long dark clothing and robes like most othodox Jewish people do to this day. People started pointing fingers at the Jewish women making accusations of witchcraft. They said that the Jewish women were actually causing others to get sick. Sound familiar? Salem, Massachusetts? If you think about it, all of it makes perfect sense: long black clothes, cats, broomstick, and you could take it a step further and talk about the articulated hook nose as a kind of stereotype included in the witch archetype that we all know. The wicked witch of the west Margaret Hamilton was actually a Sephardic Jewish Orthodox Herbalist! I love the thought of it anyway. I am a big fan. I called my sister to tell her. She lives in Jerusalem with her family, and she wanted to know where Morgaine had heard the story. I emailed her and apparently the story had been passed down from an anthropologist teacher in college back in 2004. Speaking of the Inquisition, here’s another incredible story. There were many Spanish Jews who moved to New Mexico after the Inquisition. Many of those Jews had lost their identity as Jews because of persecution and fear etc, but they retained some of the customs in New Mexico here’s is an absolutely amazing fact: If you are from New Mexico and your name ends with an “ES” you have Jewish ancestors! So have you ever seen the name Vasques? Peres? Torres? They all have Jewish roots apparently. As for the main takeaway of clinical studies, Morgaine went to great detail on several topics. If you're as fascinated with this subject as me, I am more than happy to email you the slides. Just let me know! Margi Flint- Stories From An Earth Mama Margi Flint is one of those rare amazing herbalists that really incorporate stories in her teaching. And as a “non-clinical herbalist plant person” (that’s what I am calling myself) the stories are precious to me and this was such a wonderful talk I hope I can share a few takeaways. First of which is a wonderful and long-standing tradition of clearing your space by burning sage to purify the air. If you have a place where you work or perhaps a workshop or studio. You can burn a bit of sage and change the entire energy of your sacred space. Alternatively burning a bit of cedar bark also smells wonderful. I tried this in my music studio this morning, a perfect way to clear the space.. Delighted to know that Margi’s favorite herb is yarrow. I love this plant too. I can see it from my office in the yard. It has so many uses common cold, seasonal hay fever, toothache, burns, fever, and much more. Margi also mentioned some herbal combinations that I found very interesting. The first is lavender + st johns wort + manarda is a great soak solution for burns. The second herb combination was also very interesting St John’s Wort + Solomon Seal + Ashwaganda. This is for any kind of nerve damage. Her last herb pairs St Johns Wort + Echinacea + Arnica as a spray for bruising and swelling. Can you tell that Margi loves St Johns Wort? So do I. I think it is an incredible plant, considered a noxious weed here in the Pacific Northwest. There’s an unlimited amount of it in the Snoqualmie Pass area. I loved her last message too which was to remind us to be good humans, be inclusive, be helpful, now more than ever. Mother Earth is not happy with us. And is telling us we are grounded! Which leads me to my last topic on what else but Covid. The round table discussion on Covid was fascinating. I think it safe to say that both medical doctors/science and herbalists have learned a great deal since March. Here is my biggest takeaway about Covid. This is really important. There’s excellent data that shows that low Vitamin D levels contribute to poorer outcomes and worse symptoms. Have a look at this slide: |
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Peace, love, and plants from Bastyr Alum,
Shianne Paynter
Dear friends,
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Beyond the suggestions of the CDC (and most Doctors and scientists) that suggest you stay home as much as possible and if you have to go out, follow all necessary precautions - wearing a face mask and washing hands thoroughly when you return.
Limit media consumption. Did you know adrenaline stays in your system for about an hour? It is important to stay informed, but it is also important to give yourself a break from the constant bombardment. My suggestion is to take some time during the day to turn the news off. Inform yourself, but care for your sensitive side.
Good News Please! When you do decide you want to partake of the news, look for the places that are delivering you news you can digest easily- along with the truth- Yes Magazine, etc. Ask friends and family to only forward you news of inspiration and hope. Pick a day or a social media platform and ask your friends- What is giving you hope and inspiration today? Those days you will see who wants to bring positivity to your day and you can “like & follow” them more.
Move your Body: Dance, practice yoga, or take a walk in nature or sit quietly with your eyes closed and listen to the birds or other sounds of nature if possible. Movement helps lower your cortisol levels. Another easy way to lower stress is to do the “Wonder Woman Pose” or some other typical “Boss” pose. Open up and feel it- You are the boss of YOU! If you can hold the pose for 3 minutes it will significantly assist in your overall stress reduction (Clinically proven- As seen in Ted Talks!)
Get in the sunshine! Vitamin D from the sun is great for boosting immunity, but normally we humans can’t get enough from sunlight and we need supplementation. Vitamin E drops are easy to use and you can take your whole dose for the week at one time since it takes time to process through your system. Other Vitamins are also helpful for keeping the whole body strong.
Make Art Not Stress!! Art, Music, Craft project that you had back in the closet? Get it out, dust it off and “Use it or Lose it!” Make art for other people, help other people make art- I sent a few drawings that I wanted the nieces and nephew to color, One of them sent us his version - an electric guitar! We all colored it in and sent around our versions
Drink Clean, Room temperature Water! Challenge yourself to drink larger glasses of water and start tracking how much you drink during your daily routine. Hydration is a key component for health. Your elimination systems- the kidneys, liver and pancreas work constantly to separate the good stuff from the bad stuff in your system. Periodically they need to be given a flush (pun intended).
Make Tea not Stress! Or… Make no stress tea! Herbal tea starts soothing as soon as the aroma wafts up to your nose. Rtop and make a cup of tea for yourself (and others) and sit down and take a break and open your mind to the present moment. Sometimes just allowing for that tiny piece of time that is just for pleasure, relaxation, and reflection can lead to some pretty amazing revelations.
Try some of the following herbs in different combinations until you have a blend that is right for you. Depending on the tea blend, you can support the different organs and ease your mind at the same time!
You can make tea hot of course, and enjoy the aroma wafting up to your nose and into your olfactory system, but if you either make extra tea and leave it to sit in the jar for a few hours and even overnight, you can get more nutrition extracted from the same amount of herbs. Some teas even taste better after steeping (The Clover and Oats) in cold water from the start. Play around with combinations and explore more teas to enhance your daily routine.
Holy Basil- One of the best tasting herbs to drink as a tea! If you grew up in India, your grandmother might have given this to you for just about anything that “ails ya”. If you make a tea with this as one of the ingredients it will impart such a nice flavor and also micronutrients for your nervous system. If you make a really strong cup, it can almost taste like black tea.. It really just makes you want to smile.
Oat Tops- Nutrition and satisfaction. These little oat seed pods are usually picked in their milky stage (which means they are not yet a proper seed yet, but all the goodness and nutrition that would have been going to make the seed is preserved within. The taste is sweeter than you would think, and the longer you let it steep, the more goodness comes out. (If you grow it, you can even use the oatstraw.
Clover- Another Super nutrient rich tea. The little pink clovers that you see in your garden or just volunteering in an organic garden or farm are so easy to harvest- you only need about 3-5 clover tops to make a lovely cup of tea. This is one that is so fun to do with kids because it teaches them plant ID, and how to forage safely (there is nothing else that looks like clover that will harm you). And it turns the water pink! How fun is that?
Chamomile- THE go-to for chilling out at any age. Chamomile is gentle and relaxing and one of those flavors that can bring you back to childhood memories. This one is also great for kids as a pre nap tea. If you can grow it yourself and keep picking the tiny flowers as soon as they form, you can create a small bush- It does seem endless when we are picking a row of it, but they do grow back bushier. And they keep blooming through the entire season! One of my farm workers says that by the time we finish picking all the flowers that bloomed since yesterday the plants at the beginning of the row look like they bloomed again...
Valerian- My brother calls Valerian the Adult Swim version of the sleep aids we produce. The smell and taste can definitely put you off unless you can add other flavors to the tea; but if you just need to get in the bed and sleep or wind waaay down Valerian is for you...
Motherwort- Another great herb to calm a racing heart and help the symptoms that come along with anxious thoughts. It is quite a bitter herb, but you might not need so much in each serving.
Hawthorn- This tree may as well be called the giving tree- We use all parts of the tree in one of our soothing heart healthy blends (Along with oats). It tasted wonderful, and even the dried leaves and flowers have a berry-like flavor. Hawthorn is one of those herbs that is “good for” your entire being…It helps keep circulation flowing properly to all your limbs and to your brain. One herbalist I know says you only need it if you want to be a strong elder...
Lemon Balm- This is found in many gardens in the spring in the Pacific Northwest. It is easy to grow and a lemony taste. I like to blend it with other herbs rather than use it alone, but a friend of mine uses it raw in salads and was drinking the tea several times a day for her stress due to an illness.
If you made it to the end of this blog post, you are amazing! Wishing you a beautiful day, Jayne (& Marc)
]]>Graciously he allowed us to continue selling on Amazon until the end of the year, and use up the balance of our products already labeled. But we had to figure out what to call it! ALL the amazing names seemed to be already taken "say & search" became a daily brainstorming project. Not only did it have to be a great name in keeping with the spirit of our other product's names but my brother Eddie and my other employees had to hear it and say it all day long- so it couldn't be too cheesy.
Along about the end of December another friend of mine who is a wise cracking jokester, marketing genius, and luckily for us a great friend. He blurted out "Wise Crack" and it stopped me in my tracks! Perfect.
So, Just in time for "The Year of the Washing of your hands"... we are unveiling our newest product Wise Crack Skin Balm! Smooth over the rough edges!
Be Well!
Cheers- Jayne
]]>We did a podcast discussing some of the herbs we can use to stay healthy during this critical time. Like many of our other podcasts, we are referencing famous herbalists Stephen H. Buhner, Matthew Wood, & Rosemary Gladstar. So have a listen!
]]>We want to wish you all a very happy new year! We just wanted to say thank you to our customers past and present. 2019 has been an incredible year for us. Lots of challenges for our small business and some incredible changes that have me more excited about 2020 than I have ever been for Sister Sage. Special thanks to the awesome folks at Inbox Attack. our Shopify experts. They are super awesome. Also big shout outs to our partners PCC Markets where you can also find our products in the Seattle area, and lastly Seller Slice. They are Amazon specialists who have helped us tremendously for the last six months. This has been a major difference maker for our business, and I know that 2020 is going to be fabulous!
If you made it to the end of this little blog post you are super awesome.
Happy new year! Marc (& and Sister Sage Herbs team)
]]>I wanted to share a few of our most popular podcast episodes. We are discussing herbs that we use here at Sister Sage. I hope that every day of your holiday season is filled with joy!
Enjoy! Marc Fendel, Sister Sage
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Welcome to December holiday season! Owner Jayne wanted to put together some fun gift ideas for the month. This is my favorite: The holiday survival pack! Dream On, Holy Mama and Peace & Love. I did some short videos (see below) explaining our Holy Mama and Dream On tinctures in case you are new to our products, or just want to find out more.
Wishing you a beautiful day, Marc Fendel, Sister Sage
]]>This year we are making it easy for you. Instead of having lots of separate deals during the big shopping season, we decided to simply offer free shipping for two full weeks. Just use the promo code: NATURE
Use it as many times as you like!
Cheers, Marc & owner Jayne
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