The Moss Garden

There are extraordinary moss gardens all around the world where one may walk among them  in deep moisture laden forests. Here, there is a small sampling of the wonders from the forest floor of our New England home.

Mosses are the ancient little plants that lack true roots and true stems. They do not have true seeds but little spores that are held in tiny fragile capsules. After all the green is gone from our surroundings, signaling  the coming of winter, it is especially a feast for the eyes to bring in a collection of the mosses that  abound in our woodlands.

Mosses cling to the rocks and decaying wood. They carpet consistently moistened soils, lowlands or bogs. They require water to bring together their "egg and sperm". It is miraculous that they find a way to do this on the surfaces of granite, decaying leaves and earth,  as well as in between the crevices of the bark from trees.

If you choose to harvest your own mosses also collect some extra soil. Collect the rotted wood with the moss on top. Don't try to separate them. Sometimes you can scrape a moss from it's substrate such as with  cushion moss from granite. Be mindful. Sometimes they cannot survive if they are separated. Do not collect all your mosses from the same place.

Fill your bowl with  soil and arrange your mosses. Use a plant sprayer to mist them daily. Enjoy the harvest of greenery from the forest floor. And, you don't need a bow.

What is a Community Herbalist?

What is a "Community Herbalist"?  I have become such a person. My heart, soul and knowledge combined assures me.  How do I know? I haven't known, though I have been one of these people for quite some time. Was there a degree that had told me that I am one of these people? Was there a graduation ceramony? Were there people that presented a certificate or license? No.

These days not many children have the opportunity to spend endless hours in the forest, woods and fields that surround them, as past generations. But, I was one of these children. My knowing began when I was perhaps 5. I grew up amongst 200 acres of hardwood and pine forests, swamps, rocky hillsides, lowly hidden ponds, open meadows and streams. I spent hours there. I explored. I wandered. As I grew up, I wrote my poetry there. I questioned life there. I loved only these places. To the rest of the world I was odd. To me, it was a part of my heart and my soul and my very being. It meant everything to me and I mean eveything. "Everything" meant, my passion, my life's breath, my joy, my source of meaning and my place of peace. I would run to my "sanctuary" for solace, for comfort, for acceptance and for  a place to renew and replenish what the world seemed to steal and rob from my core and essence. Through all these times, the woods and the plants "spoke" to me. Through these time, I learned about the goodness of our earth, our plants and what is here for us, for comfort, for renewal and for healing.
This was only the beginning.

There is so much that our planet has provided to sustain us. So, you know what? All that we need is already here. Trust me. All that we need to experience, is all ready here. All that can keep us healthy, is here. It's here. Of course, we need our sophisticated medicines for advanced disease. I am grateful for all that has been accomplished with battling cancer. What we need to know that the herbs provide a compliment and balance to our modern medical/technical approach to health and healing. There is a time and place for herbal care.

Do you want to get to know the plants. How do you? First, take a deep breath. Take many deep breaths, outdoors in the fresh air. Then, find time to take a long walk. But, not just one. Take many long walks. Many. So many. So many, along the same path that you begin to recognize the plants that you see and the trees that you pass. Take so many walks that you begin to notice how the scene that you see, changes. And, Smell. Smell the rotting leaves in autumn. Smell the spring thaw. Smell the summer sun. Go beyond touching. Delve. Get your hands muddy. Fill your fingernails with dirt. Get your feet wet and your jeans covered with mud. Let wind fill your lungs and muss your hair. Take more time doing this than expected. Learn about the plants that are growing around you. Get to know them. Take a book along and flip through the pages there in the field. Once you can grasp a name then perhaps a webpage can give you more images. But, the real thing is the best image!
This is how to begin to get to know. Take time to get to know the plants that can heal you.
Study what you have found. Trust what you have learned.

So here I am. A community herbalist is someone who has a passion for the plants and what the herbs may offer for our well-being. A community herbalist desires to share these knowings with others. I desire to show you the plants and share my experiences so that you may also know. I desire to teach you the way of the herbs that may heal so that you may heal yourself. They are here for all of us. Our healing can begin, and our path toward well-being can take its first steps with just getting to know one herb. Where is this very special herb? It is in our backyards! It is in our abandoned field! We do not have to look far.
Then, again, some of our most healing herbs are in the grocery store. (Provided that you buy organically grown foods.) Start with garlic. Use lots of it. Use plenty of onions. Add fresh grated ginger. Add mushrooms. Enjoy the spices such as Cinnamon, tumeric, cumin and cloves.  There is so much the good earth has given us. If we appreciated her as much, as we should, we would be more passionate about saving her, I believe.

A Community Herbalist, is your healer. It is a person that can offer assistance in your health and well-being through offering herbs, education and resources.

I have herbs to heal and resources for you to find the best way to improve your health and sense of well-being. It's not about a co-pay because "health insurance" doesn't know anything about how to offer assurance, when it comes to really taking care of yourself!

Here's some fundemental questions: What does healthy mean? When have you ever felt totally and completely healthy?? What do you think you need to give yourself perfect health?
(Has your doctor every asked you those questions?)
How would you answer these questions?

Do you have questions?
Do you have a community herbalist?

If you do, ask your community herbalist!

Rachel Ross
30 Wahlstrom Ln.
Jefferson, Ma. 01522
508-847-8615
rjrcnm@gmail.com
www.hillsideherbals.com

Herbal Facial Steams

Facial Steams are best known for opening pores of our skin as part of a face cleansing process. Our herbal facial steams that we used this past week in our herbal facial workshop were used for just this purpose. I used two recipes I had gotten from Rosemary Gladstar. They are so lovely.  One is for normal to dry skin and contains mostly flowers. It is so beautiful to look at and smell, too. The second is also intriguing. It is for normal to oily skin and its astringent herbs are perfect for this.  The recipes are below.

One of the ladies who attended my herbal facial workshop said that she loved the step using the herbal facial steam out of all five steps. Afterward, she requested that I make one for sinus congestion and make another one for relaxation and sleep for her. She said she would prefer to fill a bowl of steaming hot water and herbs and breath in their essences than take it as tea or a capsule.
Why not? Giving it some thought I created a steam for both.

Directions:
Put a tablespoon or two in a large bowl of hot steaming water. Cover your head with a towel over your bowl, to hold the steam in and around you, as much as you can tolerate for 5-8 minutes. Ahhhh.

Recipe for Dry to Normal skin:

2 parts Chamomile
2 parts Roses
2 parts Calendula
3 parts Comfrey
1 part Lavender

Recipe for Normal to Oily Skin:

1 part Sage
3 parts comfrey
2 parts Calendula
1 part Witch Hazel
1/4 Rosemary

Recipe for Sinus Congestion

3 parts peppermint
2 parts Eucalyptus
1 part Elder flowers
1 part Comfrey
1 part Lobelia
(You may add a drop or two of Eucalyptus essential oil to the water)

Recipe for Relaxation

3 parts Lavender flowers
2 parts Chamomile flowers
1 part Hops flowers
1 part Red Clover blossoms
1 part Mugwort
(You may want to add a drop or two of Lavender essential oil to the water.)

I am happy to mix up your own personalized facial steam. Or, enjoy the ones above.


Rachel Ross
30 Wahlstrom Ln.
Jefferson, Ma. 01522
rjrcnm@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/hillsideherbals/home
508-847-8615

About Hillside Herbals

It was a wintry morning when I sat in a circle of moms with their new breastfed babies and listened to their concerns, wishes and woes. There was a consensus: "Breastfeeding isn't easy!". Issues raised included low milk supply, colic and fatigue from lack of sleep. As I listened, I thought why can't there be an herbal tea that could help a mom feed and calm her baby while promoting relaxing and restful sleep, without using pharmaceuticals.

The herbs that grow around us are here for us. We simply need to get to know them and experience them. We need to simply trust that what has been given to us here on earth, is meant for us. What is meant for us can be gentle and healing in such a simple way. We don't need oversized corporate pharmaceuticals to take care of our children, significant others, our pets, or ourselves- most of the time. I trust this simple truth.

I grabbed a piece of paper and started to right down what I wanted to put into my first tea which already had its name born before it's ingredients: "Happy Baby Breastfeeding Tea". I contemplated and thought deeply. I scratched out one herb and added another. I thought again. I brewed my mix to try and shared it with a few friends. The tea contains: Milk Thistle Seed, Fenugreek Seed, Fennel Seed, Anise Seed Dill Seed, Chamomile Flowers, Catnip Leaf, Hops Flowers, Marshmallow Leaf and Spearmint. All the herbs are organic. The Marshmallow is from my herb garden and organically grown. Not only was there a birth of a tea that would help moms, but there was also a birth of an intent for my wildly large garden, to, in part, provide the healing herbs, and flowers to all of you so you may also benefit from what our good earth has given us.

Hillside Herbals is a result of a blend of my interests and skills; as a Botanist, Midwife, Lactation Consultant, Herbalist and Gardener. I make teas, tinctures, salves, oils, cosmetics, herbal pillows and also, provide herbs in bulk for you to craft yourself. I specialize in woman's health, however, I am familiar with  Male health and their (unspoken) needs and children.

My first tea is my Galactagogue for nursing mothers to help with milk supply, stomach and nervous tension.

(Each bag makes 45 cups of Tea! $16.00 plus shipping. Write in comments to purchase. I'll send you a bag!)



There is more on the way. I have a tea for when the Baby's Here! It is a tea for postpartum wellness and healing. I also make teas for just daily pleasure. My most recent is "Autumn Sunrise". It is a blend of Hibiscus Flowers, Rose Hips, Calendula Flowers, Cinnamon and Orange Peel. It is delightful to drink and beautiful to look at.

Do you have suggestions or herbal offerings? Are you looking for an alternative for that pharmaceutical that sits on your shelf that you know can not be healthful or life-giving?

Write in.
I would love to hear from you!


 Herbal Facial Workshop:

I held an HERBAL FACIAL workshop this past week. It was amazing and really so much fun. Not only fun, all of us confessed that our skin never felt better. It was a 5 Step process.
Our first step was an herbal scrub: Miracle Grains. It is a recipe developed by Rosemary Gladstar.

Recipe
1 cup finely ground Oats
2 cups of White Cosmetic Clay
1/4 cup finally ground Almonds
1/8 cup finely ground Lavender
1/8 cup finely ground Roses

Grind all ingredients to the desired consistency. (I use all organic ingredients.) You may wish to grind the oats very fine. The almonds are nice with just a touch of "grit" left in them. Generally try to powder the roses and lavender as much as possible; they will always have a bit of coarseness or graininess left.
Mix all the ingredients together.
To make moist miracle grains: add enough water to dried powdered mix to make a nice paste and apply.
Keep a jar of dry Miracle Grains by your bathroom sink. Make up only enough that you will need for your scrub. It is safe and better than soap as an alternative to use before bed every night.

Our first Herbal Facial with the Miracle Grains scrub on our faces.

Great fun!
I promise we'll do another Herbal Facial again. A likely time will be after the holidays. Stay posted or visit my fledgling website: https://sites.google.com/site/hillsideherbals/home

Rachel Ross
30 Wahlstrom Ln.
Jefferson, Ma. 01522
508-847-8615
rjrcnm@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/hillsideherbals/home