Saffron has been tested against placebo, fluoxetine, and imipramine in small six to twelve week trials. I walk through who was enrolled, what was scored, and what the results can and cannot support.

The plants I keep on hand for stings and bites in Montana, how I use them, what the research supports, and the situations where no herb belongs in the plan.

High cholesterol can be a symptom of something deeper, especially low thyroid function. Learn the thyroid-cholesterol connection, how the definition of "high" cholesterol has shifted over the decades, the real trade-offs of with statins, + natural strategies to support healthy levels.

A protocol that is supportive for reducing increased gut permeability (AKA “leaky gut”). I’ve educated about this protocol for years with clients as a jumping-off point and many have found it super helpful.

Create beautiful, natural beachy waves + texture using this Rosemary Salt Spray. This recipe combines the aromatic and growth-supporting benefits of rosemary with the texturizing power of pink Himalayan salt.

Six herbal medicine books that take you from your first herb to safe, well-made preparations, chosen and ordered by a certified clinical herbalist. Includes a free option and how to build the library used.

Learn how I support my dogs’ anxiety levels with medicinal herbs and positive reinforcement training techniques.

Learn how to make elderberry syrup at home to support immune health. This recipe, rich in antioxidants, is a tasty and effective way to combat cold and flu symptoms for the whole family.

Learn ways to support your dogs paw microbiome to prevent and support itchiness and irritation. Plus, learn the causes of itchy paws so that you can prevent future discomfort.

Is raw milk good for you? A clinical herbalist compares raw milk benefits, nutrition facts, and health risks against pasteurized milk using outbreak records, individual death case files, and the cohort studies on childhood asthma and allergy.

Symptothermal fertility awareness reads your cycle from temperature and cervical mucus, on paper, with the strongest effectiveness record of any fertility awareness method. Here is how it works, how to track accurately, and why the alternative of handing your cycle data to an app carries risks the app's privacy policy will not protect you from.

Astragalus, elderberry and echinacea each have a distinct job across a cold season. Here is what the traditions claimed, what the trials found, and how I prepare each one in my Montana kitchen.

Explore the importance of informed consent in herbal medicine. This essential process respects your right to make health decisions, helps build trust with your herbalist or medical provider, and contributes to more effective treatments.

Discover the art of preparing herbal infusions and decoctions with this comprehensive guide by Ivy Ham. Learn the ideal herbs, equipment, and techniques to extract the maximum health benefits from your chosen plants. Step-by-step instructions for both infusions and decoctions make it easy to create potent herbal remedies right in your kitchen. Plus, understand the reasons behind each method to elevate your herbal preparation skills.

Nervines, sedatives, and tonics have been used for anxiety for centuries, and some now have clinical trials behind them. Here are 18 herbs ranked by the strength of the evidence, what each trial actually found, and who should skip each one.

Herbs are the smallest part of a dog's health. Food quality, sardines over fish oil, four well-tolerated herbs, and the evidence behind the garlic and vaccine questions I get asked most.

Fire cupping uses heated glass cups to draw skin and tissue upward. Here is how a session works, where the practice comes from, and what controlled trials and meta-analyses have found for back pain, neck pain, and safety.

A loading dose shortens the wait for steady state, but only for compounds that clear slowly and build up in tissue. Creatine, vitamin D, iron, and omega-3s qualify. Most herbs do not, and the vitamin D trials show what happens when loading goes past its endpoint.

Four herbs come up in nearly every conversation about low mood. A clinical herbalist reviews the trial record for saffron, St. John's wort, rhodiola, and ginkgo, including how each was tested, which preparations were used, and the interactions that rule some of them out.

Gotu kola and bacopa have the longest traditional record and the most human trial data of any herb studied for brain injury support. Here is what the research shows for them, and for hyperbaric oxygen, nutrition, breathwork, and ginkgo, with the evidence graded for each.