Celebrate the Fall Equinox

Today is the fall equinox which means day and night are about equal in length around the whole world. Here in the United States, days begin to become shorter and nights become longer. We think about the holidays approaching, the colder weather, and the year ending. Today we celebrate the concept of balance.

Balance is something we would all like to achieve, in one form or another. What is your work-life balance and how can you improve upon that? How is your mental and physical energy balanced? Do you need balancing of your chakras? Do you need more balance in your relationships with others? With your self? How can you keep your energy balanced as the holidays and other obligations approach? Whether you choose re-organizing your schedule, incorporating more physical exercise, changing your diet, or simply waking up a few minutes early, find new ways of balancing aspects of your life and you will see immediate improvement and a sense of refreshment and happiness.

However you wish to do it, celebrate the equinox by working on balancing something in your life, starting today.

Citrus Salt

I absolutely love spices even though I don't cook very much. I have even dedicated an entire cabinet to spices, vinegars and oils (and I probably need another!). This simple recipe is excellent on countless items - anything you would put salt and a touch of lemon on. Obvious items to sprinkle it on are fish and chicken, but use it on things like soups, dressings, margaritas, roasted veggies, you name it -- I have even used it on garlic bread!

What you'll need:

• 2-3 lemons (I need a few more lemons!)
• 2-3 limes
• 2 oranges
• 2 cups sea salt

Recipe:

1. Wash the fruits and dry. Zest them completely. I like equal parts of all 3 fruits but if you want more lemon flavor, add more lemon or reduce the amount of zest from the lime and orange.
2. Mix the zest with the 2 cups of sea salt and spread evenly over a baking sheet.
3. In a pre-heated oven about 250 degrees, bake the mixture for a couple of hours to ensure the zest has completely dried.
4. (optional) Pulse in a food processor or blender for even mixing and texture. This step ensures there are no clumps of zest or salt.
5. Funnel the salt into a cute container, a mason jar, or in a salt dish (mine needs a refill!)
6. Enjoy!

You could also try this with pepper but I have not tried it myself. If you have questions or comments please feel free to leave them below!

Mala and the Significance of Feldspar

Today I am receiving my first mala. A mala is also known as Hindu prayer beads, and is usually of a strand of 108 beads. There are variations in the way we use these malas across the world, but I believe what is best to keep in mind is what significance it has for you and why you are choosing to wear a mala.

How do you choose a mala? What is your intention with the #mala? What areas of life do you want to improve upon? What chakras are you trying to work on? Do you need grounding, lifting, joy, strength?

For me, I wanted to improve the creativity and inspiration aspects of my life, and I wanted a reminder of this on a daily basis by this and through my yoga practice. I chose a gray feldspar (plagioclase feldspar) dominant mala which is said to improve creativity and inspiration, reaching one's goals by new ways of thinking, and to help with finding lost things. Feldspar has a range of characteristics for healing such as feminine enhancing qualities, self respect and self awareness, and your ability to create a new life. Feldspar also enhances the alignment of all the chakras, supporting stability, courage, and insight.

The mala I chose also contains clear quartz, a stone said to enhance clarity. Also with turquoise, a stone for healing and protecting against negative energy. This lovely thing is adorned with a carved hsiu jade Buddha and a lovely burgundy tassel, to remind me of peace, discipline, and tranquility.

 I bought mine through Silver and Sage Jewelry (photo of mala to the right), which has a delightful range of malas and jewelry for both men and women. I had a hard time deciding because they are all so beautiful, but the intention of the mala is the most important - not the appearance of it.

If you are into making jewelry, I think it would be really wonderful if you created your own mala because it might create more significance for you. They make great gifts, too!

What stones have significance for you? How do you remind yourself each day of your goals and intentions?

How to Use and Grow a Vick's Plant

While at the nursery, we had come upon this succulent called "Vick's Plant" also known as Plectranthus tomentosa. When we touched it, the strong aroma of Vick's vapor rub filled the air and stuck to our skin - it is a potent, aromatic plant. Intrigued by this, I put it in a self-watering container for my office and put a cute decoration in the container. I also found out it grows like a weed!

One great feature of using this plant is to clear up sinuses naturally. Simply trim some of the top growth from the plant, near a node where two leaves or branches are sprouting (this will ensure thick, dense growth like pinching back basil).  Place the trimmings in a pot of lightly simmering water, and drape a cloth over your head to try and keep the steam towards you, then gently inhale the vapors. You will get the same effect as the rub without all those extra chemicals!

Similar to the trend of hanging eucalyptus in your shower, you can do this with the Vick's plant also. Because the Vick's plant is a succulent, the plant will last for quite some time before you need to replace it.

If you would like to grow this plant, you can do so in a container and also outdoors. It is one of the faster growing and more water loving succulent plants, and is very easy to care for. It is a perennial that can survive temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit in zone 9a. It likes sun or partial shade, and stem cuttings can be propagated easily. As with any succulent, it is easy to overwater the plant but I have found in Colorado, to water it once a week is sufficient.

Next time you are looking for plants, I highly recommend this fuzzy, great smelling succulent!

Rosewater-Kombucha Toner

After making my own succulent rose water, I decided to try out creating a toner using only the rose water and kombucha, which was a new thing for me. Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that people claim to have health benefits by drinking it on a regular basis. These purported health benefits include:

• Detox
• Immune system boost
• Aids in digestion much like yogurt and kefir

The stuff kind of grossed me out because it reminds me of apple cider vinegar with the mother, and it doesn't smell very good to me either. There are a chance of side effects and even possible death when improperly ingesting it, so if you decide to drink the stuff, do your research to get all the facts and simply don't overdo it.

However, I decided to use it on my skin for its beneficial properties. The International Dermal Institute defines kombucha as an ingredient that can "boost skin immune function and assist in restoring volume to deficient zones in the skin".

For this toner I used:

• 4 parts rose water
• 1 part kombucha

That's it! 

After cleansing my face, I gently used a cotton ball to swipe the toner on my skin. It felt very clean, sort of tight, and very refreshed. It did not over-dry my skin. If you have especially oily skin, I would play with increasing the ratio of kombucha to rose water. I have extremely sensitive and dry skin, so my next toner will be made also with aloe vera straight from the plant, and some essential oil. 

If you have other suggestions like a honey toner, cucumber water toner, or anything else, please let me know! 

How to Make Rosewater (Hydrosol)

After yoga tonight, I decided to destroy my beautiful pink roses and tear them apart to create a lovely thing called rose water or rose hydrosol. A hydrosol is a plant product that has been steam distilled and extracts the water soluble components from the plant. The result is like an essential oil but far less concentrated.

There are many uses for rose water, in both cooking and for cosmetics. I decided to create a very small test batch to try out the kitchen-distillation process, and to test out some skin toner recipes. This small batch process is a bit tedious but the result is like the sweetest perfume or body spray you have ever tried. Here we are extracting the water components rather than the oil components.

Rose water has properties such as:

• Reducing inflammation is key - it can reduce broken capillaries and other skin inflammation conditions such as eczema
• Balancing the pH of your skin and purifying it
• Preventing pimples and acne by removing oil and grime
• It is used after facials to close open pores. Applying rose water after a steamy shower will tighten pores and capillaries
• It can heal sunburns and wounds
• You can use it on your hair as a scalp and hair conditioner
• For tired and fatigued eyes
• Some say it helps bad breath 
• The aroma is soothing - great for stress and anxiety

You can also use it for cooking, fixing makeup, and creating your own fragrances.

On to the tutorial!

What you'll need:

• Fresh roses (pesticide/chemical free)
• Large pot with lid
• Small heat safe glass or ceramic bowl/jar
• Distilled Water
• Ice cubes
• Container to store the product in

I have used chemical and pesticide free pink roses I picked up at Whole Foods for about 15 dollars. I recommend that you grow your own if you plan on making a lot of this stuff (I was tempted to steal some of the neighbors roses from their rose bushes!).

I did not have large enough bowls and lids, so I created my rose water in small batches over several hours. I do not recommend this - next time I will be using much larger pots and bowls to increase efficiency. A dozen roses gave me about 1.5 cups of rose water, although I was impatient and did not wait 2 hours for each batch. However, the process is the same if you choose a larger setup.

Remember to ALWAYS first sterilize your equipment and storage containers by either pouring boiling water on the tool or bottle, or by using rubbing alcohol.

1. Fresh roses are best, especially when they are picked from a dewy garden. Take apart the rose petals but discard the rest.
2. Place a heat safe glass dish in the pot, one small enough to fit completely inside the pot but wide enough to catch the water.

3. Arrange the flower petals around the glass container, but do not over fill so as the petals are below the edge of the glass dish.

4. Cover the petals using distilled water. Press the petals into the water so they do not float too much. You could probably use filtered water, but the purest water available is best.
5. Place the lid of the pot upside down so that the handle faces into or towards the glass bowl.

6. Gently simmer the water for 1-2 hours on low heat. Once the water begins simmering, place a handful of ice cubes on to the glass lid to condense the steam into water on the lid. The water will travel to the center of the lid to the handle and drip down into the glass container. You may need to do this several times.

7. After you are finished distilling the water , your rose petals will look bleached and any remaining water will be a darker color. This is likely the rose oil and other compounds from the roses. I had a lot of extra water because I simply ran out of time.

8. After simmering 1 to 2 hours, you should have collected enough water to funnel into a glass bottle. I like the hermetic seal bottles. I got mine at The Container Store for around 9 dollars, as well as this cute stainless steel funnel. The bottle was a bit large, but they are available in different sizes.

9. When all the water has been collected, it is best to store the water in a cool, dry location. The fridge is the best place to store this for up to one month. I do not personally keep my toners in the fridge, but I want to keep my raw batch as fresh as possible.

Use your rose water for cooking, baking, fragrances, lotions or toners. I am planning to make a rosewater-kombucha toner to start, and then I will try a rosewater-cucumber-aloe toner, and also a pure spritzer to fix makeup with or to spritz for a refreshing dewy glow.

If I receive good feedback from the rose water toners, I will consider getting a distillation system made out of copper, and make other hydrosols such as cucumber, calendula, and lavender!

Morning Update: I created a rosewater-kombucha toner! I tried it on my face last night and the results were a bit surprising! More to come.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your rose water!

Welcome to the Mountain Apothecary

My name is Jillian and I am a beginner in herbalism and natural sciences. A geologist by training, I know that all things that come out of the Earth have value and meaning, and can provide us with healing - whether that be medicinal, physical, or spiritual. The Earth is a unique place with organic and non-organic pieces that somehow fit and provide our home. I am currently exploring how to utilize my fascination for the properties that plants and minerals give us in our life. 

This blog is not going to teach you how to become an herbalist (because I am not one...yet), but it will teach you my trials and tribulations, trainings that I attend, highlight specific herbs and their uses,  certain minerals and their significance, and how to incorporate these natural ways of healing into your everyday life - at the office, at home, at the gym, in your backyard, and on travel. You don't need to be 'hippie' or a 'new age wacko'  in order to understand how you can improve your life naturally.

Right now, I have been toying with concocting a selection of potions, salves, cosmetics, lotions, hydrosols, scrubs, and other body nuturing items along with household crafts such as purifying beeswax candles made from local beeswax from sustainable hives. Eventually I am going to learn how to create textiles by spinning, dying and weaving. I will be taking my first sewing class come Monday, and my first herbalism class Thursday, so please join me on my journey to sustainable living!

My dad once had a stone that he rubbed thin because it relieved stress and helped him think (often referred to as a 'worry stone') - this stone had significance to him and he never went home without it. We can heal ourselves. We can educate ourselves through imagination and reflection or meditation.

Join me in blissful transformation away from our processed and synthetic world, and into the natural energy the Earth and the Self can provide.