Steven Horne's Newsletter Articles

January 11, 2022

Increase Your Capacity to Heal with Self-Heal

As much as I love taking people on herb walks, most classes I’ve taught have been in hotel rooms. This is why I've always enjoyed it when I’ve been able to go outside during the lunch break and do a mini herb walk on the hotel grounds. We typically find plants like dandelions, red clover, plantain, yarrow, and self-heal. Self-heal, also known as heal-all, is an herb that I think more people should be familiar with. Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) is a member of the mint family that is native to…

January 4, 2022

European Mistletoe

My first medicinal encounter with mistletoe was from the midwife who assisted in delivering my four children. She kept the remedy in her midwifery supplies to use as an agent to stimulate oxytocin, which causes uterine contractions. Although it can be used during labor to strengthen contractions, soften the cervix, and ease pain, I’ve never used it for that purpose. In fact, for many years, I avoided using or even learning about mistletoe. I knew the berries are poisonous and that the leaves,…

December 28, 2021

Cardamom

One of the oldest known spices, the use of cardamom goes back to ancient Egypt. In spite of this, many Americans aren’t very familiar with this spice, something I hope to remedy in this article. Cardamom is aromatic and slightly pungent and sweet, with a warming energy. It’s a member of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. The family name provides a nice clue to the basic effect that cardamom and ginger share. They both add a little zing to your energy. The fragrance of cardamom is associated with…

December 21, 2021

The Specific Power of Pleurisy Root

Pleurisy is a disease caused by an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the chest cavity and lungs. Normally when breathing in and out, the lungs slide smoothly along the slick surface of the pleura. When these tissues become inflamed, the lungs catch and don't glide smoothly causing pain and difficulty breathing. If you’ve ever had pleurisy, you know how painful it is. Pleurisy root is one of the few herbs that I think of as a specific. A specific is a remedy that is extremely helpful for…

December 14, 2021

Garlic: Nature's Penicillin

Garlic is a common food that has the advantage of being an antifungal and antiviral in addition to being antibacterial. It is also antiparasitic and helps promote the growth of friendly gut bacteria due to its high content of mucilage which feeds friendly bacteria.

December 7, 2021

The Value of Giving Thanks

Over 40 years ago, I was living in a basement apartment struggling to make ends meet. I was feeling really down and discouraged and stuck thinking about how bad I had it. But then, I started to think of the millions of people in the world who were worse off than me. I thought about all the people who don't always have enough to eat, or live in substandard housing, or otherwise struggle to have the basic necessities of life. I also thought of the many people who are blind, deaf, crippled, or otherwise…

November 30, 2021

Fennel

Last week, many Americans celebrated Thanksgiving. It’s one of those times where people tend to eat too much and suffer from indigestion and bloating. So, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss one of the best remedies for easing digestive distress—fennel. Fennel seeds have been used as a digestive aid and carminative since the days of the Roman Empire. They have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the same purpose, helping to treat abdominal distention and pain, vomiting, and…

November 23, 2021

Cranberries: A Native American Food and Medicine

Since Thanksgiving is almost here, I have a little quiz for you. How many foods can you spot in the picture on the right that were originally Native American crops? Before I give you my answer, I should let you know I got my information from Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World by Jack Weatherford. This book focuses on the many contributions Native Americas made to the world—wealth, ideas, medicines, and foods.In total, I see eight foods Native Americans introduced to the world.…

Increase Your Capacity to Heal with Self-Heal

European Mistletoe

Cardamom

The Specific Power of Pleurisy Root

Garlic: Nature's Penicillin

The Value of Giving Thanks

Fennel

Cranberries: A Native American Food and Medicine

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