Popping the Cork on Cork Oak
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
4d ago
By Chrissy Moore A few years ago, the National Herb Garden installed a display called “Beer Garden: Beer Like You’ve Never Seen It Before.” This seasonal planting highlighted many plants used in the entire beer-making industry, not just for the beer itself. One of the plants we included was Quercus suber, the cork oak. This fascinating evergreen tree, though widely used around the world, is rarely mentioned in the herb world. So, I decided it was time to pop open the story of this arboricultural workhorse. Cork oak is a western Mediterranean staple, not just because that’s its native range, bu ..read more
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The Tea About Tea Tree 
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
1w ago
by Joe Hughes Many are familiar with the myriad of health benefits of using tea tree oil, but have you ever thought about how and why this Australian herb has ended up in small glass bottles on drug store shelves across the country? With benefits ranging from antifungal properties to aromatherapy, tea tree oil has become a staple of skincare, haircare, and naturopathic medicine in the 21st century. Despite its ubiquity in Walgreens and CVS, tea tree oil has a long, and sometimes murky, backstory of production and distribution that begins in its native ranges of Australia.  There are many ..read more
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Herbal Remedies for Sleep
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
2w ago
By Maria Noël Groves, RH(AHG) Quality, regular sleep forms the foundation of our health and wellbeing, but what do you do if you’re trying to prioritize bedtime yet can’t get quality sleep? At least one third of Americans don’t get enough sleep – double that if you’re pregnant, postpartum, the parent of a young child or are going through perimenopause or surgical menopause. So many things can disrupt our sleep including blood sugar roller coasters, reproductive hormone fluctuations, stress, and sleep apnea. Many of these situations trigger a surge of cortisol or other stress hormone that wakes ..read more
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Cilantro—Like it or Leave it
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
3w ago
By Maryann Readal Cilantro (Coriandrum sativuum) is an herb that elicits strong feelings of like or dislike. Those who like the herb appreciate its sagey-lemony flavor. Those who do not like it say that it tastes like soap or chemicals. Dr. Vyas of the Cleveland Clinic explains that “those who dislike cilantro tend to have a gene that detects the aldehyde part of cilantro as a soapy smell and taste” (Cleveland Clinic, 2020). These are the people who do not relish the taste of cilantro in their food. There appears to be little middle ground for appreciating the taste of cilantro. The ..read more
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A Little Bit of Latin: Taste and Sound
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
1M ago
By Henry Flowers Capsicum frutescens ‘Tabasco’ As someone with a love of horticulture, I wish that I had studied Latin in high school. It is such an integral part of knowing plants well. Instead, I studied Spanish, which has been useful as I work in the landscape industry in the South and am able to put it to use on a daily basis. Yet, it is never too late to learn something new. I’ll probably never get into Latin conjugations or reading texts in Latin, but learning a bit of the vocabulary is very helpful and, to me, very interesting. Thus, I’m writing a series of articles on Latin words and ..read more
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Moving through Midwinter
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
1M ago
By Beth Schreibman Gehring In the heart of midwinter, when the world outside is hushed and still, a unique and enchanting rhythm emerges as we gently transition towards spring. It’s a time to draw our loved ones close, relish the warmth and comfort of home, and eagerly anticipate the bloom of a new season. Inspired by the indoor gardening adventures I’m sharing with my new grandson, I invite you to experience the essence of this magical season as we explore cozy traditions and heartwarming moments that make it truly special. Last week, our garden expedition revealed shoots of snowdrops and daf ..read more
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Yarrow: Herb of the Year 2024 
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
1M ago
Janice Cox  Yarrow is a popular perennial herb that can be found in many gardens, mine included. It is known as a powerful “healing” herb. It’s also a fantastic landscape plant, culinary ingredient, and can be a key ingredient in anti-aging and healing body care products.  I have my yarrow planted along my driveway. I call it my “protector” plant as it keeps deer and rabbits out of my yard. They do not like the scent or bitter tasting leaves. It also helps as a ground cover, keeping weeds out and my yard in bloom. Yarrow comes in a wide range of colors from creamy ..read more
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Paprika – Hungarian Spice and Vegetable
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
1M ago
By Maryann Readal Paprika, The Herb Society’s Herb of the Month for February, is the national and beloved spice of Hungary and a symbol of its cuisine. Hungarians call the pepper that is used to make the spice a paprika pepper. To them, paprika refers to a spice and a vegetable. According to Hungarian blog author Paprika Molnar: “We (Hungarians) have expressions with paprika: when we get upset, we get a “paprika-face,” or, we describe light red colour (with a shade of fiery orange) as paprika-red and that’s a lovely colour to us. Paprika is much more than just a spice. It’s like ..read more
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Sensory Garden Development 2.0: Gardens Designed for All to Enjoy
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
2M ago
By Candace Riddle Walking through a garden in full summer bloom is a joy that should be experienced by everyone. A garden should engage all human senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and sometimes taste. For most of us this experience is accomplished by taking a walk through a local public garden or park. For people with special needs, a walk through a garden is not possible because the paths do not accommodate wheelchairs and walkers get stuck in the ground. Touching plants is not possible because they are too low or too high.  To elevate an ordinary garden to a garden that all can enjoy ..read more
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Herb of the Month: Agave – A Thorny but Useful Plant
The Herb Society of America Blog
by The Herb Society of America
3M ago
By Maryann Readal Believe it or not, archaeologists have determined that the agave plant has been used for nearly 9,000 years (Tull, 2013)! It has been an essential plant to the Native Americans of the Southwest and the indigenous peoples of Mexico since the earliest times. The Herb Society of America is celebrating agave’s history and its uses by naming it the Notable Native™ Herb of the Year and the first Herb of the Month for 2024. There are at least 270 different species of agave, many of them growing in the American Southwest, Mexico, and Peru. The century plant, Agave americana, is ..read more
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