Introducing My Apothecary and Original Herbal Tea Blends
Over two years ago, when in retrospect my spiritual path was entering a new phase of maturity, I started doing some reading on herbalism. It occurred to me that I would like to build a home apothecary as a way of keeping organized herbs and products made from them in order to address common ailments. I then moved on with my life, literally taking it across the country, and eventually chalked up that desire to a particularly iconic example of how someone with neurodivergence can overestimate a hyperfocus.
Welp. After surviving all of last solar return year thanks to herbal tinctures, I recently acquired one cabinet, finished one western herbalism general introductory course, and have jarred 18 herbs. And here we are... the beginnings of an apothecary.
One of the suggested assignments for my class was to make a solution or original herbal tea blend. Since I have already played around for years with herbal tea blends almost entirely for the purposes of sleep, I overdelivered and ended up with 4 original blends, which I am excited to present here for the first time:
If you're looking for a sweet bedtime accompaniment, this is it. Skullcap and Catnip pull away the stress of the day, chamomile soothes, rose cheers, and blue lotus adds a tinge of adventure. This tasty tisane will lull you into light dreams.
Inspired by worsening periods that come with starting testosterone therapy, MAN-strual Relief is the primo herbal blend for trans masc people and others who are on T. Red raspberry leaf addresses painful symptoms while nettle fortifies the body and lemon balm relaxes and uplifts. This blend is absolutely packed with necessary nutrients and is a must-drink during that time in the hormonal cycle.
Relax, Kid, it's time for a re-set. Yarrow gives your body a good thorough cleanse while its friends chamomile and lemon balm aid with some much needed gentleness. Rose and lavender add floral flourishes, giving this mostly solar blend hints of Venus and Mercury. Kick back and enjoy!
Led by the always delightful California Poppy, this tea also includes mysterious Blue Lotus and dozy Valerian for those who intend to use the night for dreamwork. Prepare your journal by your bedside and sip right before turning off the lights so that you can drift into vivid sleep.
Mainly due to associating jars with the number of sweetening spells I have created in the past, I am generally sticking to the hoodoo rule of odd numbers for these blends. This means as I am starting out, I am unlikely to exceed using more than 7 herbs per blend or recipe. My second consideration after the initial draft of a blend is energetics, which are actually sourced in Aristotle's elemental theory. For instance, while I am proud of all my work here, I am likely to add two more moisturizing herbs to California Dreamin' in order to improve the blend's dryness.
There are plenty of herbalists, including metaphysical stores near me, who treat herbalism like pharmaceuticals. As in, they'll offer a menstrual relief blend that has every single herb that is known to "balance hormones" or target PMS symptoms. But that's not really how you're supposed to do herbalism. Because each of the herbs has their own energetics—never mind their own flavors and target areas of the body—the aim is to make the blend as complementary to itself as it is effective.
Additionally, I still need to sit with most of these herbs, introduce myself, give offerings, and get to know them. I feel like where my work is falling short so far is I haven't made the relationships I have wanted with most of the herbs, which leaves me using them when I should be partnering with them. As part of this, I hope to start growing some of the herbs myself once this next New Moon* passes.
Tonight, I am going to attempt to make some homemade lotion with aloe vera gel, yarrow, and calendula because storebought stuff isn't really cutting it for my dry constitution, which struggles in my also dry environment. I'm super excited! As I am super excited for what seems to be the beginning of my herbalism journey. I know this is going to take me to some amazing places.
*According to many traditions, including European herbalism and the tradition of herbalism that is indigenous to my area, planting seeds and harvesting crops is most effective at the waxing or Full Moon phases
