Gaia & the Moon Apothecary

Study day in the garden for me today 🤓🌿 with a cup of fresh rosemary and sage tea to boost memory and mental clarity 🧠

Taking inspiration from all of the beautiful medicinal plants I have growing around me 🌿🌸

* Passion flower - Passiflora Caerulea
* Honey suckle - Lonicera Periclymeum
* Rose - Rosa
* Echinacea - Echinacea Purpura
* Comfrey - Symphytum
* Rosemary - Salvia Rosemarinus
* Sage - Salvia Officinalis
* Mullein - Verbascum Thapsus
* Marshmallow - Althaea Officinalis
* Lavender - Lavandula Angustifolia
* Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
* Yarrow - Achillea Millefolium
* Soliman Seal - Polygonatum

These 13 plants alone have the ability to help with a wide range of health concerns including but not limited to anxiety, stress and sleep disturbances, Gastrointestinal imbalance, skin irritation, respiratory issues, immunity, menstruation, cognitive function, joints and connective tissue, liver and kidney function and pain to name a few ✨

Being a student of these plants makes me realise how amazing the natural world is but also how disconnected we have become from what would have been common knowledge to our ancestors.

Spend some time getting to know the plants that grow in your local surroundings, you will not be disappointed 🥰

🌿 The physician treats but nature heals - Hippocrates

💜

So proud to be a student and member of the Birch school of herbal medicine, the summer school programme is always so inspiring, spending time with other students, tutors and amazing herbal health professionals always spurs me on to keep learning and growing.

A week off work means a week of studying 📚🌿 🧠

Extra bonus points for anyone who can recognise what today's lesson is about 😊

Answering your question about Ashwagandha, I will be explaining more about this topic more in coming videos. Hope this helps 🙏🏻 Peace to all @sandychana #sandychana

🌲

I walk through dense oak woods, prolific with acorns.

The sound of them tumbling through trees is rhythmic as rain, echoing the season's bounty.

The ground crunches. Thousands litter the woodland floor.

At the edge stands a giant Douglas Fir. *Pseudotsuga menziesii*.

I crane my neck looking upwards. Tall. Magnanimous.

I feel I am in the presence of an ancient being. One that started its journey in the Americas and made its way to these Isles.

Long before it arrived, ancient humans knew it gifted food and medicine.

In times of scarcity, the rough outer bark was peeled back to reveal the sweet cambium layer beneath. This was dried, ground and turned into bread.

Not a yeast risen bread. A flat bread the Scots call Bannock. Heavy. Cooked on hot stones or on a griddle.

In spring the amber sap runs thick. Children would eat it like candy, or mix it into water for a sweet drink.

The young shoots are bright, vibrant green against the older, dark branches.

They taste soft. Citrus. Slightly bitter and astringent.

Culinarians have turned them into pickles. Ancient ones brewed a hot beverage from the leaves and twigs.

Well known in the Americas, it is almost forgotten on these shores.

Yet we are now learning again what the inhabitants of Turtle Island have known for millennia.

The cones contain compounds that fight bacteria and strengthen the body against viruses. The young, green ones that are the most potent.

Crush the needles between your fingers and breathe in the fresh, piney aroma. That's alpha-pinene.

You might notice your breathing slows and your shoulders drop. Relaxing. Stress relieving.

This is just one of many benefits of befriending these woodland giants.

Always the greatest gifts come when you take time to build a relationship.

Stand close to this giant with its gentle presence. Notice the quiet.

What shifts in you?

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🦁 🌞 8:8 🌞 🦁

Did you know that Nobel laureates Hall, Rosbash, and Young uncovered the molecular “gears” of our internal clock — and it’s light that entrains them? 🌞 As the Sun blazes through Leo, you can align your habits with its potent energy.

🦁♌ Leo season is the Sun’s domain when solar medicine is at its strongest. Just 10–20 minutes of unfiltered morning light resets your master clock in the brain, promotes a healthy cortisol peak, and boosts daytime serotonin. Specialized retinal ganglion cells detect this light and relay timing cues that regulate your mood, metabolism, and even cardiovascular rhythms.

Here’s how to drink sunlight like medicine across your day:

🌅 Mornings (6–10 AM): Seek direct rays (no sunglasses) to solidify wakefulness, hydration, and your circadian reset.

🍽 Midday (10 AM–2 PM): Digest your largest, most colorful meal during your body’s peak metabolic window, backed by chrononutrition science, Ayurveda, and other ancient traditional medicinal systems.

🌇 Afternoon (2–6 PM): Take a final sun bath to encourage melatonin precursors and begin tapering caffeine.

💫 Evening (6–10 PM): Dim lights and screens to support melatonin’s natural rise.

🌌 Night (10 PM–2 AM): Surrender to deep repair as growth hormone surges and cellular detox peaks.

🌄 Early Dawn (2–6 AM): Maintain a consistent wake-up time to reinforce your rhythm as cortisol gently climbs.

☀️ Harness sunlight as your daily tonic. Notice sharper focus, smoother digestion, deeper sleep, and a heart that beats more in sync with the sky’s rhythms.⁣ Are you committing to a morning Sun ritual this week? 👇 We wanna hear about it 👇

A busy weekend full of sunshine, sea and herbal medicine 🌞🌊🌿

Summer school with the international register of consultant herbalists in beautiful Devon was so informative thanks to our amazing tutors and guest speakers. It was so good to have face to face lessons and to meet all the other herbal students. I even managed to sneak off Bude in Cornwall and take in some sea air.