Alchemy The Art of Slow Living
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Monique Herzig
Ferndale, MI
Facialist, Formulator and Hydrosol Distiller
Turns out a lot of herbal allies come from one family: Lamiaceae - All of our mints, basil, sage, lavender, even patchouli.
This common/garden/culinary sage was a gift. And I can’t wait to share it.
I just learned that bee balm, motherwort and dead nettle are all in this family too… my favorite new fact is that coleus are part of the family.
I think the only herbal water I distill that isn’t a Lamiaceae member is rose geranium 😳 (Geraniaceae).
Vinegar was once the diluent of choice for the commercial fragrance industry. I was surprised too. Apple cider vinegar is often proclaimed to have many healing virtues. And while we're talking vinegar... it's also a good medium for making tisane infusions for refreshing summer drinks:
https://www.alchemyslowliving.com/simple-pleasures-art-of-slow/2024/9/29/moste-potent-potions
07/29/2026
Am I the last to know? Coleus is a cousin to patchouli. They are both in the same fallibly as culinary sage, lavender, dead nettle and clary sage (among many, many others).
This beauty is in my garden.
Common (Culinary) sage distillation using a copper alembic
I was gifted the sage and spent Sunday evening in the pleasant pursuit of distillation.
no music overlay, and just the sound of the process -adding the water is loud, but the sounds of the still are soothing.
Iberian Coppers Lda
07/26/2026
Fern and the hamsa shadow the sunshine invited in. Hope you enjoyed your weekend. 🪬
07/26/2026
It's no surprise that folks that are attracted to Alchemy, are plant lovers too! On Saturday I was gifted a charming garden bouquet and a bag of culinary sage.
While the humans from the house went to a movie, I distilled the sage in my copper alembic.
If you're a gardener and want to learn how to distill your herbs, I teach private workshops. Maybe you don't want to distill, but have lots of herbs and you want the hydrosol. I have a system for that too: I do the distillation and we split the yield.
07/25/2026
"The body likes to be heard" WHY I'M DRAWN TO CRANIAL SACRAL THERAPY (CST) and you might be too
For a long time I've been a believer that the body knows what it needs. The body whispers the need, before the demands begin.
We don't always know how to listen. And when we listen we might hear the request, but don't always support body.
The brain hates change. Resistance recruits allies.
Our super power is our downfall: Adaptability The good news is that we CAN retrace, clear the pathways, and once we begin to clear the trail, the path gets easier.
This is probably one reason why Cranial Sacral Therapy (CST) resonates with me as someone who receives the treatment regularly, and as a practitioner.
There is an inherent neutrality on behalf of the provider. The healing isn't done with MY hands, but with your own body. Sometimes the body doesn't consent to remove the restriction. So work can happen, above, below and around, until the body and your own inner physician is ready to clear that restricted path.
My clinician did lymphatic work on me last week. At the end, she performed three minutes of CST that changed my whole day. The I shared the experience, her response was this "the body likes to be heard".
If this resonates with you, book a short session at Alchemy
www.alchemyslowliving.com
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22750 Woodward Avenue, Suite 306
Ferndale, MI
48220