Kitch Witch Herbal Creations

💕Love Potion Infusion💕

Mainly comprised of Rose and Hibiscus, two great love/heart herbs that give you this wonderful pinkish red color!

I also tossed in Red Raspberry Leaf and Nettle since I drink those regularly anyways as generally supportive and nutritive herbs.

Then to top it off I added a pinch of Lavender, Lemon Balm, and Astragalus Root for some relaxing and strengthening qualities.

I’ve always been a sucker for a pink drink 💖💞

"Now more than ever, humanity needs the healing power of medicinal plants. And not just as alternatives to over-the-counter or prescription drugs that put bandaids on symptoms.

We need true healing that changes the way we live on this Mother Earth, healing that touches our hearts and minds, that helps our consciousness return to the natural order of life.

We need transformational healing not only for ourselves but for the Earth itself, for we are a part of the Earth."

Excerpt from Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Medicine, & Spirituality from the Heart of Nature by Sajah Popham 🍃💚📖💚🍃

Herbal Infusions: tea but better 🌿

I felt like I needed a little extra boost today since I started my period, so here’s an herbal infusion I threw together with what I had on hand!

Nettle and Red Raspberry Leaf: Rockstars for menstruation and their properties are better accessed through an infusion rather than a tea with a short steep time.

I also added in dandelion root, rose petals, and lemon balm since they complement nettle and RRL nicely!

Just put all the herbs in a jar and fill with hot but not boiling water (careful with glass), and let infuse for several hours, up to 12. Strain and reheat (if desired) and serve with honey. Any remaining infusion can be refrigerated to be used later.

U S N E A | Old Man’s Beard 🧙🏼‍♂️🌿 Here in the Pacific Northwest there’s a mystical lichen that grows long and wispy tendrils from the branches of trees called Usnea spp, also known as Old Man’s Beard as it grows like a body of flowing hair.

This lichen only likes to grow in areas of clean pollution free air, which unfortunately means the regions with conditions for Usnea to thrive are diminishing these days. If you see it growing in abundance, it is a reassuring sign you’re in an area with more air purity than most.

Usnea can take years to grow into a significant size for use, so we only harvest it from the ground when it’s been blown off of the branches after a storm.

It’s a powerful medicine and has an incredible range of actions that includes antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antitumor, antiprotozoal... the list goes on. And the large variety of pathogens that Usnea treats makes it a surprisingly versatile remedy that has been used in different ways throughout the world.

Usnea has been used for clearing toxic heat and removing external lung wind-heat (basically respiratory infections). This makes Usnea a “broad-spectrum anti-infective”. Some of the toxic heat issues might look like fevers, infections, boils, and both bacterial and fungal infections.

When it comes to fungus, Usnea can be quite the remedy. It has been shown to work against Candida, athlete’s foot, jock itch, ringworm, and various vaginal infections such as yeast infections.

Due to its strong affinity for the respiratory system, it’s also a remedy I would strongly consider for people that have lived in houses infected with black mold, which is a very common occurrence here in the PNW as it’s soooo damp all the time!

✨We’re busy working hard over here on a new workshop that’s opening up in few days. So be sure to get on the waitlist for the Herbal Monograph Map workshop here: https://www.evolutionaryherbalism.com/the-herbal-monograph-map/waitlist/ ✨

Herbs to help us practice gratitude 🤍🍃🙏💫

Gratitude is a universally transformative practice. Being appreciative for where we are leaves more space for good things to come, while opening the awareness to the beauty that is already around us. Gratitude often stems from a space of deep presence and acceptance for what is. It can be as simple as observing what we have at the moment.

We find that sitting down with a cup of tea and allowing all our senses to be enhanced by the ritual is a wonderful way to embrace the now. Beyond the ritual, these herbs help ease the chatter that can cause us to leave the present moment.

5 HERBS TO FOSTER GRATITUDE:

🤍 ROSEMARY – When we remember all that we have been given, rather than what we don’t have or have lost, we may access a deep well of gratitude. “Rosemary for remembrance” is a good phrase to help recall this timeless wisdom.

🤍 REISHI – This uniquely revered mushroom teaches us the value of a calm, collected spirit or “shen.” Encouraging steadiness and groundedness, reishi helps us remember that herbs are gifts to be grateful for: harvesting just what we need when we find reishi mushroom in abundance is a practice in mindful gratitude, to be sure.

🤍 GINKGO – Mental clarity and focus give gratitude a leg up, allowing you to mentally center all that you are thankful for and put aside worries and disappointments. Ginkgo aids this process, promoting clear thinking and concentration in the midst of a “monkey mind.”

🤍 HAWTHORN – When the heart is brought into balance, it is more able to be in a state of unconditional appreciation and openness. Hawthorn does just this, soothing and supporting both the physiological and the emotional heart and opening it to gratitude.

🤍 WILD CHERRY – The bark of this beautiful wild tree promotes calm and centering. An accepting and receptive heart paves the way for gratitude, a state of mind that is made easier with the peaceful powers of wild cherry bark.

November is National Gratitude Month, but our plant helpers offer us a reminder that there is always so much to be thankful for!

What are you grateful for today, friends? 💫🍃

A whole lot of infusing and fermenting going on around here! A few things locally foraged as well which was a first for me, and really exciting!

•Four Thieves (+lemon) Vinegar: This always looks so pretty when it starts infusing! Made with vinegar, thyme, sage, rosemary, basil, and lemon peels. Super simple but super versatile! I use it diluted with water and sometimes isopropyl alcohol for cleaning almost all surfaces. Will have some available for purchase soon!
•Nettle Tea Infusion: Nettle is super high in bioavailable iron as well as many other minerals. I have relied on this herb in several different forms while pregnant and breastfeeding postpartum. So nourishing!
•Sauerkraut: Truly fermented sauerkraut is loaded full of probiotics that you can’t get from a supplement or pasteurized sauerkraut. It’s my first attempt and it still has a bit to go before it’s done, but I can’t wait to use it to support mine and my baby’s gut microbiome.
•What’s left of my first batch of Four Thieves Vinegar!
•Hawthorn Berry Oxymel: Locally foraged hawthorn berries, apple cider vinegar, and honey. Hawthorn is great for the heart (physical & emotional) as well as blood pressure and cholesterol. It also helps with inflammation, and apparently c*vid recovery! I chose to make an oxymel instead of a tincture literally bc ACV is just cheaper and easier for me to get 😂
•Fermented Garlic Honey: This one has been making the rounds lately and I’m hopping on the bandwagon. Garlic (with a bit of thyme and oregano) chopped and fermented for many weeks in raw honey (from !) This is supposed to be quite the immune booster, and oregano and thyme should make it extra helpful for a cough!
•Fire Cider: Already strained and I’ve been taking a shot once a day. I made mine with what I wanted/had easily available to me; ACV, lemon, orange, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Raw honey added after 4 weeks of infusing and then straining. This was my first time making and taking it, but it is supposed to relieve nasal congestion, support digestion, warm the body during cold seasons, and boost immunity.

Continued in comments 👇🏻

Hi 👋🏼
My name is Summerly and I’m a 25 year old stay at home mom who is passionate about many things: holistic natural living, herbal remedies, skin care, foraging, cooking/baking, supporting postpartum moms (training to become a postpartum doula!), and just doing my best to help take care of my family!

I’m blessed to be able to stay home with my 10 month old son and to work and create with my hands. Also, originally being from SoCal, I can see how blessed I am to now live in an area and state with such access to natural resources and plants and farms that support a more traditional and sustainable framework for food and medicine.

My goal here at Kitch Witch is to create and share natural remedies and goodies that have made my life better and more joyful in hopes that they will give the same to you.

Most of my day is spent caring for my family (baby is still a contact napper 😅), so this will not be a high volume production. Quality over quantity!
I aim to have my products in tune with the seasons and my surroundings, so they will cycle through the year and only be available for a limited time and, for now, only in the Mountain Home area.

Coming soon….
Sugar Spice Body Scrub inspired by 🍂

Turbinado and brown sugar mixed with all the cozy, warming spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves (to name a few) along with skin-loving jojoba oil.

Essential oil free, but very naturally aromatic. Absolutely perfect for this time of year when we need some gentle exfoliation along with deep hydration due to our cold 🥶 and dry 🌬️climate here in Idaho.
Plus, who doesn’t love smelling like a pumpkin spice latte?

When the first batch is ready I’ll post the whole list of ingredients and break down all their benefits!