Experiencing Herbs with your Child

Here is a picture from last summer. Bash was helping me process thyme and lavender. Lavender is his FAVORITE herb. He loves the little purple flowers and the smell, I mean who doesn’t?

Well my weirdo herbalist of a mother isn’t the hugest lavender (fragrance) fan…buuut…more for US! 😉

Hello beautiful people!

Relishing in this absolutely beautiful sunny day! Wandered around my garden barefoot this morning slowly soaking up that positive Sagittarius energy. I did not want the quiet morning to end. It lasted a good solid 3 minutes until I realized my bare feet were two inches away from a mound of dog poop left by my beloved blue heeler Winston. OH glorious morning!!

I MUST say though, barefoot walking is SOOOOOOO important.

“Grounding” they call it. I don’t care if it sounds like some hippy dippy practice, it has scientifically been proven to be beneficial. THAT can be a blog post for another day 😉

I was inspired today to write about herbs in regards to children!

My mother taught me most of what I know and grew most of the herbs I have used and still use in my arsenal today. Which is why I’m here today bragging and begging people to open their eyes to the beauty and magic healing of herbs.

I have a five year old boy named Sebastian aka Bash.

He has been a fairly healthy child through his years. We have had our fair share of snotty noses, fevers, rashes that make your eyebrows rise, and coughs scary enough to make you wish you weren’t a parent.

I only say that because the absolute terror of a chest cough in the middle of the night and the panic in a child’s eyes when they cannot clear the mucus is an absolutely horrifying experience.

So here I am. HERBS and Kids.

Why not just use medicine?
Why trust a plant?

Well being the inquisitive beings we are, I am SO glad you asked.

Steering away from “modern medicine” can be an intimidating choice. But you don’t have to let it be!

We absolutely should take advantage of ALL the tools we have, including medicine. That is not to say that this is the first avenue I stroll down when dealing with my child’s health. We live in such a cool time frame. Although some days amidst the duck face selfies, over processed food, and concrete jungles,  I often wonder if I wouldn’t have flourished better in another generation. Like Middle Earth! Although that holds a whole other set of problems. OMG…SQUIRREL. I cannot stay on topic.

Why trust a plant?
Oh you mean besides the fact that they are pure magic?

The same reason we trust vegetables to nourish and feed our bodies. The same reason we trust water to replenish and cleanse us. Herbs are food, medicine, AND vitamins. Why wouldn’t we take full advantage of them?

They are easy to grow, easy to harvest, delicious, and so good for you.

I am taking my child’s health not into my own hands per say, but into the world we were born and adapted to live in. We were not born into pharmacy. We are organic matter and to organic matter we will return. So why not fill up on organic matter in the meantime?

How many times can you say organic matter Hannah?

Let us be completely real here though…
Children and veggies usually don’t mix. If I’m being honest, I have a picky son. He’ll eat most raw veggies slathered in ranch. He loves to garden with me and eat a raw pea SOMETIMES.

So in what universe can I get my child to drink herb tea on top of all the other foods and vitamins I have to worry about him/her ingesting?!

I won’t sugar coat it….
Well in this case I sure as heck WILL.
Honey. Lots and lots of honey.

Fever? I go straight to Catnip tea. I boil water and (no measuring needed!) and cram it into my tea ball along with peppermint (which masks most bitter tastes) and lemon balm. I let that steep for 5 to 7 minutes and cram that baby full of delicious local honey.

The awesome thing about tea is you can also add tinctures and they won’t be the wiser.

So your little one has a nasty chest cough?
Add a dropper full of Mullein to that cup of catnip tea too!

They will come to love it. Nature’s candy. The herbal concoctions you can create are soooo plentiful too!
It is fun learning with the little ones. They are bright eyed and more willing to experiment with new tastes than you might think.

They might teach you something. Let’s be honest, parenting is so much of both. I’m pretty sure they teach us just as much as we teach them.

I’m new to the blogging world. I’m excited to begin though. I’m thrilled to share any and all experience as a mother, budding herbalist, star reader, and barefooted homeschooling hippy mom.

I know all of you out there are doing the best you can. We all are.

Keep shining!
Love and light,
Hannah

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