The herbal and natural health world is growing by leaps and bounds. People are slowly starting to recognize the benefit of the plants that grow all around us. And they are starting to see there are situations where herbs truly excel by naturally nourishing the body. Hopefully you have had the chance to experience the healing benefits of herbs first hand!

We view our work here at Land of Milk and Honey Herbs as an honor. We appreciate being invited into your life to assist you where we can. We pride ourselves in being there FOR YOU! It may be after hours when a client reaches out but it is my goal to be there for you whenever possible. As I strive to maintain work/life balance and juggle the needs of being a homeschool teacher, wife, mother, and friend, one of the roles that fulfills me most in my life is being there for others as an herbalist. I have been blessed to find this calling in life and to be able to show other women that we can build a life we love without always letting society dictate what our home and work life should look like.  Serving and helping you in big and small ways brings me joy and I am grateful for you!

Your support means the world to us! 

💕-Kate Bodmann, Clinical Herbalist


How can we build a strong herbal community together? Sharing the world of herbs with friends supports local herbalists in providing care in your community!
Here are 3 quick tips!

💕 Share your knowledge or newsletters with a friend
​People do better when they know better. Caring for our friends and taking time to listen and support them is one of the biggest gifts we can give a friend. I was not introduced to herbs until after my kids were born and already toddlers. I SO wish someone had introduced me to the world of herbs sooner. If you would like to learn more I now have most of the newsletters I have written archived in my blog on my website. Check them out and share with friends when you find helpful tips! If you and a friend are interested in deeper herbal knowledge reach out so I can add you to my list of potential new students for my 2021 Herbal Intensive Program.

💕 Support local herbalists
It can be easy to grab a bottle of elderberry syrup or garlic ear oil at the store on your way out the door. And we are SO lucky to have herbal products on many shelves in Omaha.  But consider that those stores are likely not able to provide you support when your child gets an ear infection or you feel ill in the evening and you need advice. What about when you have a tougher situation where you need to see someone for support? Local herbalists such as myself pride ourselves on being there for our clients. Personally, I provide my cell phone number and email to all my clients because I consider them like family. I try to balance work/life boundaries, but in an emergency, if I am available, I commonly make a quick trip over to my shop to make a blend for someone who is in need. It is old-fashioned health care that I value and encourage others to prioritize.
 

💕 Seek out local product makers
As most of you know I make elderberry syrup, salves, a variety of teas, and most of the herbal tinctures that ultimately go into my clients' custom formulas. But there are several other businesses that make my work possible. While I try to harvest my own herbs when possible, being a grower and a Clinical Herbalist and running my Rooted Wisdom herbal program doesn't allow time for me to do it all. We are lucky to have growers such as Shea at Curious Roots who grows herbs with such care that there is a bit of magic in them. Shea is a longtime student of herbs and a masterful grower. While she can't grow it all, we can only hope that at some point by supporting growers like her we will have even more locally grown herbs available to us. I appreciate the superior herbs that she grows.

I am also incredibly grateful for the work of Lisa at Prairie Star Botanicals. I truly love the art and science of turning fresh and dried herbs into tinctures, oils, and syrups where I have been a part of every step. But sometimes I need tinctures in a pinch or I am in need of tinctures of local herbs like Goldenseal and American Ginseng that are at-risk. I feel it is imperative to know herbs are sustainably harvested and tinctured. In those times I know I can rely of them to help me meet my clients' needs. I have known Lisa for years as we both studied with Nicholas of Four Winds a decade ago as a part of his first herbal program class. Lisa brings wisdom and reverence to her herbal endeavors. I appreciate how she helps local herbalists like myself be more sustainable through her efforts to source many of their herbs locally. Beyond their tinctures that I use in formulas, Prairie Star Botanicals has also created many stock formulas for a variety of needs that I carry at my office and I will be highlighting in my monthly specials section of the newsletter and website.
 

💕 Buy One, Get One Elderberry Syrup Special!
In the spirit of supporting local and supporting your friends in learning more about and using herbs, I am offering a special elderberry syrup offer in February.  When you buy a large ($27) or medium ($15) bottle of elderberry syrup for yourself you will receive a free small bottle (value $8) to give to a friend!

Herbal formulations to use now and have on hand
None of these things should be considered treatment for COVID-19. The are immune and wellness support to support the body the best that we can.

Land of Milk and Honey Active support tincture $40 - The "active" stock formula that I have created for people to use includes diaphoretic herbs to clear excess heat, herbs that thin mucus and encourage expectoration, and immune modulating herbs. Same idea as shared above but in Western herbalism terms.  I am looking at herbs from both traditions, Western Herbalism and Chinese herbalism; herbs like Chinese Skullcap (Huang Qin) and Andrographis. No single herb is the answer as they need to balance each other. Our herbs that are strong lung antiseptics happen to be warming so they must be balanced with cooling herbs. Drying herbs must be balanced with moistening herbs. Each herb is chosen for multiple reasons and while I would love to share my thinking in choosing each one, it crosses the line in terms of making medical claims for herbs. Unfortunately only when I teach do I feel that I can completely share all that each herb can truly do. But know that a lot of thought has gone into this and I already have people using formulas to support their body.  Because information is every evolving I have already made several different stock formulas of this with different herbs varying slightly so I am not listing ingredients here. I will say that for some formulas I have included elderflower and if that is of concern to you just let me know and I will make a formula without it for you. For current clients I am also willing to create a custom formulation, provided that I am still able to work at that time.

Herbalist and Alchemist Herbal Relief Throat Spray $12 - Spray this directly in the throat to reduce sore throat and germs in the throat. Echinacea angustifolia, Collinsonia (Collinsonia canadensis), Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), Myrrh ( Commiphora molmol),Osha (Ligusticum porteri), Propolis and essential oils

Herbalist and Alchemist Compound Mullein Oil (aka ear oil) $11 -  Certified Organic Olive Oil, Mullein flowers (Verbascum thapsus), St. John's wort fresh flowers (Hypericum perforatum), Garlic fresh bulb (Allium sativum), Tea Tree essential oil, White Sage herb, Vitamin E

Essential Oils  (limited quantities, varying prices) - Pine, Silver Fir, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Cedar, Breathe, Tea Tree, Orange, Lemon, Ginger, Mandarin

Feeling well but still wanting to do the best you can right now?

Hopefully for many of you, you are not quite "there" yet in terms of needing that level of active support and there is still time to build up the body's immune system now.  Please re-read the 1st newsletter I sent called Supporting Your Body in Difficult Times.  Beyond active self-care these are the things that I recommend.

Land of Milk and Honey Herbs Proactive support tincture $40 - For those who would like to be more proactive I have made a "proactive" support blend. That blend includes immune building herbs to strengthen the weiqi of the body and moderate the immune response. Again I am pulling on herbs that have historically been used for this such as Astragalus (Huang Qi) and Elder, Cat's claw, Huang Qin (Chinese Skullcap), Reishi, Bupleurum, and Licorice.

Elderberry  $8, $15, $27 - There has been much debate about elder which I shared previously.  Most of the herbal community feels very comfortable with their understanding of it as an immune modulator. The information regarding cytokine storms is extrapolated from a study that was in vitro and not in vivo and we all know that herbs work differently in the body to activate immune response that can no be replicated in a petri dish. And honestly, every year the cytokine storm fear  raises its head when influenza season comes around and we have not seen cytokine storms happening to the thousands of people who take elderberry for influenza.  As I mentioned though I feel elderberry alone is an option in prevention and early stages, I DO NOT think it is enough and appropriate to be using solely should you be become ill. A bit in a formula when ill I do think is a good idea though as in the past it has been associated with deceasing viruses' ability to replicate.

Jade Wind Screen teapills $18 limited quantity- Traditional Chinese remedy to build Wei Qi - Yu Ping Feng San Wan (also known as Jade Wind Screen Formula) is traditionally used to strengthen the body's overall defenses. The formula replenishes qi/energy and helps consolidate the body's defense system.  Astragalus membranaceus root, Atractylodes macrocephala rhizome, Saposhnikovia divaricata root, Activated carbon, Botanical wax, Talcum. - Huang qi, Bai zhu, Fang feng, Activated carbon, Botanical wax, Talcum.

Herbalist and Alchemist Immune Adapt tincture $45 - Codonopsis root (Codonopsis lanceolata), Eleuthero root (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Reishi mushroom and mycelium (Ganoderma spp.), Schisandra berry (Schisandra chinensis), Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus), Bai-Zhu Atractylodes root (Atractylodes macrocephala), Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) , Ligustrum berry (Ligustrum lucidum)

Herbalist and Alchemist Immune Adapt Capsules $45 - Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus), Eleuthero root (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), Schisandra berry (Schisandra chinensis), Bai Zhu Atractylodes rhizome (Atractylodes macrocephala), Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Ligustrum berry (Ligustrum lucidum) and Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa)

As our community continues to battle this illness I will continue to provide support as I can, unless I become quarantined myself. Please do not wait if you would like something I have mentioned or if you need a refill on your regular herbs.  
Be well my herbal family!  Remember to take care of you emotional and physical health during this time!

-Kate

We hear a lot about gratitude these days. We hear about it so much that I fear it might become cliche if our hearts aren't in it. But like so many healthy mindset activities, it is a "practice" that we can focus on daily. We grow what we focus on. This directly relates to our physical and emotional health. When it comes to healing, our ability to see the bright moments in our lives can be a key lifeline that helps us get to that place of wellness that we desire.

But let's be honest. When it is dark and cold outside...that can really affect us all. The practice of gratitude is truly a "practice." Daily we are choosing to focus on an action that was appreciated, a sign that lifted us or a moment that brought us joy.

It can be important in moments of darkness to focus on light. From the Danish "hygge" we know that in a country that has long dark winters that they choose to embrace that time and create warm and cozy moments. Maybe we can borrow a bit of that wisdom and light a few candles to relax by, gather a soft blanket and curl up with some music or a book, and maybe have a heart warming cup of tea. 

In an effort to show our gratitude and help heal your mind, body, and spirit with soul nourishing "hygge" time I am offering a free tea to everyone who has a follow-up or new client appointment in December. There are various teas to choose from: Loving Heart to nourish and open your heart, Damiana Delight to give a lift to the spirit, Pep in Your Step to build your energy reserves, or Sweet Immunity to support your immune system during this time.  ​