Wellness Mama®
Simple Answers for Healthier Families
It might just be that I’m spending a lot of time outdoors with my kids, but this summer has seemed unusually hot to me. Not only has it been hot, but the humidity and heat index seem to be competing to see which can break the most records. While some days I’d rather just camp …
You can’t out-supplement a poor diet (or poor sleep or high stress either). But even with a perfect diet and great sleep, it is still possible to experience nutrient deficiencies because modern foods can be deficient in certain essential nutrients. To ensure we get enough, I make homemade herbal teas (packed with micronutrients) and rotate various …
Headaches are often a sign of a deeper problem (like magnesium deficiency). Sometimes though headaches have a practical cause, like five-kids-playing-marching-band-in-the-house-syndrome. Whatever the case, a natural headache relief stick can help. I almost never get headaches anymore since changing my diet and boosting my magnesium levels. Every once in a while there’s unavoidable stress or …
This natural sleep tincture recipe is made with some of my favorite herbs. It’s naturally relaxing, calming, and great for a better night’s sleep. We don’t need it often, but if I’ve got a sick kiddo, or we’re traveling and schedules are crazy, this is the one I reach for. And it doesn’t just work …
I’m a huge proponent of getting great sleep, but when snoring is an issue, it’s likely that no one is getting very good sleep! Snoring is a common issue in adults (and can happen to kids too!), so it’s something worth investigating if you or your child are not sleeping well or just don’t feel …
Chickweed is one backyard herbal remedy that’s good in salad and doubles as a skin salve. You’ll often spot its white flowers poking up through the grass in early spring. Read on to see how to make a chickweed salve (and why you’d want to!). Chickweed Benefits Like many other weedy spring plants, chickweed is …
If you’ve ever had food poisoning, you know how miserable it is. I always keep natural remedies for food poisoning in my natural medicine cabinet ever since I experienced food poisoning myself (many of these remedies I already had for other uses!). After a lovely date with my husband on a Wednesday night, I started …
Red clover is one of my favorite herbs to have on hand. If you go out into your yard in the spring and summer, you’re likely to see it (depending on where you live). Like many “weeds” around us, red clover has many health benefits. I use it in teas, in cooking, and topically for …
I love herbal remedies for mild ailments that we can take care of at home, and my comfrey leaf salve has been a go-to for years. Comfrey has come under some scrutiny in medical literature, so let me take you through the benefits and risks of this pain-soothing, skin-nourishing herb. What Is Comfrey Leaf? Comfrey …
Weird fact about me: I can’t stand bananas. That said, they still have their uses, like banana bread, as a sleep aid, and to ward off aphids from roses. Wait… what?? Seriously, banana peels have a few surprises up their sleeves. What’s in a Banana Peel? Banana fruit is high in carbs, potassium, and vitamins …
Despite our best attempts to live a healthy and toxin free life, there are times when illness or injury strikes. In some of these cases (like trauma) conventional medical treatment is certainly warranted, and I’m certainly grateful that medical treatment is available if needed. But what about the times when the illness or injury is …
After a surgery my husband had years ago (with resulting secondary infection and IV antibiotic use), his gut needed a little extra help. A gut rehabilitation he was following at the time (see below) suggested he try making a cumin coriander fennel tea to help his bloating and digestive problems. It worked! Now we are …
Medicinal herbs are a great way to help support the body and boost health. Whenever my family needs some support recovering from an illness or mending a wound, I turn to herbal remedies to help. Feverfew is one of those herbs. The benefits of feverfew are powerful, so I make sure I have some feverfew …
I love using herbs and spices to support the body in healing itself. Maca root is a favorite because it’s so supportive of the body’s production of hormones. Since hormones rule a lot of the body’s processes, maca is a great natural supplement for female hormone support. Maca: A Root for Almost Anything Maca root …
I always prefer natural remedies at home for cold and flu symptoms if possible. We use a neti pot daily when cold and flu season comes around and it makes a huge difference! This ancient nasal wash technique is incredibly beneficial and can give natural relief for colds, allergies, dryness, and more. I promise it …
Not long ago one of our kids broke her leg while playing outside. Luckily, she recovered quickly and was back on her feet in just four weeks. I believe that the natural broken bone remedies that we used helped her leg get better as quickly as possible. How Do Fractures Happen? Bone breaks or fractures …
I love to use herbs and spices in everything from infused water to breakfast sausage since they are full of nutrients and flavor that make any dish healthier and more appealing. Fennel is an herb and spice that can offer a burst of flavor to many recipes (not to mention health benefits!) but many skip it …
Between postpartum hair loss (six times!) and Hashimoto’s, I saw too much hair go down the drain in the past. I use castor oil for hair growth and this hair growth serum, but there’s a lot more to how to stop thinning hair. Here I cover how to care for thin hair and encourage hair …
Ever had a cold or congestion and instinctively inhaled the steam from a mug of warm tea or taken a steamy shower for the benefits? Depending on what you were drinking, this could have had benefits other than just the temporary relief the steam provided. The steam technique is a great one to keep in mind …
We don’t get sick often, and when we do, I prefer to let the body fight the illness naturally whenever possible. That being said, illnesses that include coughing (like bronchitis or a particularly bad flu season) can be exhausting and uncomfortable because they limit the ability to sleep well. In those cases, I use this homemade cough …
Nettle is one of my favorite herbs. Also called “stinging nettle,” it is packed with nutrients and is even one of the ingredients in my homemade pregnancy tea. Stinging nettle benefits go far beyond pregnancy though. What Is Nettle? Nettle (Urtica dioica) is also known as stinging nettle, common nettle, and garden nettle. It is …
I mentioned the Vinegar of the Four Thieves when talking about natural bug spray alternatives, but this health tonic is so much more! This herbal tincture is easy to make and works for so many purposes (more on that below). We use it both internally for illness and externally for a natural insect repellant. The …
You won’t find a bowl of oatmeal at my breakfast table, but I do keep oats on hand for DIY skincare projects like these cleansing grains. An oatmeal bath is another skin-loving way to use oats. People have used oatmeal baths for centuries to soothe damaged skin. Research in recent decades reveals even more evidence …
I first discovered a recipe for fire cider years ago. It didn’t sound like something I wanted to try immediately, but when I read about the immune-boosting benefits I decided to be brave and give it a try. Years later, it’s a staple at our house around cold and flu time. Fire cider is a …
