Plants, research, and stories to help us listen to the body and care for it well.

The Reading Room

Oatstraw: Care Before Crisis
Oatstraw: Care Before Crisis
Meet the Plant Most of us are already familiar with oats. They make delicious cookies, a wonderfully substantial breakfast, and the milk used in many of our favorite lattes. Oatstraw... Read more...
Plantain: Supporting Boundaries
Plantain: Supporting Boundaries
Meet the Plant Plantain (Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata) has always struck me as a particularly generous plant. She isn’t precious about where she grows. Her green leaves appear in... Read more...
Formulation: For Skin That's Been Trying to Tell You Something
Formulation: For Skin That's Been Trying to Tell You Something
Your skin is always working—even when you never have to think about it. It continually renews and repairs the barrier that helps protect the body from the outside world. It... Read more...
Calendula: The Skin Herb That Does More Than You Might Think
Calendula: The Skin Herb That Does More Than You Might Think
Meet the Plant Calendula (Calendula officinalis) has become a constant companion in my garden. She lives in one of the many pots lining my patio, quietly blooming throughout the season.... Read more...
Devotion to Ritual
Devotion to Ritual
Rarely, if ever, does the thing that changes our lives happen all at once. I often find myself hoping transformation will arrive as a single moment: a diagnosis that finally... Read more...
The Path of Plants
The Path of Plants
Cut to two years ago. I was working as a nurse advocate for women with chronic UTIs and vaginal infections. I was having the same conversation over and over about... Read more...
Chamomile: Calming Reactivity
Chamomile: Calming Reactivity
How chamomile supports the nervous system to calm reactive skin and digestive upset — a somatic look at the skin-gut connection. Read more...
Skin Signals
Skin Signals
Our Skin Doesn’t React Randomly Skin can be so mysterious. A pimple appears out of nowhere, dryness persists no matter how much moisturizer you use, or eczema flares even when... Read more...