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- Trailers & Clips
- Dandelion Tonic. Dandelions were so valued that they were cultivated in gardens. Try using the tender young leaves (before the plant flowers) in salads, either fresh or blanched, as the French and Dutch settlers favored.
- Rhubarb Tonic. Rhubarb, or pieplant, was widely regarded as a fine spring tonic to aid the blood and the digestive system. Cooked and stewed rhubarb was called “spring fruit” in early cookbooks.
- Sassafras Tea. Early spring means it’s time to make Sassafras Tea! Old-times made this popular spring tonic to “purify the blood” by boiling together bunches of sweet fern, sarsaparilla, wintergreen and sassafras with water.
- Wild Ramps. The ramp (Allium tricoccum), which is a type of early onion, briefly puts up broad leaves in early spring. Interestingly, ramps have become a delicacy in green markets today.
Learn all spring tonic herbs - how to harvest and use in this video interview with Chris from Joybilee FarmFind more information, get recipes, and all the li...
- 24 min
- 107
- Homespun Seasonal Living
Learn to make a detoxifying herbal infused vinegar with early spring "weeds" like nettle, cleavers, dandelion, chickweed, purple dead nettle, ground ivy, and...
- Blood Purifiers
- Pukes and Purges
- The Sassafras Saga
- Contemporary Spring Tonics
- Further Reading
The concept of “blood purifiers” runs deep in herbal traditions. Herbalists still use the nineteenth-century term “alterative” to indicate the action of an herb that they believe returns blood or a body system to normal function. Before the discovery of antibiotics, alteratives were used to treat infections that could be–and often were–fatal. Bec...
During the nineteenth century, the Shakers supplied a large number of spring tonics to both “regular” medical practitioners and herbal practitioners such as the Thomsonians. Many Shaker manuscripts contain recipes for concoctions to purify the blood and cleanse the body in spring. One group was called “pukes”–concoctions that often contained lobeli...
Perhaps the most famous blood purifier in American herbalism is sassafras, the root bark or tree bark of Sassafras albidum. Native Americans throughout the tree’s range often used it; the Choctaw and Delaware Indians employed decoctions of the root bark to purify the blood. Sassafras was one of the first American exports. Walter Raleigh wrote in 1...
Today’s practitioners of phytomedicine generally do not accept blood purification as scientifically valid, but the idea has not been fully researched. Thus it is neither proven nor disproven by science. A spring tonic may help to kick-start your system once outdoor activity picks up after winter. Whether, the folkloric notion of blood thinning or ...
Foster, S. 101 Medicinal Herbs–An Illustrated Guide. Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Press, 1998. Foster, S., and V. Tyler. Tyler’s Honest Herbal (4th ed.). Binghamton, New York: Haworth Press, 1999. Gail, Peter. The Dandelion Celebration: A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine. Cleveland: Goosefoot Acres Press, 1994. Newall, C. A., L. A. Anderson, and J. D....
Discover how to craft a revitalising spring detox tonic from wild plants, harnessing dandelion, cleavers, and stinging nettle ‘s potent properties. This short video guides you through the process, highlighting each plant’s benefits and precautions, creating a natural elixir for rejuvenation and balance during the season of renewal.
It’s the official first day of spring, the Equinox. One of my favorite spring tonics includes dandelion and burdock roots with the sweetness of red clover.
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Feb 13, 2018 · These recipes are just a starting point for integrating spring tonics into your diet. They can invite creativity into the kitchen while nourishing you with their vitamins and minerals. As winter turns to spring, these humble plant allies can help you greet the new season with vitality.
