Each month one of our staff members picks an herb that they are drawn to, and shares some experiences, thoughts, medicinal uses and a bit of traditional lore about their selected plant. As each plant is unique, each Herbalist and point of view is unique. We hope you enjoy this tradition.

We are excited to introduce our new herbalist, Elizabeth Willis, author of this month's Herb of the Month!

Parts used
Aerial parts; leaves, flowers, upper stems

Medicinal Properties
Catnip is a famous herb for its fun and excitatory effects on our feline friends, but it also has many powerful medicinal properties for us too! A part of the Mint family, Catnip has a lightly green and minty flavor, rich with aromatic oils. A top choice for indigestion, Catnip is used by all ages to settle the stomach, sooth flatulence, and colic. Safe for infants and breast feeding mothers, it provides a gentle remedy for colicky babies as well as calming the mother's digestion. Catnip also has mild sedative effects and combines nicely with your other favorite sleepy time herbs. Catnip is anti-inflammatory and is effective for digestive related headache, is helpful for gentle pain relief, and cooling a fever.

Preparations & Applications
Cold Water Infusion
Tincture
Infused Oil
Essential Oil
Infusion

Like its many medicinal uses, Catnip can also be prepared in multiple ways making it an even more diverse and effective remedy. Growing Catnip means there is always extra to share with your animals, and makes for a beautiful and aromatic addition to your home or garden. Catnip can be prepared as a traditional tea in a warm water infusion. It is also refreshing as a cold water infusion, and is very effective in a tincture for sleep, fever and indigestion. Catnip can also be used externally as an infused oil and essential oil.

Recipe
Babies Colic Tea
By: Brigitte Mars A.H.G. "Healing Herbal Teas"
-2 parts Catnip
-2 parts Peppermint
-1 part Anise
-1 part Fennel

*Quick & Easy: This formula can also be simplified by using just Catnip and Fennel! These formulas can be used by the nursing mother as well as the child directly.

Sources
Healing Herbal Teas, Brigitte Mars A.H.G.
The Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Andrew Chevallier

Healthy Hair Oil
Deep green and nourishing, our Healthy Hair Oil is made with organic jojoba and olive oils infused with nettles, peppermint and comfrey leaves, topped off with a beautiful blend of cedarwood, rosemary and Australian sandalwood essential oils. Making your hair healthy and shiny, nourishing the follicles and encouraging growth, this oil is not only great for the look and feel of your hair, but it is has also been formulated to help with dandruff and other scalp conditions. A wonderful ally for our curly haired friends, we have found Healthy Hair Oil makes your locks more manageable and gives a tighter curl. (Rebecca loves this product, and has stated that she will never again go camping or to a humid climate without it.)

No Joke Anti-Fungal Salve
Unless it's a delicious mushroom, fungus is no fun at all. After much formulating, we have come up with a salve that we have seen give some serious relief from the fungus among us. It's smelly, but it works. Infused organic olive oil of chaparral, oregano and fresh garlic, with added essential oils of tea tree and thyme, this well named salve is indeed no joke.

Decadent Rose Salt Scrub
Every now and then one really needs a decadent treat, this salt scrub fills that prescription. Heart opening and grounding, the delicious blend of organic rose and frankincense essential oils will soften your skin and soothe your spirit. The gorgeous deep rose color comes from powdered, organic red roses in a bath of organic jojoba and infused olive oils. We had so much fun making this decadent treat, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Also, we just brought in a line of natural sunscreen by a local company Goddess Garden. We have a Kid's sunscreen SPF 30 in addition to another one of their high quality 70% organic adult sunscreens.

We are offering 10% all products related to our herb of the month Catnip! This includes the bulk herb, tinctures from WishGarden Herbs and Herb Pharm!

Colorado Wildflowers, Volume 1 Plains and Foothills & Volume 2 Mountains
by G.K. Guennel
Ever tired of lugging around 20 different ID books on a plant walk in order to identify all the amazing plants in Colorado? This two volume set is by far the most comprehensive guide to wildflower identification. It is rare that I can't find a plant when I have these two books with me. Another great benefit is that the books are organized by petal color which makes for quick and easy identification. I think I can speak for all the women at Rebecca's when I say that these books are a must have for anyone interested in getting to know the local plants of Colorado.