August was National Wellness Month, did you know? To celebrate, we collaborated with Amanda, one of our Shop Stewards and a Nutritionist with Wildlyfed, who shared this infographic with wellness tips that work year-round. You might find them especially helpful as you move back into the rhythms of the school season!
And now that we're in back-to-school mode, we are focusing on the brain health and immune supporting aspects of wellness! Read on!
Herb of the Month - Meet Gotu Kola #VERVAINHOTM
Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica)
What is Gotu Kola?
Gotu Kola a perennial and herbaceous creeping herb that can grow to 20 inches with fan shaped leaves.
Parts of Gotu Kola used: aerial parts
Gotu Kola benefits:
Gotu Kola is best known for its brain boosting properties. Valued as a revitalizing herb that has been shown to strengthen the nervous function and memory, Gotu Kola is also known as an adaptogen (helping our bodies adapt to stress). It is delightful when paired with Holy Basil/Tulsi and other adaptogens.
Gotu Kola is also used for wound healing and tissue repair, as it is known for strengthening the connective tissue and collagen. For those reasons, it is often an ingredient in scar and wound ointments and treatments for varicose veins .
Fun fact: "The peppery greens are reportedly fed to Indian children before they go back to school."
Ready for more Gotu Kola? You can find Gotu Kola in many incredible blends at The Vervain Collective, as well as in bulk herb and tincture forms. Here are some of our favorite Gotu Kola products:
It's Fire Cider Prepping Season!
NOW is the time to prepare your fire cider so it is ready ahead of times of need.
This age-old remedy is used to strengthen the immune system and ward off cold weather illnesses, help with digestion, and warm the body during the cold seasons.
Using a recipe from @growforagecookferment to start, we made a few adds and changes!
1/2 cup fresh ginger, chopped well
1/2 cup fresh horseradish, chopped well
1 med onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic , chopped
2 jalapeños, sliced
2 sprigs of rosemary
1/4 cup of fresh turmeric, chopped
1/2 grapefruit, sliced
1 stick of cinnamon
+/- 4 cups apple cider vinegar to fill jar
Optional - add herbal boosters! Feel free to add other aromatic and beneficial herbs such as anise pods, astragalus, thyme, sage, cloves, elderberries, or anything else that you like!
Directions: Prepare your fruits and veggies and add to a quart jar, then top with ACV. Use plastic lids (we love the Ball leak-proof 🙌 ) or place wax paper between the metal ring and the jar so the vinegar does not rust the lid. Let sit for 4 weeks! Giving a shake every few days!
Strain and mix in 1 cup of local honey when ready to use!
We are SO CLOSE to re-opening!
We are in the final stages of construction - like all the big stuff is done with passed inspections, and now they're on to finishing up the floors and painting walls! We're cautiously optimistic about being able to start moving our stuff out of storage into the space within the week. We've got a ready-and-willing team of Shop Stewards eager to unpack and set up so we can open our doors. Trust us, we'll shout it far and wide when we're open!! We're so excited! Despite all this stress, we know these angsty feelings of impatience are temporary. We're using this period of time to analyze and improve internal processes and make plans! So, as usual, we're making the best of it and are overall so happy for this next phase!
Reminders:
We can take your online or emailed orders for shipping or local pickup!
Our Crowdfunding Campaign is still open - we haven't quite met our goal, and we know lots of friends who were busy over the summer still want the chance to contribute so we are keeping it open :)
THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH US AS WE TRANSITION!
We can't wait to see you!
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