bali-landscape

My Tropical Island Tea

All around me was the greenest green I’d ever imagined, spilling over with flowers and vines and herbs in every direction.
Bali is the lushest place I’ve ever been, with plants on top of plants, and flowers and herbs everywhere.
It was a perfect day outside – sunny and not too hot.
My guide and new friend Westi was sitting with me in a kind of covered shelter with a big brown picnic table area after our tour of his incredible herb garden.
“You were telling me about holy basil…” I said. “… and you called it…”

The Herb of Immortality

You probably know sage as a cooking spice. But it’s too good just to keep in your kitchen and break out only for your Thanksgiving turkey.
Your ancient ancestors prized sage. They thought people who drank sage tea never got old.
They called sage the “herb of immortality.”
In ancient Rome, if you wanted to pick sage you had to have a ceremony. The ancient Aztecs also revered it, and used the leaves to make face paint that marked rank in their society.

Jungle Herb I Found in Jamaica

I have the greatest job in the world. I get to travel around to different countries to find native systems of healing and traditional healing herbs.
I’ve gone to Africa, Ecuador, Brazil – and I’ve been to Jamaica a half dozen times. It’s one of my favorite places, because it’s a treasure trove of herbs. Nearly every Jamaican family has a tradition of using them for healing since they were kids.
We’re publishing a book from a well-known herbalist there, Ivelyn Harris. I’ve visited Ivy at her mountain retreat. And she came to visit me here at my office last month. In her book, Ivy describes 42 herbs used in Jamaica…