Herbal Nutrient Boosts: (rather than Medicinal but they are the same that do overlap!) Mostly from Dr Christopher Formulas

Medicinal and healing herbs need to be rich in their genetic potential and unique intelligence. 

The quality of the plant starts before it is a seed. In selecting the end product we are buying, the intent of the seller, harvester, forager are important considerations. 

The User also needs to be sure to not boil their nutrients. :| 

LANGUAGE: 

• "Herb" generally refers to "plants" (and not just "herbaceous plants" and, at least here, not the herb that is 'on the market') which is still not actually the correct word to cover ALL of the living organisms that are "herbs" or "herbals." This becomes apparant with ferns, fungi, algea, etc and not just herb vs tree vs bark ....
• In like manner, the word "tea" is also a poor substitute for a better word of which we do not have.  "Extract" may be a better word, but that also refers to other forms of tinctures, fomentations, etc.
  "Tea" in English is actually a specific type/species of plant that is a stimulant the British picked up while Empiring.  It is a plant so it has "good things" which too many people "but!" over, but those "good things" are not unique and are in other plants; and it is not a general-use medicinal plant; AND we have been told specifically to not use it which brings us to the important relevance of why this is right here at the top.  
  (Coffee as well is a plant that we have been warned against.  (Personally, I also add Chocolate to the category of it would be better if no one touched it, but we have not specifically been told not too....))
• Find a word to use in your family so that you can be sure to set the example and understanding for our littles and friends.  We want to speak the language that best represents who we are and what our intentions are.  We need to talk the talk and walk the walk.
  In our family we often use the phrase "leaf juice" to refer to the fact that we are simply making the nutrients, phytochemicals, and whatever else we can of a wonderful Intelligence available to our bodies.  It is also more specific since "leaf" is at least more descriptive for understanding and "juice" since that is a general term for extraction.  (....We also don't drink 'tea' hot, which I believe is another factor for our bodies; even when drinking any soup or broth, which always has "leaf juice" components, we allow it to cool just slightly. If one has to be 'accustomed' to not burn face/tongue/taste buds, then it is obviously too hot.)

SOURCES: This is not a complete list in any way, just a few places that I consider reliable for not having to worry about those above considerations.

• Mountain Rose Herb
• Lifebalm 
• carries the Dr Christopher formulas including in Bulk 
• Usually sources from Starwest Botanicals 
• Azure Standard
• Natural Grocers
• especially handy for Culinary (cooking) herbs
• Desert Sage for in-town quick little amounts
• also Take Your Vitamins on Gilbert Rd.
• If utilizing Amzn Prime speediness, then use LifeBalm or Starwest Botanicals Store fronts (other sellers may not have good turnover (lesser quality/old...)

HERBALS:

Herbal calcium:  Cut herb form used for (never boil) strained tea or any liquid tincture method for extracting constituents. Powder by mouth (dry under the tongue, mud, or capsules) or in recipes. 

1. Oatstraw (Avena sativa):
   Calciums (Calcium compounds 7 categories):
1. Fantastic for helping increase nutrients in grains (note: oats are depleting, perhaps since horses that can digest the green portion of these plants...) the tips are even good for nursing moms milk supply.
2. Horsetail/shavegrass (Equisetum hyemale): actually a fern and unrelated to grass or even grown in fields and so would be safe for those allergic to grasses (and very desirable.)
   Silica (Silicea, S Silicon):
1. Silica necessary in ratio to calcium both in use and needed before full calcium needs can even absorbed. (Emotion Code has an example, too much or too little in each mineral creates gland and organ disfunction in every part of the body. yin yang

Boron is needed for silica which is needed for calciums.  Hollow core/center is a symptom of boron deficiency (except for citrus where it demonstrates as thicker pith). No cellular crystalline structure can properly form without sufficient minerals in sufficient sequence of ratios. (Borax is the mined salt form)

 A note here on Tumeric:

Tumeric assists in boron passing through blood brain barrier. May have benefits elsewhere or factors... 
Tumeric effectiveness increased by 200-500% by a tiny amount of black pepper.
Tumeric, of course, has its plant intelligent specialties including, in general, decrease inflammation, and; specifically, known to help remove trash deposits/stores that don't belong up to and including
growths, clusters, cysts, tumors, tags, moles, anomilies, (dark hair), calcification, (hardened glands).
I rarely use Essential oils.  This one is very convenient for skin areas: brand I have used link.

Cayenne (Capsicum spp.)  a top 5 wonder herb.
For nervous system, circulatory system, and companion herb.  Of course many nutrients including Vitamin C when raw. 

• The heat measured starting abt 30,000 MHU is not damaging but beneficially burning off excess pain chemicals. The results is no unnecessary pain, and good feeling endorphigen neurotransmitters.  I use 30 lightly in cooking, and by the spoonful in my mouth.  Keep about 1/4 cup in a double bag in the glovebox and in backpack emergency kits. (put in a bottle of water and drunk will stop any heart attack nitroglycerin would - and starts it healing)  90 and higher doesn't even taste good as a powder and is best when turned into a liquid that is only used drops at a time. Lifebalm has a wide variety typically available
• Other nervous system benefits as a food including rebuild nerve sheath (nerves are organs and are multipled layered but nerves frazzle = frazzled nerves - like insulation on an electrical wire - literally!!)
• In the Circulatory system it is a food including an equalizer
  - it stops bleeding of wounds (and decreases pain and panic etc within seconds)  (sprinkle in wound and/or in mouth)
  - it raises low blood pressure AND lowers high blood pressure....
• It is a carrier to take other herbs and nutrients to where it is needed in the body quickly. (Ginger is a good companion to take the combos all the way to the end of the capillaries.)

Red raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus) 

    organic iron, blood, uterus, and nervous system.

Best Mashed Potatoes

Easier and tastier.

If you have left over sweet potato (or squash, we like acorn and kombachu, or cauliflower) then add that when you mash them.

If not, then dice it up a sweet potato or two and put it in while you cut up the rest of the potatoes.  (It takes longer for them to cook, and I don't bother waiting for the water to boil to put the sweet potato in.)

Leave the skins on!! why in the world people go to the bother of peeling them beats me! besides there is the nutrition there!  (in the South they always left them on!)

I use yukon.  I like them the best of the potatoes that I can "name", they are a "yellow" type. And as far as I know, only the russets were GMO-ed.

Add salt to the boiling water before they cook, that way they taste better - only the raw potato soaks up the salt.

Drain it out when fork pierces easily.

Put in a whole stick or two of butter OR more 
AND a glug of milk OR water. (that's a real measurement) :)

mash it or beat it with a machine. ...with yukon, butter, milk, and the veggies, it doesn't take as much mashing for creamy goodness to develop.

add a bit of crushed parsley or kale etc from your bag you have in the freezer (wink)  to help train your brain chemicals to like the greens!

And now you have a tasty, sweet, savory, creamy, yummyness that makes gravy only optional.

Gravy is fantastic from bone broth!!  (remember don't boil the bone broth)

Awesome Home Made Fruit "Gello"

This is a great once-a-week batch for "already made" breakfasts and desserts for a few days or even a beautiful holiday dish :)

Once you've made this enough to see the ingredient adjustments you can just use any Juice Blox /Blocks recipe online or make your own!  (priceless tidbit: 1 juice blox envelope = 2tsp gelatin)
https://www.knoxgelatine.com/basics.htm


The general outline is 1 bowl + 1 pot:

Fruit Juice KNOX^® BLOX:
 Sprinkle unflavoured gelatine over 1 cup (250 mL) cold liquid; let stand 1 minute.  
Add 3 cups (750 mL) fruit juice, heated to boiling 
and stir until gelatine is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. 
....adjust to taste, then chill and serve.

 

The general ratio for jiggler gel density:  

[?]

1 bowl of room temperature liquid in which you sprinkle the gelatin powder across to "soften" it gels up and goes clear instead of white. This bowl needs to be big enough for the final set.

1 pot of liquid about boiling temperature - enough that when you will pour into the 1st bowl it will be able to dissolve the gelatin (turns invisible instead of visible or rough) 

In the 1 bowl:

• We start by using the pot to heat the water that will make the leaf juice. 
  (The tea "leaf juice" cannot be boiled which would denature (destroy) the nutrients.)
• Turn the heat off and then add the plants of choice. 
  This is left to sit (steep) for long enough that it is cooled off to room temperature.
  Strain. 
• Pour half of 4-6 cups of "leaf juice" into the bowl  (and put the rest in a glass bottle). 
• Sprinkle the powdered gelatin across the bowl of leaf juice. 

 

In the 1 pot: 

• The packaged juices, (water to partially reconstitute frozen concentrate), and the citrus juice needs to be brought to boil to "kill" the enzymes.
• Turn heat off, cool slightly.
• This hot fluid will then be poured into the bowl. 
• Stir to dissolve and mix completely. 
• Taste test and add as much of the leaf juice from the glass bottle as flavor allows.   

Leaf juice:
amount is added to-taste in final bowl mix with excess left for drinking or another batch.

Bring water to boil, turn heat off.

Add cut herbals before walking away so you don't forget.  Since it is just barely not boiling, I follow this order:
a sprinkle of licorice root, then 2 spoonfuls of each: shavegrass, oatstraw, red raspberry leaf.
other add-ins could include nettle, oak bark, chamomile, passionfruit leaf, red clover,...  

• cut wood, barks, most roots needs a very hot, basically light simmer, for ~20 minutes 
• leaves and powders just hot for 10 minutes
• flowers are most delicate and need either warm water or just time
• (sun tea and just soaking is appropriate for the most delicate product OR for raw properties).

Below is how I used to do it.  
The above method is less error prone.

One approach to 

How to make "LEAF JUICE"
Bring 1 Cup of water to a boil and turn off heat.
Stir maybe a 1/8 cup or more fluffed red raspberry leaves (plus an optional less than 1 Tbl or so of fluffy nettle leaves)
Cover to steep nutrients into the water for 10-15 minutes. Strain out leaves. (Can keep for herbal compress/healing pack.)

COLD WATER, GELATIN AND FRUIT JUICE:
In a bowl or container at least 8 cups in size put:
2 Cup of water (this is usually just whatever drinking water you use)
Shake in 8 tsp to 3 Tbl of 100% beef gelatin (or kosher):  I order my beef gelatin from Azure Standard.To this, add a container of Frozen concentrate Purple 100% Grape Juice (next time could try your favorite 100% fruit combinations like apple and oranges or... link, or throw in some leftover cranberry sauce, yummm, or the whole can of pineapple or .... :)..) (rinse out cans with less than 1/2 Cup water.)

This is the concord grape that we have most available to us

COMBINE:
Pour the cooled "leaf juice" into the big bowl and add the gelatin to "soften".  When white powder has dissolved away, pour in the hot juice and any water.
Stir and taste.
The citrus juice (sour) 'covers' the bitterness of the leaves while the leaves make the flavor depth of all of this so yummy. Whichever sour juice is used needs it enzymes to be "killed" = boiled slightly to keep it from eating the gelatin.  Citrus, kiwi, pineapple, etc all have enzymes that eat 'dead proteins.'
Dump in frozen fruit after it has cooled down. It will speed the set but, again, tropical enzymes or citrus will eat the gelatin if warm.

If you want a molded shape pour into that pan.
Chill.

(To Remove a molded shape, "melt" the layer closest to the pan by running it under hot-ish water (sideways with a plate on it so it doesn't fall in the sink!) for a few moments then put a tray on the bowl and flip.)

(Fruit will float unless you stir it after partially set up to suspend them throughout.)