Past to Present Apothecary

06/16/2026

Lavender, (Lavandula Officinalis)💜🌿

🌿💜An elegant and aromatic herb originating in the Mediterranean and France, and is now cultivated worldwide. Vivid in color, lavender can serve us in many ways. There are a handful of different kinds, however, English lavender is the one mainly grown and used for its medicinal and culinary properties.

💜This can be grown in a garden bed or container garden. A perennial shrub that gets up to 3 ft in height. Ensure that it has well-draining soil. It enjoys full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of sunlight. Although it can be grown indoors, it does best outside.

🪲The herb acts as a bug-repellent. Warding off mosquitoes, moths, fleas, and flies. You can use the essential oil to soothe bug bites, as well as keep bugs away.
(Always remember that essential oils cannot be ingested and are for topical use only!!)

✨️Key constituents:
Volatile oils (containing over 40 active constituents including linalyl acetate, linalool, borneol and more)
Flavonoids
Estrogenic

✨️Key actions:
Neuroprotective
Antimicrobial
Antidepressant
Antispasmatic
Relieves anxiety

🌿Lavender can be used as a dried herb added to infusions for a calming effect and to help with digestion. You can also use the dried flowers in oil infusions to later be made into salves, lotions, soaps and more. The fresh herbs can be used to create tinctures, hydrosols, syrups and more.

⛑️Ailments that lavender is known to help with are agitation, anxiety, depression, indigestion, digestion, headaches, earache, insomnia, insect stings, stiff aching joints and more.

⚠️I have also been cautioned on how lavender can promote menstrual flow and to be careful using it for young women. It does have estrogenic constituents and is known to effect hormones. Always research for yourself.

⚠️Caution- do not ingest essential oil.

06/09/2026

✨️Monday motivation!

🌀I created this spiral garden last fall. I started by laying cardboard down where I planned on putting it. Then I used rock found all around the property to form the spiral shape. It was fragile, but once soil was added it kept its form. I cannot recall how many bags it took, but I do know I should have used more. 😫A problem for another day. 😅

🌿 During the fall I directly sowed some leafy greens (lettuce & spinach)seeds in the front bottom portion of the spiral. It absolutely thrived! I have since put 3 tomato plants in place of that. They seem to be doing well so far.

🍃Starting from the top center I have rosemary, lemon balm, thyme, sage, tomatoes, nasturtiums, apple mint, oregano, 1 very sad lavender plant, calendula seedlings, and 1 Echinacea seedling.

💜❓️I bought a beautiful lavender plant today, debating on repotting it or finding a place in my spiral garden for it. I fear I have planted certain plants in the wrong spot and will hinder their full growth. What do you think I should do?

06/07/2026

🎥The latest post on making an oil infuion has been uploaded to YouTube.

Check it out! https://youtu.be/vIiKlETBqBk?si=q0Vh45nNO4W3K53b

✨️I appreciate everyone's support! These videos are way out of my comfort zone, and I am sure it will get easier. No matter - I will continue to create and share because I love what I do. 😊

💬If you have any requests for future content leave a comment and I will do my best to get it done!

Again thank you all!! 🤍

This video covers how to make an herbal oil infusion. Using dried c...

06/07/2026

🧉🧉Sippin' Sunday

☕️Refreshing tea infusion

🗝Key actions include: cooling body & digestive support

🌿Ingredients:
1 tsp dried hibiscus petals (cooling)
1 tsp dried peppermint (refreshing, aid digestion)
½ tsp dried lemon verbena or lemongrass (notes of citrus)
optional : ½ tsp dried rose petals (floral, calming)

📝Directions:
--Combine herbs into tea bag or herb infusion ball and place in a mug with 1 cup of boiling water.

--Make sure to cover the tea infusion for 10-15 minutes to steep.

--Remove cover, let cool, and you can add honey, or stevia for taste. You can also chill in the refrigerator for later or add ice to make a cold tea.

✨️❓️This is a great tea to drink on a hot summer afternoon after lunch! What are some things you like to add to your summer time teas?

Follow, like, share🤍

06/05/2026

Lets make something today!

Our chamomile & lavender oil infusion is incredible. We go onto use the infusion to create our wellness salve.

If you're interested in how we make these products and others like them you can follow us on YouTube for full length videos.
https://youtube.com/?si=fWWes-uBXqKV9UGz

Thank you all for your support!

Like, comment, share, follow-

If you have have any requests on what I make next drop us a line! We love to hear input from everyone.

06/05/2026

Knowledge is wealth. 🤎💙💚

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE AND FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER! - The Arkansas Homesteading Conference has completely revamped its website - www.arkansashomesteader.com - to provide informative articles, online resources, free classifieds and more to help you on your homestead journey in the Natural State! In addition, we have also launched our new monthly email newsletter called Arkansas Homesteader. Just like our website, it will be filled with informative articles and resources as well as a listing of homestead-related events in Arkansas. You can sign up for the free newsletter as well as check out the first two issues here: https://tinyurl.com/42kzuct8

06/04/2026

🗣Talking all about Calendula officinalis!

🏵This fantastic flower is a favorite of mine both to grow and use in my herbal products!

Follow along if your interested in learning more on herbs and what all they are good for.

06/04/2026

🌱Comfrey, Symphytum officinale

🌿This perennial plant grows to be 3ft in height and has a bell-like flower in shades of white, pink, and purple. Native to Europe, and part of the Boraginaceae family, it is now grown all around the world.

✨️Comfrey is known for its rapid healing properties. Also referred to as knit-bone, it has been used for thousands of years for healing wounds and broken bones. A somewhat controversial herb, comfrey is important to learn about. In the past it was thought to be safe to use both internally and externally. However, studies have shown that ingesting it can be toxic to humans.

🗝Key actions:
-Astringent
-Anti-inflammatory
-Wound healing

🧬Constituents:
-Allantoin
-Phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid)
-Tannins
-Triterpenes
-Pyrrolizidine alkaloids

🌿There are many ways this wound healing herb can help externally. (DO NOT apply to open wounds. Ensure a clean surface prior to application)
-Bruising
-Strains
-Sprains
-Small cuts/wounds
-Scars/Skin inflammation
-Acne

🫙Ways to use comfrey:
-Non-diluted tincture directly on troubled acne (do not ingest)
-A compress with infused comfrey oil/fresh ground leaves on a sprain or fractured bone
-Ointment for bruising
-Salve for joint and muscle pain
-Poultice with fresh leaves for boils and more…

❔️❓️What are some ways you have used comfrey? Have you ever used to help with wound healing?

⚠️Containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids, toxins that plants produce in defense against herbivores. To humans these PAs are highly toxic to the liver and cause acute and chronic liver toxicity. It's unknown what part of the plant holds this constituent, and so it is recommended to use externally only.
⚠️Check with a doctor prior to using if you are on any medications.

Follow for more information.