Recent Posts

the great debate: internal use

the great debate: internal use

In my meanderings through various Facebook groups, professional communities, and coffee clutch conversations of late I find more and more conversations about — and contention surrounding — the internal use of essential oils. Questions surrounding safe use of essential oils come faster — and are sometimes responded to 

mooning over love

mooning over love

Ah, lurve. Few things are more fun to elevate and celebrate with oils, herbs, and food than sweet, sweet love. Whereas many of the best parts of love are arguably intangible, love is still very much informed by our senses — especially in the physical expression 

hitting the road for discovery & connection

hitting the road for discovery & connection

I’ve been busy of late fulfilling orders, researching new products, testing new recipes, and finalizing the Winter, 2014 catalog that will feature many of Untamed Alchemy’s new creations. As a result, I’m thrilled that the next few days provide a much needed break from my desk 

Oils & Herbs for Virgo

Oils & Herbs for Virgo

Meet Virgo… Intelligent, observant, independent, and precise, Virgos are one of the bigger thinkers of the zodiac — they love to analyze details and get into the nitty-gritty of things with much of the action focused on their thought processes as opposed to physical action. 

untamed fact #23 (chemotypes)

untamed fact #23 (chemotypes)

Individual essential oils can present with unique chemical compositions dependent upon details like their source location, climate conditions during the source plant’s growth cycle, and so on. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an excellent example of an essential oil with a variety of potential chemotypes: you’ll 

aromatherapy for grief & loss

aromatherapy for grief & loss

Can I be completely honest with you? The last two years have been doozies. I mean pick-you-up-and-throw-you-down fire walks. In the first year I lost my job at a place that held my heart and my core relationships. I went from being surrounded by people 

guidelines: blending for expectant mamas

guidelines: blending for expectant mamas

I am often asked about blending specifically for expectant moms. Below you’ll find my general guidelines which are either on par with–or more conservative than–guidelines from industry experts on safe use of essential oils. I’ve posted them as a permanent page as well–downloadable pdfs of 

eat your way to independence: symbolic foods for freedom

eat your way to independence: symbolic foods for freedom

As specific holidays approach, I get an increasing number of emails from readers asking for articles, recipes, spells, and advice relevant to the upcoming holiday: aphrodisiacs before Valentine’s Day, oils and herbs for gratitude before Thanksgiving, and so on. This year, I noticed for the first time 

why friday the 13th is your lucky day

why friday the 13th is your lucky day

Many people dread Friday the 13th expecting the worst from the negative superstition that surrounds it, but the day can be considered to be lucky in many ways, especially for women. The day gets a bad rap because of associations assigned by groups afraid of both the 

mooning over white fir, sage of the north country

mooning over white fir, sage of the north country

Abundant and varied evergreens are among my favorite things about our new home–our property is dotted with both individual trees and thick stands of various pines and firs. My single favorite trees may be the two White Firs (Abies concolor) that grow here; their silver-green needles on 

bright ideas for a bold, beautiful garden

bright ideas for a bold, beautiful garden

Visitors to our Santa Fe farm often commented not only on the delicious flavor and prolific yield of our fruit and veggie gardens, but also on the enduring freshness of the items they yielded: most things stayed fresh looooong after similar store-bought items would turn or wither. We had 

home, sweet home! we’ve arrived in idaho!

home, sweet home! we’ve arrived in idaho!

We have long loved the high desert of Santa Fe and enjoyed the more than three hundred annual days of sunshine the environment provided over the decades we called it home. Using biodynamic principles in planting, harvesting, and putting by, we were able to delight in