New Website!

To find me on my new website, click HERE. Or go to bridgetsapothecary.com

If you are looking to purchase products, you can still find me on ETSY by clicking HERE.

With the new website, I will be able to add more content, audio, video and articles. I'm excited to offer lots of new things. If you have suggestions, please let me know!

Lip Balm Sale through the end of January!

In honor of the delightful winter weather we've been experiencing, I'm keeping four-packs of Lip Balm on sale through the end of January. Click HERE

to get the best deal on them of the year!

The tears I cried for an onion

As it turns colder, I have turned to cooking. It's strange this year, maybe it's just that I'm getting older, but I never used to even want to cook like I do now. I get these ideas and I just want to cook all day while people come over and eat all my food, and be warm and full and happy. I think part of it is having a kitchen that I can just take over. And part of it is trying to save money by making food and having yummy leftovers for lunch. And this week, a lot of it was to turn the oven on, because the house is getting so cold! Truthfully though, most of the time it's just been me, cooking and thinking and packaging up leftovers for lunch. Which still makes me feel good because it means money saved, for future school, or future house, or future business, etc :)

I've heard that the way you know you have a fresh onion, is if your eyes water quite a bit as you slice it up. Today, while I was making dal, I was thinking about how my eyes didn't even water as I cut it, and I started to wonder if the onion was perhaps a little old. I'm thinking this as I put the oil in the bottom of the pot, and throw in the onion, then some spices, then the chopped up ginger, and then, realizing I hadn't cut up the garlic yet, my eyes aren't just welling up, they are dripping and streaming with salty goodness, and the cold and congestion that I've been fighting fills up my whole head, and I'm struggling to even see the garlic and finish chopping it and throw it in so that I can run for the hills and blow my nose. How strange to only feel the potent mixture reacting in me without actually smelling it.

It occurs to me after all of this, that I have that tightness on my upper cheeks that you get after a good cry, as the salty tears dry on you, and you have calmed down and released everything. Just this feeling on my cheeks makes me feel as though I've had some kind of satisfying release of emotion, though I haven't really cried at all. This got me to wondering...I've read that crying releases toxins, so presumably, letting out these tears even without crying, would also release toxins...So perhaps it wasn't just the physical feeling of my cheeks that made me feel some how lighter, but maybe somewhere in there there was an emotional release...all brought about by an onion.

Makes me think of how, an infusion of an herb in a tea is a potent way of ingesting herbal medicine, but so also is the act of sitting down and drinking a warm cup of tea. Heating the water, pouring it over the herbs, cupping your hands around a warm cup is also a calming, some might even say healing, ritual, of great use in addition to the medicinal action of the herbal constituents that you then drink.

It's a gentle reminder then, that each thing we do is so connected to the next. We may never really know which thing at which time brought about which healing reaction. It's part of why if we try to extract a single ingredient from a plant, and then test everyone with it, it doesn't always work. It's part of why the not knowing, or not always being able to explain everything, is becoming more and more okay with me. Today I can be satisfied with the beauty of the small connections. And the tears I cried (or didn't cry) for an onion.


(reposting this, though I wrote it quite awhile ago!)

class today POSTPONED

I'm afraid I needed to reschedule today's class. I was just out, and the roads are terrible. It doesn't seem like plows and salt trucks are going, so we should all just stay safe and warm this afternoon. Next week I'm still planning on Elderberry on Saturday afternoon, and herbal oil/skin salve on Sunday afternoon. Email for details: Bridgetsapothecary@gmail.com

Blessings to you on this chilly, snowy, Sunday!

Upcoming Classes

Next class is THIS Sunday afternoon at Buena Vista Coffee on the Northside.

Lotion and Lip Balm $15 4-6pm Please RSVP to Bridgetsapothecary@gmail.com or purchase a ticket HERE
This is where it all began. This class is a great introduction to making products, mainly because we make two products that almost everyone is familiar with. Have you ever wondered why lotions and creams always contain so many preservatives, or alcohol which in itself can be very drying? Have you had an addiction to certain mass marketed lip balms and wondered if all the ingredients are really safe? In this class we will discuss what to look for, and what to avoid in seeking out natural body care products; the benefits of making your own, (first and foremost, knowing exactly what you're putting on your skin) and everyone will get a chance to help make both lotion and lip balm first hand. Each student will take home a small jar of lotion and a tube of lip balm that we make during the class, as well as the recipes, resource list, and first-hand knowledge and confidence to make it again on their own. Bring your inquisitive mind, and enthusiastic spirit, and a friend!

Natural Cold Care: Elderberry Syrup
FEB 15, Saturday 1-3 pm in Highland Park. $15
Please email (bridgetsapothecary@gmail.com) to RSVP and for location details!

Natural Cold Care: Elderberry Syrup
We are well into the sniffles, sneezes, and coughing of the season. Let's come together and make a trusted remedy for health! Elderberries have long been used for the prevention and healing of colds and flu, and research is starting to catch up. In this class we will talk about the medicinal properties of Elderberry (Sambucus nigra), natural ways to boost your immune system, and helpful hints to use if you start coming down with something. You will learn how to make Elderberry Syrup, and everyone will take home a 2 ounce, amber bottle of this beneficial syrup, as well as recipes, resource list and first-hand knowledge and confidence to make it again on your own. Bring your inquisitive mind, and enthusiastic spirit, and a friend!


FEB 16, Sunday 4-6pm Buena Vista Coffee (1501 Buena Vista St 15212) $15
Herbal Oil/Skin Salve/Diaper Balm

In this class you will learn how to make an herbal oil using the folk method, and then we will turn a previously made herbal oil into a healing skin salve. We will discuss the healing properties of the three herbs used, and talk about the many applications of this particular salve. St. John's Wort, Comfrey and Calendula are the herbs that make this an invaluable salve for cuts, burns, and bruises. Everyone will take home a small tin of salve that we make together that night, as well as the recipe, resource list and first-hand knowledge and confidence to make it again on their own. Bring your inquisitive mind, and enthusiastic spirit, and a friend!

To RSVP, purchase a ticket HERE or email me: bridgetsapothecary@gmail.com

Handmade Arcade is This Saturday!

Come visit Bridget's Apothecary at booth 112 at Handmade Arcade this Saturday from 11am to 7pm!

Handmade Arcade is Pittsburgh's Largest independent craft fair and they are celebrating their 10th year this Saturday Dec 7th. There will be 150 vendors selling a wide range of handmade wares. There will also be free demonstrations, activities, and music! This event is free from 11am to 7pm at the David L. Lawrence convention center and Downtown City of Pittsburgh parking garages are free on weekends during the holiday season!

http://www.handmadearcade.com/

https://www.facebook.com/events/404380719687647/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

I'll have some great gift baskets and holiday deals (including my lowest prices on lip balm all season!) it should be a fun time! Come stock up, and support local and handmade! Hope to see you!

Schedule Change and Lotion/Lip Balm Make-and-Learn!

Hello Friends!

Regretfully, I need to reschedule this week's class to another time. There will be no Herbal Oil/Skin Salve/Diaper Balm class this week.

Luckily we have 1 more class scheduled this year. It's the Lotion/Lip Balm class, so mark your calendars for Wed. Nov. 20th!

This class is my most popular, and you will walk away with the knowledge and hands-on experience to make some at home. You will also take home a small jar of the Lotion, and a tube of the lip balm (these make great gifts). Come join us for a fun night!


Lotion and Lip Balm Make-and-Learn
Have you ever wondered why lotions and creams always contain so many preservatives, or alcohol which in itself can be very drying? Have you had an addiction to certain mass marketed lip balms and wondered if all the ingredients are really safe? In this class we will discuss what to look for, and what to avoid in seeking out natural body care products; the benefits of making your own, (first and foremost, knowing exactly what you're putting on your skin) and everyone will get a chance to help make both lotion and lip balm first hand. Each student will take home a small jar of lotion and a tube of lip balm that we make during the class, as well as the recipes, resource list, and first-hand knowledge and confidence to make it again on their own. Bring your inquisitive mind, and enthusiastic spirit, and a friend!

Wed. Nov. 20th
1501 Buena Vista St. (on the Northside of Pittsburgh) 15212
7-9pm
$15 per person

To register buy a ticket here Or RSVP to bridgetsapothecary@gmail.com

I can accept last minute reservations on the day of if I have space, call or text Moirin 412.908.0454

Hope to see you!