Manuka is the flavour of the month at my place! This is one of those oils that I forget about for a while, and then suddenly seem to use all the time. It has a slightly off-putting fragrance in my opinion, but it is a wonderfully effective oil.

Zoopharmacognosy, or animal self-medication, is a fascinating subject, and one I am lucky enough to observe pretty much every day of my life. I was happy to find this article, which gives some good examples of how wild animals seek out the herbs and minerals they need.

Sweet Fennel bridges the Traditional Chinese Medicine seasons of Late Summer and Autumn (Fall). The sweet yet pungent fragrance, tell us that Sweet Fennel belongs to Earth and Metal, governors of those seasons. Traditionally used as a digestive aid, working on the stomach and large intestine, Sweet Fennel also helps to clarify mental confusion, let-go of obsessive behaviour and to express yourself clearly. Late summer is the time for integrating lessons learnt over the fruitful summer time and Autumn is the time for letting go of that which is no longer serving you.