Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 46 MARCH 2021 A warm mug of herbal tea with honey can soothe a sore throat. Ginger eases an upset stomach. The scent of lavender can calm frayed nerves. Each of these remedies is familiar and has roots in age-old practices. "Using plants as family medicine is a common man's medicine. People have been using plants in all cultures at all times," says Margi Flint, owner of Earth Song Herbals Family Practice in Marblehead. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been keenly attuned to their health and HEALING HERBS PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOEL LAINO Home remedies from North Shore herbalists. BY ALEX ANDRA PECCI many have turned to remedies that their ancestors would have recognized. Here, some of the North Shore's best herbalists share some favorites. S U P E R C H A R G E D C H I C K E N B R OT H "Chicken soup is medicine," says Flint, who combines water with bones from a roasted chicken in a big pot, along with a quarter-cup of apple cider vinegar to help extract calcium. She also adds four or five astragalus roots, unpeeled burdock Margi Flint is the owner of Earth Song Herbals. root that's been sliced into rounds, and medicinal mushrooms, like shiitake, maitake, and reishi, or mushroom powder. After simmering for eight hours or overnight, she adds sliced onions and carrots during the final hour of cooking. Finally, she strains out the solids and freezes the broth in different- sized containers so it's always on hand for a variety of uses. E A SY A N T I V I R A L S P R AY Flint makes this easy antiviral spray by combining two parts scientic-grade alcohol with one part aloe vera juice and two drops of thyme essential oil for every ounce of liquid, which research shows has antimicrobial properties. She also adds ve drops of an evergreen oil (try juniper, cedar, or pine) plus two drops of optional frankincense oil. L I V E + P L AY