Beginning

What brought me here

I was born into a cosmopolitan family. All my ancestors come from different parts of the world, but they all have one thing in common: Argentina.

Everyone arrived seeking a better life, freedom, nature; some sought solitude, and others companionship. Some were escaping, and others were following an unknown path.

If they found what they were looking for, I will never know. What I know is that they found a home. Nomads by nature, like all the beings who inhabit the Earth. Without repressing their desires and dreams, everyone sought their own refuge. Ours, along with my parents and sister, was Patagonia.

There I grew up, with clean water and air, creatures of the forest and infinite unknown mountains, rivers and jungles to explore. All I needed was to listen and observe.

Inspiration

Victoria is a friend that travels, and in the meantime, who can creates with very little.

Viki imagines and embodies incredible characters, creates fantastic crochet dolls, colorful embroideries inspired by the puna and the andes, and alchemical preparations with herbs she collects along the way.

With her little weaving projects, she weaves stories, colors, people, small towns, and love together. She teaches me that we don’t need more than a backpack to carry our precious tiny creations.

The latter is what she has taught me since we met—respecting nature by asking permission and giving thanks to each plant we harvest from.

Tulsi; Ocimum Sanctum

«Oh Narada! In every house, every village, every forest, wherever the Tulsi plant grows, misery, fear, desire, and poverty will not exist. (…)»

(…) «Tulsi, in all aspects and places, is more sacred than the sacred. Where the breeze blows through the Tulsi plants, it fragrance spreads, making everything around it blessed and pure. Lord Vishnu and the other gods show their blessings to the people who venerate and cultivate Tulsi. Through the worship of Tulsi, the souls of all our ancestors are pleased, and our path to heaven is open. Oh Narada!» Padmapurana – Vedic Sacred Scripture

Tulsi is the most important medicinal plant in the world of Ayurveda medicine, valued for its medicinal and spiritual properties and its endless benefits. It is an adaptogenic plant. Its greatest potentials are related to stress control, natural detoxification, increased resistance and energy and restoring inner balance.

Its karma or action on tissues includes: antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, blood purifier, antiparasitic, insect repellent, digestive, antitussive, expectorant and diuretic. It harmonizes imbalances. In the Padmapurana scripture, it is described as the protector of life, accompanying the human being from birth to death.

Tulsi is a sun-loving and heat-loving plant. Choose a spot in your garden that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. If you’re growing tulsi in cold areas, plant it in a greenhouse or indoors near a south-facing window. Sow Tulsi seeds just below the surface of the soil. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. The best time to harvest Tulsi is in the morning after the dew has evaporated but before the sun is too intense. This is when the essential oils in the leaves are at their peak. And as we learned before, say please and thanks to the plant when you harvest.

Melissa officinalis (μελισσο), the heart healer.

Loved by the Greeks and Arabs in the 300 b.C, toronjil or melissa was one of the favorites in natural medicine for treating the sickness of the heart; sentimental pain.

Its flowers attract bees, which is why it was named melissa, meaning «bee» in Greek. In ancient times, bees were considered sacred and honey was used in religious ceremonies as a symbol of solar energy.

According to the physician and alchemist Paracelsus (1493-1541), melissa was an ally for us, «all ailments believed to arise from a disordered nervous system.»

Its terpenes—citronella, citronellol, citral, and geraniol—makes it a key ingredient in the first aid kit for relieving stomach cramps, muscle tension, tachycardia, stress, anxiety, drowsiness, and depression. Topically, it acts as an insect repellent and inhibits the herpes simplex virus, which causes cold sores.

We can cultivate Melissa in our homes. It grows from seed or can be propagated from cuttings. It’s very easy! It only needs warmth. It requires a semi-shaded spot where it can receive sunlight but not constant direct sun. It doesn’t tolerate frost well, so if you’re in a cold area, protect it under a roof. If you plant it indoors, make sure to use a large pot with good drainage. Harvest it in the morning and thank it for providing you with its ancient medicine and sacred smell.

Cocos Nucifera, kalpa vriksha, «The tree that satisfies all the needs of life».

«Whoever plants a coconut tree plants ships and clothes, food and drink, a roof for themselves, and an inheritance for their children.»

«The coconut palm is truly one of nature’s marvels. Over a thousand uses are known. Each part of it is used for a purpose. From this tree, everything necessary to sustain life can be derived. It is a source of food and drink to nourish the body, medicine to maintain and restore health, and materials to build shelters, clothes, and tools that make our lives easier. In India, the coconut palm is called kalpa vriksha, which means ‘the tree that satisfies all the needs of life.’» — The Coconut Cure by Bruce Fife.

«It can be said without exaggeration that people use it in one way or another every day of their lives and even benefit from it before they are born. The mother eats coconut to nourish herself and ensure a healthy baby and a quick delivery. Pregnant women massage their abdomen daily with oil to facilitate childbirth and prevent unsightly stretch marks. After birth, oil is applied to tender areas to speed healing, and breasts are massaged to relieve pain caused by breastfeeding.

Communities with abundant coconuts consider it the cure for all diseases. «The coconut tree is the essence of life; it produces a greater diversity of products for human use than any other plant. For this reason, it is highly valued in the Philippines and called the ‘tree of life.’

In the book The Coconut Cure, Fife recounts the story of Porfirio Sorse, a Filipino healer expert in the medicinal use of coconut oil. The author quotes conversations with «Paul.»

«As a body ointment, it is unmatched. Paul claimed it eliminated any skin disorder, even psoriasis. The skin must be kept constantly moist with the oil until the problem disappears. He told me that when applied with some pressure, coconut oil stops bleeding from a wound. It prevents infection. When applied with a full-body massage, it helps regulate body temperature; if you have a fever, it lowers it. It relieves itching, pain, and swelling from bee stings and other insect bites, as well as poison ivy.

It is excellent for burns and heals and prevents bedsores caused by long bed rest, reduces wrinkles, acne, dandruff, and soothes chapped lips. Sunburns, frostbite, diaper dermatitis, and gum pain. Paul further discusses that the oil penetrates the skin through the pores, cleaning them and allowing the body to excrete waste substances. When the pores release waste, they become clogged and form pustules and boils. The oil, upon penetration, melts away these wastes and internally it relieves stomach and intestinal ailments, he explained.

The oil was a tonic, medicine, and health restorer. It is the true fountain of youth.—»It’s wonderful,» he said, «for everything—from wounds to colds, headaches, burns, sunburns, blisters, scratches, sinusitis, asthma, arthritis, rheumatism, aches and pains, stiff joints and muscles, red eyes, poison ivy, toothache, sore gums, and hardened arteries.»

The importance of using high-quality coconut oil from indigenous, self-managed communities that do not exploit and respect ecosystem conservation is paramount. Consuming consciously is essential.

Hipericum Perforatum, «the flower that drives away sadness»

Hiperico is the plant that reconnects me with the beginnings of my learning, first herbal preparations and plant consumption. It was my companion and helped me through my winter blues, giving me what the sun, hidden behind the clouds of snow and rain, couldn’t provide me during the Patagonian long winters.

St. John’s wort or hierba de San Juan was used to cure a wide variety of illnesses, including melancholy, anguish of the soul, the accumulation of demonic spirits, dark thoughts, and hopelessness, a definition that corresponds to what we know today as depression.

This is how it was described and used in ancient civilizations. Studied by Dioscorides, one of the first physicians and botanical scientists in the Western world, it was also classified as a healing herb, used to heal wounds and skin burns when macerated in oil.

Thanks to hypericin and hyperforin, its active compounds, it inhibits the reuptake of various neurotransmitters, chemicals our bodies produce that are closely related to emotions and mood. Improvements are evident after 10 to 15 days of treatment, or less for hypersensitive people, like me.

It is not recommended for pregnant women or during breastfeeding. It is also not recommended for use by those taking medications such as anticoagulants, antipsychotics, and antidepressants (because it inhibits these effects), photosensitizing medications (because it increases them) and HIV medications.

You will find hipericum perforatum almost everywhere around the world! This perennial plant with oval leafs and yellow little flowers grows wild in meadows, forest clearings, thickets, and cultivated land. She loves the sun and survives in dry and humid climates, but she doesn’t like cold weather.

I always find her on the side of the roads. Try to collect the ones that are not too exposed to human contaminations, such as car pollutions or contaminated soil. She always appears in the perfect moment, when the summer is about to end. I feel that she comes to help us, so we can prepare ourselves for the grey and rainy autumn and the cold white winter. So when you see her, thank her and collect her with love, conscious and respect. Dry her in a dry, dark place with air flow, upside down in bundles.

Pachamama Raymi, 1 of August

Pachamama Day for the Andean peoples of America is the most sacred day of the year.

It is the day of Mother Earth—the creator, the guide, the giver of life, and the conductor of the most important orchestra: nature.

It is the day to give something in return—an offering, a gift, a gesture of gratitude. Something that symbolizes the four elements, life, death, and the heavens. A promise to connect every day with everything that surrounds us.
To corpachar—to give back to the Earth what she gives us.

The season of rain is welcomed, the harvest season is bid farewell, and prayers are offered for a future harvest to be abundant, healthy, and fair.

The word pacha, from Aymara and Quechua, means time, space, cosmos. It is the all-encompassing. The Mother of all.

Yuspagara, Pachamama!

The secrets of our hair. What significance does it hold for our inner being?

«In ancient traditions, hair was more than mere adornment; it was a sacred thread connecting the human spirit to the divine, to ancestors, and to the cosmos. In millennia-old cultures, it was believed that each strand carried spiritual essence, a reflection of the soul.»

Hair, in the tapestry of ancient traditions, is not merely strands of silk or thread—it is the very breath of ancestral wisdom, a sacred link between the soul and the cosmos. In many cultures, it was seen as a vessel of magic, carrying the whispers of the past and the hopes of the future. To braid, to adorn, to let it flow—each movement was an act of reverence, an invocation of the divine.

Among Native American tribes, hair was a living testament to strength, wisdom, and connection to the earth. Long hair was more than beauty; it was the soul’s extension, a reflection of one’s bond with nature’s rhythm, an offering to the spirits.

In African traditions, each twist and turn of the hair told a story—of family, tribe, and heritage. The art of styling was sacred, a prayer woven into each braid, a charm to protect and empower.
In the mist of ancient Egypt, hair was more than adornment; it was a crown of power. Wigs and elaborate headdresses were worn by those who walked in the footsteps of gods, their hair a symbol of their divine right to rule, their connection to realms unseen. And in Celtic lore, hair was spun into magic, each braid carrying protection, blessings, or secrets whispered into the winds.

Cutting one’s hair was not a simple act—it was a ritual, a passage, a shedding of the past, or a mourning of what was lost. It was the mark of transformation, an offering to the spirits for new beginnings. Hair was, and still is, a symbol of identity, strength, and sacred connection. It is the silent language that speaks of one’s roots, carrying with it the power of the earth, the ancestors, and the divine.

Mother tincture, ancestral and universal medicine

«The extraction of plant properties is an age-old practice. Despite its antiquity, it remains relevant in natural medicine as a great ally for health.»

The use of alcohol in the preparation of tinctures is a technique believed to have emerged alongside the earliest distillation methods, with records dating back to the ancient Egyptians around 2000 BCE. Although it is clear that many older Eastern civilizations also practiced the art of distillation.

This process has been used for centuries to concentrate the active principles of medicinal plants through maceration. We can also use oils, vinegars, honey, vegetal glycerin and water. Alcohol, however, is an excellent solvent for plants with strong structures, roots, and barks. It is not recommended to use alcohol based tinctures during pregnancy or breastfeeding, for people that has a problematic relationship with alcohol or are with medical treatment. Something really important to notice is that some herbs are not recommended for everyone, due to allergies and sensibility to some plants families.

The tinctures should be taken orally and the recommended doses vary depending on the type of herb used, as well as the person’s age, weight and gender. Generally, it is recommended to take one drop per kilo weight diluted in a glass of water, three times a day. I personally prefer to take it easy and start the process gradually, increasing day by day the quantities.