Sarah Munro’s Botanical Receipts
In ONE DARK WISH, the second book in the Deadly Force series, the heroine Sarah Munro is an 18th century historian searching for the truth behind why Rebecca Prioleau, a 16-year-old Puritan girl and renowned healer, was accused of witchcraft and murdered in Savannah, GA in 1699.
Unfortunately, Sarah’s search attracts the attention of a savage arms dealer and the leader of the Fianna, a mysterious group of assassins. Sarah’s interest in Rebecca’s murder also brings her in contact with the sexy hero, ex-Green Beret Nate Walker. Before the story starts (and Sarah and Nate fall in love), Sarah spent years collecting Rebecca’s recipes and recreating them for her own personal use. Now I’m sharing Sarah’s herbal recipes with you!
Sarah Munro’s Winter Orange Spice Tea
It’s a snowy day and I have words to write. This winter orange spice tea is one of my favorites to enjoy while I watch the snow fall and outline my next story.
Sarah Munro’s Halloween Chai Tea
I love Halloween and I especially love Halloween themed foods. And this recipe for a spiced chai and pumpkin tea is now one of my new favorites. I hope you enjoy it!
Sarah Munro’s Quick Fire Cider
The cooler weather means that it’s almost time for seasonal colds and allergies. That also means it’s time to make some homemade Fire Cider. And here’s my favorite quick recipe!
Sarah Munro’s Herb Oil Cubes
The summer herb garden is overflowing and it’s time to save some of those extra summer herbs for cooking in the dead of winter.
Sarah Munro’s Hawthorn Berry Syrup
Apple Cider reductions have been around for centuries. For some, the reductions were turned into alcohol. For others, they used the reductions as vinegars. This time of year, apple cider vinegars are used in all sorts of homemade remedies and syrups.
Sarah Munro’s Black Cherry Bark Cough Tea
It’s the coughing time of year! As someone who is susceptible to coughs, I’m always looking for herbal remedies that help soothe my coughs and allow and me to sleep. After doing some research, I found and old remedy in the Farmer’s Almanac: Black Cherry Bark Cough Tea.
Sarah Munro’s Autumn Chai
When the weather gets colder, I tend to crave hot drinks with warming spices. And when those spices offer immunity-building elements, I’m even happier. Chai tea is one of my favorite drinks in the winter, and this recipe in particular is one of my favorites.
Sarah Munro’s Forest Blend Bathroom Spray
‘Tis the season for guests. That means we need to prep our homes–especially our bathrooms–for an onslaught of visitors. Since things sometimes don’t go as we hope in the bathroom (pun intended!), it’s not a bad idea to provide your guests with a preemptive strike–a bathroom spray that helps keep down unwanted odors.
Sarah Munro’s Elderberry Mulled Cider
For centuries, people have been taking elixirs–special herbs soaked in wine, beer, or cider. This is a process called mulling, where herbs and spices are infused into wine, beer, or cider through heat and rest.
Sarah Munro’s Pumpkin Spice Latte
There’s nothing more enjoyable than a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte on a cold Autumn morning. Luckily, PSLs are easy to make with fresh, non-toxic ingredients.
Sarah Munro’s Rosehip Oxymel
It’s time to add more immune-boosting tonics to my kitchen, and this recipe for Rosehip Oxymel is an easy and delicious way to include more Vitamin C to our diet.
Sarah Munro’s Coconut Hair Mask
In the middle of summer, when your hair has suffered damage from the sun, sunscreen chemicals, chlorine in the pool, or salty ocean water, a DIY coconut hair mask may be the answer.
Sarah Munro’s Herbal Hair Rinse
Summer is here and the sun has had its way with my hair which is now dry and brittle. Making herbal hair rinses is one of my favorite way to revive hair that has been damaged by sun, chlorine, and seawater.
Sarah Munro’s Herbal Shampoo
Herbal Shampoos predate our modern store-bought products and are surprisingly easy and cheap to make, especially during the summer. This is an easy and inexpensive recipe that will keep your hair healthy and clean and free from perfumes and other chemicals.
Sarah Munro’s Basil Pesto
Although Basil Pesto is a food recipe, I’m adding it to Sarah Munro’s collection because originally pesto was a way to preserve extra basil that came out of gardens.
Sarah Munro’s Basil Salt
Basil is overflowing in the garden and today I’m using some of it to make Basil Salt which is a perfect addition to grilled chicken and veggies.
Sarah Munro’s Herbal Room Scents
Simmer pots are not just for winter. When you use fresh herbs and fruit, you can fill your house with the scents of summer.
Sarah Munro’s Herbal Ice
Herbal ice is a great way to add flavor and fun to cold summer drinks like lemonade and Iced tea, as well as any cocktail of your choice.
Sarah Munro’s Lavender Bath Milk
For those of us who need an anti-stress activity, try lavender bath salts the next time you soak in the tub. There’s nothing more relaxing than sea salt and lavender that both help ease muscles aches and general anxiety.
Sarah Munro’s Lavender Face Mask
It’s almost lavender season and today’s herbal recipe is for a fresh yogurt, honey, and lavender face mask. It’s great for all types of skin!
Sarah Munro’s Lavender Salt
My lavender is growing like crazy and it’s almost time to harvest it. There are so many uses for lavender, but making lavender salt is my all-time favorite.
Sarah Munro’s Violet Lemonade
I am furiously picking wild violets before the disappear for another year. And this week, I’m using the flowers to make a lovely and refreshing Violet Lemonade.
Sarah Munro’s Violet Tea
Now that Spring is officially here, it’s time to forage Violets to make a lovely and refreshing Violet Tea.
Sarah Munro’s Violet Simple Syrup
Wild violets are everywhere, so I’m making a quick batch of Violet Simple Syrup to use on pancakes, to mix with sparkling water, and to use in one of my favorite Easter cocktails.
Sarah Munro’s Violet Vinegar
It’s Spring and it’s now time to make use of those early spring flowers. One of my favorites, wild violets, make a lovely infused vinegar.
Sarah Munro’s Natural Stain Remover
Spring Cleaning is here, and part of the process includes cleaning winter clothes and pulling out lighter-weight items. In the process, laundry must be done so it’s time to make up a batch of a miracle stain remover.
Sarah Munro’s Sage Smudge Stick
Once the house is clean, try burning a sage smudge stick. The scents leave the home smelling fresh and welcoming.
Sarah Munro’s Lemon Carpet Deodorizer
Since we’re deep into Spring Cleaning, today we’re making a DIY carpet deodorizer with a fresh scent that leaves your house and vacuum smelling like lemons!
Sarah Munro’s Spring Cleaning Spray
It’s time for some more Spring Cleaning recipes, and this DIY all-purpose spray cleaner is easy to make, works great, and smells wonderful.
Sarah Munro’s Spring Floor Wash
It’s March so it’s time to start thinking about Spring Cleaning, even if there is still snow on the ground. One of my favorite products is a DIY no-rinse floor wash that uses natural ingredients and essential oils.
Sarah Munro’s Vitamin C Juice
We’re now in the middle of winter and it’s time for a kick of Vitamin C. This juice recipe is the perfect answer to the winter sniffles and blahs. It’s like liquid sunshine!
Shakespeare’s Winter Tea Blend
Did you know that Shakespeare had his own tea blend? And wrote about it in one of his plays? Well today I have the recipe and it’s perfect for a cold winter day.
Sarah Munro’s Moisturizing Bath Melts
There is nothing more wonderful on a cold winter day than sinking into a hot tub with a cup of hot tea. To combat the dry skin that hot water leaves behind, try these moisturizing bath melts. They will leave your skin soft and hydrated.
Sarah Munro’s Citrus Spice Bath Salts
Feeling stressed or sore from shoveling snow/ Slip into a hot bath filled with Citrus Spice Bath Salts, a perfect soak to ease you muscles on a cold winter day.
Sarah Munro’s Lemon Balm Syrup
Homemade Lemon Balm Syrup is a wonderful homeopathic addition to herbal teas to help you relax and feel less anxious.
Sarah Munro’s Grapefruit Lip Balm
It’s the season for snow ball fights and dry lips. After much trial and error, I’ve decided that this grapefruit lip balm is my absolute favorite!
Sarah Munro’s Echinacea Tea
It’s January and time to boost my immune system with a minty echinacea tea that helps ward off colds and keeps me warm.
Sarah Munro’s Frankincense Water
Frankincense is a shrub that grows in the deserts from India to Saudi Arabia. The resin from this plant has, for over 5,000 years, offered relief from stress, arthritis, pain and inflammation, and it boosts immunity. For a long time, because it was such a powerful medicinal, the resin pieces were worth more than gold.
Sarah Munro’s Mugwort Vinegar
I love flavored vinegars. And if the flavored vinegar contains extra Vitamin C, calcium and magnesium from a locally-source herb, all the better!
Sarah Munro’s Eucalyptus Vapor Rub
Cold season has arrived along with a homemade eucalyptus vapor rub that promises a good night’s sleep.
Sarah Munro’s Honey Lemon Ginger Cough Drops
When the early winter winds bring colds and coughs, this homemade Honey Lemon Ginger Cough Drop will soothe even the sorest of throats with only a few, natural ingredients.
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Sarah Munro’s Rose Hip Vinegar
For centuries people have been infusing white vinegar with rose hips to add flavor and a boost of vitamin C. And here’s an easy recipe.
Sarah Munro’s Warming Muscle Rub
With the colder weather coming, along with the busy holidays sometimes an herbal warming rub is the only way to soothe your aches and pains.
Sarah Munro’s Cinnamon Honey Cold Remedy
Worried about cough and cold season? Sarah Munro’s easy and delicious cinnamon honey cold remedy is perfect for most members of the family.
Sarah Munro’s Electrolyte Replacement
It’s just as important to stay hydrated in the fall and winter as it is in the summer. This homemade electrolyte recipe is an easy way to help keep yourself healthy this season.
Sarah Munro’s Black Pepper & Elderberry Vinegar
Elderberries aren’t just great sources of Vitamin C. They are tied to Halloween through the legend of Holle, the guardian of the dead and considered the first witch of Europe.
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Sarah Munro’s Thieves Oil
Thieves Oil has been used for centuries to help build immunity and ward off disease. Here’s an easy recipe the entire family can use.
Sarah Munro’s Fall Equinox Tea
Although the Fall Equinox occurred last month, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy this spicy fall tea.
Sarah Munro’s Pumpkin Spice Golden Milk Latte
It’s pumpkin spice latte time–but today’s recipe has a turmeric, ginger, and honey twist.
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Sarah Munro’s Citrus Linen Spray
Sarah Munro’s herbal recipe series continues with a Citrus Linen Spray that can help you sleep and leave your house smelling like spiced oranges.
Sarah Munro’s Ginger Syrup
The air is getting colder which means it’s time to add a sweet ginger and honey syrup to the home remedy arsenal.
Sarah Munro’s Dandelion Root-Infused Honey
Dandelion-infused tea is a perfect addition to a cup of herbal tea on a chilly fall day.
Sarah Munro’s Oatmeal Bath
Today on the Romance Herbalist blog, bestselling author Sharon Wray returns with a recipe for a DIY oatmeal bath to soothe and moisturize dry and irritated winter skin.
Sarah Munro’s Dry Shampoo
Today on the Romance Herbalist blog, bestselling author Sharon Wray returns with a recipe for a DIY dry shampoo, perfect for those winter days when you need an extra beauty boost.
Sarah Munro’s Winter Bath Salts
Bestselling author Sharon Wray’s Romance Herbalist blog returns with a new recipe for essential-oil infused bath sea salts, perfect for a warm soak after a cold day of shoveling and throwing snow balls.
Sarah Munro’s Dandelion Bath Salts
Bestselling author Sharon Wray’s Romance Herbalist blog returns with a new recipe for Dandelion-oil infused bath salts, a great DIY project perfect for winter’s cold, dry days.
Sarah Munro’s Calendula Skin Salve
Bestselling author Sharon Wray returns to The Romance Herbalist with an updated recipe for Sarah Munro’s Calendula Skin Salve. Perfect for the dry winter weather!
Sarah Munro’s Hot Toddy
Bestselling author Sharon Wray returns to The Romance Herbalist with an updated recipe for Sarah Munro’s Hot Toddy. Perfect for the winter season!
Sarah Munro’s Lemon Cough Drops
Bestselling author Sharon Wray adds homemade Lemon Cough Drops to Sarah Munro’s collection of updated 18th century herbal remedies.
Sarah Munro’s Golden Milk
Bestselling author Sharon Wray adds Golden Turmeric Milk to Sarah Munro’s collection of updated 18th century herbal remedies.
Sarah Munro’s Herbal Cough Soother
Bestselling author Sharon Wray adds a citrus and honey Herbal Cough Soother to Sarah Munro’s collection of updated 18th century herbal remedies.
Sarah Munro’s Four Thieves Vinegar
Bestselling author Sharon Wray returns to The Romance Herbalist with a recipe for Sarah Munro’s Four Thieves Vinegar. Just what winter ordered!
Sarah Munro’s Fire Cider
Bestselling author Sharon Wray offers one of Sarah Munro’s homeopathic recipes for Fire Cider, a perfect remedy for the long winter sniffles.
Sarah Munro’s Dandelion Salve
Sharon Wray’s Romance Herbalist blog includes a new recipe for Dandelion Salve, a great DIY project for summer’s achy muscles and dry, chapped skin
Sarah Munro’s Dandelion Lotion Bars
Sharon Wray’s Romance Herbalist blog includes a new recipe for Dandelion Lotion Bars, a great DIY project for the last days of summer.
Sarah Munro’s Dandelion Lip Balm
Sharon Wray’s “Romance Herbalist” blog returns with a DIY Dandelion Lip Balm, perfect for all seasons.
Sarah Munro’s Dandelion-Infused Oil
Sharon Wray’s The Romance Herbalist blog series continues with DIY dandelion-infused oil.
Sarah Munro’s Sleepy Time Tea
In these crazy days, I’m sure I’m not the only one not sleeping well. I’m don’t like to take sleeping pills and found I needed something else other than straight chamomile tea. This recipe for sleepy time tea, which dates…
Sarah Munro’s Apple Cider Vinegar Curative
Nowadays everyone needs a little immune boost, and this traditional apple cider vinegar elixir is perfect for this season. It’s super cheap and easy to make. Between the vinegar, honey, lemon, and cinnamon, this curative (a traditional homemade medicine used…
Sarah Munro’s Fermented Garlic
At the first moment when you feel like you could be coming down with something, eat 2-3 cloves of fermented raw garlic per day until you feel better. I know it sounds strange, but fermented garlic has antiviral properties and…
Sarah Munro’s Calming Bath Tea
Baths are a universal source of relaxation and pleasure. But baths also can be therapeutic when you have sore muscles, itchy skin, or even a cold or the flu. According to Sarah Munro’s (Sarah is the heroine in ONE DARK…
Sarah Munro’s Herbal Throat Gargle
This recipe for an apple cider-based throat gargle dates back centuries. And it’s one of the many recipes that Sarah Munro, the heroine in ONE DARK WISH (the second book in the Deadly Force series), has updated in her collection…
Sarah Munro’s Hot Ginger Cold Remedy
It’s cold season and everyone in my family has been affected. While I have a lot of herbal resources for fighting the common cold, one of my favorites is what my grandmother used to call Hot Ginger. A combination of…
Sarah Munro’s Clay Facial Mask
I’m not a huge fan of going to spas, but I do love doing my own facials. And people in the 18th century used them as well. As I work through Sarah Munro’s (the heroine of ONE DARK WISH) updated…
Sarah Munro’s Rose Hip Tea
I’m so happy that it’s almost the middle of February. That means that winter is halfway here! To remind myself that spring is definitely on its way, I’m pulling out the jar of rose hips that I dried this past…
Sarah Munro’s Fragrant Room Spray
I’m so happy to be back with a newly-renovated website! And today I have one of Sarah Munro’s recipes for a natural, fragrant room spray. For those of you new to the blog, Sarah Munro is the heroine of ONE…
Sarah Munro’s Cranberry Orange Simmer Pot
Simmer pots are a wonderful and easy way to fill the house with holiday cheer. What are simmer pots? They’re pots filled with water and spices and fruit that, while simmering on the stove, fill the house with a wonderful…
Sarah Munro’s Hot Lemon Cold Remedy
This recipe that Sarah found is similar to one that my grandmother used to make. She called it simply Hot Lemon. It’s hot water, lemon, honey, and cayenne pepper. And at the first sign of a cold, you drink it…
Sarah Munro’s Herbal Face Steam
Since cold and flu season are officially here, today I’m posting Sarah’s recipe for a common face steam. There is evidence that face steams were used as far back as ancient Egypt and, according to Sarah’s research*, they were standard…
Sarah Munro’s Oily Skin Makeup Remover
Sharon Wray’s Romance Herbalist series continues with Sarah Munro’s oily skin makeup remover
Sarah Munro’s Sage Mouthwash
Sharon Wray’s Romance Herbalist blog series continues with Sarah Munro’s Sage mouthwash.
Sarah Munro’s Lemon & Honey Facial Mask
Lemon and honey have been used as a facial scrub for centuries. The lemon juice makes a wonderful astringent filled with AHAs and BHAs. These exfoliating acids strip away dead skin cells and help with blackheads, acne, and skin discoloration.…
Sarah Munro’s Spiced Apple Cider
Like today, apples were a popular food in the 17th century. And, like today, people ate apples in every form possible. From desserts to alcoholic beverages. But Sarah Munro, the heroine in ONE DARK WISH (the second book in my…
Sarah Munro’s Body Blemish Spray
A common complaint among my friends who work out regularly is the random body acne that appears after a particularly sweaty workout. This was a problem in the 17th century as well, and Sarah’s recipe box had a recipe in…
Sarah Munro’s Pumpkin Spice Creamer
This recipe isn’t a botanical remedy, but it is based on a 17th century version of a New England autumn wassail-type beverage. So I’m including it with Sarah’s collections. While the cream doesn’t have any kind of healing features other…
Sarah Munro’s Black Strap Molasses Autumn Drink
To continue the series of 17th century herbal recipes that Sarah Munro (the heroine of ONE DARK WISH) has been updating, I’m adding a hot autumn drink to the list. This hot beverage is made with black strap molasses, cinnamon,…
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Sarah Munro’s Apple Cinnamon Tea
The next addition to Sarah Munro’s collection of revised 17th century herbal recipes is Apple Cinnamon Tea. There are two types of cinnamon sourced today: Celyon Cinnamon from Sri Lanka and cassia cinnamon from Indonesia. Cassia, the cheaper cinnamon, is…
Sarah Munro’s Bug Bite Remedy
It’s almost fall and even though the days are getting cooler and my garden is finally going to sleep, the bugs are still everywhere. So what’s a busy romance writer, who likes to work in her garden, going to do?…
Sarah Munro’s Winter Moisturizing Cream
Even though it still feels like summer, fall and winter are coming up fast. That means that dry, cracked skin will soon be upon us as well. As Sarah Munro (the heroine in ONE DARK WISH) was studying 17th and…