Prolife Michelle
Torrey Pines · San Diego
Wild & Unhurried
Natural Health & Healing
Adventure & Vibrant Living
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Prolife Michelle
Torrey Pines · San Diego
— Galium aparine, Goosegrass, Sticky Weed, Bedstraw
Cleavers — known botanically as Galium aparine and also called goosegrass, sticky weed, or bedstraw — is one of my favorite plants, and one of the easiest to identify. Their climbing, sticky segmented stems with characteristic whorls of leaves make them unmistakable. What most people brush off as a garden nuisance, traditional herbalists have treasured for centuries as a gentle yet powerful cleansing herb — especially valued for supporting the lymphatic system, urinary tract, and skin. Some herbalists even tout cleavers as a natural aid for dissolving kidney stones, making this humble sticky weed one of nature's most quietly impressive remedies.
About two years ago I needed cleavers to aid with blood and lymph detoxification and to get my lymph moving again. That very spring, an entire hillside of cleavers erupted right in my own yard. What a blessing — nature providing exactly what was needed, exactly when it was needed. Visit our Cleaver Remedies page and see how I use this amazing plant to make cleaver tea and tincture.
View Cleaver Remedies
Detailed photos and write-ups of my favorite botanicals.
Vibrant adventures - stunning geography and real presence.
My favorite natural remedies. The ones I go-to first.
Vibrant living is a choice — made daily, in small and large ways. Choices that bring the body and spirit alive.
Good information changes everything. Resources that have shaped my journey toward natural health and joyful living.
Real conversation with someone who has done the research, lived the journey, and genuinely cares. I would love to connect with you one on one.
— Torrey Pines, San Diego
Most people who visit Torrey Pines never make it to the Extension — and that is precisely what makes it so special. Here you'll find genuine solitude and something truly extraordinary: the Torrey pine, a tree that puts down roots in just two spots on earth — this California coastline and a remote island off Santa Barbara. Gnarled by decades of ocean wind and rooted into sandy bluffs above the sea, each tree feels less like a plant and more like a personality.
In spring the hillsides come alive with California poppies, yellow sea dahlias, and native wildflowers scattered across coastal sage scrub — the kind of place that invites you to slow down, look closely, and breathe deeply.
This is one of my favorite places on earth — wild, unhurried, and endlessly beautiful. Follow along on my Torrey Pines Extension adventure.
See Torrey Pines Adventure
— Ricinus communis
Castor oil packs are one of the oldest natural healing tools known to humanity — and one I reach for again and again for myself and my family. I have used them to speed up the body's natural healing process, reduce or eliminate pain, remove a cyst, moisturize and heal skin, and help my children recover from sports injuries and everyday bumps and bruises. Organic castor oil packs have earned a firm and often-used spot in my natural healing toolkit. I find them simple to make, very inexpensive, and remarkably effective. The oil's active compound, ricinoleic acid, penetrates deeply into tissue — calming inflammation, easing muscle tension, boosting the lymphatic system, and supporting the body's own detoxification pathways.
Castor oil packs have shown up for me in beautiful and unexpected ways. Visit my Castor Oil Packs page, where I share what castor oil is, how I make my packs, and the healing stories that have made this humble remedy one I will never be without.
View Castor Oil Remedies