A Gentle Glossary
A few of the words we use often — explained simply, so you always feel at home here. There’s no need to know any of this before you begin. Think of it as a friendly hand on the door.
Ways We Prepare Herbs
Infusion — What happens when you steep delicate plant parts — leaves, flowers, and soft herbs — in hot water. Most herbal teas are infusions: a gentle way to draw out a plant’s flavor and character.
Decoction — Made by gently simmering the tougher parts of a plant — roots, bark, and seeds — in water, rather than just steeping them. It’s the method we reach for when a plant needs a little more coaxing than a simple soak.
Tincture — A concentrated herbal extract, traditionally made by steeping herbs in alcohol over several weeks and then pressing out the liquid. A little goes a long way; tinctures are usually taken by the dropperful, on their own or stirred into water.
Oxymel — An old-fashioned herbal preparation made by infusing herbs in a blend of honey and vinegar, often apple cider vinegar. The name comes from the ancient words for “acid and honey.” Oxymels are sweet, tangy, and easy to take by the spoonful.
Tonic — In herbal tradition, a tonic is a preparation meant to be enjoyed regularly, as a quiet part of your daily rhythm, rather than reached for just once. It’s less about a single moment and more about a gentle habit of tending to yourself.
Blend — Simply a thoughtful combination of herbs or spices, chosen to work together in flavor and feeling. Every blend we make is built by hand, a little like a recipe — measured, tasted, and made with care.
In Our Ingredients
Ceylon Cinnamon — Sometimes called “true cinnamon,” Ceylon is a softer, more delicate variety than the common cassia cinnamon found on most grocery shelves. It’s naturally lower in coumarin than cassia, which is part of why we reach for it in blends meant for everyday sipping.
Nightshade-Free — Nightshades are a family of plants that includes tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and spices like paprika and cayenne. Some people simply prefer to leave them out of their kitchens. When we call a blend nightshade-free, it means exactly that: we’ve left those ingredients out.
Adaptogen — A traditional category of herbs — think ashwagandha, holy basil, or reishi — long valued in herbal traditions and enjoyed for their grounding, steadying character. They’re typically taken gently and consistently, woven into a daily ritual over time.
The Body & the Nervous System
Nervous System — Your body’s vast communication network, carrying messages between your brain and the rest of you. A large part of it runs quietly in the background — your heartbeat, your breath, your digestion — without you ever having to think about it. This is the part we return to most when we talk about rest, safety, and feeling settled.
Sympathetic State (“Fight or Flight”) — The body’s natural accelerator. When something feels urgent, this state rises to meet it — heart quickening, senses sharpening, energy gathering. It’s meant to be a visitor, not a permanent houseguest.
Parasympathetic State (“Rest and Digest”) — The body’s natural brake: the settling, softening state where rest, digestion, and repair happen most easily. So much of gentle living is simply making more room for this.
Vagus Nerve — A long, wandering nerve that travels from the brainstem down through the body, touching the heart, lungs, and gut along the way. It’s a major pathway of that calming “rest and digest” state, which is why it comes up so often in conversations about feeling grounded.
Vagal Tone — A way of describing how readily the vagus nerve helps the body shift into its calm, settled state. It’s often discussed alongside heart rate variability as a rough window into how flexibly the nervous system moves between effort and rest. You’ll see it used loosely in wellness spaces — we use it here simply as a gentle picture of resilience, not a number to chase.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) — The small, natural variation in the time between heartbeats. A little variability is generally seen as a sign of a flexible, adaptable nervous system — one that can rise and settle with ease. It’s often tracked by wearables, though it shifts with sleep, stress, and a hundred ordinary things, so it’s best held lightly.
Regulation & Dysregulation — Regulation is the nervous system’s ability to move smoothly between activity and rest — rising to meet the day, then settling again. Dysregulation is when that movement gets stuck, caught in overdrive or shut down, often after long stress or illness. Much of gentle healing is helping the body remember how to move between states again.
Co-regulation — The way our nervous systems settle in the presence of another calm, safe person — a steady voice, a warm presence, simply not being alone. We’re wired to find our calm together, not only on our own.
Window of Tolerance — A helpful way of picturing the zone in which we feel steady enough to meet life’s ups and downs — present and capable, neither overwhelmed nor numb. Stress and hard seasons can narrow that window; gentle, consistent care can slowly widen it again.
Somatic — Simply means of the body. A somatic approach pays attention to what we feel physically — tension, breath, warmth, ease — trusting the body as part of the healing conversation, not only the mind.
Interoception — Your sense of what’s happening inside you — the felt awareness of hunger, breath, a quickening heartbeat, tension, or ease. It’s how we notice what we need, and gently tuning into it is at the very center of learning to tend to yourself.
Grounding — Small practices that bring you back into the present moment and into your body — feeling your feet on the floor, naming what you can see and hear, taking one slow breath. A simple way of saying to yourself, I’m here, and I’m safe enough right now.
Resourcing — Turning, on purpose, toward something that brings a sense of steadiness or comfort — a memory, a person, a warm cup, a place that feels safe. A way of reminding the body that calm is available, even on hard days.
Glimmers — The small, easy-to-miss moments that spark a quiet sense of safety or delight — sunlight through a window, a familiar voice, the first sip of something warm. The gentle opposite of a trigger, and worth collecting.
Polyvagal Theory — An influential framework, introduced by Dr. Stephen Porges, that has shaped how many people in trauma-informed and somatic circles understand the link between safety, connection, and the nervous system. It offers a gentle language for why feeling safe and connected helps us settle. Like many newer frameworks, parts of it are still discussed and debated among researchers — we share it here as a lens many find meaningful, not as the final word.
Our Language
Eat the Trees · Drink the Leaves — Our name comes from Ezekiel 47:12 — a picture of trees whose fruit is for food and whose leaves are for healing. It’s the image we build everything around: the green, growing world as a place of nourishment and gentle restoration.
Gentle but Fierce — Two words that hold our whole heart. Gentle, because healing rarely happens by force — it happens slowly, with kindness, in a body that feels safe. Fierce, because choosing to care for yourself, again and again, takes real courage. You’re allowed to be both.
Soft Hearts · Strong Boundaries — Our quiet reminder that tenderness and protection belong together. A soft heart stays open and compassionate; strong boundaries keep that openness from costing you yourself. Real healing needs both.
Rooted in Love — Everything here begins from the same place: the belief that you are worth tending to. Not because you’ve earned it, but because you are already loved.
Soft hearts. Strong boundaries. Real healing.