Wherever you are in the world, the end-of-the-year Yule & Christmas season is typically full of traditions and memories. Whether it's the smell of a pine tree on a hot Australian Christmas day, a fragrant Yule wreath, the aroma of warm spiced wine on a snowy afternoon, or the fragrance of gingerbread and spicy herbal stuffing... the aromas and fragrances of so many of our festive season memories and traditions involve herbs.

Image credit for Namaste handsoutsidethccn dsgn on UnsplashThanksgiving Season is on the horizon for many in the world, and the later part of November has begun to be synonymous globally with a general time of Giving Thanks. Whether it's for a harvest successfully gathered ready for the winter ahead, thanks for monsoonal floods finally abating across most of Asia, or simply Giving Thanks that the festive holiday season is coming up fast.

I was preparing an article for an online magazine the other day about that amazing herb, cannabis, and how certain foods change and really affect the way it is absorbed and experienced in the body. And it got me thinking about herbs - about how some herbs pair perfectly and enhance the way they taste-act-heal, and how other herbs really should never be used together at all.

Did you know you can write about roots for the ENTIRE month of April on the Herbal Hive? Since we have started thinking about medicinal roots, we have realised just how many there are!Licorice,galangal, spinach root and turmeric featured this week. Congratulations to @kirlos who came in first with their post on licorice. A small beneficiary for your efforts!

Hi Herbies! Each month The Herbal Hive puts out a challenge for keen herbal folk to use as a starting point for a post. It's a great opportunity to go on a journey of discovery and to learn from one another! At the end of the month, the best post will win 20 HIVE, and all posts will be upvoted and reblogged by us throughout the month. Post beneficiaries will also be left for early birds on post reminders throughout April

What a lovely set of posts for this month's herbal challenge, based around the theme of 'detox'. You can read all the Week 1 entries here - thanks @umirais, @traisto, @tydynrain, @blackberryskunk and @hindavi for your great entries.