If I’m doing summer correctly—which is to say, getting out into the mountains and down to the river, hiking, swimming, and sucking up some of that vitamin D-boosting sunlight—I inevitably end up with bumps, bruises, and achy muscles from pushing the limits on how much fun I can pack into one season. I learned a long time ago to keep a tin of classic herbal muscle rub at the ready. This easy-to-make old-school salve brings together the muscle-supporting properties of St. John’s wort and the time-tested, warming qualities of capsaicin to ease the occasional aches and discomforts that come from living life to the fullest.

Organic vegetable glycerine—known as glycerol and sometimes spelled glycerin—is an effective alternative to alcohol-based tinctures for extracting and preserving many beneficial herbal constituents. Of course, infusions, decoctions, and oxymels are ideal for many herbal wellness goals that don’t involve alcohol, but glycerites—the medicinal preparations made by mixing vegetable glycerine with herbs—can open new opportunities for teetotalers, parents, and those who do not wish to have alcohol. Bonus: it tastes good! Glycerol is a clear, colorless, odorless liquid with a viscous consistency and a pleasing sweetness that makes it a good base for botanical flavors.

We often get excellent questions and comments from the Mountain Rose Herbs community that inspire us on product ideas, blog writing, and more. We recently had a question about the difference between whole and standardized herbal products and how to choose which to use. We are so glad you asked that! 

Mushrooms are often called a superfood because they are so nutrient-dense. They provide protein, fiber, and antioxidants. They contain essential vitamins and minerals. Even when we dehydrate them, they boast amazing nutritional value, which is why dried mushrooms and mushroom powders are such useful pantry items to have on hand. However, some of the most beneficial bioactive components in mushrooms, called beta-glucans—are in the chitin—the mushroom’s cell wall layers—which cannot be broken down by the human digestive system. To access these bioactive components, we must first extract them. Enter mushroom extracts and mushroom extract powders!

With summer on the horizon, my mixologist husband has started to plan for our annual hot-weather mocktails. He often has a theme in mind. For the last couple of years, he’s been working on functional fizzy drinks that are refreshing and match our wellness goals. This year—maybe because we are at an age where we’re starting to think more about ways to support our remaining brain plasticity and cognitive faculties—he’s focusing on herbs with nootropic properties that support the brain. So far, he has come up with two keepers using brain-friendly herbs that are going to make my patio afternoons delightful this summer.

We love spring in Eugene! However, this is the time our stunning oaks, cedars, pines, and other trees release their pollen. Then we move into gorgeous early summer weather… except that is when the ryegrass and Timothy grasses that are so prevalent in our area join the trees in their pollen-fest. For people who have sensitivities to pollen, spring and summer in our beautiful city can be challenging. The silver lining for herbalism DIYers is this is an opportunity to try your hand at making herbal lozenges that can offer some seasonal relief.

Back when we developed our DIY Four Thieves® Essential Oil Blend recipe for diffusing and external use, we received a lot of questions about taking the blend internally. We never recommend ingesting essential oils because they are too highly concentrated. However, the herbs that are the foundation of the not-edible essential oil blend are also a perfect foundation for a very edible (and delicious) herbal vinegar. Four Thieves vinegar is wonderful for culinary, body-care, and wellness recipes and is also an effective vinegar-based spray cleaner that just so happens to have a delightful aroma. Plus, there is something particularly satisfying about putting your personal spin on a classic formulation that has been part of the herbal lexicon for 500 years. This infused vinegar is a longtime Mountain Rose Herbs favorite!

I love the shoulder seasons—spring and fall, planting and harvest—because they connect me deeply to the earth. This year, I wanted to celebrate that connection with an aroma change-up to my usual body lotion recipe. I tend to be a keep-it-simple sort of woman when using essential oils in skin- and haircare recipes. For my purposes, I usually reach for lavender and call it good.  So, to create the earthy, fertile aroma I wanted this season, I turned to an essential oil blend formulated by someone with more expertise in blending aromas: Mountain Rose Herbs’ marketing lead, Jessicka. I combined my tried-and-true lotion recipe with her Earth Goddess perfume essential oil blend. The result is luscious and season-perfect!

Right around Spring Equinox, I start to take inventory of what is in my apothecary, what needs to be used in the next few months, and what needs to be replaced now. This timing is serendipitous because as winter comes to a close and summer’s nutritious fresh berries are still months away, I start to crave the bright flavor and nutritious zing of freshly made superfood jelly. Hence, the end of March is my annual dried berries jelly-making time. This year, I was excited to find that my dried hawthorn berries and bilberries are on the 2024 refill list. These two superfood berries, particularly in combination, are perfect for early spring jelly-making and result in one of my all-time favorite jellies. One batch carries my family happily into summer.

We live in a time when being a foodie is a celebration. As the more middle-class cousins to gourmets and gastronomes, we foodies have the same discriminating palates and passion for flavor, experimentation, and a mix of food cultures to help us build our skills and develop our cooking hobbies. We’re also very good at cooking on a budget. In the world of mixologists—a particular breed of foodie—making gin is the perfect representation of this. It’s crazy-easy, doesn’t take long, and you end up with excellent alcohol without breaking the bank.

I recently spent a night at a hotel with an outdoor saltwater soaking pool. I didn’t see much of the hotel itself because I could not convince my body that there was even one good reason to leave the buoyant 102°F saltwater paradise. I braided my hair ahead of time with the—in hindsight ridiculous—idea that maybe I could keep it dry, but by the time I finally conceded I needed to go to bed, it was thoroughly wet. So I toweled it dry-ish, ran a brush through it, and fell into bed for a deep, restful sleep. I woke up in the morning to voluminous hair that had fabulous waves. As I stood in front of the mirror blinking in confusion, it dawned on me that I had inadvertently given my hair a sea salt treatment… which reminded me that I could do this at home for significantly less money with DIY sea salt hair spray!