Here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we are extremely passionate about protecting our wildlands and seeing that our valuable botanical allies are preserved for future generations. For the past few years we’ve been participating in the Forest Grown Verified program in partnership with our friends at United Plant Savers.

Today is Beltane, an ancient Gaelic festival that celebrates the halfway point between spring equinox and summer solstice. It is a time to celebrate fertility and optimism as the days continue to get longer. One of our favorite things to do at this time of year is to head up to the Cascades and celebrate the fertility of our old growth forests. As we get above 4000’ in the mountains, the primary ground cover changes from Oregon grape, our state flower, to pipsissewa.

We’ve added a new variety to our line of single herbal extracts, commonly referred to as tinctures, and we are very excited to introduce our certified organic Couchgrass Extract.

Also known as dog grass, this plant is an invasive grass that thrives in regions with warm summers and cool, wet winters, like here in the Willamette Valley.

We often find that aromatherapy can be very beneficial to awakening our senses after a long, dark winter. Couple that with our passion for supporting organic agriculture, and you can see how delighted we are to offer certified organic Litsea Cubeba essential oil!

Spring is upon us here in Western Oregon, and that means it’s time to head up into the Cascades to see how our treasured stands of Oregon grape and pipsissewa fared after a long, cold winter. The only problem at this time of year is the clouds of mosquitoes and other biting insects that stand between us and our treasured plants. Luckily, we have a new certified organic Bug Spray to help keep these buggers at bay.

Our friends at Urban Moonshine have become well-known for their bitters. Their exceptional blends, crafted from certified organic roots and herbs, revive the tradition of dazzling your palate while priming digestion. Never ones to rest on their laurels, these herbalists are constantly experimenting and devising new concoctions to satisfy your bitter tooth. We are pleased to offer two new variations.

Though we have been spending some time prepping our garden beds, the reality is that it will still be fairly cold at night for the next few weeks. And what better way to pass the cold early spring nights than reading one of the new herbal books that we’ve added to our botanical library?

We are pleased to introduce a certified organic, fair trade Garcinia Fruit Powder to our expansive roster of herbs and spices.

Garcinia comes from a fruit-bearing tree that also is the source of kokum butter. Native to India and parts of Asia, garcinia fruit has been used for thousands of years for the distinct sour taste that it lends to foods.

It’s been only a few months since Urban Moonshine’s Guido Masé gave a riveting presentation at our Free Herbalism Project event here in Eugene. Guido and crew have been busy concocting, decocting, and infusing roots, berries, and herbs into exciting new formulations, and we are happy to now offer two new Urban Moonshine tonics: Hit the Hay and Simmer Down.

 We’ve got a great new way that you can literally wear your love for plants on your sleeve -- our lovely and whimsical Botanical button and magnet sets. Featuring some of our favorite inflorescences including: bee balm, borage, chamomile, comfrey, echinacea, lavender, mullein, plantain, rosemary, and sage, these buttons are lovingly made by local Oregon artist Sarah Bast. 

There is a cause for celebration amongst the crew here at Mountain Rose Herbs — it’s finally still light out at the end of our work days! Though spring is still a ways away, one of our favorite activities this time of year is to invoke the season of new growth with a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. We have a brand new Matcha Set in our online shop that has made these ceremonies so much more enjoyable!