In a room filled with changemakers from around the state, Mountain Rose Herbs’ CEO and CFO,Cameron Stearns proudly accepted the Oregon Organic Coalition Retailer of the Year Award. The Oregon Organic Coalition’s Awards for Excellence recognizes organizations whose vision, leadership, and innovation strengthen Oregon’s organic food and farming movement.

Shower time is sacred to me. These precious moments wash away the physical grime of the day and offer an emotional reprieve from just about anything that is going on in my life. The act of bathing has long been known as a ritualistic expression of self-care. It is a time to slow down, to inspect your skin, and to give it the attention it needs. It’s a time with little to no distraction and where you can envelop yourself in the warmth and comfort of flowing water. It’s truly a meditative practice and is a key reason that DIY skin care is one of my favorite things.

The act of adornment is a spectacle found all throughout our natural world. From the late-spring blooms of indigo-hued camas adorned with starry-eyed flowers, to the impressive lekking rituals of male sage grouse boasting their fans of striped feathers, and intricately beaded earrings dangling above a vibrant dress, adornment appears in every corner on Earth. In the context of herbalism, botanicals can act as an internal and external embellishment, enhancing not only our physical health but also our spiritual and emotional well-being.

In 2023, we launched our Seed Stewardship Project campaign to help raise awareness about at-risk medicinal plants. Rooted in our commitment to ecological stewardship, we created this program as a solution-oriented approach to supporting the botanicals on the United Plant Savers At-Risk List. By offering free seeds to three selected plants on the list, we were able to help get the community excited about these plants while also helping to repopulate them. When you see a plant go from seeds in a packet to a living being, there is a very special connection that happens. It's the magic that keeps us falling in love with plants again and again, and what gets the community impassioned and committed to ensuring a future for that plant. 

Fermented rice water has a long history of use in Asia as a hair rinse. When we soak or cook rice, we capture the natural inositol from the grain in the water. Inositol is a form of sugar that our bodies naturally produce to provide structure to our cells, and is also found in some foods, including grains and legumes like rice. Inositol-rich rice water, especially when fermented, also carries proteins, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids believed to support a healthy scalp, hair strength, and shine. Want to take it up another notch? Infuse rice water with hair-loving herbs! 

Herbal medicine has a long lineage, and tinctures remain one of its most enduring preparations. On the surface, an herbalist tincture and an Aurelian Spagyric Tincture appear similar, as both are liquid herbal remedies preserved in alcohol and meant for therapeutic use. However, these two approaches diverge profoundly in their underlying philosophy, in the processes by which they are crafted, in the constitution of the final product, and even in the way they are administered. Exploring these distinctions reveals the depth of thought and refinement that separates a conventional herbal extract from the more complex spagyric tincture.

I have mixed feelings about going into the fall this year. While I welcome the return of the Pacific Northwest rains, flannels, hoodies, pumpkin spice, and autumn colors, I also find myself savoring these last days in the garden. So this year, instead of turning my focus to the season ahead, I decided to celebrate my garden’s ongoing bounty and extend the spirit of the season just a little longer. Drawing inspiration from the abundance of fresh herbs still sharing their aromatic and wellness supporting gifts, I created this foaming hand soap recipe to embody the energy of a flourishing herb garden.

Picture this: the evening is winding down after a satisfying meal, and just as your nearly full stomach ponders the sweet-sounding idea of dessert, an ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie decorated with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream is served before your eyes. Better yet, picture that cookie being about the size of a dinner plate and served straight from the skillet it was baked to golden perfection in. Couldn’t get any better, right? Well, what if I told you that cookie was also bursting with an unexpected, yet nostalgic flavor pairing that will turn your preconceived notions of cookie classics upside down? The elusive cookie behind this mouthwatering mental image is none other than my olive oil and orange chocolate chip cookie.

Heading back into the school season means that we are entering into a new season of needs. Even those of us without children at home feel the subtle shift—altered traffic patterns, busier schedules, and the ripple of energy that comes as our communities gather again for learning. This transition also brings considerations for personal well-being, particularly with the heightened exposure to group settings where our bodies may encounter new stressors (and maybe even some cooties). 

By the time September rolls around, the summer garden and markets have mostly had their say. The jars of dried herbs are stacking up, the freezer is filling up, and my family is back to wearing sweaters in the morning. This is when I start thinking about my herbal pantry and what needs restocking and what can go.  

You may have heard the recent buzz about North America’s only native caffeinated plant, yaupon. Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) is making a resurgence, and it took concerns of tariffs and increased tea and coffee prices to bring this domestic caffeinated plant into the mainstream eye. However, Mountain Rose Herbs’ interest in this plant preceded the tariff-driven trend, and we are delighted to share more information about the relationship we've developed with this plant over the past 7 years.