Tulsi tea, lime, agave—served chilled or over ice, it’s the perfect mood-supportive cup of joy for a swelteringly hot summer day. Aguas frescas are my go-to warm weather drink, and with good reason! They’re incredibly simple and (bonus) very easy to combine with herbal tea for an extra kick of botanical support or flavor. And when the thermometer hits 100, and I can hardly stand to be in the kitchen, throwing fruit, tea, lime, and sweetener into a blender makes for a great, almost-instant snack, not to mention a fabulous natural hydrator.

When embarking on an adventure, whether backpacking through the back-country or taking off on a long flight or road trip, nothing helps keep your spirits and energy up like the right snacks—and few things will knock you out of sorts more quickly than the wrong ones! Unfortunately, with all the other bustle of preparing for your adventure, nutrition is often left to the last minute, forcing us to opt for items that aren’t great for our health, our wallet, or the environment. However, with just a bit of planning, you can bring along delicious and nutritious goodies that will power you up instead of slowing you down.

Every year in the heart of summer, I wish I could capture the gorgeous, sunny days and save a little piece of them for the cold and grey winter. Luckily, I found one way transport my senses to brighter and warmer times once the chilly temperatures have set in. What better way to capture the season's radiant energy than in an organic aroma oil? 

Perfumes can make a statement, evoke fond memories, or add a finishing touch to our special occasion preparations. Our collection of natural aroma oils offers an ideal way to enjoy your favorite botanical scents, without the harsh, synthetic chemicals found in many conventional fragrances. Conveniently packaged in 10 mL roll-on bottles, they are easy to apply wherever a little uplifting energy is desired—whether as part of your home body care rituals, or when you need some essential oil goodness on-the-go!

We visit the small and secluded valley where Mountain Rose Herbs farm partner Alan grows and collects the organic ingredients for our fresh herbal tinctures (like the shepherd's purse pictured above).

While the popularity of herbalism is increasing, it is still not commonplace in our western society. This is why so many of us don’t know how to safely begin incorporating new herbs and herbal supplements into our routines. Here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we are often asked for advice on what herbs are the best for specific maladies, or if we can share the best uses for each herb. Unfortunately, these questions do not always have clear answers—as with most wellness-related strategies, one size rarely fits all.

Stand beneath a blooming linden tree, and chances are you will slowly become aware of an almost unbelievable event taking place. The tree will be so alive with the hum and buzz of happy honeybees so absorbed in their harvest, they may very well bounce right off of you! An 80-year-old tree near my home presents a nearly surreal experience under her widespread, blooming boughs.

For many of us, summer is a time of outdoor events and celebrations. It's also a season of abundant botanical splendor, when sweet-scented air wafts through our windows, colorful flowers dance freely in the breeze, and rich green foliage offers cooling shade during the hottest days. So what better way to embrace the spirit of the season than by infusing floral flavors into freshly made ice cream? 

If you’ve ever endeavored to brew your own kombucha, you know that the SCOBY-covered result of your initial ferment has a rather plain flavor when compared with your favorite professionally made varieties—but it doesn’t have to stay that way! The combinations of herbs, spices, fruits, and juices that can add flavor to your homemade kombucha are almost endless, allowing you to transform your original tangy tea canvas into countless quaffable masterpieces.

Matcha is all the rage these days—and for good reason! It's delicious of course, and it's also famous for its healthful properties. Matcha tea contains catechins, a type of phenolic compound that has abundant antioxidant activity. One of the catechins found in matcha, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), has been found to be an especially powerful antioxidant. The preferred office beverage around Mountain Rose Herbs as of late has been a coconut milk matcha latte with a touch of honey. Matcha shouldn’t be restricted to just tasty drinks, though, as it has quite the culinary versatility as well. 

Summer sunshine heralds the heyday of fun outdoor play for little ones, but these warm days can also bring heat and humidity that can be hard on soft baby skin. Thankfully, making your own baby powder is affordable, easy, and allows total control over the ingredients to which you expose those sensitive little bottoms—and as a mom-to-be, all three of these factors are presently of keen interest to me. Since many conventional ready-made baby powders contain synthetic chemicals and artificial perfumes that I wouldn’t care to cart around on my own skin, I’m definitely interested in finding natural baby care alternatives for keeping my little sprout fresh and clean!