Miso soup is an absolute must for me during the winter months. I’ll often make a large batch of it and warm some up for breakfast, cracking an egg into the umami-packed broth. It’s a common staple served at Japanese and Korean restaurants, often simply garnished with bits of tofu and chopped green onions. The two main components to miso soup are dashi and miso paste. Dashi is typically made with preserved fish and kombu, a flavorful and nutrient-rich seaweed. I decided to try making a vegan dashi stock using dried shiitakes along with my seaweed, and was pleasantly surprised.

Valentine’s Day is a day dedicated to love—love for a partner, for friends, or for family, yes, but it's also the perfect excuse for some self-love too. Simple to create, our plant-based recipes are perfect for pampering those whom we cherish. These sumptuous preparations are formulated to relax the body and mind, uplift the spirit, and incite feelings of closeness and love.

When the work day is done, many of us begin thinking about what to cook for ourselves and our families. On days that I’m hungry as soon as I walk through the door, I am always grateful when my meal is ready for me. It prevents me from eating things I otherwise wouldn’t or shouldn’t. With my busy lifestyle and Italian appetite, I’ve developed a real appreciation for slow cookers!

Scents surround us everyday, everywhere, but we often find ourselves lacking the language to adequately describe them. Those who craft fragrances for aromatherapy or simple enjoyment often borrow from the lexicon of music to characterize different scents, and familiarizing yourself with the concept of these "fragrance notes" can help you create harmony and balance in your own essential oil blends. 

If you filled your 2019 with natural self care sessions, DIY projects, and culinary experiments, you weren't alone! Plant-lovers like you from across America and beyond trusted Mountain Rose Herbs to keep their kitchens and apothecaries stocked with the highest quality herbs, teas, oils, and more—and we couldn't be more grateful! We know you're always on the lookout for new ingredients to fuel your herbal adventures, so we're sharing the year's greatest hits from our extensive selection of organic and sustainable offerings. Here are our 11 best-selling botanicals of 2019, along with helpful reviews from real Mountain Rose Herbs customers!

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make. —Dr. Jane Goodall

Environmental stewardship is woven into the fabric of Mountain Rose Herbs’ company culture and sustainable business practices. Striving towards zero waste is one way we take responsibility for our impact. Thanks to our dedicated staff, we became the first company in Oregon to achieve a TRUE Zero Waste Facility certification from Green Business Certification Inc. We completed a peer-reviewed scorecard and on-site audit to achieve the highest-level certification—platinum!

The use of tea in cooking is an ancient and common practice in China and Japan for adding depth to a variety of dishes. For dishes as varied as steamed rice, tea eggs, soups, and desserts, there are endless recipes to experiment with by adding tea.

The question at hand is, “is this actually Arnica montana?” Steven, our Director of Quality, stands in front of two computer screens. One monitor displays brightly colored bars stacked on a black backdrop. On the other, photographs of vibrant yellow petals are zoomed in to such a degree that the golden bits on screen look more like banana peels than flowers. Steven and his team of lab-coat-wearing professionals use various methods of testing and an extensive reference library of pressed plant parts to find the answer. Species identification not only ensures efficacy, it also means keeping our customers safe.

Some people might tell you that making your own leave-in hair conditioner is as simple as watering down the wash-out product already in your shower. But if you've adopted a no-poo hair care routine or need a little extra nourishment to bring your dry hair back to life, a deeper moisturizing treatment might be in order. An oil-based leave-in conditioner can help tame wild flyaways, soften brittle hair in dry temperatures, and protect a healthy mane.

Feeling a little blue is pretty common for all of us. Sadness can strike on any scale, ranging from a simple Blue Monday to lingering, debilitating heartache. We all struggle with difficult emotions that, at times, can seem to overshadow everything else. Luckily, our herbal allies may be able to help ease the hurt.

Another year has passed, and 2020 is now upon us! As we look forward to sharing 12 more months of herbal learning and discovery with our readers, we'd like to highlight our most popular how-to posts from 2019 (ranging from natural body care formulations to herbal remedies) to motivate and inspire you from the get-go. We hope you'll revisit these ideas (or try any you may have missed the first time around) and let us know how they go—and stay tuned for more plant-powered content to come!