Stumbling upon a pristinely white piece of fabric is an uncommon, likely even nonexistent occurrence around my household. White tea towels, clothes, bed sheets, and just about every milky-toned fabric in between has, somewhere down the line, fallen victim to my highly mess-prone and creativity-hungry hands. Whether it be my unintentionally stained “coffee tie dye” kitchen towels or my most beloved DIY indigo-dyed pants, altering the original hue of fabrics is one of my favorite ways to express myself creatively.

Iron is at the core of how our bodies function. It's what helps deliver oxygen, keeps our metabolism ticking, and powers our energy levels. But the unfortunate truth is that many of us are running low on this important nutrient, leaving us feeling drained and sluggish.

At Mountain Rose Herbs, our independence allows us to keep corporate social responsibility at the heart of our values. That’s why changing our corporate charter to become an Oregon Benefit Company in 2018 was a natural step for us, formalizing our commitment to making a measurable positive impact on both our employees and our community. Not only did we formalize this change in our legal documents, but under Oregon law we are required to form goals, assess our progress, and report on our activities annually. With accountability at the forefront, we decided to choose B Lab’s rigorous Impact Assessment tool as the third-party standard by which to gauge our impact.

Each year when Mother's Day rolls around, I seek gifts that will make Mom feel loved and appreciated. I also aim to get her gifts that she will actually use. You would think I'd have it down to a science by now, but as May rolls around each year, finding the right gift seems to get even harder. Maybe it's because the older I get, the more I appreciate my Mom and want her to know that, or maybe it's that I've gifted her so many things over the years that I want it to be different. What I do know is that she most enjoys my homemade gestures of love. She knows I took my time to make her something, tailored it to her preferences, and created things she can use instead of things that will collect dust or create clutter. 

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.

As the springtime sun begins to shine through the clouds and blossom-speckled botanicals make their annual debut, there is no better time of year to celebrate the profoundly magical flora that surrounds us. Each year, the first Saturday of May we celebrate Herb Day. This holiday is an opportunity to bring together herbalists, environmentalists, and plant enthusiasts alike for a day of honoring our planet’s beloved botanicals. Throughout existence, plants have served as a lifeline of oxygen, energy, food, and medicine that play a crucial role in the future and longevity of Earth’s living creatures. For thousands of years, plants have been utilized around the globe as an integral healing resource that has shaped the world of herbal wellness we know today.

We are thrilled to launch the very first Mountain Rose Restoration Project of the year, and what better day than Earth Day? On Monday, April 22nd, we partnered with Friends of Trees, a local nonprofit organization, to coordinate the largest Mountain Rose Restoration Project, yet!

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!

This April, we celebrated our state’s first Native Plant Appreciation Month, which got us thinking about the incredible botanicals in our ecosystem. We often get the question, “What’s your favorite plant?” While it’s hard to narrow down our lists, one particular herbal ally has resounding popularity amongst our staff: Oregon grape. This year, as Oregon grape kept showing up at the top of our favorites list, obviously wanting to be the spotlight of a story, we decided Native Plant Appreciation Month was a good time to oblige.

I don’t think I can emphasize enough how hard it is for me to get out of bed in the mornings—like it is actually a serious problem at times. Part of my brain knows that I am making my morning routine a bit more and more frantic with each horizontal moment that ticks by, but it is so hard to care. What could the outside world possibly offer me that is better than the total warmth and comfort of my snuggly nest? Especially when there is a good book at hand and the world’s laziest dog snoring away next to me. Because of my proclivity for lengthy wakeups, I learned a long time ago that “I’ll just do it in the morning” is one of the rudest things I can do to my future self, so I have gotten into the habit of doing my morning meal prep the night before. Chia seed pudding is the definitive MVP for this practice. It is super quick to make and one of the few foods that is better after sitting overnight in the fridge. For this particular recipe variation, I wanted to try including herbs that pack a little extra oomph to help me show up for the day (however reluctantly) bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

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!