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Alternative wellness philosophies often ask “what is the root cause?” By assessing the root cause, one can take proactive measures towards health and well-being. In the case of Oregon grape, the root of this plant has been used by traditional healers to stimulate the digestive tract. Oregon grape root is classified as an Alterative and a Bitter in the tradition of neo-eclectic herbalism popularized by Michael Moore, Howie Brounstein, and many others.

Fall is my favorite time of year. We find more time to spend with family and friends, indulge in lovingly-prepared meals that feature the abundance of the harvest, and light the first warm, cozy fires of the season. For me, the focus on the harvest extends beyond food and crops: we also gather community, stories of summer, projects, and hopes for the coming year.

We are happy to add Solomon’s Seal Root Powder to our roster of herbs and spices.

Respectfully wild-harvested on the East Coast, Solomon’s Seal is a useful astringent, demulcent, and tonic herb. It is generally made into a decoction, but Solomon’s Seal Root Powder makes an excellent poultice. Historically, indigenous cultures of North America consumed the starchy rhizomes of Solomon’s Seal as a potato-like food to make breads and soups. The young shoots are also edible, raw or boiled for an asparagus-like treat. The plant gets its name from a scar that develops on the rhizome in the Autumn, resembling the ancient seal of King Solomon.

The holidays are the most giving and generous time of the year. They are also the most wasteful. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, Americans throw out about 25 million tons more trash than normal -- a 25 percent increase over the rest of the year. We can change that!

Autumn has returned to the Willamette Valley, and this is a great time of year to get organized and prepared before the cold winds of winter start blowing in. Here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we have simplified the offerings of our container case sizes for all bottles, jars, tins, and spice containers.

We’ve got a lovely new addition to our line of certified organic, steam-distilled hydrosols that we’d like to share with you, our St. John’s Wort hydrosol.

This wonderful St. John’s Wort hydrosol is a subtle beauty to add to your collection. It has a dry herbaceous aroma with flat floral tones. Overall the scent is soft and will not overpower recipes when used as an ingredient.

Earlier this fall, we visited our farm that straddles both Oregon and Washington, interrupted by the blue Columbia River running down its middle. The farm's verdant green fields shone brightly against brown, parched hillsides that stretched as far as the eye could see. The irrigated fields provided relief to the eyes, a soft green that promised healthy harvests yet to come.

Help us climb the mountain and save the Elliott State Forest!

I grew up exploring the forest in my backyard, splashing in creeks, climbing trees, and playing imaginary games. Throughout my childhood, we took family hiking and camping trips in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Access to public lands allowed me and countless others to connect with nature. Those experiences shaped who I am.

Join us in the coming weeks as we explore herbal folklore, stories of the Silvani, with Guido Masé.

As we pass into the seasonal festivities and approach the winter solstice, we are reminded of ritual and tradition. The time honored tradition of storytelling gives gifts of insight, mystery, and allure from a world unknown to us. Since the art and craft of herbalism has strong roots as an oral tradition, we felt it appropriate to share some aural folk tales with you. In the coming weeks we'll release five short videos highlighting a few of Guido Masé’s cherished stories of the Silvani in this mini-series on Herbal Folklore. Guido Masé is a clinical herbalist, storyteller, and author of such books as DIY Bitters.

This is an important time of year for celebrations. Samhain is almost upon us, marking the halfway point between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Many are stocking up on organic sweets to pass out to the little ones. And here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we’ve been celebrating Fair Trade Month. This annual tradition focuses on raising awareness and building support for fair trade in the United States.

Chief Operations Officer, Jennifer, visits with a group of Fair for Life farmers on this intercropped forest farm with yearround harvestability in three stories of the forest canopy.

Increasing demand for spices acquired from tree barks, such as our beloved cassia (a.k.a. cinnamon) is putting many tree species in peril worldwide. At Mountain Rose Herbs, we are passionate about supporting sustainable harvesting that preserves the life and integrity of the tree, rather than killing it. Our Fair for Life Project farmers in India use methods that are unconventional, harvesting only small sections of the tree bark and then allowing the tree to heal completely before taking more.