Growing up, I had the unique opportunity to embrace herbal wisdom through the ancient Indian philosophy of Ayurveda. For a number of years, my family hosted Ayurvedic physicians who traveled around the world to spread this beautiful knowledge of wellness and balance. It was through this incredible learning experience that I began to understand that the best tools for facial care came from the herbal pantry. Triphala, one of the most common and versatile Ayurvedic herbal formulations, was used for this refreshing facial mask.

One of my favorite herbal preparations to make is a salve. For me, the aroma of wax and olive oil always evokes memories of summers spent adventuring through the beautiful wild places of the Pacific Northwest.

Ready to devour some inspiring herbal education? We're thrilled to share our very own podcast: Herbal Radio, the official podcast of Mountain Rose Herbs! This community resource is a collection of curated lectures from some of our generation's most esteemed herbalists. These informational episodes include talks from our Free Herbalism Project events, audio extracted from our YouTube channel tutorials, and more, all free to download and enjoy! 

Here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we’re frequently asked about various definitions in herbalism. Such as “what’s the difference between an essential oil and an infused oil?”

We thought you'd appreciate a simple guide to herbal terminology. Here are 10 definitions for your learning pleasure! Please let us know if there are any other definitions you’d like to see here! We'd love to add to this list in the future.

Herbal syrups are a time-honored way to administer not-so-pleasant-tasting herbs to the young ones and picky eaters in your life. Tasty on their own by the spoonful, they also add an herbal boost to your favorite culinary recipes and libations. Try them in teas, desserts, bubbly beverages, cocktails, DIY root beers, or atop ice cream.

This sweet, syrupy liquid often comes with a negative connotation, but not all vegetable glycerine is the same. It’s true that most vegetable glycerine on the market is a by-product of the soap-making and biodiesel industries, but safe, high quality glycerine does exist. Here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we carry pure organic vegetable glycerine and find it to be a wonderfully versatile ingredient for herbal preparations.

For chocolate lovers, very few things compare to snapping open a raw cacao bean, rubbing it between your palms to crumble your own cacao nibs, and taking a deep inhale. If you’ve never tried raw cacao (pronounced “kah-cow”), you might be in for a bit of a surprise.

Who doesn’t love a hot bowl of Tom Kha? I’m yet to encounter such a person. I first discovered this tasty Thai soup back in college at a local Eugene, Oregon joint. The trifecta of fresh and traditional herbs completely blew my mind. Lemongrass, Thai makrut lime leaves, and galangal root (where the “kha” in “tom kha” comes from) give this soup its incredible and unmistakable flavor. 

Fire Cider is a popular (and tasty!) herbal folk remedy popularized by esteemed herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar (who inspired the recipe below). This tasty vinegar infusion powered by warming and wellness-supporting ingredients is an especially pleasant and easy way to boost natural health processes, stimulate digestion, and raise your internal thermostat on cold days. Mmm...mmm!...how we love this hot and sweet, zesty, vinegary recipe!

In early August, we had the pleasure of visiting with herbalist Richo Cech from Strictly Medicinal Seeds at his ranch in southern Oregon. We were greeted not only by Richo’s friendly smile, but also by his beautiful garden full of thriving herbs and happy pollinators.