How to start your own herbal apothecary.

Welcome back to 🌿🌙 THE EARTHY WRITER: My Rewilding Year 🐝✨

This is episode eleven, where we explore how to start your own herbal apothecary. This episode delves into the magical world of medicinal herbs and plants, and how creating your own apothecary can be a powerful step towards a more natural and intentional lifestyle.

In this Rewilding Episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why start an apothecary: Discover the personal motivations behind starting an herbal apothecary and how it can align with your future goals and intentions.
  • Getting started: Learn about helpful resources, including guidebooks and online content, to begin your herbal journey.
  • Essential herbs: Get introduced to beginner-friendly plants like basil, rosemary, lemon balm, mint, aloe vera, and chamomile, along with their medicinal uses.
  • Herbal preparations: Explore various herbal creations you can make, from teas and tinctures to balms and soaps.
  • Practical tips: Receive advice on avoiding overwhelm, managing costs, and gradually incorporating herbal practices into your daily life.
  • DIY projects: Learn about four simple herbal creations you can start with: herbal sachets, kitchen cleaner, bath blend, and a calming hand balm.
  • Broader impact: Understand how starting an apothecary can lead to positive changes in various aspects of your life, connecting you more deeply with nature and traditional practices.
Listen directly on spotify

About your host:

Hi 👋, I’m Gisele Stein. I’m a novelist and a nature-lover, writing magical women’s fiction from my cosy cabin on Wadandi Boodja in Western Australia.

Get my free novella ONE WILD EMBER, the prequel to an intoxicating new urban fantasy series. ‘Practical Magic’ meets ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ in this rich and rebellious story of magic and matriarchy, love and loss (series title & full blurb tba)❤️‍🔥

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Episode Links:

The Green Witch Anabel Margret Youtube Channel:

Herbal Apothecary Starter Tool Kit

·  Pestle and mortar

·  Strainer or sieve

·  Simmering pot (preferably stainless steel or enamel)

·  Double boiler (can be improvised with a heat-safe bowl over a pot)

·  Glass jars of various sizes for storage

·  Digital scale for measurements

·  Measuring cups and spoons

·  Metal Funnel

·  Labels and marker for identifying preparations

·  Wooden spoon

·  Glass or stainless steel bowls

· glass jars and bottles (collect what you have at home!)

·  Dropper bottles for tinctures (use empty skin care bottles)

·  Beeswax or soy wax

·  Shea Butter

·  Olive Oil

·  Spray bottles (for herbal spritzers)

·  Herb scissors or pruning shears

·  Drying racks or screens for fresh herbs

·  Grater (for beeswax or hard ingredients, optional)

Four Easy-Peasy recipes to take your first steps in your herbal apothecary:

(before making the following, I’d suggest cleaning your workspace and calming yourself. Then, once you get going, think about the intention you’d like to infuse each recipe with)

How to make your own Calm Balm:

Materials Needed:

  • About ½ to 1 cup of your chosen dried herbs (I’m using lavender and chamomile)
  • 2 cups of olive oil
  • Double boiler
  • Stirring utensil
  • Strainer
  • About 1 cup of beeswax or soy wax
  • Glass jars (preferably short with wide openings for easy access)

Instructions 1. Infuse the oil: Gently heat the olive oil and dried herbs in the top of a double boiler over simmering water for about 15 minutes.

2. Strain the mixture: Pour the infused oil through a strainer into a small bowl, discarding the herbs. Return the strained oil to the double boiler.

3. Add essential oil: If desired, add a few drops of essential oil for extra fragrance. I’m using lavender oil to complement the herbs, but you can choose any scent you like.

4. Melt the coconut butter: Add the beeswax/ soy wax to the infused oil and heat gently until it’s completely melted and incorporated.

5. Check consistency: Test the mixture by placing a small amount on a spoon and allowing it to cool. If it’s too soft, add more wax; if too firm, add more olive oil.

6. Pour and set: Once you’re happy with the consistency, pour the warm balm into clean glass jars. Let it cool and solidify completely before capping the jars.

How to make your own kitchen cleaner:

Materials:

  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid
  • 10-15 drops pine essential oil
  • 2 cups water
  • 16 oz spray bottle
  • Funnel (optional, but helpful)

Steps:

  1. Pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the spray bottle. Use a funnel if needed to avoid spills.
  2. Add 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid to the vinegar.
  3. Carefully add 10-15 drops of pine essential oil. Adjust the amount based on your scent preference.
  4. Fill the rest of the bottle with 2 cups of water, leaving a little space at the top for shaking.
  5. Securely attach the spray nozzle to the bottle.
  6. Gently shake the bottle to mix all ingredients thoroughly.
  7. Label your bottle with the contents and date of creation.

To use: Shake well before each use. Spray on kitchen surfaces and wipe clean with a cloth or sponge.

Note: Always test on a small, inconspicuous area first to ensure compatibility with your surfaces. This cleaner is not recommended for use on marble or natural stone surfaces due to the acidic nature of vinegar.

How to make your own herbal sachets to put under your pillow for better sleep:

Materials:

  • Small fabric pouches or squares of fabric (cotton or muslin work well; I used plant-based cleaning cloths I still had at home)
  • Dried herbs known for promoting sleep (e.g., lavender, chamomile, hops)
  • Optional: rice or flaxseed for weight
  • String or ribbon
  • Scissors

Steps:

  1. If using fabric squares, fold them in half and sew two sides to create a pouch, leaving one side open.
  2. Mix your chosen dried herbs. A good combination might be:
    • 2 parts lavender
    • 1 part chamomile
  3. If desired, add a small amount of rice or flaxseed to give the sachet some weight.
  4. Fill your pouch about 2/3 full with the herb mixture. Don’t overfill, as you want the scent to be able to permeate.
  5. If using a pre-made pouch, simply tie it closed with string or ribbon.
  6. For sewn pouches, fold the open edge inward and sew it closed, or tie it with string if you prefer.
  7. Optional: Decorate your sachet with embroidery or attach a label with the contents.

To use, place the sachet under your pillow or nearby on your nightstand. The gentle aroma of the herbs can help promote relaxation and better sleep. Refresh the herbs every few months or when the scent fades.

How to make your own bath blend:

Here’s a guide on how to make your own bath blend:

Materials:

  • 1 cup Epsom salt (optional)
  • 1/2 cup sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
  • 1/4 cup baking soda
  • 1/4 cup dried herbs (e.g., lavender, rose petals, chamomile)
  • 10-15 drops essential oils (choose based on your desired effect and make sure it’s safe to use on skin!)
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Spoon for mixing
  • Airtight glass jar for storage

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, combine the Epsom salt, sea salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
  2. Add your chosen dried herbs to the salt mixture. Crumble them slightly to release more of their scent.
  3. Add 10-15 drops of your chosen essential oils. Some relaxing options include lavender, chamomile, or ylang-ylang. For an energizing blend, try peppermint or citrus oils.
  4. Mix all ingredients thoroughly, ensuring the oils and herbs are evenly distributed.
  5. Transfer the mixture to an airtight glass jar for storage.

To use: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your bath blend to warm running water as you fill your tub. Stir the water to help dissolve the salts and distribute the herbs.

Tips:

  • You can add a tablespoon of carrier oil (like jojoba or sweet almond oil) to the mix for extra moisturizing benefits.
  • Keep the blend dry until use to preserve its potency.
  • If you prefer not to have loose herbs in your bath, you can put the blend in a muslin bag before adding it to the water.

Remember to always test for any skin sensitivities, especially when using new essential oils. Enjoy your luxurious, home-made bath experience!

Episode Transcript:

How to start your own herbal apothecary.

Happy Full Moon, everyone. And thank you for choosing to spend some time with me today. Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the Wadandi People, the traditional custodians of the land I’m speaking from today.

This is the second full Moon in Capricorn (the first one was on the 21. Of June), and this one serves as a powerful moment of closure, of release, of initiating a new starting point.  

This is a time to revisit the road we have travelled since the beginning of the year and decide the changes we want to make in our course.

For me personally, the biggest change I’m noticing is that I’m really starting to follow the beat of my own drum this year. I’m a lot more in tune with my body and my emotions, and having moved out here to the cabin also gives me the chance to establish a connection with nature, and that’s of course what this year is all about.

Since I was a child I haven’t felt this connected to Country, to a place, and to the weather and the seasons changing. And I think there is something so magical about getting to know a place that intimately. Noticing when the first wild flowers start to bloom, seeing the first whale swim up the coast, waiting for the first rain…

I moved from Germany to Australia in 2020, and another side effect of that transition is that the seasons here are completely reversed. And I hadn’t realised it until lately, but that kind of game me a clean slate. It allowed me to let go of the old seasons and the calendar where your year starts in January and ends in December. Which is something that doesn’t make much sense when you look at nature, really. Like, in January (at least in the northern hemisphere), everything is still asleep, buried under frost and snow. It’s only in Spring, in March, April, that we can feel the beginning of something new.

And living here in Western Australia, where the Wadandi People celebrate seven different seasons, has truly opened my eyes in that regard.

But let’s get going with today’s topic and my latest rewilding challenge: Over the past weeks, I have gone on a fantastic journey to learn more about medicinal herbs and plants, and I’ve finally started my own herbal apothecary. So, just a disclaimer; I’m not an expert on any of the topics I discuss in this podcast; I’m inviting you to follow me along on this journey and learn together with me.

I’ve wanted to have my own apothecary for a very long time, but I was never in the right place to do so. I’ve also not been in one place long enough to get plants and care for them – or even furniture, for that matter. For a long time I’ve lived more like a nomad, and now that I’ve finally settled down, I can do all these witchy things I always wanted to do.

So, let’s dive in and find out what I’ve learnt:

First off, I would like to answer the question “Why?” Why should you start your own apothecary? And, well, I can only answer that for myself, but Frank and I have had this dream for a long time to get our own place one day, completely off the grid, growing our own food, solar on the roof, water tanks at the back, couple of dogs… you know. And recently, we actually made a big step in that direction because we bought a piece of land, and we’re hoping to start building on that land as soon as we can afford to. (We are renting the cabin where we currently live, so this is not ours). And I have always been a firm believer in that idea that, if you want to draw something into your life, try to find a way to include that into your current life right now, in whatever small way you can. You need to show up as the woman you wish to become. You need to take whatever small step you can today, to move closer to who she is, three, five, ten years into the future.

And so, if I wish to become that woman with muddy hands, straw hat, down on her knees harvesting her own tomatoes, I need to find a way to be her now, on a smaller scale.

I have this image of the woman I would like to be and that woman is able to make her own medicine, to live at one with nature, and to care for herself and for her loved ones in a meaningful and natural way.

So, that curiosity was always there, but it was only when I started writing my current witchy fantasy that the need truly arose for me to learn this stuff because one of my characters is an herbalist who runs her own apothecary, and research is always the perfect excuse to pick up a new hobby.

And I’m saying ‘hobby’ but really, what I’ve discovered over the last few weeks is that starting your own apothecary is like starting a chain reaction of change in your habits, in your everyday life, in the things you buy… And I kind of knew that going in, which is probably another reason why I put it off for so long, because I knew this would affect everything I do.

So what do I mean by that exactly?

Well, as soon as you start looking into making your own skin care products, cleaning products, or even your own food, and especially when, like me, you would like to do this with intention and with the overall goal to connect with nature, you figure out pretty quickly that you cannot just make a balm and then move on, no it takes a lot more preparation than that, if you want to do it properly.

I don’t mean it’s hard, not at all actually, but I mean that there will be a ripple effect in all areas of your life. Before you make your balm, you want to make sure your workspace is cleansed, and your tools are cleaned. You want to make sure you use sustainable ingredients because the whole point of you making your own balm is to infuse it with good intentions and good vibes, and how can you do that if the coconut oil you’re using is not sustainably sourced. And then, once the balm is made, you want to make sure the bathroom counter it will sit on is clean, and while you’re at it, why don’t you just clean and cleanse the whole bathroom, or better yet: the whole house?

It affects everything you do. But that makes working with herbs, I think, such a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Now, how did I go about this?

First off, I picked a guidebook as a companion. It’s called “Herbal Magick” and it’s by the Green Witch, Annabel Margaret. I don’t remember how or when I found Annabel but I’ve been watching her Youtube videos for years. It’s something I always come back to because she’s got such a calm energy and voice and I’ve learnt a lot from her over the years. And of course I will link over to her site on my blog below this episode.

I love her approach of intentional magick, and of taking it step by step.

So, for example, she suggests, to get started with herbs, it’s a good idea to study one herb or one plant throughout one entire moon cycle, taking notes, experimenting with it, watching it grow and change. She also has a very helpful Youtube video about what easy plants to start with if you want to grow your own herbal garden.

I kind of followed her advice, but I also listened to my own intuition and added things that spoke to me.

And I will tell you exactly what I chose, what changes I have made over the past weeks, and also what the first, very easy things were that I have made in my little apothecary, but before I do, I wanted to give a word… no two words of caution.

The first one is: This stuff can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Not only are there a lot of herbs out there that all have different uses, cautions, even sexes – but there’s also the different moon phases to consider, the kinds of tools you’re going to get, and don’t even get me started on all the fantastic Instagram accounts, teaching you how to make soaps and oils and teas… I think that’s why I came back to Annabel’s work because I already knew her, and I found her approach to be not overwhelming.

And the second thing is: It is very easy to spend a lot of money on this stuff. You know, buy all the dried herbs and the organic shea butter, the perfect simmering pot and wooden spoon and glass containers, and fresh herbs and pots and oils… But it really doesn’t have to be expensive and there are a lot of things you’ll already have in your home. Hand in hand with that goes also that you do not have to change your entire life or household overnight. It’s still okay to buy shampoo at the supermarket and use tea bags. This is a journey and it’s a gradual shift, and every little step you take will bring you closer and will feel like such an achievement.

And if you don’t know where to start, keep on listening because I’ve done the legwork for you, and I think this is a no-fuss approach that will allow you to include herbal magick gradually into your life. It won’t take up much of your time, either. You can do as little or as much as you’d like.

Let’s start with what I bought, and what I still had at home.

The beginner plants I decided I wanted fresh in my house, and that are now growing next to my writing desk, listening as I talk about them here, are:

  • Basil: Basil is used to help with stomach problems and to fight germs. It’s also made into oils to ease headaches and calm nerves.
  • Rosemary: Rosemary is used to improve memory and boost brain power. It’s also made into creams to help sore muscles and joint pain.
  • Lemon Balm: Lemon balm is used to help people relax and sleep better. It’s also made into teas to ease stomach upset and stress.
  • Mint: Mint is used to help with breathing problems and to cool down fevers. It’s also put into oils to ease headaches and clear stuffy noses.
  • Aloe Vera: Aloe vera is used on the skin to help burns, cuts, and rashes heal faster. It’s also made into drinks to help with digestion and clean out the gut.
  • Chamomile: Chamomile is used to calm people down and help them sleep. It’s also made into creams to soothe itchy skin and help with eczema.

Then I also bought some dried herbs, although in the future I will start growing these myself as well:

  • Lavender
  • More chamomile
  • Nettle
  • Pine
  • Cinnamon

As for the tools, I had to buy a simmering pot, a strainer, and pestle and mortar but other than that, I was able to make do with things I already had at home, and I will give you a full list of my tools on my blog.

Now, the next question I asked myself was, what is it that I would like to make?

And you might ask: Well, what can I make? The list is, of course, endless. But just to give you some ideas:

  • Teas and infusions
  • Tinctures (herb extracts in alcohol)
  • Salves and balms
  • Herbal oils
  • Syrups
  • Compresses
  • Herbal bath blends
  • Herbal sachets or pillows
  • Herbal honeys
  • Essential oils (through distillation)
  • Lip balms
  • Soaps
  • Laundry Liquid
  • Kitchen Cleaner
  • Bathroom Cleaner
  • Smudge Sticks
  • And so much more…

I would like to add a lot of these in the future, and the last few weeks and also this podcast episode merely serve as an introduction for you and me into this world, but if you’d like to follow along, I’m going to tell you now four simple things that I made in the last three weeks, and I’ll share the step-by-steps on my blog for each, and I promise you they don’t take much time or tools or ingredients, and they will leave you felling inspired after you’ve made them, and very accomplished.

I made:

  • Herbal Sachets to put under our pillows
  • Kitchen Cleaner
  • A Bath Blend
  • And a Calming Hand Balm

Each of these took only a couple of minutes to make; the longest (and the most fun) one was the Calm Balm which took about half an hour.

So this is totally doable, and it’s such a lovely activity to enrich your life. You know, to make your own… anything: your own medicine, your own food, your own… whatever. It’s empowering, it’s a meaningful step away from the mass consumerism out there, and it will help you so much to feel connected to this world.

There’s this quote I’ve seen on Instagram a while ago:

“I think millennials are going to be the generation that simply tried to make it work. They couldn’t afford the 100 acres, so they had to make do in their own backyward. They finally realised that the scheme of convenience was making them sicker and sadder, day by day. So they became more self-sufficient. And they discovered traditions of old that were never taught to them, and brought them back to life. They’re starting to find the joy in simplicity, running away from the unsustainable pace being set by the rest of society. I think they’ll be known as the generation who finally found a sense of peace in the heed of constant news cycles and cultural panic at every corner, I think this generation will finally be the one that took us back to a much, much better way of life.”

That is the journey we are on, and that is why I’m doing this podcast.

Tune in again in two weeks from now for the new moon episode and don’t forget to drop by my blog for the step-by-step-guides to make your own calm balm and kitchen cleaner and all that. And then make sure you take some time this week to rewild yourself in whatever small or big way you can. Thank you for listening, Bye bye.

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