I know I always tell y’all to take a risk and jump off high cliffs to catch dreams and I do live that. Why exactly I thought it wise to give up my main source of income and life calling, I know not, but we all have those moments of burn out or boredom and I had both. My herbal medicine business didn’t look like I wanted it to and it was too late to change much about it. You may think I am crazy, but it was going too well. I became an herbalist in order to use my medical intuitive abilities, play with plants, and help educate and offer other folk alternative ways to effectively care for their family armed with the knowledge of thousands of years of practical Native medicine. I don’t play doctor or diagnose, but I know my stuff when it comes to herbal medicine. But, I ended up just shipping products all over the world and it lost its personal touch. If I could pinpoint a place where I got off track, trying to put herbalism behind farming was my wrong path. Herbalism is my calling. We detoured back onto the main road now and are heading somewhere.
Our investors/friends/clients really want us to reopen an apothecary. I want to as well. This time I am designing it differently. Margie will have the Garden Fairy products in there and I’ll get commission. My part will be seventy glowing single extracts where I can pour what people need at the moment or they could build their own tincture. I will have over seventy herbs for teas, many that I have harvested. I think we need some green teas and chai blends as well. We will sell my books and art as well as a wide variety of herbal medicines in a small, airy shop attached to the house. Can you picture it?
I have been thinking about how to create my new extracts. I have always done straight alcohol because it pulls the most medicine out of the herbs. However, the taste is repulsive and sharp.
I would love to make honey tinctures but then I leave out any client under the age of one and how many bees would be killed in order to get that much honey?
So, I tried to imagine the perfect medicine. If I wanted to give someone a gift of medicine what would it look like. It would be slightly sweet, filled with antioxidants and health, and thoroughly infused medicine. I think one part maple syrup (nutrient rich and anti-tumor), one part vodka (to infuse the herbs properly), one part live medicinal herbs, and one part homemade red wine vinegar (antioxidant and good for digestive system) would be wonderful. Doesn’t that sound lovely? I will try a batch and see how it is.
It is fun dreaming up my new Apothecary. Farmgirl Herbal Remedies will hopefully be open this autumn.
Farmgirl School 
Fantastic! !!! Looking forward to the Grand Opening 🙂
Thanks, I am excited too!
What a great idea! I like it!
Thank you! You can come visit when you come out here!
I’ve read a lot of books that suggest using vegetable glycerin for children or those who don’t wish to use alcohol, that supposedly it makes a sweeter, more palatable tincture (actually a glycerite). Would that be a possibility, or do you prefer not to use glycerin. I’ve never tried it – I only use it in my pump-soap – so I have no idea if it would be a good solution or not.
I have used glycerin in all of my furry friends and non-alcoholic tinctures since I started. But since glycerin rather unidentifiable (leftover clear vegetable parts??) I would rather not use it unless I was making a specific tincture for cats or someone who preferred it.
I know this sounds nutty, but I am an herbalist also and do a lot of teaching at fairs or exhibitions where speakers are asked to come in. To date, I’ve not offered any tinctures for human consumption or any products made for human use. But, I do sell herbs, beeswax, etc along with instructions for how to make the tincture of herbal med themselves. I don’t carry insurance because I don’t know where to start looking for it. Do you carry liability insurance? Where does one find it that is reasonably priced? I asked a group of soapmakers where they bought theirs, but I’ve not checked into it because I don’t think they’d carry pharmaceutical liability as this would be. I’d sure appreciate any help you might muster. I really enjoy seeing other herbalists do well with their knowledge base, making it work for themselves and others. Keep up the good work! I enjoy following your blog.
There isn’t insurance available for herbalists because according to the government there is no such thing as an herbalist. I had slip and fall insurance for my shop but for basic herbalism we trust that we have protection because of what we do. We also have our apothecary name registered as a limited liability corporation so that your personal assets are protected. Glad you are practicing herbs.