The Apothecary

I make herbal formulas in small batches. This means that I can use high quality herbs, densely packed, to create rich vibrant tinctures, balms, liniments, poultices and more. What is available at any given time depends on what herbs I have and how they call to me to work with them. Many of the formulas I make need time to become wonderful, and I will never rush them. More offerings will cycle through here frequently.

My training is rooted in Thai medicine, and most of the formulas I make come from that tradition, but I do occasionally wander into local herb lore, Ayurvedic formulations, and European practices. A walk in the woods might become an evening of cleaning and drying or tincturing some lovely healing plant that revealed itself.

Scroll past the formulas for ethics information about organics, animals, and packaging.

Regarding Organics

I’ve brought a lot of dried herbs home with me from Thailand over the years that I cannot list as organic. They are often unsprayed but not certified. I deeply believe in the importance of a pesticide free world, but this is not always simple when working with herbs from the other side of the world where regulations and reasoning can be different and greatly affect what can be written on a label. Western herbs are always either organic or ethically wild crafted.  

Regarding Animals

I have been vegetarian for over 30 years, and vegan for over 20 years. There are some traditional Thai formulas that require animal products that I have made the choice to share due to the profound healing I have seen from these formulas combined with the animal products they require being substances that can be gotten without hurting the animals if care is used: honey, beeswax, and eggs. Honey and beeswax are ethically sourced from local backyard beekeepers whose first priority is the welfare of the bees. It is my understanding that bees and humans are in a bit of a symbiotic relationship right now, and that beekeeping is of utmost importance (of course one can provide care for bees without taking from them). The beekeepers I purchase from leave the honey in the hives until fully ripened and no uncapped cells are pulled for extraction.  All colonies are left with a surplus of honey and pollen to help them better survive the wet and cool northwest winter and spring. I only use bee products in formulas in which there is no other possible substitution. I also have a Thai poultice formula that is mixed with egg whites for best effect. I do not provide the egg whites, but it is my hope that the animal lovers out there will source their eggs from pet chickens who are loved and allowed to free range during the day, and are not killed once they stop laying. You can also often get eggs from farm animal rescue sanctuaries. Please keep in mind that “chicken tractors” are not free range, and that all mass produced eggs come from birds that are kept in horrible conditions. It is legal to print “free range” or “cage free” on eggs that come from birds that are kept in warehouses with 80,000 birds with no windows just as long as they aren’t in battery cages. I once called 6 different “free range” egg suppliers and asked if their birds were outside or in a warehouse, and they were all in warehouses. So source local pet chicken eggs!

Regarding Packaging & Shipping

I have chosen to package in glass in order to avoid plastics both for the sake of the earth and for the herbs. My labels are compostable. This means that they are more susceptible to degradation if liquid gets on them. If you need to protect the label you can put some packing tape over it, but this is not biodegradable, so please just do this if needed.
Shipping packaging will be either made from recycled cardboard, or may be repurposed boxes, which won’t look as sexy, but are nicer to the earth. Any plastic in your box is repurposed, but most of the time I’ll pad your bottles with straw.
The only shipping option I offer is through the United States Postal Service because I believe that it is important to support the post office, which is financially strapped and currently not getting the government support that it needs.

We ship orders on Mondays and Thursdays. If you are in a time emergency please contact us to see if it’s possible for us to make an extra run to the post office for you. Remember, this is a teeny business, just me making herbal formulas, with the help of my son when he isn’t away at college.