News

We're loving a burst of sunshine and warmer temperatures up in our corner of the world! The days are longer, and the early flowers are showing up in all their glory, the lovely wild Crocus among them.

The stigmas and styles of a fall-blooming Crocus, C. sativus, are the source of the wonderful culinary and medicinal spice Saffron, commercially cultivated in the Mediterranean area and West and Southwest Asia, with most production taking place in Iran.

As it turns out, Saffron can be grown in the Pacific Northwest as well, although the US Saffron crop is mainly from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Keep in mind that more than 4,300 Crocus flowers are required in order to produce a single ounce of Saffron! 

Just a quick reminder—Wednesday next week, January 31, will be the final day of this great sale, offering a 20% discount on all of our bulk herbs and tea blends. 

A perfect time to stock up on your favorite plant allies for brewing that special pot of tea... and an excellent reason to get started on making a tincture, syrup, infused oil, or other herbal project you may have been thinking about!

As we come to the end of 2023 and look forward to 2024, all of us at Em’s Herbals wish you all the best! 

Our customers are what our business is all about, ultimately. Sharing our love of healing plants, and offering you the best products that we can find and create—we do it all for you!

For many of us, the New Year moment is a time to think about improving our health… resolving or managing lingering issues that we’re already aware of, and seeking ways to prevent or minimize others that may lurk over the horizon.

To help you meet your New Year's goals, we're announcing a Health and Wellness Sale for the entire month of January, with 20% off on our entire inventory of bulk herbs and teas)!

We’ve brought a few herbs back to our selection that haven’t been on our list for some time.

• Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), a potent immune stimulant and antimicrobial, particularly helpful for seasonal flus and respiratory illnesses.
• Fenugreek Seed (Trigonella foenum-graecum), known for addressing high blood sugar and digestive problems, and modulating hormonal concerns including dysmenorrhea and lactation, and many other applications.
• Linden Leaf and Flower (Tillia sp.), a soothing, fragrant tea, perfect for anxiety, insomnia, and palpitations.
• Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), a classic remedy for women’s concerns, and a tonic for the nerves and circulatory system.
• Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), a nervine with a wide range of actions, popular as an addition to dream pillows.
• Wild Lettuce (Lactuca virosa), traditionally used as an analgesic, antispasmodic, and sedative. The Premium Harvest Wild Lettuce we have just received is lovingly wildcrafted in Oregon.

We're adding a couple of others that are new to our collection!

• Jamaican Dogwood Bark (Piscidia piscipula), a strong herb for pain and insomnia.
• Tribulus terrestris powder, also known as Caltrops, renowned as a libido enhancer for both sexes.
• Tulsi (Ocimum sp.), often called Holy Basil, or the Queen of Herbs, treasured in Indian culture as a stress reliever, immune enhancer, adaptogen, and much more…

Tulsi (coming to our online store soon!) is considered sacred in Indian culture. While Ayurvedic medicine includes a number of herbs with adaptogenic properties—plant allies that regulate body systems to balance excess or augment deficiency, as needed—Tulsi’s status as a panacea, an “elixir of life,” is unrivaled.

Many Indian homes feature a Tulsi plant growing at the entrance or in the courtyard, and Holy Basil is used in the rituals of some HIndu sects. Tulsi is also a traditional Orthodox Christian symbol of paradise, rebirth, and sanctity, cultivated in monasteries, and infused to create holy water.

Native to South Asia, Tulsi prefers warm, moist environments but can be grown in more temperate areas as well. It’s often used daily, as a tea or chewing fresh leaves, to foster longevity and overall health, and as a treatment for numerous conditions including inflammatory conditions of all kinds, metabolic and digestive disorders, infections, toxic exposures, and psychological stress.

Happy New Year—stay healthy!

Black Friday Sale

Looking toward holiday gift-giving, we’ll be offering 10% off on all sales through our website between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, November 24-27. 

Gifts of herbal goodness for the special people in your life are always timely!

Check out our gift bundles and cards, and take advantage of this chance to save! 

Fall Newsletter 2023: DIY Elderberry & Rosehips Syrups, Organic Essential Oils, and More!

Autumn is a favorite season for many! As nights get longer and temperatures begin to drop, it’s not too soon to prepare for seasonal illness. Herbal allies offer time-tested support to help your immune system prevent colds and flus, and aid speedy recovery.

The best defense is a good offense!
Em’s Herbals Winter Defense Tea is a potent blend that you’ll want to have on hand! This all-organic tea features Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia) Root, Elderberries (Sambucus nigra), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Root, Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) Root, and Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina) Bark. A terrific combination for both prevention and symptom relief, and it even tastes good!

Shop News
Welcome to our new Shop Manager, Jessica, who brings a wealth of experience from the natural products industry with her. We'll be adding profiles of all our team members on an upcoming new page on our website.

Keep an eye out for updated labels for our salves, teas, and essential oils.

Many of our essential oils are now certified organic, so be sure to check our website frequently for updated organic status!

Easy-to-Make Herbal Syrups for Cold Weather Wellness
For folks who love DIY, here are two recipes for delicious herbal syrups you can add to your toolkit to boost immune function. Herbal syrups are pleasant to take, and the sugar content also helps to preserve the compounds for a longer shelf life. (For infants under age one, use sugar, agave, or maple syrup in place of honey.) When preparing syrups for adults, alcohol, such as brandy or vodka, can also be added (or used in place of sweetening) to extend shelf life even further.

Rosehip Syrup
Rosehips are the fruit of the rose plant, typically sourced from the Dog Rose (Rosa canina). High in vitamin C, Rosehips have a wonderful tang, and they're also rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, D, and K, as well as flavonoids and other nutrients. This syrup can be taken as a supplement during the cold season, as a supportive measure when symptoms are present, or year-round.

Ingredients
4 cups of water
1 pound of dried organic Rosehips
1 cup of honey, sugar, or maple syrup
Optional: 1/2 cup of brandy, vodka, or other spirits

Directions
Bring water to a boil.
Crush the Rosehips or grind them in a food processor, and stir them into the boiling water.
Bring the water back up to boiling, then turn off the heat.
Allow the mixture to steep for 45 minutes.
Strain the tea through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or muslin bag, and discard Rosehip residue.
Wash the pot and pour the tea back into it.
Bring the tea back up to boiling, then turn the heat down to medium, and simmer until the volume of the liquid is reduced by about half.
Pour the concentrated tea into a measuring cup and allow it to cool slightly.
Add sweetener, stirring to dissolve it completely.
If you choose to add alcohol, let the syrup cool to slightly warm, then stir in half a cup of brandy or other spirits.
Decant the syrup into an airtight bottle or jar and refrigerate.
The refrigerated syrup should be stable for at least six months, or longer if alcohol is added.

Elderberry Syrup
Elderberry syrup is helpful for preventing and treating winter respiratory illness. Studies on the benefits of Elderberry for these purposes are among the strongest research published in the literature of plant medicine. Elderberries contain many nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K, and minerals, flavonoids, triterpenes, sambucin, anthocyanosides, and lioleic and linolenic acids.

Wear an apron, or old clothes, when preparing Elderberry concoctions—the dark-colored liquid is strongly staining!

Ingredients
4 cups of water
2 cups of dried organic Elderberries
1 cup of honey, sugar, or maple syrup
Optional: 2-3 tsp. dried Ginger Root; 1 Cinnamon stick; 2 tsp. cut and sifted Echinacea Root; 1/2 cup of brandy, vodka, or other spirits

Directions
Combine berries and water (along with one or more of the optional herbs, if you're adding them) in a pot, and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, reducing the liquid by about half.
Remove from heat and let steep for an hour.
Mash the berries with a spoon or other implement, then strain them out, using doubled cheesecloth or a muslin bag, and discard them into compost.
Once the liquid is mostly cooled, add sweetener (and optional alcohol).

Serving suggestions for either of these delightful syrups: 1-2 tbsp for adults, 1-2 tsp for children (depending on size), 2-3 times per day, with symptoms, or after likely exposure. Either of the sweetened syrups (minus Echinacea!) can be enjoyed as you would other tasty fruit condiments, on pancakes, with yogurt, in cocktails, etc.

Warm Fall greetings to all!

(*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.)

Labor Day Weekend Sale: 15% off every item!

Shop our website between this Friday, September 1, beginning 12 AM, Pacific time, and Monday, September 4, until 12 AM, and get a cool 15% off everything you order!

Our neighboring Pacific Northwest state of Oregon was the first in the US to establish Labor Day as an official holiday, back in 1887, seven years before it became a national holiday to celebrate working people. 

Most of us consider this weekend as the unofficial end of summer, even though it arrives a few weeks before the Fall Equinox  signals the actual onset of autumn. 

For many businesses, the Labor Day weekend is second only to Black Friday as a moment for sales and discounts—and for our customers, that means big savings! Don't miss this one!

Essential Oils vs Infused Oils: What Is the Difference?

by Kelley White, Whatcom Talk, July 12, 2023

One of the best ways to improve quality of life is to stay educated, especially in products used on a daily basis. Emily Mitchell, owner and operator of Em’s Herbals in Bellingham, sat down to help clarify the difference between essential oils and infused oils, products closely associated with daily holistic care routines.

Essential Oils

“Essential oils are a concentrated extract of a plant in a way that uses different methods of extraction,” says Mitchell. “Basically, you are extracting the volatile oils out of the plant. The volatile oils are what give the plant its smell. Essential oils are volatile oils that are basically evaporating from the plant into the air.”

There are quite a few unique methods used to extract these oils, depending on the plant in play, with the most popular being steam distillation. As essential oils are, in essence, ultra-concentrated material from the plant, the extraction requires a large volume of the plant as a whole.

“Essential oils are concentrated chemical compounds,” Mitchell says. “There are comparatively small amounts of volatile oils in the plant, but they can create a really potent smell, so they’re very strong in small amounts. To get an ounce of essential oil you need about 25 pounds of plant.”

Steam distillation heats the water to create steam, which then carries the essential oil particles along with the water molecules into the air. After they are airborne, the volatile oils and water molecules are separated, and the oil is collected.

“For some things, like oranges and lemons, there’s a lot of essential oil in the peel and they do a cold press to extract the oil,” says Mitchell. “For other plants, they need a chemical extraction and hexane may be used for those. They say hexane is food-grade so hexane would be used as a solvent and would, in theory, evaporate out of the essential oils after extraction, but that’s not always true. The hexane can cause extreme skin irritation and definitely shouldn’t be taken internally.”

Mitchell emphasizes the importance of understanding which type of extraction method is used in your oils as it makes a difference with how your body can react. “When it is recommended ‘don’t use directly on your skin, topically,’ the reason is to avoid the extreme irritation that hexane, or other caustic materials in the essential oils themselves, can cause.”

Benefits of Essential Oils

Essential oils can be very beneficial when used in aromatherapy. Mitchell notes this method of using the oils creates the opportunity for the oil to bond with olfactory receptors in the nose with a straight path to the brain. “There’s nothing that evokes memory like smells, and different essential oils have different therapeutic effects,” she says. “Lavender has a very calming effect, for example. I want to emphasize that these essential oils are concentrated chemical constituents that are extracted from the plant.”

Infused Oils

The process of infusing oils requires steeping the plant over a period of time to properly imbue the plant’s benefits. “A plant has a broad spectrum of constituents—or ingredients and chemicals—and they all work together,” Mitchell says. “Nature has intelligence. Plants were here long before we were, and the innate intelligence of plants is amazing. By infusing oils into a carrier oil for topical use, all the plant’s benefits may be utilized, not just the volatile oils.”

When essential oils are extracted, most of the plant material is left unused. When oils are infused, the entire plant soaks into the oil for three weeks or three months, depending on the type of plant and process required.

“We use organic sunflower oil and jojoba oil,” says Mitchell. “Sunflower oil has a lot of essential fatty acids that are really good for the skin, and jojoba oil has been called the ‘skin’s twin’ as it has the same pH of the skin and matches the skin’s natural sebum.”  This is what make infused oils such a great addition to lotions and body care items, such as salt scrubs and home made moisturizing oils.

Infusing oils allows for the use of the whole plant and is also nontoxic. “We press out that plant material and we’re left with an infused oil, so you have all the properties and the benefits of the whole plant in a liquid form that you can now apply topically, safely,” says Pacheco.

At Em’s Herbals you’ll find products such as lavender, chamomile, arnica, calendula, and comfrey leaf-infused oils. “Comfrey leaf is great for tissue and skin repair. We also have calendula, which is antibacterial and wound healing,” Pacheco says. “We’ve also got arnica, which has helenium in it, an anti-inflammatory.”

Comfrey leaf is one of their most popular infused oils among customers, with several touting its amazing results. “Comfrey leaf has been used to repair broken bones. It also has something called epithelial growth factor in the leaf where it actually generates new skin cell growth, so it’s very healing,” says Mitchell. “Many customers give me feedback about tissue repair like rotator cuff repairs or joints or tendons; they swear by the fact that it has given them relief.”

All plants used in their infusion process are either locally grown or sourced from the Pacific Northwest. Visit the Em’s Herbals website to find your natural pathway to relief.

Come say Hi! at the Mind Body Spirit Fair in Bellingham, July 22, 10 AM-4 PM

Bear with Us: Sustainably Wild Harvested Oshá Root

In this post, we’re highlighting a fascinating plant with a long history of use in Native American herbal medicine and healing! Oshá is a magical plant with powerful healing properties, a native of the southwestern parts of the United States. It’s a special herb in the Em's Herbals story: Emily's personal experience with Oshá Root's alleviation of a throat infection helped lead her to her career as an herbalist!

Oshá is called “bear medicine” by some tribes. The Diné people say that the brown bear led them to the plant, and bears have been seen chewing the roots and rubbing them into their fur. The root has a strong, pleasant, aromatic fragrance, somewhat akin to celery, and is sometimes burned as incense.

Folk healers have used it for colds, coughs, flus, sore throats, sinusitis, and asthma; fever, pain, and inflammation; preventing stomach ulcers, controlling blood sugar in diabetes, easing menstrual cramps and bringing on delayed menses, as an antispasmodic and sedative, and ceremonially for protection and purification. Teas or extracts have been used topically for cuts, scrapes, or herpes sores.

For best results, we suggest chewing the root (like a bear!), preparing it as a tincture, or simmering it in water for several hours, adding more water as necessary.

Oshá (Ligusticum porteri) grows in partial shade in the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, northern New Mexico, and parts of Mexico, at altitudes of 5-10,000 feet. Since its flourishing requires the presence of mycorrhizal fungi, efforts to cultivate it outside of its natural range have failed.

We are grateful to acquire our stock of Oshá from an experienced collector in the region, whom we trust to gather the roots of this rare and endangered plant sustainably!

Many of Oshá's traditional applications have been demonstrated in animal and in vitro experiments, and compounds isolated from Oshá have shown numerous medicinal actions including antimicrobial, antifungal, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anticancer, antihyperglycemic, antithrombotic, insect repellent, antispasmodic, antiallergenic, and antihypertensive.

(Note: Oshá should be avoided during pregnancy or lactation. This article is for educational purposes only. No claims are made for diagnosis or treatment of any disease.)

Spring 2023 Newsletter

Happy Springtime!



The days are growing longer, and temperatures are slooowly warming up in the lovely Pacific Northwest.



We’re excited about new developments in our business:

    •    The transformation of our website is proceeding well, with improvements to both appearance and user functionality, especially for wholesale customers.
    •    We’ve connected with a new local grower, a specialist in herbs and flowers, and we’re looking forward to a crop of very fresh Calendula Flowers from her fields. She also grows a bit of Chamisso Arnica (A. chamissonis), a North American native plant which is easier to grow than the better-known Arnica montana, and considered interchangeable with A. montana for medicinal purposes  
    •    We’ll be coming out with new labels for our tea blends and essential oils later this year.

    •    We have a new sales associate on staff, Tami, who’s catching on quick, and our shop’s operating on regular business hours, 9-5 Monday-Friday.

    •    We’re quite pleased to be exhibiting our wares and meeting folks at the Bellingham Center for Spiritual Living’s Mind Body Spirit Fair, Saturday, July 22, our first public event in over three years.

    •    Our Spring Cleansing sale, ten percent off all of our tea blends and bulk herbs, continues through the end of this month.


Rejoice! Winter is over, and the seeds are starting to sprout!

Em’s Herbals Creates Relief with Calendula Salve and Oil

by Kelley White, Whatcom Talk, March 20, 2023

Like rich sunshine, vivid and cheerful, the Calendula flower is as optimistic as it looks. Emily Mitchell, owner and founder of Em’s Herbals in Bellingham, has formulated the friendly and formidable flower into a salve and oil that both provide relief to some of the most vulnerable members in our community.

“We want to educate folks on what the benefits are and why this is such a great product,” says Mitchell. “We use certified organic Calendula flowers grown here in Whatcom County.”

Creating Calendula Salve and Oil

Mitchell’s process is wholesome with a mind for natural and organic ingredients. “We take the flower and infuse it into organic sunflower and jojoba oil for a minimum of three weeks,” Mitchell says. “There isn’t any heat applied that could damage the properties of the plant. It’s been expeller pressed and we hand press it so there’s no mechanical force used in the extraction process. What you get is a very simple, very effective, beautiful oil.”

Looking Towards Spring: Detoxifying Herbs, and a Sweet Sale!

Springtime is around the corner, barely a week away!  It’s the perfect season for cleansing your body of the residues of heavier, winter season diets, and other indulgences or medications. Traditional detox herbs can help move those built-up toxins out by enhancing the natural activities of the liver, kidneys, colon, lungs, skin, and lymphatic system. 

Check out our Cleanse Me Tea, a potent detox formula of Nettles, Cleavers, Burdock, and Dandelion, plus Red Clover Flowers. People who experience springtime allergy symptoms may find relief with Em's excellent Aller-Geez Tea, featuring Nettles, Chickweed, Sage, Licorice Root, and Eyebright—a great blend for calming the hay fever symptoms that many suffer when tree and grass pollens fill the air. (Note: this year’s drought-quelling rains in parts of the western US are likely to fuel higher than normal levels of pollen and mold!)

Some of the other herbs worth considering for detox regimens include Milk Thistle Seed, Ginger, Ashwagandha, Alfalfa, Blessed Thistle, Gotu Kola, Sarsaparilla, Artichoke Leaf, Echinacea, Uva Ursi, Calendula Flower, Oat Top, Hibiscus, Celery Seed, Schizandra, Rosemary, Fennel Seed, Helichrysum Flower, Figwort, Ocotillo Bark, Cinnamon, and Rosehip. Each of these plants can aid the action of one or more of the organ systems that are essential for your internal cleansing process (see links above for more details). 

Along with measures such as sensible eating, adequate hydration, good quality sleep, appropriate exercise, and minimizing or avoiding alcohol and other intoxicants, an herbal detox regimen can enhance your sense of well-being, mental clarity, and mood, reduce inflammation, and energize you to cope with life’s challenges more effectively.

As we’ve noted previously, using herbs in the form of well-steeped teas is optimal for extracting most of the healing compounds in plant medicines, and provides the extra benefit of increasing your water intake—an important part of the cleansing process! 

To make starting your program even easier, we’re offering a ten percent discount on all our bulk herbs and teas, beginning today, through the end of April.