I have always believed that the Earth is alive and has a spirit, as do the plants and animals that inhabit it; and it is because of this I believe in honoring the earth and taking care of it. Besides, this is our home, if we don't take care of it, who will? I want my children to grow up in a place filled with healthy animals, trees & plants and clean air & water. I try to be as Earth-conscious as possible in all aspects of my life. Before I get started on my mission for Wild River Apothecary, I want you to know a little about the sustainability practices I try and incorporate. Please remember, I am human and make plenty of mistakes. These are some of the things which I feel have the most impact on the way my products are produced, and packaged and shipped.
Plant Materials & Ingredients: I love growing things, so soon you will be seeing more and more herbs grown right here in our garden. I grow everything as organically as possible, using nutrient rich compost, and gorgeous, pure water from our well. If I do need to source some plant material, I only use companies that I trust and have the same values as me.
Products: You can rest assured that any of the products I make are free and clear of harmful chemical additives like Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS), Propelyne Glycol, Formeldehyde, Artificial Colors, Parabens, or Fragrances. There are many other things I could list, but I don't know all of the names for them, so trust me when I say, "It's not in there, everything I make is 100% natural."
All of the products I make are handmade, with the utmost of respect and care. They are cautiously crafted with only the best healing intentions infused within.
Packaging: I try to use reusable or biodegradable containers for my products such as glass, paper, or a safer plastic. (No plastic is truly safe. They will forever leach their nasty chemicals into the product, or the earth, which, ultimately will end up in our bodies some how.) Sometimes, I have to work with what is available to me, but I generally opt for the healthier alternative.
Shipping: Many times I will receive packages and reuse those boxes when shipping out orders, giving them another life, and I hope you will do the same. For example: if I do not have packing material on hand from a previous purchase, I will try my hardest to source a bio-degradable packing material that won't cause detrimental damage to the environment should it be thrown out.
Now onto the best part, my mission statement.
I have a love of ancient plant medicine. I have been learning about it for over a decade now, and one thing I have come to learn is that some how if you do not have a "certificate" in your field of study, people seem to think that your knowledge is not worth anything. There is a huge problem with this, especially since currently in the United States, there is no certification available for an herbalist. So courses saying you will be come a certified herbalist are basically twisting their words to get people to join their class. That being said there are many schools that do certify or graduate other healers who can use herbal medicine as their trade. But all that takes money, and usually it isn't cheap.
I am a person who has never really had an "abundance" of money in my adult years. So free resources are always an amazing source for me to learn. Seriously, if you would count all the time I have spent researching from these free resources I would have have a legitimate Masters degree at minimum. But because I haven't written a dissertation and been graded on it, the knowledge I have isn't generally recognized as valuable. I want to change that. I am not searching for status or anything like that. I would just like to make what I have learned available to those who are searching for answers.
I believe herbal medicine is the people's medicine, just as is the Wise Woman Way by using safe plant allies, however, I do believe in using powerful herbs when needed, under the proper herbalist or physician's care. I also believe that there is a time and a place for modern allopathic medicine, and even surgery. However, that doesn't mean I am not going to try my hardest to use herbs to do the job that they are meant to do.
I love working with herbs and feeling their magic. Yes, I said magic, but it isn't like you think. We all have a magic inside of us. It is a magic that is so powerful and was given to us from our Creator. It is the same magic that lies in these plants, it is the same magic that is in the animals. It is a magic that can make you whole again. I 100% believe that plants and animals have spirits. I have literally heard the voice of a tree, I have had experiences where that tree hugged me, promised me everything would be alright, and gave me permission to use her medicine. I have also had experiences when I asked a tree for its medicine and it wasn't willing to let me take it. I was selfish and did it anyway. This is a decision I regret daily, and hope I can make an apology when spring comes and I can get to the tree again and work on healing the relationship that has been crumbled from the beginning. It has affected me on a deep level to know that the spirits in the trees and plants are real and very vocal. They have emotions just like us. My husband has his own experiences with this but that is not my story to tell.
In short my mission is to provide herbal wisdom and know how to the people of the earth, and like I said earlier, I do not seek status, or reward. What I seek is for this medicine to not be forgotten. Our Creator placed this medicine here, for us. It is our job to use it, to learn of it, and in turn, to of teach it so it is always remembered.
