
Your Home Apothecary
Starting your own home apothecary can be overwhelming, but it's an opportunity for you to take charge of your own personal health story. You don't have to make all the decisions; you don't have to know all the things and you don't have to do it on your own. There are so many ways now to learn about herbs, but I'd love to tell you about some simple ways you can begin to work with plant medicine at home.
Apothecary Tools
You don't need a lot of tools to get started. You definitely need a way to boil water and some containers, like jars, to hold your creations.
- Tea Kettle or double boiler setup
- Mesh Strainer or cheesecloth
- Bottles or canning jars
Apothecary Herbs
I recommend you either start off with herbs that you are called to work with or interested in or maybe even go by a recipe that you'd like to try. Most herbs have several uses so it will be worth exploring each herb individually.
I recommend the following herbs to start off with as they are easily accessible and versatile options. Some of them may also be found in your backyard, depending on where you live.

- Nettles
- Calendula
- Plantain
- Elderflower
- Roses
- Lavender
Apothecary Ingredients
Most herbal projects will also require you to have a few additional ingredients on hand. Some staples like honey, glycerin, vodka, vinegar or brandy to name a few. Using these additional ingredients can expand how you work with herbs.
Honey and glycerin are often used in herbal recipes like syrups, elixirs, or oxymels. I often use glycerin as a substitute for alcohol in my tinctures. This is also a good option for children herbal medicinals as it tastes a little sweeter.
Apple cider vinegar is a staple in many homes already and it can be used again in place of alcohol in tinctures or extracts.
Vodka or brandy is typically used to make an herbal extract or tincture. Vodka is what i normally use as it's cheap and consistency makes a reliable extract when I'm working with dried herbs. It's recommended that if working with fresh herbs you use a very strong alcohol, such as Everclear, so things don't get moldy.
Resources
Education investment is going to only benefit you. All plants have specific energetic and contraindicative properties that will be important to know for dosing purposes. It can also get a little more complicated for people who are pregnant or may have many layers of symptoms that need to be sorted through. It's also a really fun way to discover herbs local to your environment and to start foraging locally! Even better, if you know of a local herbalist who you can work with in real life! Below are some of my favorite go to resources.

- American Herbalist Guild
- The Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders
- The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook
- Mountain States Foraging
As always I would encourage safe experimentation and I'm always happy to answer any questions you might have. If you are interested in working with me personally, give me a shout.
Happy herbal crafting!