HomeBodyHerbals Bitters Launch Online
In 2018, I launched my first herbal business in Independence, Missouri, a suburb east of Kansas City. Kansas City (KC) is a city that’s actually two cities comprising the KC metro area: KC, Kansas, and KC, Missouri. I started studying herbalism in Leavenworth, KS while I lived in Bates City, MO. The drive was over an hour one way, but there weren’t many herbalists in that area at that time and I felt the call. After being raised in a spiritual tradition, a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics in college, and a three-year apprenticeship in the Wise Woman Herbalism tradition, I knew practicing herbal medicine was my path in life. It was the perfect blend of art and science, rationality and intuition. At some point, after years of practice, dozens or hundreds of experiments, and preparing one plant every way I can, I realized the way of life that practicing herbal medicine, or even gardening, calls into action was a path toward nature connection. The journey of reconnecting to nature, or the spirit that moves through all things, or simply the living breathing environment around me… took time.
I retired my first herbal business name, Scorpio Rising Botanicals, when I moved to Washington State in 2021. By then, I had limited the types of products I was making down to four main products, and I honed my recipes until I perfected them. I focused on products that represented the elements to me: bitters (earth), candles (fire), perfume (air), bath blends (water). When I made my initial move from Independence to Duvall, I brought every bottle of bitters I had left in inventory in big boxes, each two-ounce bottle wrapped for protection. Since I still had my online shop, I kept it open and formed a good relationship with Post & Print in Duvall for shipping orders and printing labels. I wanted to get rid of my inventory quicker, though, since I didn’t have a lot of extra space in my co-housing situation. So I walked into The Grange Duvall and asked if they were interested in selling my bitters. It was a cute little farm-to-table restaurant downtown with a market area for the farm’s produce and other local goods. They were delighted and bought half my inventory. Even though wholesaling is less than I would have made per bottle retailing myself, I was delighted to make community connections by shelving my bitters there - and I did. I ended up working part-time at The Grange and hosting my Home Club and other classes there. They later bought the rest of my bitters inventory, perfume, and candles, and it felt like a timely gift from the universe that they did. The Grange grew so much that year that they closed the market to make space for tables again, which means they made it back to pre-pandemic levels. For a locally owned farm-to-table restaurant to survive such a rocky time, it sincerely took a village and bootstrapped leadership from the owners, who were local farmers and musicians. What a remarkable time to be a part of Duvall, but that’s not the point of this blog!
By the time my entire old label was sold out, I had passed my real estate exam and was planning a larger business model to encompass real estate into my dream of making herbalism a more accessible way of life. I see herbalism as the people’s medicine, a God-given right to heal thy self and live in cooperation between people and nature. And after maturing into the sobering reality of how disconnected we are… I decided that nature-connected housing was the hill I would die on. It’s time to get cracking on creating a holistic and sustainable lifestyle, cause I have a beautiful revolution to partake in and I can’t let myself burn out anymore! So I decided to bring my herbal business under the Home for My Humanity umbrella. This website is a mission and symbol for accessible, nature-connected living. More on that later, too.
HomeBodyHerbals launched in the summer of 2023 at the Duvall Farmers Market and Carnation Farmers Market. I would have continued into summer of 2024 after opening week at the Carnation market, but I ended up moving to Liberty Lake that same month! I learned after a year of conversations with the public at markets, classes, and networking events that the idea of crossing nature connection and real estate is not new - everyone is talking about it. In fact, living close to the earth might be the oldest thing there is! I learned that right now, many, many people share the same vision I do. I learned we are longing to reconnect with the land we feel both romanced and shamed by, we resent the fact we can’t afford to live anywhere anymore, we feel divorced from meaning and nourishment so don’t feel satisfied by the progress they say we are making, and guilty for not knowing how to solve it in our own lives. Most Americans are caught up in surviving that thriving isn’t in the conversations of possibilities.
People are talking about it in all sorts of ways: a desire to get back to nature, wanting to start a homestead, wanting to share local food systems and resources, homeschooling off-grid with a local band of skilled, self-sufficient neighbors. In smaller ways too… reclaiming and protecting their autonomy, privacy, body, food sources, ingredients, etc. Reconnecting with ourselves and our place in the bigger picture seems to be on everyone’s hearts and minds.
So calling myself an herbalist felt like reclaiming an identity, or at least something like claiming my place in the world of nutrition. After all, I landed in what was essentially folk medicine school immediately after a “gold standard” peer-reviewed, scientifically proven science degree. The transition happened slowly… and sometimes suddenly all at once. I identified my first herb with my field guide on a slow day while working at Bates City BBQ, my first job, which I held onto for nearly 8 years. Employees often worked on homework during a longer lull between customers, when we’ve cleaned all we could clean. My homework was my new field guide that day. It was in the disturbed ground between the back door of the restaurant and the dumpster. I remember thinking, “How interesting that certain plants are drawn to disturbed soils. How do they know they’re disturbed?” - and that question lingers with me today.
I’ll never forget - seeing a blooming, round, yellow flower with fleshy, lacey green leaves and stalks. This stand, I would later learn, was HUGE compared to how this plant normally grows, which is in the cracks of sidewalks, under bricks and foundations, or on roadsides. I found the yellow flower it looked like from the book, and one signature was “smells like pineapple when the flower is crushed.” I squeezed and rolled the flower in my hand… sure enough, it was pineapple weed. The joy I felt that day is the joy I see in other people who study and love plants the way I do. In 2025, I want to dedicate myself to studying with herbal teachers here in eastern WA/northern ID. But for now, I’m going to share where I’m at - which is my classic flavors of bitters all bottled up and ready to go! All of my bitters are clear alcohol extracts unless otherwise stated.
Since I have some classic and some unique flavors, I will explain what I have available here:
Digestive bitters
Cardamom Bitters
Spiced Dandelion
Fennel
Orange
Juniper
Root Beer
NA Digestive (Apple Cider Vinegar extract)
Introducing my latest addition to the online shop, but an old-time favorite to the world of wellness: handcrafted herbal bitters. Formulated with a blend of carefully selected botanicals, these bitters aim to enhance your digestive health and overall well-being. Each batch is crafted with love and care, ensuring the highest quality and efficacy. Explore my online store, where you’ll find a range of herbal bitters designed to suit various tastes and needs. Elevate your health rituals with classic or unique blends, perfect for cocktails or as everyday wellness companions. Experience the natural benefits and rich flavors of herbal bitters!
