In honor of Herb Day celebrated on the first Saturday in May, we are celebrating herbs all month long. To be honest, we celebrate herbs every day, all year long because herbs are life here at RidgeCrest Herbals, which is why we are known as the #HerbNerds.
All of May we will be posting about herbs and this will be our herb hub. Here you will find the favorite herbs of our staff, including recipes, activities, stories, and so more.
All of our products use herbs, you can find them here.
Want to learn more about our staff, visit our staff page to learn more.
Herbs are any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used to flavor food, medicine, or perfume. Plants have been used for medicinal and culinary purposes for as long as there has been recorded history.
“In some Native languages the term for plants translates to
“those who take care of us.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
Favorite Herbs of our Staff
Sophie C. ~ Pastel Posting Pixie
What is your favorite herb? My favorite herb is lavender. What do you like to use it for? I love keeping lavender in vases around the house. It makes the house smell so good, and the smell is so relaxing to me. What are your favorite ways to use the herb? I love using lavender soaps, lotions, and drinking lavender tea.
What are your favorite herbs? Elderberry, Lemon Balm, Eucalyptus. What do you like to use it for? Elderberry is great for immune health and children's wellness. Lemon Balm supports focus, mental clarity, and is calming to the nervous system. Eucalyptus, specifically radiata, is great for opening airways and breathing. What are your favorite ways to use the herb? Elderberry- syrups, jam, juice, wine, oxymel; Lemon Balm- tincture, tea, syrup, cooking, bathing; Eucalyptus- essential oil, tea, bath/shower bombs, bug repellent, skin lotion, toothpaste, salve/muscle balm.
(note: this should not be consumed in the form of an essential oil).
What are your favorite herbs? So many! One I always love to find in the wild is miner's lettuce. It is loaded with Vitamin C, and is found especially in the spring, usually near water, more often in the mountains. Indians used it as a mild laxative. Miners and prospectors in the gold rush era used it to avoid or treat scurvy. I learned to hunt for it in the sixth grade, and the wonder of finding natural edible plants has never left me. It is much more common in California than Utah, but I have found and enjoyed it here too. Its unusual appearance and sweet, slightly tangy flavor, and the ability to eat it right off the trail (no cooking) makes it fun to look for and share.
Want to learn about the roots of the herbal industry? Check out the many people who contributed to the herbal legacy.
Jordan P. ~ Prince of Packages
What are your favorite herbs? Rosemary What do you like to use it for? Cooking What are your favorite ways to use the herb? My absolute favorite way to use rosemary is to bloom it in a pan with garlic and butter, then baste it onto a seared juicy steak.
"Herbs are the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks." - Charlemagne
Nina R. ~ Multitasker in the Cloud
What is your favorite herb? Lemon Balm, Basil, Nettle, & Turmeric (mixed with black pepper to enhance effects) What do you like to use them for? Lemon balm for relaxation and stress support. Basil for airway support, taste, detox, and stress support. Nettle for nutrients and antioxidants. Turmeric for a great all-around immune booster. What are your favorite ways to use the herbs? Lemon balm for tea. Basil for face-steaming and for food. Nettle in recipes, like burger patties, and tea. Turmeric on almost every food- if I sprinkle salt, I sprinkle turmeric and pepper!
What are your favorite herbs? Wild garlic, also known as bear's garlic ( ‘ail des ours’ in French), ramsons, and wood garlic, is scientifically termed Allium ursinum. The name "bear's garlic" refers to the belief that bears are fond of this plant and consume it to cleanse their system after hibernation. It is both an herb and a perennial flowering plant, thriving in the damp, shaded woodlands of Europe and Asia. What do you like to use it for? It supports optimal cardiovascular, immune, and digestive health. What are your favorite ways to use the herbs? Culinary: Wild garlic leaves can be used to infuse oils and vinegars. The flowers of wild garlic are not only pretty but also edible. They make a nice garnish for salads and soups.
What are your favorite herbs? Rosemary, Cardamom, and Lavender What do you like to use it for? I like to use them mainly in cooking. All three make it into my daily meals or drinks. What are your favorite ways to use the herbs? Rosemary I use for meals, it adds a fresh savory flavor that pairs well with my favorite dishes, from vegetables to protein. It has a wonderful smell so I also use it in room cleaners(floor washes or room sprays), herb sachets (along with lavender and lemon balm) for and stored clothes or blankets, and different body lotions and salves as it helps with skin and joint health. Lavender & Cardamom both are very different in smell and taste and I use them for my different moods, in house cleaners, teas, simple syrups/honeys, and baking. I use cardamom mostly in my coffee and cinnamon rolls!
What are your favorite herbs? Lavender and Peppermint What do you like to use it for? Lavender will always be my favorite. Just the scent alone is heavenly but the many uses for it are amazing. I use this in sachets for drawers , Baths and diffusers for relaxation, In rollerballs or herbal supplements for relaxation as well as tension relief. Also amazing to help with skin health. Peppermint is also one that I love. It also smells amazing. This is an herb also great for tension relief. I combine it with Lavender oil as well as others for topical application. It can be beneficial for digestive health. And of course the best flavor for dental products and our families homemade Christmas Peppermint Brownies!
“The secrets are in the plants. To elicit them you have to love them enough.” -George Washington Carver
Haley C. ~ Assistant Marketing Director
What are your favorite herbs? Rosemary & Cilantro What do you like to use them for? Rosemary is a rich source of antioxidants, it help boost the immune system and improve blood circulation. Cilantro is crisp and delicious, but it also has a variety of benefits. Researchers have turned up a long list of potential cilantro health benefits including improved heart health, decreased anxiety, blood sugar health, protection against oxidative stress and more. It is also low in calories but high in antioxidants, along with vitamin K and vitamin A. What are your favorite ways to use the herbs? Rosemaryparticularly in the broth of soups, every manner of potatoes, roasted veggies, and gravies. Macerated down to powder, tucked into an herb sachet, stripped and tossed right in with oil, bloomed in any sort of fat (oils, butter, tallow, etc). It's also really good in cocktails with orange rind. Cilantro I chop this herb roughly and add it to all kinds of things - including noodle dishes, rice, salads, sushi, tacos, burritos, salsa, etc.
What are your favorite herbs? Ashwaghanda, Triphala (3 herb blend), and Mormon Tea Leaf What do you like to use them for? Ashwaghanda supports my adrenals with sustained energy. Triphala is a great formula for health digestion and elimination. It makes a gentle cleansing to get the colon rollin'. Mormon Tea Leaf for sinus support. What are your favorite ways to use the herbs? Ashwaghanda in our Adrenal Fatigue Fighter™ and SereniZen® Gummies. Mormon Tea Leaf in SinusClear®. Triphala in tablets such asGaia Triphala.
Tara W. ~ IT Sheepherder & Obsessive Analyst
What are your favorite herbs? Garlic, Thyme, Rosemary, Peppermint What do you like to use them for? I use them mainly in cooking What are your favorite ways to use the herbs? Garlic belongs on pretty much everything IMO and I love to use peppermint in making sun tea
What is your favorite herb? I have so many, right now it's ginger. What do you like to use it for? I love its benefits for the digestive system, joint health, menstrual health, and for culinary taste. What are your favorite ways to use the herb? It is great in mints, digestive drops/lozenges, salves, any dish I would also put garlic in, baking, tonics, infusions, syrups, oxymels, and in fermented things like homemade herbal sodas.
“Herbs are like whispers from the Earth, guiding us towards a life in tune with nature's rhythms.” -Rosalee de la Foret, Alchemy of Herbs
Brittini Gehring. ~ Herbal Gaia
What is your favorite herb? Lobelia What do you like to use it for? Lobelia is one of the most important herbs in my first aid kit. It is the best herb in emergencies requiring relaxed airways (in small doses) or if something needs to come back up from the stomach (in large doses). It has been very important over the years for our youngest child's health.
What are your favorite ways to use the herb?Lobelia is best used for first aid purposes in a liquid alcohol-based tincture.
What are your favorite herbs? Lavender, Chamomile, and Sandalwood What do you like to use it for? Lavender is incredible for relaxing the body and adding a vibrance to your energy. Chamomile is wonderful for a gentle subduction of intense thoughts and feelings. Sandalwood for skin health and a supports the body's natural, health state, free from excess inflammation. It also allows fragrances to stay around longer on the skin. What are your favorite ways to use the herbs?Lavender or Chamomile Tea, Sandalwood oil
What is your favorite herb? Ginger What do you like to use it for? Digestive Health What are your favorite ways to use the herb? Juice or capsule. You can find Ginger in our Belly Be Happy®
Melissa C. ~The Beekeeper
What are your favorite herbs? Bronze Fennel & Comfrey What do you like to use it for? I use Bronze Fennel as a tall grower in a flower bed as well foliage in my cut flower bouquets. It adds tall visual contrast without blocking out plants behind it. A great alternative to tall ornamental grasses. Comfrey is a great fertilizer. It is a great source of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. You can use it to make your own fertilizer! It attracts beneficial insects and repels pests. What are your favorite ways to use the herbs? Fennel is high in Vitamin C and other nutrients and as well as being edible, butterflies love it and fleas and aphids hate it! I like to use Comfrey it as green compost around the garden, but it has been used traditionally as a tea, a police or eaten fresh. It is thought to assist in healing in many ways
“Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them. Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life. Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer. Never take the first. Never take the last. Take only what you need. Take only that which is given. Never take more than half. Leave some for others. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm. Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken. Share. Give thanks for what you have been given. Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken. Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
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