Well Seasoned

When you think of herbs during the holiday season, the first that may come to mind are the culinary classics: sage, rosemary, thyme and the like. While these have reached the status of gastronomical icons for a reason, a whole world of herbs awaits…and do a whole lot more than just taste good. 

By Katherine Owen 

On a cold winter day in the 1980s in Arkansas, Catherine Hunziker came across a rare sight—deer grazing in a meadow. Upon pausing to observe, something else caught her attention, a subtle humming radiating from a nearby bush. 

“I followed my ear over, and there was this bush in full bloom in the middle of winter, with white blossoms all over it and bees all over it, which was the sound I was hearing. And it was like, ‘Oh my goodness, the life force in this plant,’” she recounts. “I mean, everything else was shut down for the winter.”

The bush turned out to be witch hazel, which bloom in winter and boast antiseptic properties. This chance encounter—and a background in midwifery—set her on a journey deep into the world of herbalism. Today, Hunziker is the founder of Louisville-based WishGarden Herbs, whose gluten-free tinctures you may have seen on the shelves at Whole Foods, Sprouts and other retailers large and small.

Buzzing witch hazel bushes aside, winter can be the perfect entry point to the vast world of herbalism. Stressed schedules, marathon meals and respiratory illnesses all present challenges to our core systems. Herbalism proposes simple strategies—often in the form of tinctures, teas and steams—to support these systems during winter’s tumult. 

Why Herbs 

The use of herbal medicine stretches as far back as humans do, spanning cultures and continents. Chinese and Egyptian Papyrus writings from as early as 3,000 BC detail medicinal uses for plants. Today, the World Health Organization reports that roughly 40% of pharmaceutical products “draw from nature and traditional knowledge.” 

“As humans, we’ve been co-evolving with plants for thousands of years,” affirms Erin Stokes, a naturopathic doctor and WishGarden’s medical director. “When you think about it, this is not something new. So, there is a strong history of herbal medicine that exists in every culture throughout the world. For example, look at Chinese medicine, or look at Ayurvedic medicine, which comes to us from India. There’s also a very strong Western herbalism tradition that exists in Europe, and a strong Native American herbal medicine [tradition] on this continent. We have coexisted with plants and used herbs for thousands of years. So, our bodies know and recognize plants.” 

Amber Graziano, a certified herbalist and nutritionist, and the human resources manager and herb buyer at Rebecca’s Herbal Apothecary & Supply in downtown Boulder, echoes the sentiment. To her, this history is an important pillar of the study of plant medicine.

“I love using the four directions when learning about herbs. You look at one, how tradition uses it; two, what science does with it; three, what our empirical evidence says and what we see from each other; and then four, intuition, what our intuition tells us about a plant,” says Graziano.

Graziano, Stokes and Hunziker all echo the same sentiment: Herbs are complex. So are we. And we all evolved together. So, it only makes sense that in each season—of the year and of our lives, there are herbs to support. 

“I just think herbs are great for seasonal health because they’re multifaceted, so they can address things like active infections, immune health, digestive system, our emotional health,” explains Graziano. “There’s such a wonderful way to approach taking care of ourselves because we’re these multifaceted beings and they’re able to address all those different parts of us.” 

 The Nervous System  

Stokes reports that, while immune concerns may be the first thing you think of when it comes to winter ailments, it really all begins with the nervous system. “We see that nature slows down and we are part of that. We literally have a biological pull to slow down. We technically should be sleeping more in winter months. We should be having warming or cozy food and resting more. And so, as wonderful as the holidays are, if you think about the nature of the holidays, it’s an on-the-go mentality, and that is really in direct opposition to what our bodies are telling us that we need.” 

For support, she looks to a class of herbs called “nervines.” This powerhouse category includes herbs like passionflower, scullcap and milky oat top. These are key ingredients in WishGarden’s Emotional Ally tincture (alongside St. Johns wort, motherwort and spikenard root), which offers in-the-moment support for the nervous system. 

The Respiratory System  

At Rebecca’s, winter means an influx of cold and flu needs. “I think during the winter season, we see two main things, holiday gift giving and cold and flu support,” attests Graziano. In response, the apothecary typically proposes a few remedies.

“I would recommend our Cold Ally Tea, which has diaphoretic herbs in them, so peppermint, elderflower, boneset and yarrow,” she says. “Diaphoretic herbs help to raise the body’s internal temperature to cause sweating, and that makes an inhospitable environment for
the virus.”

She also calls out options like Rebecca’s Lung Tea, elderberry syrup (“We have one on the floor that has fresh elderberries and echinacea and ginger.”) and decongesting steams, which draw on common kitchen herbs like thyme and rosemary and peppermint. 

Graziano adds that, in use cases like these, she prefers herbs over oils. “I think a lot of people tend towards essential oils, but I really like whole herbs in this situation. They’re not as concentrated, so they’re just a little bit safer.” It also is a more sustainable use of the plant, requiring far less plant material to make teas and steams rather than concentrated oils. 

The Immune Support 

If you’ve seen any of WishGarden’s tinctures on shelves, there’s a good chance one of them was Kickass Immune, one of the company’s most popular formulas, which combines baptisia, yerba santa, yarrow, elderflower, echinacea and more for short-term immune activation. However, they have several tinctures to address immune needs in the near and long term. To wit, their Daily Immune tincture is a gentle combo of herbs like burdock, cleavers, echinacea and nettles, among others. 

“When we talk about immune health this time of year, again, being a naturopathic doctor, I’m all about the big picture,” says Stokes. “So, I want to directly support immune health, and I also want to think about all of the other factors that are impacting immune health.” This includes things like sleep, nutrition and, as mentioned before, stress. 

“These immune supportive herbs are really powerful and you want to amplify their effects by doing all the other things—your nutrition and your lifestyle. How you’re living your life is important,” she says. 

 The Digestive System  

Finally, this instinctive seasonal slow down can include our digestion as well. Pile sugary treats and heavy meals on top and it’s common to feel sluggish. 

Enter: bitters. 

“These tend to be herbs that like dandelion root, burdock root and others that have a bitter flavor that help to stimulate the digestive processes,” says Graziano, explaining you take them before eating, around 15-20 minutes or so before. This can take the form of a tincture, but however you take it, it’s important to actually taste the bitter flavor. 

“They’re kind of a doorbell to the digestive system,” Graziano says. “They get all the enzymes in the stomach churning, and then the gallbladder producing bile and the liver functioning correctly so that by the time you eat your food, the digestive system is primed. We’re absorbing all the nutrients then that we can, and it lessens symptoms like bloating, gas, indigestion and nausea.” 

Getting Started

Sharing knowledge is an important part of the herbalism community. Rebecca’s calendar is stacked with events for curious beginners and their team can consult on products and custom solutions in the shop. WishGarden also has a customer journey team to offer guidance. “They’re really well educated and knowledgeable, and if people have questions or concerns, they can pick up the phone and talk to a live person and get their questions answered,” says Stokes. And of course, she adds to always consult with a healthcare professional. Because just like these plants, we are all unique.

Please visit rebeccasherbs.com and wishgardenherbs.com for additional information.