New to Herbal Remedies? Start Here.

By Brandon Elijah Scott

Consider us your friendly community herbalist. While we are not doctors, we have a deep love for our sacred plants, an earnest desire to help others, and a sincere hope to serve our community well.

Since the beginning, plants filled the place of our pharmacy, grocery store, beauty parlor, spa, and pain clinic. They nourished us, soothed us, strengthened us, and cared for us in times of need. What if, when you looked outside, you saw friends instead of weeds that needed pulled? What if you knew them by name and understood their gifts?

To walk the green path comfortably takes time. It asks us to slow down, observe, study, remember, and build a relationship with the living world. Our family has lived this way for generations. We have spent years learning the plants, studying their actions, understanding their timing, and practicing how to prepare them well. Rest assured, we have done the hard work for you.

Using the fresh plant directly from the ground is often the ideal choice. Imagine there is a certain plant with broad green leaves that grows strong and full for only part of the year. In season, those leaves may help draw heat and inflammation, ease a bite or burn, comfort the skin, or support the body in mending. If you know the plant, know where it grows, and know how to use it, that is a beautiful thing. But what if you cannot get to the plant? What if it’s winter, and the plant lies dormant? What if you are unsure it is the right one, or do not yet know how to prepare it safely?

This is part of what herbalists do. We learn when and where to find the plants, how to preserve their virtues, and how to make them available throughout the year in forms that are practical, trustworthy, and easy to use. We bring together careful research, experience, time, love, and positive intention in every recipe we make, using high-quality natural ingredients and thoughtful methods rooted in generations of herbal wisdom. So instead of needing to traipse through woodland fields and forests in search of the right plant at the right time, you have a place to begin. We are here to share our knowledge with you.

One of the most common questions we hear is this: What is the difference between a tea, a tincture, and a salve? It is a good question, and a very natural place to begin.

Herbal Tea
Tea is one of the oldest, gentlest, and most beloved ways to work with plants. We gather flowers, leaves, roots, bark, seeds, and fungi, then dry them so they can be kept on the shelf and used when needed. Hot water brings those dried plants back to life, drawing out many of their nourishing and helpful properties.

Tea is often a beautiful place to begin because it invites you to slow down. You boil water, steep the herbs, inhale the aroma, and take a moment to be present. It is simple, grounding, and deeply rooted in the old ways. Many people find tea to be one of the most comforting and approachable forms of herbal support.

Tinctures
Sometimes you need the plant in a form that is more portable, more concentrated, or more shelf-stable. A tincture, also called a plant extract, is made by preparing the herb in alcohol so that its beneficial compounds are preserved for a very long time. Unlike a water-based preparation, which will spoil quickly, a tincture can remain stable and ready to use whenever the need arises.

Tinctures are often taken by the drop, and are easier to absorb than many other forms of herbal preparations. They are easy to carry, easy to store, and convenient for everyday life, travel, or moments when making tea is not possible. If tea is the old kettle on the stove, tincture is the same wisdom made ready for the road.

Salves
Some kinds of support are best brought directly to the skin. A salve is made by infusing herbs into oil and then blending that oil with wax and often essential oils to create a preparation for external use. Salves are one of the handiest things to keep nearby for the everyday moments of life: dry skin, rough hands, bites, burns, minor scrapes, soreness, and places that simply need a little more care.

They are easy to carry, simple to use, and deeply practical. If tea nourishes from within, and tinctures offer concentrated portable support, salves are a way of bringing the plants right to the place that needs them.

So Where Should You Begin?
That depends on what kind of support you are looking for…
• If you are hoping for something nourishing, gentle, and grounding, tea may be the best place to start.
• If you want something potent, convenient, and easy to keep with you, a tincture may be a better fit.
• If you are seeking topical support for skin, muscles, or areas of discomfort, a salve may be just the thing.

You don’t need to know everything to begin. You don’t need to know every plant by name, understand every preparation, or have years of experience behind you. You only need a place to start. That is part of why Woodland Herbal exists.

We are here to help make herbal support feel more approachable, more beautiful, and more rooted in everyday life. Our family-run apothecary in Ohio brings together four-plus generations of lived plant knowledge to craft teas, tinctures, salves, and other remedies with care and intention. We have served more than 100,000 customers since 2018, and with every order, we plant 100 wildflower seeds as a way of giving something good back to the earth.

If you are brand new, start simple. Begin with what your body seems to be asking for most. Rest. Calm. Comfort. Nourishment. Relief. Skin support. From there, the path begins to unfold. And if you’re not sure where to start, that is all right too. That is exactly why we are here. Explore our robust offerings, read about how each remedy helps and what those herbs do. If you still feel stuck, feel free to reach out anytime. We’re here to support our community, so we’re always here to help.