rooted: my Herbal Medicine journey
- Janelle Lawrence
- Sep 12, 2024
- 3 min read

I thought I’d use this blog to talk a bit about how I got here. Like most things in life, there were many roads that led me to this moment. One of my earlier roads was my 13-year-old self, making potions with dried herbs, teas, and bath salts from a small shop down the street. It felt radical, yet so normal. No one in my family was doing it specifically, but we were a family that took Epsom baths and kept fresh flowers in the bathroom. It made sense, but it was still a bit abnormal. Later, during college, I wanted to heal people in a non-chemical way. I thought I was going to learn all the strains of marijuana and give people the right natural medicine for what hurt them. Recently, in a conversation about growing marijuana, I realized that I’ve always been drawn to thinking about how the medicine I make interacts with the body and the person who carries that body.
During a recent medicine-making workshop, I started us off with a meditation by the water. I reminded us that our ancestors probably foraged these plants, going on walks and discovering them. While I harvest from local gardens—those of friends and my own—it’s a different process, but still deeply connected. I asked the group to think about what it means to know something is off in your body, to need something, and then to seek that remedy with intentional energy. The process of making medicine is a truly mindful experience. It’s not mechanical or factory-like, but rather about working with medicine in a mutual, understanding way. I said something during the workshop that I had never said before but felt right: we are so grateful to the calendula for the healing it will bring to our bodies, and the calendula is grateful for the honor and power it has in helping us heal. This idea of mutualism—showing up for one another—felt deeply true to how I make and work with medicine.
I’ve been really honored by the folks who’ve reached out, texted, and emailed about feeling the care in the medicine they’ve received from me. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to be in this process with nature, the world, myself, and all of you, even those who I don’t know yet. I look forward to sharing with you all. Recently, I was reflecting on the gratitude I feel for my new Earthy Essentials Kits selling well. I thought about folks offering sliding-scale CSAs and free medicine shipping. I want to be a part of that conversation, and now I am. It’s a fine balance between making enough to restock my supplies in this capitalist structure, and spiritually, I am already making more than enough in this process. Running a business while trying to keep it ethical takes so much energy. It’s a constant cycle of giving time, receiving just enough to continue, and figuring out how to give back even more. Sometimes, I get exhausted, but I’m excited to figure it out.

As for my Earthy Essentials Bundle, we’re taking the last orders for this summer edition, and I’ll be launching the fall kit at the end of the month. It will have herbs, tinctures, and body oils, all designed to help take care of your body as we head into winter. I’m really excited about this new seasonal shift and offering.
Please forgive any rambles, pauses, or deep thoughts. Thank you so much for reading or listening, and I hope to chat with you soon. Please check out the website! I’m working on it whenever I get the chance and am excited to offer online purchases of tinctures, medicine, and hair care. I’ll leave you with a picture of the lemon balm, calendula, and even some broccoli I’ll try to have for dinner tonight.
with care,
jei
P.S. want to hear the audio version of this? If I can't add this to the upload, I'll post it on my podcast Inside My Box, which is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and most major platforms.
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