A home apothecary cabinet is invaluable. If you’re looking to begin the path to taking more control of your own health and healing, then this is where to start. This post will help you narrow down the vast world of herbalism into a manageable starting point for a beginner. If you’ve already started some research into natural healing methods and remedies, you might find some additional items to keep on hand in this post.
What is an apothecary cabinet?
In simpler terms, an apothecary was a person who prepared and dispensed medicinal preparations, both herbal and chemical. They were generally chemists or pharmacists. However, humans have always used natural sources such has herbs and foods for treatment and healing in some way. An apothecary shop would be the location that these items were administered to people searching for relief from some ailment or condition.
As modern day practices became more widely accepted and utilized, much of this “old world” knowledge has been left behind or forgotten about. As the world has become more industrialized, the slow and natural ways of living are no longer the norm in the present-day.
There is a movement to reacquire this knowledge! As many people are beginning to realize, there is so much good to be gained from taking a natural approach to your health and wellness.
Today, a home apothecary cabinet is generally called a “medicine cabinet”. For herbalist and natural healers, our herbal apothecary cabinets are full of herbal and natural healing materials.
What if I know nothing about herbalism?
It is never too late to start! As with anything new, it can feel overwhelming. Starting small with one area of focus makes learning at your pace easy to do.
When I began learning herbalism, the area I focused in was natural foods. I began to learn about the vitamins and minerals contained in certain foods and what the benefits of those vitamins and minerals were to the body.
Eventually, I learned the same thing about spices in my pantry – how each spice could benefit heath in certain ways. I learned about culinary herbs too – how I could add these to my cooking and support the body’s health with every meal.
That opened the door to begin learning about other herbal preparations and their benefits. Things like herbal teas, herbal skin care, and more concentrated forms of herbal usage, like syrups and tinctures.
Our family does some natural remedies. What else should I know?
The possibilities are endless when building an herbal apothecary cabinet. Basically, your kitchen spice cabinet is your first little herbal home apothecary! From there, it can grow to include teas, herbal creams, balms and salves, dried herbs and flowers from your garden, dried plants from foraging, natural supplements or vitamins, and then all kinds of ingredients for making herbal preparations.
Basic Supplies
To start a home herbal apothecary, you’re going to need jars. Lots and lots of jars. Next time you finish a jar of jam, salsa, pickles, pasta sauce, or any kind of food in a glass jar, SAVE THAT JAR! It’s a way to reduce waste and reuse and recycle! Over time, your cabinet can grow to use canning jars or specialty jars (purely for aesthetics, not required)! I find that the most beautiful apothecary cabinets have jars of all shapes and sizes.
You may want a small kitchen scale for your cabinet that measures weights in ounces and grams. When making herbal preparations, accurate measurement is important.
It may also be beneficial to have a small blender or mortar and pestle to chop up and blend herbs.
Where do I find quality ingredients?
We try to grow a lot of our most used herbs and flowers, drying and storing them ourselves. If you’re a beginner, this might not be an option for you. There are also many herbs that don’t grow in all climates – some things we just order for the sake of convenience.
You can purchase most common herbs fresh from your grocery store. You can also search the baking aisle for already dried herbs and spices – the same kind you would use in recipes.
Most grocery stores also carry the ingredients needed to basic remedy preparations. I’ll share those in detail below.
When we order dried herbs online, we aim for organic. We typically use Starwest Botanicals or Mountain Rose Herbs. If we’re ordering seeds for specific herbs and flowers, we order from Strictly Medicinal Seeds. Many items are available on Amazon as well – just look for “organic” when searching for dried herbs or flowers and “heirloom” when searching for seeds.
My Most Useful Herbs and Spices To Have On Hand
Herbalism is unique to the practitioner! I can share the herbs I have found to be used most often for myself and my family, but your herbal collection may vary depending on your needs and your research!
Here are 10 beginner herbs and spices I would recommend to anyone, because they are gentle and run little to no risk of side effects with usage;
- garlic
- cinnamon
- oregano
- ginger
- clove
- thyme
- sage
- tumeric
- rosemary
- tulsi (holy basil)
- calendula
- lavender
- elder (flower, berries, and leaves)
- chamomile
- rose (petals and hips)
- plantain
- comfrey
- dandelion
- arnica
- yarrow
As I said before, this list is going to vary depending on your needs, your family’s needs, and your growing comfort with herbalism. I know there are hundreds and hundreds of other herbs out there (that I have yet to learn in-depth), some of which may end up in my cabinet one day! For example, we still purchase tinctures from reputable companies because my knowledge of the tincture process is still very new and limited. I am also not comfortable yet with understanding dosages from handmade tinctures containing alcohols. It’s a goal for the future – learning and mastering each area of herbalism and natural healing at a time.
My Favorite Carrier Oils
Carrier oils are what I use to bring the healing powers of herbs into a form for topical use. When I first began making my own skincare products, I used olive oil for everything! Not that there’s anything wrong with olive oil – it’s an excellent carrier, affordable, and great for most skin types. However, once I started researching into other oils, understanding their unique benefits and actions, my apothecary cabinet grew!
Here are the 10 carrier oils I use regularly;
- olive oil (typically extra virgin)
- sweet almond
- jojoba
- apricot seed
- coconut (solid)
- coconut (fractionated)
- tallow
- castor
- avocado
- shea butter
My Most Used Natural Remedy Ingredients
Lastly, your cabinet is going to start growing as you begin to learn more natural remedies and creations! You’ll start using additional ingredients depending on what it is you’re making. Here are some extras I have on hand and what they are typically used for;
- beeswax (can be used for balms, salves, and candles)
- Epsom salt and/or magnesium flakes (provides magnesium to the body through topical absorption) used for bath salt mixes, magnesium oil or lotions)
- raw honey (for making infused honeys, oxymels, and for putting into healing products like salves and soaps)
- apple cider vinegar (create herb-infused vinegars, oxymels, add to bath water, treat skin issues, make herbal teas and tonics)
- witch hazel (used for skin irritations, infuse with herbs for skin products)
Is there anything you might add? Leave a comment below!
It has taken a good amount of time for my cabinet to grow to this level. I added slowly as I learned, and bought many things in bulk that have lasted me a long time. As your herbal learning journey continues, you might outgrow your cabinet! We are just about needing a second one for all our herbal goodies!
