Blog - Wild Rose Herbs

An herb rich in healing Power

Renew your Skin

Visibly improve skin elasticity and texture, reducing age-related lines and wrinkles

Soothe and rebalance stressed skin, increasing suppleness and vibrance 

Enhance hydration and promote a smoother, radiant appearance

Support the skin’s natural renewal process after environmental exposure

Rich in bioactive triterpenes (asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid), this concentrated botanical extract of gotu kola and other herbs supports visible skin firmness, promotes a healthy-looking complexion, and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and signs of environmental stress. 

The Evidence-base

A 2021 article in the peer-reviewed journal, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicines, evaluated research assessing gotu kola and concluded that it may provide support in skin ailments from acne, wounds and burns, to the most common inflammatory skin disorders*. Further clinical literature supports gotu kola’s role in promoting skin repair, hydration, and visible elasticity improvement.¹ ² Traditional pharmacopoeias (WHO, EMA, USP) recognize Centella asiatica as a safe and effective botanical for maintaining healthy-looking skin.³

Quality and Ethics

As in all of our products, we use the highest quality organic herb, fruit and flower extracts. We source our herbs with incredible care for sustainability and ethics, and prioritize local sources. We also follow ethnobotany and living medical systems — like Western Herbal Medicine — and pair this traditional knowledge with contemporary research and modern evidence-based phytotherapy.

For external use only.

Avoid contact with eyes.

Discontinue use if irritation occurs.

Keep out of reach of children.

Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Selected Bibliography

1. Bylka et al. “Centella asiatica in cosmetology.” Advances in Dermatology and Allergology (2013): shown to upregulate type I collagen via TGF-β pathway.

2. Jenwitheesuk et al. “Randomized controlled trial of Centella cream for scar prevention.” J. Cosmet. Dermatol. (2018): improved elasticity and hydration.

3. Kyoung Sik Park, "Pharmacological Effects of Centella asiatica on Skin Diseases: Evidence and Possible Mechanisms", Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2021, Article ID 5462633, 8 pages, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5462633

4. WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants, Vol. 1 (1999); EMA Herbal Assessment Report: Centella asiatica (Herba, 2022) — recognized for maintaining skin integrity and repair.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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Rosmarinus, Dew of the Sea

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) formerly Rosmarinus officinalis, is among the best known culinary herbs, but also is an integral botanical in Western Herbal Medicine.

Preparing to harvest some rosemary planted last year in the Wild Rose garden

At a Glance

A pungent aromatic bitter with stimulating and blood-moving essential oils, rosemary is as useful in circulatory tonic, neuroprotective, cardiovascular, digestive and anti-inflammatory formulas when used internally, as it is when used on the skin for muscular and arthritic pain and as a hair and scalp tonic.

Freshly harvested after the morning dew has burned off. Its powerful antioxidants make it one of the best natural preservatives, while its rubefacient action stimulates movement of blood and oxygen when rubbed into the skin. 

In the Wild Rose Apothecary

It helps to maintain a healthy scalp and hair and is used for allopecia (hair loss), and has broad-ranging anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Our popular beard washes, included in the gift set above, use rosemary as a key ingredient

These actions —combined with the refreshing warming and tingling feeling when applied— make rosemary extract a staple in many of our topical products such as our dry shampoos and beard washes.

Botanical dry shampoos harness the cleansing and refreshing power of rosemary

Jakob preparing the freshly harvested rosemary for herbal medicine extraction at Wild Rose

Selected References

Aruoma, O. I., Halliwell, B., Aeschbach, R., & Löliger, J. (1996). Antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties of active rosemary constituents: Carnosol and carnosic acid. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 44(5), 1315–1318.

Gachkar, L., Yadegari, D., Rezaei, M. B., Taghizadeh, M., Astaneh, S. A., & Rasooli, I. (2007). Chemical and biological characteristics of the essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis L. Food Chemistry, 102, 898–904.

Hernández-Hernández, E., Sánchez-Moreno, C., & De Ancos, B. (2014). Rosmarinus officinalis L. extract: Antioxidant activity and influence on lipid metabolism in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 145, 372–381.

Mendes, A., Carvalho, A. P., & Andrade, P. B. (2016). Evaluation of the topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil. Journal of Medicinal Food, 19(8), 760–769.

Moss, M., Cook, J., Wesnes, K., & Duckett, P. (2003). Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults. International Journal of Neuroscience, 113, 15–38.

Naimi, M., Vlavcheski, F., Shamshoum, H., & Tsiani, E. (2017). Rosmarinus officinalis extract attenuates palmitate-induced insulin resistance and inflammation in skeletal muscle cells. Journal of Functional Foods, 34, 240–250.

Pengelly, A., Snow, J., Mills, S. Y., Scholey, A., Wesnes, K., & Butler, L. R. (2012). Short-term study on the effects of rosemary on cognitive function in an elderly population. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2(3), 103–113.

Takaki, I., Bersani-Amado, C. A., Vendruscolo, A., Sartoretto, S. M., Dantas, J. A., Bersani-Amado, M. F., & Cuman, R. K. N. (2008). Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil in experimental animal models. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 45, 85–92.
3m

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Camas (Camassia quamash) is a staple food for Native peoples in the Pacific North West

Western Herbal Medicine, A synthesis

Western Herbal Medicine (WHM), much like Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and others is a distinct scientific tradition and therapeutic approach. It has a long history and many different types of science, and several scientific disciplines that led to its formation and continue to inform it today.

Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa) has been used as a dermatological aid by the Blackfoot and has essential oils such as thymol and carvacrol which underly its antimocrobial and anti-inflamatory actions, as well as polyphenols that contribute to antioxidant activities

People and Plants

One of the disciplines that helped form WHM is ethnobotany — the study of the millennia long interplay between people and plants — while another major influence is phytotherapy, a contemporary area of research and practice that refers to the the form of herbal medicine that  is the most heavily associated with conventional or Western, science.

Interacting and overlapping with WHM, and pivotal to its formation, there is a practice some refer to as Traditional Western Herbalism. This describes the folk-based European and North American herbal medical practices such as the historical practices of the English herbal movement, and the N. American Eclectic and Physiomedical traditions. All of these came together to comprise what today is called Western Herbal Medicine (WHM).

Kinnikinnick, also known as Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) has a long tradition of ceremonial, culinary and medicinal use among many N. American indigenous tribes, and is an effective antiseptic with an affinity for the urinary tract

A little bit deeper dive

Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is the interdisciplinary study how indigenous cultures use and relate to plants — including how they are identified, harvested, and prepared. This may involve medicinal usage as well as nutritional, religious, and material uses like building and cordage. 

Phytotherapy 

Also called medical herbalism, phytotherapy refers to the use of whole-plant preparations, and in some case standardized extracts or even isolated phytochemicals in a therapeutic context. This is the most modern form of herbal medicine that is informed by — and some would argue biased toward — contemporary medical sciences and perspectives.

History of WHM

Many look at the genesis of WHM in Greek times with practitioners like Galen and Dioscoredes, having then taken further shape and refinement by Arabic practitioners such as Avicenna, within a tradition known as Unanni (Greek-Arabic) medicine.

In the 19th century in the US, an herbal flowering and synthesis occurred where indigenous uses of plants became blended with this historical practice and with western science by the herbalist practitioners of the day — the Thomsonian, Physiomedicalist, and later Eclectic Medical practitioners. 

WHM Today

All these traditions intersect in the practice of WHM, and impact how Clinical Herbalists or Medical Herbalists today practice our therapeutic craft. Some Clinical or Medical herbalists have met qualifications and have become Registered Herbalists — known as RH(AHG) — through the American Herbalists Guild which serves as a professional organization for Western Herbal Medicine practitioners. At Wild Rose, we aim to honour all scientific traditions, while placing great appreciation on the knowledge learned from indigenous people's of this land.

Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium) A common, if uncommonly useful, plant native to the Pacific Northwest which is widely used to prevent and treat infections on the skin while also aiding digestion, liver function and supporting blood sugar regulation

Making Excellent Medicine

Whether informed by novel-to-us Native American medicinal uses of a plant we found in old texts or recent conversations with Native comrades, and then scouring the most recent peer-reviewed article in a scientific journal, best practice in Western Herbal Medicine means doing your homework, triangulating the data from these different forms of science and evidence, and making the most informed decisions on our formulations and products.

Selected Bibliography

Barnes, J., Anderson, L. A., & Phillipson, J. D. (2007). *Herbal medicines* (3rd ed.). Pharmaceutical Press.
Bennett, B. C., & Prance, G. T. (2000). Introduced plants in the indigenous pharmacopoeia of northern South America. *Economic Botany, 54*(1), 90–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02866603
Bone, K., & Mills, S. (2013). *Principles and practice of phytotherapy: Modern herbal medicine* (2nd ed.). Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.
Etkin, N. L., & Elisabetsky, E. (2005). Seeking a transdisciplinary and culturally germane science: The future of ethnopharmacology. *Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 100*(1–2), 23–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2005.06.001
Heinrich, M., & Jäger, A. K. (2015). *Ethnopharmacology*. Wiley-Blackwell.
Heinrich, M., Barnes, J., Gibbons, S., & Williamson, E. (2018). *Fundamentals of pharmacognosy and phytotherapy* (3rd ed.). Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.
Hoffmann, D. (2003). *Medical herbalism: The science and practice of herbal medicine*. Healing Arts Press.
Moerman, D. E. (1998). *Native American ethnobotany*. Timber Press.
Phillips, O., & Gentry, A. H. (1993). The useful plants of Tambopata, Peru: I. Statistical hypotheses tests with a new quantitative technique. *Economic Botany, 47*(1), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02862203
Saslis-Lagoudakis, C. H., Hawkins, J. A., Greenhill, S. J., et al. (2014). The evolution of traditional knowledge: Environment shapes medicinal plant use in 14 indigenous societies. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111*(11), 4003–4008. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1318377111
Tilburt, J. C., & Kaptchuk, T. J. (2008). Herbal medicine research and global health: An ethical analysis. *Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 86*(8), 594–599. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.07.042820
Unschuld, P. U. (1986). *Medicine in China: A history of pharmaceutics*. University of California Press.
Waldstein, A., & Adams, C. (2006). The interface between medical anthropology and medical herbalism: Towards a new understanding of phytotherapy. *Journal of Herbal Medicine, 1*(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hermed.2006.09.001
World Health Organization. (2013). *WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014–2023*. World Health Organization.

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Spa night is a regular ritual here on the homestead, and our favorite iteration of spa night is SPOOKY SPA NIGHT. We decided to share our hottest tips for a successful, scary and luxurious spa experience at home.

HOT TIPS FOR SPOOKY SPA NIGHT

Start After Dinner

Any time we try to incorporate dinner into our spa night plans, time gets away from us, the movie starts late and we inevitably get too tired to treat ourselves right. We like to invite friends over after dinner and make popcorn or have another easy snack around instead.

Make Fancy Drinks

Fizzy water, herbal tea and wine are some of our stand-bys, but we also wanted to share our favorite Tulsi Hot Toddy recipe as well:

Tulsi Hot Toddy

Watch our how-to video for this recipe on Instagram

Ingredients:

1 tea bag or 2-3 teaspoons tulsi, AKA as holy basil (Ocimum sanctum) tea (from Mountain Rose Herbs)

2-3 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp honey (Our favorite is this Blackberry Honey from Hummingbird)

1-2oz fresh pressed apple cider

1-2 oz brandy or bourbon (or more apple cider for a virgin version); For a great local brandy, try Clear Creek Distillery's Apple Brandy made in Hood River, OR

Optional but recommended additions: Cinnamon sticks, ginger, and very sparing quantities of whole clove and nutmeg

Directions: Pour 6oz boiling water over the tulsi tea bag - and other herbs such as cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg, if desired - and cover and steep for 5-10 minutes. Add brandy or apple cider, lemon juice and honey. Garnish with a lemon slice and enjoy!

Choose 2-3 Skincare Activities

We always apply facial masks and serums for spa night. Our current favorite is our Refresh Stimulating Facial Mask followed by Renewal Serum. We start with face washing and mask application before the movie starts so that once the treatment is on we can relax. Once the mask is dry, we take a short intermission to rinse, apply serum and make popcorn! If we're feeling ambitious, this is when we paint nails with our favorite polish.

Pick the Right Movie

We love scary movies - though honestly, these range from sci-fi to comedy, but all have horror in their DNA. Here's our top picks for spooky spa night:

Ash: The Hunger (the Bowie rapid aging scene is particularly poignant on spa night), The Shining, The Devils and The Witch.

I'm convinced that 90% of the budget for The Hunger was spent on cigarettes, white drapes, fans and doves.

Jakob: Scanners (early Sci-fi horror from David Cronenberg), Suspiria (the Italian, Dario Argento original), Dead Alive (early Peter Jackson zombie comedy splatter)

Less Scary Picks: Rocky Horror, Beetlejuice, Disney's Halloween Treat

Whatever you choose to do on Spooky Spa Night, remember to relax and enjoy your at-home spa!

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Wild Rose is operated on the traditional lands of the Winefelly tribe of Kalapuya people near so-called Eugene, OR. This year we have decided to raise funds for NILI, a local nonprofit committed to the preservation of indigenous languages.

As with many other indigenous peoples of Oregon, Kalapuyans who survived the first wave of colonization were forcibly marched to either the Siletz or Grand Ronde reservations. Forced relocation was devastating to the numerous and diverse indigenous cultures of the Northwest. Representative of ongoing settler colonialism and indigenous genocide throughout North America, this method of colonization displaces people from their homelands and attempts to homogenize diverse cultures through erasure and integration. NILI's work is essential to revitalizing the many indigenous languages and cultures nearly lost to colonization.

"NILI supports and strengthens language preservation and revitalization efforts.  With tribal, academic and community partners, NILI establishes  collaborative, on-going projects which meet the specific needs and desires of each language community. Integral to NILI are teacher training, curriculum development, language documentation and appropriate uses in technology. NILI provides outreach services on issues of language endangerment and advocates for language revitalization issues." -NILI

We are grateful for the opportunity to support NILI's crucial work to strengthen and revitalize indigenous languages. NILI started at the University of Oregon as the result of requests for native language teachers. Today the project has grown to address the critical language preservation needs of indigenous peoples worldwide.

 "NILI serves the UO, the Northwest and tribal communities nation wide. It works with tribal partners in many areas including curriculum design, distance learning and materials development while simultaneously meeting the articulated needs of tribal communities. NILI is among a handful of programs that plays a role in attracting, retaining and educating indigenous students at UO. NILI is an established program that directly supports indigenous students and their communities. It meets multiple UO goals. It supports: 1) graduate and undergraduate education; 2) diversity; and 3) external relationships with tribal communities." -NILI

Please join us in honoring Indigenous Peoples' Day and earn a 20% off coupon when you make a purchase today only!

(main image created by NACDI)

This blog was originally posted in 2022 and has been updated for 2024.

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