Herbal preparations are where plant knowledge becomes something you can actually work with. Balms, salves, infused fats, oils, and other small-batch preparations begin with the plant itself, but what matters to me is the relationship between the material, the method, and the purpose behind it. I am interested in what people understood plants to do historically, how those uses have changed over time, and what still makes sense when we bring that knowledge into modern practice.
Some of the preparations here are rooted in older herbal traditions or surviving historical texts. Others grow from plants I already use and study, then become something more specific through testing, research, and repeated use. When a preparation is based on an older source, I will tell you where that history comes from, what we actually know, and where I have made a modern adaptation rather than pretending an old recipe survived perfectly intact.
The making itself matters. Herbs are selected carefully, infused slowly, strained, combined, and worked into a finished preparation in small batches. I use tallow, beeswax, and other simple bases when they make sense for the plant and the purpose. I am not interested in stuffing a formula with ingredients just to make it sound impressive. If something is there, it should have a reason to be there.
These preparations can become part of personal ritual, seasonal work, altar practice, or simply the ordinary act of tending to yourself with something made by hand. Some may begin with a specific traditional use or historical idea, but you are not required to use them within my practice or worldview. I will always tell you what I made, what informed it, and how I use it. What place it takes in your own life is yours.
