Marshmallow Root: Not for S’mores! Posted on September 18, 2023September 18, 2023 by joshuasopko When someone mentions Marshmallow you’re brain might instantly visualize the sweet, fluffy white puffs that smash between graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. And while those kinds of marshmallows are delicious, they aren’t exactly healthy. But did you know the sweet marshmallow we think of today actually comes from an ancient recipe that was used to help with sore throats? For generations, marshmallow root has been used for those troubled with dry and irritated throats. This is exactly how I was personally introduced to Marshmallow root. After nearly a week of dealing with a terrible sore throat, my wife made a beautiful tea (recipe below) that had me asking for more. By the end of the following day, my throat was completely better! Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) is a demulcent botanical. These demulcents have a calming effect on the mucus membranes they come into contact with because of something called mucopolysaccharides. These chains of sugar molecules in humans are often found in mucus and in the fluid around our joints. Essentially coating these irritated membranes, demulcents offer soothing relief. Since ancient times, people around the world have used marshmallow root to soothe the mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach. Such a beautiful herb with a rich history of medicinal uses! We sell raw marshmallow root in-store and online! This herb is useful in making soothing herbal teas, especially during the cold and flu season. Even as we are dealing with smoky air from the Canadian wildfires, this tea has been effective at dealing with the dry and scratchy effects of the poor air quality. Order Organic Marshmallow Root Here Interested in more raw herbs? We offer a variety of raw herbs to supplement your making needs. Make tinctures, salves, herbal honey, and medicinal herbal tea. Shop our Raw Herbs Marshmallow Tea Recipe Makes about 12 ounces. Active Time: 5 minutes. Tea is a wonderful way to ingest marshmallow’s healthful properties, but it’s important to know that mucopolysaccharides are destroyed by heat. So if you are going to make a tea from either marshmallow root or marshmallow leaf, it’s best to use room temperature water. Ingredients 12 oz. room temperature, non-chlorinated water 1 Tbsp. organic marshmallow root Directions Put water in an appropriately sized vessel that can be covered. Stir herb into water and cover. Let steep at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours. Strain before drinking. Marshmallow is a beautiful plant that grows easily in most gardens. It’s relatively easy to care for and to harvest. It beautifully weaves its way into both the household kitchen and the herbal pantry. Here’s to marshmallow!
Ship the Country – We need your help! Posted on September 2, 2023September 2, 2023 by joshuasopko We first started making products in the kitchen of a small house in Tea, SD. When we decided to start selling them publicly, we opened a little website and made a Facebook post (we even did free delivery around our Sioux Falls area!). Our first post went crazy and we spent two days in the car driving around delivering packages around town! That was a lesson learned to just let the post office handle our shipping! As we’ve grown into a brick and retail store, we still do about 40% of our business online. We’ve seen steady growth and steady reach over the years but we want to take it a step further. There are a few states we ship to regularly, like our neighboring states Minnesota and Iowa. But it never ceases to amaze us when we get orders from all over, even Alaska! It got us thinking, “How can we reach more people?” We LOVE hearing the reviews on our products and how they are truly helping people. Our Miracle Muscles and Sleep Creams have helped countless people with sore muscles and have provided much relief from restless legs. One user has even said it’s stopped his snoring and he can sleep in the same room as his wife again! So when we say we want to reach more people, it’s not so we can make more money. Yes, this business feeds our family, but more than that, it’s changing people’s lives. We think that’s pretty cool. And it’s the motivation behind this campaign to ship to every state. Here’s how it works: Starting today, we’re zeroing out the map. We’ve set a goal to ship a package to every state in the country. At the end of each week, we’ll update the map with the state colored in that we shipped to that week. Here is where you come in. Our customers have the reach to share our products all across the country. So we’re asking if you’ll tell your friends who live in Utah, Idaho, Tennessee, Florida, Wisconsin, and even our friends in California and Hawaii (and everywhere in between)! We’ll drop a pin for each city we ship to as well, so you can see the impact directly from the people you tell! We’ll be launching some incentives and prizes throughout this campaign, so make sure to check back along the way. Keep up with this fun campaign throughout our social media. Follow us on both Instagram and Facebook and tell a friend about what we’re doing! #shipthecountry #juniperapothecary