Who says new habits need to wait until January 1st? If you’re looking to kick off the New Year with a mocktail in hand, we have you covered with four delicious herbal beverages.

There is magic and power in this pivotal time, noted by human civilizations throughout history and sanctified through ritual. Many traditions, having been passed down through generations, are still practiced today. The relationship between humans and plants is often visible in these rituals. There are things we do even now that connect us with ancient ancestors. In both practical use and symbolism, these four herbal bodies hold significance to us in connection with the Winter Solstice and we’d like to share them with you. 

Winter in New England can be dreary and grey. But it doesn’t have to be! Follow this DIY recipe to make your own gorgeous winter garland, perfect for brightening up any space. One of the best things about this garland is that it can be made completely compostable and biodegradable! 

What you’ll need:

• Assorted citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits - whatever you have on hand)
• A dehydrator or oven with baking sheets
• Assorted greenery (evergreen boughs, dried plants, etc.)
• Metal darning needle 
• String or twine
• Optional: other dried fruits or vegetables, wooden beads, etc.

To dehydrate citrus in the oven, you can:

• Preheat the oven to a low temperature, between 170°F and 200°F 
• Slice the citrus into even rounds that are 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick 
• Place the slices in a single layer on a rack on top of a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper 
• Bake for 2–5 hours, or until the citrus is dry and no longer sticky 
• Flip the slices every 30 minutes to 1 hour to prevent curling 

Step one: Prepare your dried citrus slices with either method (dehydrator or in an oven)

Step two: Prepare your assorted greenery into small bundles for your garland

Step three: Cut string/twine to your garland’s desired length

Step four: Thread your needle with string/twine and string on your dried fruit and greenery bundles in your desired pattern. 

Hang garland + enjoy! 

Call us biased, but we think any host would be overjoyed to receive one of these thoughtful and nurturing gifts...

1. Elderberry Tonic:

The immune boosting powers of elderberry combined with the digestive properties of organic raw apple cider vinegar? Yes please!

2. Elderberry Mushroom + Roots Elixir:

Let's take care of each other this holiday season and spread love and cheer! Not colds!

3. Go to Bed Evening Elixir:

Nothing can beat the gift of a good night's rest.

4. Attitude Adjustment Stress Relief Elixir:

Stress relief. 'Nough said.

Our organic apple cider vinegar Tonics make excellent marinades and salad dressings. If you're looking for the perfect "something" to elevate your cooking, our Tonics are for you!

1. Energy Tonic:

Our Energy Tonic is a stimulant-free probiotic formula made with vitamin and mineral rich beets, nettles, and kelp. It’s the perfect way to start off your day and as a midday pick me up. This tonic shines in our Barbie's Dream Hummus!

2. Fire Cider:

Our Fire Cider supports healthy immune and respiration, healthy inflammation response and digestion. Combine it with fresh garlic and herbs and get a Fiery Chimichurri! 

3. Turmeric Tonic:

Our Turmeric Tonic supports healthy joint and muscle function, inflammation response, digestion, and cognition. A splash of this tonic in your favorite marinade will up the flavor and give gorgeous color to your dish!

4. Digestive Tonic:

1. Rose Petal Shrub No. 5 || Drinking Vinegar: 

Nothing compares to the gorgeous color created by the wild rose petals used in this drinking shrub — drinking it, you'll be reminded of one of the most beautiful blossoms mother nature has to offer. 

Shrubs can be diluted in still or sparking water or you can drink it straight. A shrub is also a great ingredient to use to create your own cocktail or mocktail, or to add to any of your favorite drinks that might need an extra kick.

2. Fire Cider Shots:

Our herbal ACV tonics are now available in a take-along 2 oz size with 4 shots in a bottle!

3. Herbal Revolution Tonics:

Our organic herbal tonics are delicious, fast absorbing and are more bioavailable than any ACV pill or ACV gummy.

Our Energy Tonic is a stimulant-free probiotic formula made with vitamin and mineral rich beets, nettles, and kelp. It’s the perfect way to start off your day and as a midday pick me up.

Our Digestive Tonic is made with prebiotic-rich dandelion and burdock root that support healthy digestion and detox functions. Good health begins in your gut!

Our Fire Cider supports healthy immune and respiration, healthy inflammation response and digestion.

Our Turmeric Tonic supports healthy joint and muscle function, inflammation response, digestion, and cognition.

Our Elderberry Tonic supports healthy immune function. Made with elderberries, cinnamon and ginger, this warming blend supports healthy inflammation response and digestion

4. White Pine Shrub || Drinking Vinegar: 

Made from the needles of beautiful Maine White Pine trees, this drinking vinegar will invoke your inner wildness.

Shrubs can be diluted in still or sparking water or you can drink it straight. A shrub is also a great ingredient to use to create your own cocktail or mocktail, or to add to any of your favorite drinks that might need an extra kick.

5. Herbal Revolution Loose Leaf Herbal Teas:

Our gorgeous loose leaf herbal teas are made with the freshest organic ingredients, including herbs grown at our Farm in Union, Maine. 

Restore + Relax Tea is a loose leaf tea blend is made with lemon balm, tulsi, and hibiscus, making it both delicious and beautiful.

Goodnight Moon Tea is a wonderful artisanal tea blend that's perfect for bedtime. This loose leaf tea is made with organic herbs from our farm that support a good night's sleep like hops, lemon balm, and catnip.

Love Your Lungs Tea is a wonderful blend of herbs whether you're a smoker who is looking to soothe your lungs, or someone who is simply interested in maintaining optimum lung health. 

Roasted Roots with Reishi is a lovely roasted, dark, and earthy blend with hints of cinnamon and chocolate. For those of us looking to quit caffeine or take a break from caffeine, this tea is a wonderful, healthy alternative to coffee that can be enjoyed hot or iced.

Chaga Chai takes chaga, a well-researched mushroom that grows on birch trees here in the Maine woods, and combines it with warming and aromatic traditional chai spices to create our nourishing and mineral-rich blend.

Any of these high-quality herbal products would be a great addition to a mixologist's arsenal. Mix and match for a fun and unique gift!

1. Rose Petal Shrub No. 5 || Drinking Vinegar: 

Shrubs can be diluted in still or sparking water or you can drink it straight. A shrub is also a great ingredient to use to create your own cocktail or mocktail, or to add to any of your favorite drinks that might need an extra kick.

Combine our Rose Petal Shrub with gin, ginger beer, fresh lemon juice, and soda water for a delicious and refreshing cocktail!

2. White Pine Shrub || Drinking Vinegar: 

Shrubs can be diluted in still or sparking water or you can drink it straight. A shrub is also a great ingredient to use to create your own cocktail or mocktail, or to add to any of your favorite drinks that might need an extra kick.

Our Maine White Pine Shrub's aroma and flavor will invoke your inner wildness. Take the classic Gin + Tonic for a refreshing spin that will be sure to usher you into the wilderness of a Maine Forest.

3. Rhubarb Bitters:

Our Rhubarb Bitters is a balanced blend of organic rhubarb, ginger, lemon verbena, anise hyssop, lemon peel, hibiscus, honey and spirits — it captures the essence of sweet summer days. Add to a Hot Toddy for a cozy digestive cocktail!

4. Lilac Bitters:

Our small batch Lilac Elixir is made with beautiful fragrant lilac flowers from our organic farm, offering the sweetest taste of spring straight from the dropper. It's steeped in spirits and organic honey, making this unique Elixir a must-have item for your cocktail bar. 

5. Fire Cider:

Fire Cider is a warming and spicy blend of organic herbs and vegetables infused in raw “with the mother” apple cider vinegar. A splash of Fire Cider can fire up any cocktail and, in our opinion, makes for a mean Bloody Mary.

This week, we’re celebrating the lessons we’ve learned and the teachers, in all forms, that have led us where we are today. Making a list of one’s teachers is a way to practice awareness and gratitude. Here’s a list Kathi made of her teachers and some of the meaningful life lessons she’s gained throughout the years. 

• The plants - they started talking to me as a child.

• My family, specifically my mom, dad, Memere and Grandfather, who all supported and cultivated my love for the outside. My grandfather, who taught me about roses, gardening and fruit trees. 

• My Mom and Dad, for letting me run wild in the woods and helping me start my first garden and pumpkin patch to sell on the side of the road as a kid. 

• So many amazing teachers throughout my life in all the school systems I attended. Sadly, names flee me. 

• The downeast coast and inlands of Maine. Those lands taught me so much. 

• The Gila National Forest. I learned to trust and lean into the darkness even more in that land.

• Islesboro, Maine, This land held and facilitated some of the darkest shadow work I’ve ever done. 

• Cindy and Jim Dunham of Tanglewood for taking a chance on me. My years living at Tanglewood and in that forest where so much of my herbal growth started and where I learned to trust my intuition. 

• Dennis and Joe King of King Hill Farm. These were my first farm mentors. These two taught me so much. I have endless gratitude for all they taught me. They taught me how to make really good homemade beer, wine, bread, and salad dressings, grind flour from grains grown and harvested right there on the farm. They had the most amazing pantry I’ve ever seen to this day. 

• Scott Greene and Suzanne Young, they taught me so much about my own strength and knowledge. I have gratitude for all the support they gave to me in my younger years and for seeing things in me that I couldn’t always see myself. 

• Sue Hatch for all the love and support in my life, especially during my 20s. Her strength and wisdom guided me and still does today. 

• My herbal colleagues and herbal sisters, Sheila Kingsbury, Mary Blue, Nikki Telkes, Helen Ward, Larken Bunce, and SO many more. 

• Rosemary Gladstar, Deb Soule and Gail Faith Edwards. Theirs were my first “herbal” focused books that I read, beyond Euell Gibbons and Tom Brown Jr books. All three of these herbalists have played a role in my herbal journey, along with Leslita Williams, David Winston, Leslie Alexander, Mimi Prunella Hernandez, Tammy Sweet and still SO many more.

• Rosemary Gladstar, for continuing to support me and the work throughout all these years. She has been a true believer in my formulas from the first time we met and I can’t thank her enough for all of her love and support. 

• My team at Herbal Revolution. To all the employees that currently work with me and to the ones that have come and gone. I learn so much from these incredible people, they have taught me so much in regards to patience, gratitude, humility, vulnerability and acceptance. 

• My partner Gus and all the animals in my life. The animals teach me every day to be in the moment. To love and appreciate what is and that life is always changing, to embrace the moment and love it to its fullest.

 - Kathi

Keeping Calm on Election Night

Next week, the nation will choose our next president. The outcome will inevitably be polarizing, as the two main candidates are about as different as they can be. It’s times like these, when change is approaching, that fear and speculation run rampant, leading to the spread of misinformation—and misinformation, whether intentional or unintentional, often leads to a spike in anxiety and stress for all involved. It’s no wonder why the American Psychological Association cited “political concerns” as the foremost stressor in their 2024 survey (Stress in America 2024, APA). 

I don’t think I’ve ever been this stressed about a presidential election. I’m so stressed, I can’t even allow myself to think about it for too long without it being detrimental to my mental health. And I know I’m not the only one. If you’re struggling, like I am, I hope you’ll check out these resources on promoting news literacy and avoiding misinformation. I, like many people, find comfort in knowing that what news I’m consuming is as accurate and representative of the truth as it can be. These two articles provide tips for staying mentally healthy while staying abreast of political content. Lastly, I’ve chosen to include a link to the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and NAMI Maine hotlines. If you are in need of support or guidance, these organizations are excellent resources for those looking to obtain information and/or access to mental health services. 

As a child, my parents often hosted election night parties. Just simple potluck gatherings of nearby friends and neighbors, coming together to eat and converse as a way to wait out the decision. I remember the cheers as states were gained and the worried murmurs as states were lost. Together, it seemed, it was easier to bear. May this election be one for the record books. May it bring light and positive change into our nation. Don’t forget to get out and VOTE on November 5th, or earlier as your state allows!

- Amy Bley

If you’re looking to boost support for your nervous system, check out our Election Night Survival Kit: Restore + Relax Tea, Attitude Adjustment Elixir, Digestive Tonic, and Go To Bed Elixir. These products are perfect for whipping up tasty (and nourishing) treats for your own election night gathering, or enjoying on their own. Check out our website for recipes! 

American Psychological Association. (2024, October). Stress in america 2024: A nation in political turmoil. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/stress-in-america/2024 

Thinking about Mental Health in the Workplace

For many of us, work is a primary driving force in our lives. We spend an enormous percentage of our lives at work, with our coworkers and supervisors, and traveling to and from work. Even when at home with friends and family, our mind can be occupied with work-related thoughts, if not actively inundated with emails and phone calls. 
I feel like everyone has experienced the same horror stories; stories of toxic supervisors with no boundaries, workplace cultures that celebrate working yourself into the ground, all while making a pittance, jobs that were so mentally draining that it was all you could do to just make it through the week. Growing up, these were considered “normal,” so when I entered the workforce after college, it was no surprise when I encountered these things for myself. As I endured I suffered, which made my work performance suffer, which made my mental health suffer. It was a horrible cycle perpetuated by my false understanding that this is just how it is. It wasn’t until I started working for Herbal Revolution that I realized that what I had believed to be “normal” didn’t have to be normal. That a healthy workplace was possible and that I could thrive in ways I hadn’t known were possible. 

Today, I feel like we are finally starting to heal the toxic work environment. People are becoming more aware of their mental health and less tolerant of unhealthy work practices. Business owners, like our very own, Kathi Langelier of Herbal Revolution, are prioritizing the holistic health and well-being of their employees, realizing the innate worth of a happy and healthy human in the workplace. At Herbal Revolution we practice Radical Wellness in all things, from the beauty of our products to the treatment of our staff.

This year, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) is focusing on Mental Health in the Workplace. As a strong supporter of mental health awareness in general, I was happy to learn that this topic would finally get the attention it deserves. Working in an environment that places such high value on mental health, I recognize the challenges, financial and otherwise, it takes for a small business to prioritize its employees over a fatter bottom line. But Kathi has never been one to back down from a challenge and continues to fight for human and labor rights every day. I feel privileged to work for a company that truly puts its money where its mouth is and serves as a reminder that Workplace Mental Health Matters, today and everyday.  

-- Amy Bley

“World Mental Health Day was established on October 10,1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health. Since then, it has been observed every year with the aim of raising awareness in the global community about critical mental health agendas through collaboration with various partners to take action and create lasting change. Over the years, this day has gained momentum, becoming a platform for governments, organizations, and individuals to develop initiatives that focus on various aspects of mental health care.”

“The Global Campaign 2024 and its initiatives are based on this year’s official theme for World Mental Health Day – ‘It is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace’. This theme underscores the critical importance of mental health in professional settings, aligning with the founding principles of WFMH established in 1948.

The campaign is dedicated to advocating for mental health within the workplace. Our objective is to engage a global audience—including employees, employers, organizations, and stakeholders—in grassroots advocacy to promote mental well-being at work. We aim to highlight the essential role of mental health in professional environments, advocating for workplaces where mental health is prioritized, protected, and promoted.” 

https://wmhdofficial.com/

Get involved in spreading awareness of mental health in the workplace:

https://wmhdofficial.com/engage-2024/

Struggling with mental health in Maine?:

https://namimaine.org/maines-mental-health-resource-database/

https://211maine.org/mental-health/

Want to create a healthier work environment for your business?:

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240053052

Other resources on mental health awareness:

https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/mental-health-awareness-month/

What is a Hydrosol?

A hydrosol, also referred to as floral waters, is produced through a steam or hydro-distillation process that utilizes fresh plant material. This material can either be suspended above or submerged in water, which is then heated to generate steam. This steam is subsequently condensed back into liquid form. This alchemical process captures phytonutrients and other complex, water-soluble or hydrophilic compounds, along with volatile and lipophilic elements.

Hydrosols effectively encapsulate the essence, energetics, and phytomedicinal properties of a plant in a powerful and potent manner, suitable for both internal and external use. 

Difference between Hydrosols and Essential Oils

Making essential oils is a super cool process, but because it takes such large quantities of plant material I find it to be a less sustainable use of both the plants and farmland. 

Essential oils are highly concentrated and can be a health hazardous if misused. The significantly large quantities of plant material needed to create essential oils makes it a far less sustainable way of working with plants. For example it takes 10,000 lbs of rose buds to create 16 ounces of essential oils. 

Along with the large amounts of plant material needed to make essential oils it’s equally  important to consider that most large essential oil companies are not working with organic farms and purchasing their plant material from large pesticides using farms. 

Hydrosols are a much safer, sustainable way of working with the plants, requiring far less fresh plant material. The small amounts of essential oil compounds that are captured during the process, are proportionally diluted creating a safe and shelf stable hydrosol.

How to Use Hydrosols

Hydrosols can be used in various ways both internally and externally such as facial toners, added to still or sparkling water, body spray, room spray. They also can be used as an ingredient in drinks, syrups, tinctures, lotions, facial washes—the uses are endless.

Recommended Reading:

https://www.sovereigntyherbs.com/blog/distillingthefeminine

Recipes:

https://goldenvistafarm.com/blog/hydrosol-series-part-3-what-to-do-with-hydrosols

https://www.feastmagazine.com/bars/classics/mixologist-bartender-hydrosols-cocktails-st-louis/article_85307958-2586-11ee-9924-4383b159d01b.html

References and further information:

https://aromaticstudies.com/about-distillation/

https://www.ecowatch.com/environmental-impact-essential-oils-2465879288.html

Check out the small batch hydrosols we currently have available from the farm here!