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LOCAL HERB SHOPS & HERBALIST RUN BUSINESSES

One Stop Herb Shopping for loose herbs, jars, bottles, tea supplies, beeswax, and more

Misty Meadows, Lee NH: Mostly organic!  Herbalist Wendy Fogg’s shop is among my favorite herb shops in the state. Loose herbs and teas of impeccable quality, usually organic and sometimes harvested on the property. She also has locally made tinctures, a great selection of bottles, essential oils, flower essences, gathering baskets, body care making supplies, as well as an adjacent metaphysical gift shop. They offer shipping on orders! They often have more for sale than what is listed on the website.
Alchemy & Herbs, Exeter, NH: This relatively new little herb shop is located downstairs at 121 Water Street in downtown Exeter. Owner herbalist Lisa Dolloff carries more than 100 bulk dried herbs, spices, and tea (1 oz minimum quantities) as well as bulk bodycare goods, soap, balms, salves, and essential oils. Online ordering also available.
Sacred Tree Herbals, Meredith NH: Mostly organic! This is the store front for Sara Woods Kender's business, Sara's Herbs. Offering medicinal teas, natural skin care, consults, classes, and more.
Societe Healing Teas & Apothecary, Portsmouth, NH: Lovely little herb shop with a wide array of individual dried herbs, blends, and small-batch remedies. Joy also sells online and via mail. Feel free to email her directly (much more is available than listed on the website): hello@societeapothecary.com
Tangled Roots Herbal, Nashua NH: Mostly organic and offers alcohol free options! This cute herb metaphysical shop is located right in downtown Nashua. You'll find bulk herbs as well as alcohol free extracts and flower essences, books, gemstones, candles, and more.
The Mustard Seed, Nottingham NH: Herbalist Salandrea founded this metaphysical and herbal mecca in Portsmouth and recently moved it home to Nottingham. Large selection of loose herbs. She also sells bottles, jars, essential oils, body care making supplies, her own line of products, and other herbal goodies. Friendly and helpful staff.
Back in Thyme Wellness and Herbs, Chester, NH: This new little herb shop is located in the center of Chester in the same building as Olde Post. Owner, herbalist, RN Heather Peloquin offers dried bulk herbs, tea, bodycare, books, teaware, and other holistic goodies.
May be closing/changing form in 2023 - Moon Mama Herbals, Newbury, NH: Kris Foss opened this delightful small herb shop in 2021 and has packed it full of useful and fun herbal, medicinal, artsy, and metaphysical goodies including bulk herbs (including from New England organic farms), botanical artwork, ready-made products, books, and more. They particularly feature small-scale and New England-made brands. Online and in-store shopping available

SMALL-SCALE & LOCAL HERB FARMS & HERBAL PRODUCT SUPPLIERS

You almost always get better quality when it's direct from the farm/herbalist!

Small Scale Wildcrafters and Growers Nationwide: Listing organized by state. Call ahead or visit the website to find out what is offered as preorder for the season. Some of these suppliers make specific remedies for their product lines while others sell loose herbs and seedlings. Thank you for to herbalist Rosalee de la Foret for compiling and sharing the list!
Wildcrafters, Growers & Medicine Makers: jim mcdonald put together  this great page with details on his favorite wildcrafters, growers, and “plant people” sources for quality herbs.
Foster Farm Botanicals, VT. Organic! Lovely selection of dried medicinal herbs. (My full series students get 20% off... if you're a current student, check your course materials or email me for the discount code).
Zack Woods Herb Farm, VT: Organic! Somewhat local with an amazing quality selection of loose herbs and fresh potted plants.
Bee Fields Farm, Wilton NH: Organic!  Lior and Elad offer beautiful herbs and herbal products grown on site with organic and biodynamic methods. Check out the teas, culinary herbs and delights, and healing salves. She doesn't generally sell loose individual bulk herbs but focuses on the finished product - tea blends, herb seasoning jars, salves, etc. The farm also hosts educational events throughout the year and travels to key farmers markets in NH and VT.
Terra Basics, Chichester NH: Organic! Small scale but diverse with excellent quality, Teresa Downey cultivates and wildcrafts medicinal and culinary herbs available for sale fresh or dried. She sells to chefs and restaurants plus offers cut flowers, edible flowers, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. By appointment or preorder. Her newsletter tells you what's fresh in the garden. She grows a lot of the plants I love.
Langford Homestead Farm, Candia NH: Organic! Herbalist and farmer Mimi Alberu uses organic methods for her cultivated and wildcrafted herbs and veggies on her small, multifaceted backyard farm. She grows many of the wild and cultivated herbs that do well here in New Hampshire, and will sell dry, fresh harvested, and seedlings upon request. Excellent quality. Preorders recommended.
Healing Spirits Herb Farm, NY: Organic! Well known in the herbal community for their lovingly grown and wildcrafted herbs. They sell dry and fresh herbs, as well as other products.
Sawmill Herb Farm, Western MA Organic! Apothecary and Plant Nursery plus CSA shares to NYC, Boston, Pioneer Valley
Free Verse Farm, VT Small-scale herbal farm shop/apothecary and herb farm including a CSA and farm-raised tea blends, culinary seasonings, bulk herbs, bodycare, and remedies.
Soul Fire Farm, NY Amazing BIPOC-led, Afro-Indigenous-centered farm dedicated to empowerment, food sovereignty, and uprooting racism in the food system. Select farm goods and herbal products (as well as Leah Penniman's inspiring keynote recording) are available on their online store here.They've also got a great YouTube channel, reparations map, and farming resources and guides.
Calabash Gardens, VT Organic, Black woman-owned saffron farm

Note: iFarm in Massachusetts no longer sells herbs. 🙁

POPULAR NH NATURAL FOOD STORES

Natural food stores are great for pre-made big brand products like tinctures, capsules, teabagged tea. Most do have dried bulk herbs. The quality of those dried herbs is decent but not as good as buying direct from some of the above suppliers; a lot depends on source, storage, and turn-around. They may also carry bottles, jars, beeswax, essential oils, and other handy supplies for one-stop shopping.

Cambridge Naturals, Boston Area, MA Excellent selection and quality.
A Market Natural Foods, Manchester NH
Concord Food Coop, Concord NH: They do not have a big selection of loose medicinal herbs selection, mostly just culinary. They also offer a wide selection of prepared herbal products, and most other supplies.
Granite State Natural Foods, Concord NH 
Portsmouth Natural Foods Store, Portsmouth NH
The Herbal Path, Dover & Portsmouth NH
Sunflower Natural Foods, Laconia NH 
Earthward Natural Foods, Amherst NH

ONLINE BULK HERBS & SUPPLIES

Diaspora Co. sources well-above-typical quality spices from across India and Sri Lanka with the goal of decolonizing the spice trade and truly paying farmers living wages (which is not the norm for the international spice trade). The spices are organically grown by natural and regenerative though not all are certified due to the expensive and multi-year organic certification process. Also, while most spices change hands 10 times or more before reaching the consumer, these spices are sourced through direct relationships with farmers who are paid 6 times more than the typical wages ("fair trade" is only 15% more). They even tell you on the website what year the spice was harvested (the "origin")! See their offerings, shop online, find a local store, and join their mailing list here.
Direct-from-Farm from places like. Foster Farm Botanicals, Zack Woods, Terra Basics, Free Verse Farm, Oshala Farm Bee Fields Farm, Healing Spirits Herb Farm, etc (see farms, above). For hemp, check out Green Heffa Farms, Rooted Heart Remedies, Foster Farm Botanicals, Zack Woods.
Small Herb shops that Ship who Grow their Own or Source Direct from Farms often ship, such as Misty Meadows. Call or email for a full selection of products. (see local herb shops, above). The quality and freshness can vary based on how and where they source their herbs and how quickly they go through them. For example, Misty Meadows in Lee NH tends to have exceptional quality and sources many bulk herbs from their own small farm. Most herb shops source their herbs from various suppliers, so it will depend on who they source from and how fast they turn it over. Alchemy & Herbs sources many of their bulk herbs direct from organic farms. But many other herb shops may source from the below big bulk suppliers, so while purchasing from them may help support a small, local herb biz, you may not necessarily get better herbs versus ordering direct. See the above list of direct-from-farm suppliers.for more

*Note that although these suppliers are better than a lot of what you might buy in stores, the quality can be very mixed and the harvest date anywhere from 1-3+ years ago for most of these bigger bulk herbs suppliers sourcing from the international market. They're listed in my priority.

Mountain Rose Herbs, Eugene OR: Mountain Rose is one of our best online sources for loose herbs and almost any other herbal goody you’d like. The sell wholesale to the public and offer one of the best selections of organic medicinal herbs available. They sell by four ounce quantities or more. This is by far my favorite online supplier. However, they are hardly local.
When Mountain Rose is out of stock, my other go-to sources for organic bulk herbs would be (in order of preference) Pacific Botanicals(some of their herbs are grown on-site in Oregon, smaller selection of fresh-cut herbs available in season by preorder), Starwest Botanicals.(also available on Amazon, large selection), and Frontier Co-op (also available on Amazon and many natural food stores, large selection). I have heard good things about the Bulk Herb Store but have yet to use them personally. Note that Amazon - though convenient - may NOT be a good idea for ordering herbs... often re-sellers are involved, and they may sell old stock, mishandle/store, and even adulterate products. Confirm first that you are ordering direct from the company and not a reseller.

Additional Small Herb Shops that ship - perfect for small quantities and to support small, local herb biz!

Societe Apothecary, Portsmouth, NH - Woman-'owned (and one of my past students!) - their on-site shop carries much more than what is listed on the website, so feel free to email them a list of what you'd like to order and have shipped. 1 oz minimum for most herbs.
The Herbal Scoop, Narrowsburg, NY - Black Woman-owned, nice quality herbs sold in small quantities, also offering consultations, personalized workshops, and experiential opportunities in this "discovery-based herbal apothecary."

BOTTLES & JARS

SKS Bottles, Watervliet NY: This is my primary source for bottles and jars. They sell in case quantities, with free shipping above a certain amount. They have previously had fast shipping times but since the pandemic there have been a lot of problems with out of stocks and long wait times (still a problem in early 2023)- hopefully will be resolved with time?
Specialty Bottle, Seattle WA : I mostly use SKS, but Specialty Bottle also has a great selection, and good prices. There is an added perk of being able to buy smaller quantities rather than a whole case. It may take a little longer or have a higher shipping rate than SKS because of the distance.
Burch Bottle, Waterford NY : I haven’t used this company yet, but one of my colleagues recommended it because you can purchase bottles and jars in relatively small quantities, and the shipping prices are reasonable because they’re coming from NY.
Bramble Berry, Bellingham WA : A student recommended this site for small counts of cute bottles, lip balm containers, etc. They also have soap, candle, and makeup making supplies, but be aware that not everything is natural or organic.

NATIONAL SEED &/or SEEDLING SOURCES 

Strictly Medicinal Seeds, Oregon: Organic! Richo has the largest selection of medicinal herb seeds and potted plants available by mail. Formerly known as Horizon Herbs.
Companion Plants, Ohio: A huge selection of unusual, rare, and common herbs and plants. They're not organic but use environmentally friendly practices.
Crimson Sage Medicinal Plants Nursery, California: Organic! Excellent large selection of certified organic medicinal herbs and plants.
Mountain Gardens, North Carolina: Joe Hollis specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine plants sold as seeds, or affordable bare root live plants.
High Mowing Organic Seeds and FedCo are New England favorites for organic seeds, especially veggie and cover crops like oats but also herb. FedCo also sells bulbs, trees, etc. I tend to get my seeds from these two places.
Southern Exposure Seeds, TrueLove Seeds (with cool collections based on different communities such as African Diaspora, Italian, Syrian), Baker Creek (RareSeeds.com), and Seed Savers Exchange, Grower's Exchange, and Richter's are also very popular seed companies.
Student Recommendations: Local NH herbalist Cici Cyr of The Spring Within also recommends Alliance of Native Seed Keepers, Fruition Seeds, Grassroots Seed Network (an online space for seed sharing, might find rare plants hard to find elsewhere), Prairie Moon Seeds, and Toadshade Wildflower Farm. Other student seed source recommendations include Thyme Garden in Oregon.
My Korean licorice mint plant seeds (Agastache rugosa) might be available for sale from Heartwood Forest Farm in Michigan (seeds, dried herb, locally available seedlings) and Warner River Produce in NH (locally available seedlings). I've sent them seeds from my garden in the hopes that they can propagate and sell commercially. My seeds originally came from Seeds of Change, but they no longer sell this plant. There can be some variations - Agastache loves to hybridize! Korean licorice mint (A. rugosa) and anise hyssop (A. foeniculum) vary widely in flavor (not just species to species but even within each species), look almost identical, and can be used interchangeably, but I personally prefer the ones with a softer sweeter fennel like flavor (usually A. rugosa) vs the sharper mintier flavor (usually A. foeniculum). Hybridization, many cultivated varieties, and growing conditions also likely play a role in flavor variation, too. Also, different companies use different and confusing common names.
Also see Chestnut school's seed & nursery list here. (including several BIPOC-run)

LOCAL (NH & New England) SEED & SEEDLING SOURCES 

NH Herbal Network Herb & Garden Day Plant Sale: Lots of great herb SEEDLINGS and potted perennials are available from local and organic growers. Popular and hard to find culinary, medicinal, ornamental, and native plants. No preorders. Just attend the event and buy what you want! Held annually in June in central NH..
Zack Woods Herb Farm, Hyde Park VT: Organic! Certified organic medicinal, at risk, and less common potted plants. Not cheap, but worth it because plant size and quality is amazing.
Red Fox Farm, Gilmanton NH: Organic! Wonderful organic herb and vegetable seedlings including my personal favorite, holy basil!
Warner River Organics, Webster NH: Organic!  Great selection of the classic culinary and medicinal SEEDLINGS in spring. All the herbs are gorgeous and one of the few sources of Korean licorice mint seedlings, white sage, gotu kola... plus all the usual culinary herbs.
High Mowing Organic Seeds, VT: Organic! Also non GMO. SEEDS. Available for online purchase but can sometimes be found in your local garden store so be sure and check there!
FedCo Seeds, Clinton ME: Organic! Provides in season shipping and offers trees, plants, SEEDS, and gardening supplies.
  Found Well Farm, Pembroke NH: Organic! This small business, run by ecological landscaper Ayn Whytemare, specializes in organic and native plant seedlings and landscaping and a great spot for native perennials. This includes fantastic bee balm; and medicinal, native, and edible shrubs and trees. It is a by appointment nursery for unique culinary, medicinal, and decorative seedlings.
Evenmore Gardens, Canaan NH: Culinary, medicinal and spiritual herbs, potted herbs and native plants, and more. Organic methods. Specializing in at risk native plants.
Pickity Place, Mason NH: Herbal seedlings, restaurant, and beautiful herby spot to have a nice luncheon!
  Good Earth Farm, Weare NH: Organic! High quality organic herb and veggie seedlings in the spring.
Native Plant Trust Their Garden in the Woods location in Framingham, MA offers one of the largest selection of native plant seedlings, many of which are medicinal.
Keep Your Eye Out for Local Plant Sales in Spring! The Rockingham Herb Society has an annual sale in Chester Center. The NH/Seacoast chapter of the Herb Society of American offers one on the coast. Herbs are often for sale at local herb conferences like NH Herb Day, Women’s Herbal, and International Herbal Symposium.
Local NH herbalist Cici Cyr of The Spring Within also recommends Sacred Circle Homestead (Cabot, VT), Yonder Mountain Nursery (Bethlehem, NH), Bagley Pond Perennials (Warner, NH), Edgewood Nursery (Falmouth, ME), Native Haunts Nursery (Sanford, ME), and Humble Abode Nursery (Ashfield, MA).
FYI - Anything Grows (formerly The Herb FARMacy), Salisbury MA: Organic! SEEDLINGS & POTTED PERENNIALS - Unfortunately they NO LONGER CARRY the wide selection of unusual and medicinal herbs they once did under the previous owners. 🙁

HERBAL WEBSITES FOR FREE & GOOD INFORMATION

Best Sources for Herbal Monographs, Homework, and Info by Herb

Herbal Remedies Advice | Herbs with Rosalee: Rosalee de la Foret has generously compiled a list of inspiring and informative materia medica monographs on individual herbs. Be sure to sign up for her mailing list! Also check out the Learning Herbs mailing list for regular recipes, videos, as well as opportunities to sign up for neat online herb classes and buy kids herb games.
Herbal Transitions: Sharol Tilgner, ND’s website with nice materia medica from the first edition of her book, one of my faves, Herbal Medicine. Good balance of herbalist expertise with science. The second edition of the book is even better, but you’ll have to buy that.
Herbal Academy Herbarium*: Subscription based service that goes for about $45 per year with great monographs and more intermediate to advanced articles. *This is an affiliate link. If you use this link subscribe, a small portion of your purchase will support my work (at no extra cost to you). That said, I am linking this not because I make money from it but because I think the articles and monographs are fabulous and am an occasional article contributor.
HerbRally: Crowd sourced herbalism in which quality varies by author.
You will find monographs at various links including Sharol Tilgner's site, A Modern Herbal (more than 100 years old, though, so balance it with more recent sources), or The Naturopathic Herbalist (note these are brief and not very detailed).
Herb Books
At least one scientific source listed below.
No more than one historical source such as Henriette Kress or Modern Herbal.

Additional Bioregional Herbalism, Modern Herbalism, Historical Herbal Texts, Photos

Henriette's Herbal | Henriette Kress: This is one of the oldest and largest herbal information websites out there. Run by Finnish herbalist Henriette Kress, it's got at least as much information as Michael's. In fact, they mirror each other and it's more crisply designed and easier to navigate. Definitely worth the look.
HerbCraft Article Index | Jim McDonald: Jim has compiled tons of informative herb writings from the world's top herbalists, well organized by topic.
A Modern Herbal | Maud Grieve: This classic but no longer "modern" herb text is available to read for free. Traditional and early scientific herbalism on a large selection of plants. Limited safety data. Always cross reference. 
The Naturopathic Herbalist: A nice mix of herbal information including herbal actions, constituents, herbal monographs, pharmacy remedy making, and more. The write ups meld modern and classic clinical information, including plant energetics and clinical indications. 
One Earth Herbal Sourcebook | Allan Keith Tillotson: Alan's online version of his great book One Earth Herbal Sourcebook. Lots of great information on Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Western herbs. One of my favorites for body system and A&P.
Southwest School of Botanical Medicine | Michael Moore: Tons of photos, old herbal texts, Michael Moore’s books, and more, available for anyone to read/see, download, etc. Warning: This can be overwhelming to the newbie. Henriette's has most of the same historical info in a much easier-to-search and use format.
Grian Herbs: Vermont Herbalists Guido and Anne Dougherty have generously compiled the handouts from many of his workshops and classes for anyone to download and read.
Northeast School of Botanical Medicine | 7Song: Ithaca herbalist 7Song has compiled his handouts, videos, and a blog. His specialties include botany/plant identification, bioregional herbalism, and first aid. He's in NY but travels across the country and the world.
Lichenwood Herbals Local Flower Essences | Christine Tolf: This site offers unique information on flower essences, particularly those that can be grown or wildcrafted in the Northeast.
Mother Earth Living’s Herbal Database: provides easy access to easy-to-read articles on growing and using herbs.

SCIENCE BASED HERBALISM

My favorites are ADAM, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Health Notes

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Very detailed, albeit scientifically conservative, monographs on herbs including herb drug interaction information. It will let you know how much scientific evidence exists for particular uses and ignores any other traditional data on a plant. Well annotated. My favorite science-y resource for students.
A.D.A.M.:This free website provides easy-to-understand information via A.D.A.M., including detailed herb-drug interactions by herb/supplement or by health concern as well as herb-drug interaction information by drug or by herb or supplement. (The cautions can sometimes be a bit over-cautious.) It lists Other sites pay to be able to list the ADAM information on their site, so the access source changes periodically. In the past it was University of Maryland, Penn State Hershey, and UMR. If this link doesn't work, please email me; I'll see if I can find and link a new source site.
Aisle7/HealthNotes: A science based, unbiased source of information on herbs, supplements, drugs, conditions, interactions, etc. Particularly good at giving up to date safety data & study references. It's a bit more topical so not my favorite but still good, especially if you can't find an herb in MSKCC or ADAM. Vitamins & Herbs A-Z, Health Conditions A-Z, Drugs A-Z.
HerbalGram | American Botanical Council Database: A hub of information of the more scientific type. Higher levels of ABC membership give full access; however, a great deal of information is also available for free. It can be a lot to wade through, but the herb and food-as-medicine profiles are nice summaries of plant info, and the HerbClips will give you good overviews of individual studies. Some plants are available on HerbMedPro for free, but not all. This source on ABC is loaded with info but often overwhelming. (Note that if you join Gaia Herbs Professional Solutions as a practitioner or student, they have a broader array of HerbMedPro profiles there for free but you need to apply for a free log in. The general public is not allowed to join due to FDA and FTC regulations. This professional solutions section a GREAT resource for free webinars and other info on herbs if you are able to join, though, even though it's compiled by a supplement company. General public Gaia website info is NOT strong enough as a homework resource due to regulations and potential company bias.)
Medline Plus + NIH: The National Institutes of Health’s listings of monographs from various respected authorities from the conventional medicine world. Specific herbs, drugs and supplements, etc. This combines monographs from the NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine (NCCIM) and the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database on one page. Note: This is a source but not as plant-positive as I'd like and often limited in the data. I'd suggest using one of the other sources first.
Mayo Clinic: Information about herbs and supplements as well conventionally minded information on drugs, conditions, interactions, etc.
ND Health Facts: This website offers a wealth of information compiled from quality sources. Check out the botanical monographs here, and all monographs including foods, vitamins and minerals, supplements, and homeopathics here. Condition-specific natural health advise here, and you’ll also find other great info on the site.
PubMed Study Search | NIH: PubMed is the National Institutes of Health website for searching study abstracts. A great resource, but you have to wade through research/science language. I highly recommend narrowing your search to "clinical" "review" and/or "human" studies by clicking on the options in the left sidebar after you pull up your search. Often the abstract will include a link to pull up the free full study text. If not, you can copy and paste the full study title into GoogleScholar. If the full text is available for free on the web, it will show as a link in the right sidebar. Note that looking at individual studies can be overwhelming for the newbie and may be too myopic for students doing monograph homework unless you're looking at a clinical review study overview. PubMed and GoogleSchloar are more useful for advanced course homework..
European Medicines Agency: The European Committee on Herbal Medicine Products summarizes the evidence based uses, including the influence of longstanding traditional use of many medicinal herbs. Too bad it is not annotated with the study references, just a few summaries of the details.
Health Canada Herbal Monographs: In a similar veins as the above European site, these monographs summarize the scientific and longstanding traditional uses of plants allowed for sale in their holistic and integrative yet more regulated compared to the US medical system. They do annotate with sources, which is nice, and these sources include well-respected herb books as well as actual scientific studies. *note: in March 2024 this part of the website was DOWN due to rebranding/renaming of the organization. Stay tuned. Hopefully it will come back.
Phytochemical Database | James Duke & USDA: The late, great Jim Duke's phytochemical research in easy to search formats. Dry but nice for herb geeks who want to know if hibiscus gets its color from anthocyanidins or which herbs are good sources for calcium or iron. It's been relocated to the USDA site here.
NOT RECOMMENDED: WebMD is NOT really a great source of information on herb uses because it ignores good evidence nor safety as it is ridiculously overcautious, often with limited proof. I also recommend against using Dr. Axe, Medical Medium, and David Avocado Wolfe as primary resources. The data is sometimes weak and often meant to drive web traffic and product sales.