I’ve lived in a town called Nannup in the southwest of western Australia for nearly 30 years now, and while I’ve been journeying with plants my whole life, I’ve been crafting medicines and foraging for herbs and food for over 8 years. I began my journey several years ago on a journey with the plants themselves, and my destiny as a healer was shown to me. Now I know the herbs as friends, and exactly when and where to forage them. Be it by the river in wintertime or the dry slopes in summer, I know the best time to harvest my plants for optimal energy and medicine. All the plants in my remedies and creation (except for a handful) are wild foraged, grown myself, or foraged from friends’ gardens. There are still 3-4 herbs used in my range where I am supplementing my homegrown supply with purchased quality dried herb. All the olive oil is raw and local, and the beeswax. I source my menstruum used in the tinctures locally too. I don’t use any essential oils or preservatives and such in my medicines. Just pure, simple, whole ingredients that speak for themselves and encapsulate the power of the plants in their entirety. Remember, nothing on this Earth grows in vain. All things have a purpose, and their own medicine.
I try to work as much as possible within the Wise Woman Tradition, of honoring the Earth, the plants and ourselves. Of being sensible and grounded, looking at things wholly. Everything is harvested by hand, on foot, at the best time of year depending on the herb and processed fresh as quickly as possible to maintain quality and energy. I hope you enjoy using my medicines. They are created from the heart in tune with the Earth and with Spirit, with the purest of intention to help you heal. From the soil shall grow our medicines, everything we need is all around us already.
Sam Atkinson
herbalwanderer@gmail.com
FB: Wandering Herbals (for reviews and Messenger)
Etsy: Wandering Herbals Shop
I’m working my hardest to ensure I have all products available year – round, but some may be temporarily unavailable. It is the nature of my work that sometimes a season is poor and I may not have usual stocks of certain herbs. Thank you for your support. It is deeply appreciated and enables me to help change the world one herb at a time.
I also hold foraging tours in the springtime, usually from September to November, weather dependent. The day consists of a “wild weed wander” in the morning, followed by a lunch break, and then an in-depth demonstration of how to create infused oils, salves, and tinctures. Ticket price includes a detailed information booklet, and sample healing balm to take home. There are also teas, pesto, crackers and more all created from wild food and a full stall of all my products available for purchase. When tickets are available for the 2023 season, usually around August, I will advertise the link here. Places are limited, private walks are not available, ages 12 and up. $75 pp.
Lastly, I usually also hold balm making demonstrations during the Nannup Flower and Garden Festival. It is advertised with tickets in the festival program each year.
HERBAL INFUSED OILS
A range of lush infused herbal oils, for all kinds of skin issues. Crafted from homegrown and wild herbs, raw local olive oil, and a lot of sunshine and love all bottled up. That’s it. No hidden ingredients here. Pure, simple and natural.
What makes these remedies different…?
I craft my medicines using old traditional methods that involve little interference with the natural state of the herb and its medicine. Long slow infusions in a single menstruum, designed to extract certain medicinal qualities, depending on the application. Little heat is ever used, even when making balms, so the integrity of the medicine, of both herb and menstruum, is maintained. The herbs are picked by hand, on foot, me wandering about the hidden wild nooks and gullies of Nannup, seeking that patch of wild garlic from last year, that granddaddy pine tree that’s always festooned with usnea, a sure sign of pure, fresh air. Waiting for the wild peaches to come into full leaf so I can collect the soft tips to make medicine for anxious hearts. Sweating and aching to climb the steep dry hills in summer to fill brown paper bags with Saint John’s Wort, the paper stained purple from the crushed flowers. I know each of these plants and their habits intimately, and they are yours and my allies in healing ourselves and our families. These herbs and the medicine they share with us are old, our ancestors were using them just the same way. Our bodies and souls remember the plants.
Featured Categories
Infused Herbal Oils
Balms and Liniments
Tinctures
Witch Hazel Toner Sprays