Midweek Kaua'i: Farming, Serving Medicinal Herbs

January 04, 2017

Midweek Kaua'i: Farming, Serving Medicinal Herbs

http://midweekkauai.com/pdf/2016/1214/index.html

FARMING, SERVING MEDICINAL HERBS DECEMBER 14, 2016 Please tell us about your business. Doug: We are a medicinal herb farm serving tea, powders, culinary spices, hydrosols and salves. We grow more than 70 different botanicals on the property. Genna: Everything is planted from seed, harvested and handcrafted on our Kilauea farm. What kind of remedies do your herbs provide? Genna: We have herbs in our blends that can help in many ways, like boosting circulation, aiding digestion and calming the nervous system. We grow the comfrey plant, which is really good for bone, muscle and ligaments. Doug: The teas calm the system, and bring unique and diverse vitamins and minerals into your system. Genna: Basically, we grow herbs for every type of ailment or injury. We're trying to bring back the lost art of plant medicine. Can people use these herbs on a daily basis? Doug: We create products that can easily be integrated into your lifestyle. We've created all of these products comprised of herbs like lemongrass, tulsi and ginger that are used in diets around the world daily. And so, for us, those are the kind of herbs that make their way into all of our teas, then we layer in the medicinal nature of our teas. That way they can be drunk daily. Genna: And because some of us are really busy, we can't always maybe brew a pot of tea, so we make culinary spices you can sprinkle onto food that can give you a boost of energy throughout the day, like our Green Energy powder. We also have hydrosols, like Tulsi hydrosol that's amazing for calming the respiratory system, and Comfrey hydrosol that helps our bones and ligaments, and our Tea Tree hydrosol, which is antibacterial. You can use them topically or aromatically.

Genna Wolkon of Kauai Farmacy is committed to sharing the benefits of plant medicine with as many people as possible Coco Zickos Photos Why did you decide to open up this business? Doug: When we moved to Kauai from the East Coast, we started this farm because we believed in the power of the plants and we believe they have the power to heal people, specifically if grown on Kauai. What's the most rewarding aspect of your business? Genna: Being empowered to have plant medicine at our fingertips for our wellbeing and our children. I can't even tell you how many times we've relied on the plants to get us through situations. Doug: And shipping it abroad and seeing our friends, family and others heal from the teas. Also, we have about eight people working here and we always have a couple of volunteers - these are people who dream of doing this but there aren't that many opportunities. That's another rewarding aspect - that we're providing that opportunity to be part of a local medicinal and botanical movement. Where can people purchase your products? Doug: Saturday morning at the farmers market in Kilauea. We also have a few teas in all the health food stores, like Papayas and Harvest Market. We also are in restaurants, including JO2 and Hukilau Lanai, and we do a significant amount of online business.

Kauai Farmacy sells an assortment of products made with fresh, healing herbs Are there ways can people learn more about your business? Doug: We have a YouTube channel. We're trying to create transparency so you can learn where your plant medicine is coming from. Genna: We're being really candid and open about sharing everything from seed to harvest to how we dehydrate. We use the videos to educate people about how the herbs help and how people can use them. kauaifarmacy.com 828-6525 -Coco Zickos