Moringa, or horseradish tree (Moringa oleifera), is coppiced (intentionally cut back to promote new growth and keep the tree in-check) for its highly nutritious leaves
Kauai Farmacy is a prime example of a successful farm to apothecary, or farm to ‘farm-acy’, operation. Doug and Genna have taken things one step further by adding a third link to their business chain: ecotourism.
Herb drying and medicine making facility at Kauai Farmacy
They operate on an innovative Taste/Explore/Learn model. Visitors may
taste fresh herbs, spices, and tea blends at their Tea Lanai/Farm Store,
explore their diverse medicinal herb gardens guided by their herbal and gardening staff, as well as providing many opportunities to
learn more about medicinal plants, and Kauai Farmacy’s harvest and cultivation methods.
Kauai Farmacy's dried herb storage room
Kauai Farmacy creates a plethora of herbal products such as tea blends, tinctures, salves, superfoods, spice blends, hydrosols, and more. They proudly state on their website that “Every plant in every tea is grown on our farm.” One product of interest is their Buzz Chew Edible Herbal Blend, consisting of fresh ground spilanthes, mint, bele spinach, and moringa. This herbal chew is referred to as “nature’s pick-me-up” and is a “mouthful experience you will not soon forget!”
Kauia Farmacy products are made exclusively from herbs grown on the land
For those of you interested in eco-traveling through the Hawaiian islands, or for those who may have interest in starting a Farm to Apothecary Ecotourism business model themselves, we’d highly suggest visiting
Kauai Farmacy and their lovely garden oasis. Visit their website to buy products or book a tour!
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) growing with cranberry hibiscus, or african rosemallow (Hibiscus acetosella), which has edible red leaves and flowers.
Meet Our Contributors:
JULIET BLANKESPOOR founded the
Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007 and serves as the school’s primary instructor and Creative Director. She's been a professional plant-human matchmaker for close to three decades. Juliet caught the plant bug when she was nineteen and went on to earn a degree in Botany. She's owned just about every type of herbal business you can imagine: an herbal nursery, a medicinal products business, a clinical practice, and now, an herbal school. These days, she channels her botanical obsession with her writing and photography in her online programs and here on her personal blog,
Castanea. She's writing her first book:
Cultivating Medicinal Herbs: Grow, Harvest, and Prepare Handcrafted Remedies from Your Home Garden. Juliet and her houseplants share a home with her family and herb books in Asheville, North Carolina.
DEVON KELLEY-MOTT sprouted in the lush hills of Western Massachusetts and was called to the herb world at an early age. She transplanted to the mountains of Western North Carolina in 2011 to study the vast biodiversity the Southern Appalachian region has to offer. During this time she has worked on numerous herb farms, organized and hosted herbal events, created an herbal product line called Apothefaerie, and currently works as Executive Assistant of the
Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine.