Interview with Stina from Mother Mountain Herbals......

Mother Mountain Herbals: Psychic Eye Herbal tea

Today on Moon to Moon I am super proud to be chatting with Stina from Mother Mountain Herbals, an Independant Herbal tea and beauty product maker from North Carolina.  The combination of extremely covetable packaging and seriously fabulous teas has seen Mother Mountain Herbals shooting to success all in Stina's first year of business!!

So lets find out more.....

       Hi Stina, can you tell Moon to Moon a little about you and what you do?

Hi I'm Stina, the creator and owner of Mother Mountain Herbals. I live in the mountain countryside of Asheville, North Carolina.

        How did you start getting into Herbalism?

Years ago I was living in Los Angeles, suffering from depression, on a career path that was no longer serving me, and longing for a more simple and natural way of living. Any day off I had I would go hiking in the hills and canyons surrounding the sprawling cityscape. I was enamoured with all the magnificent plants that I came across and wondered what uses they had. I started carrying field guides and read Susun Weed's "Healing Wise". It was pretty much a done deal after that. I knew my path was aligning with herbalism.

When did you decide to launch your own range?

After moving to Asheville, I was hired at a coffee shop/bar downtown to create teas and herbal elixirs. I was getting a lot of great feedback from customers and my boss actually encouraged me to make my own business out of it. I finally felt like I had enough self confidence do it- so I worked on my branding for about 8 months and then launched MMH in May of 2015.

Mother Mountain Herbals: Psychic Eye

What inspired you to start mother Mountain herbs and what is the inspiration behind the name?

I obtained a wealth of emotional, spiritual, and physical healing on my path with herbs. One of my goals with MMH is to assist others with the same healing by making it easy and fun to integrate plants into everyday life.

The name Mother Mountain Herbals is inspired by the Townes Van Zandt album "Our Mother the Mountain". I loved the meaning behind the title because I live in the mountains and it is the land here that nurtures me. 

Do you have any herbs that you use on a daily basis?

I really try to stay on top of stinging nettle and oatstraw infusions daily. Drinking them is like taking a multivitamin, but better. Our body assimilates their minerals like food, so we get a lot more nutrition out of them rather than taking a pill. Plus I believe the energies of the plants have benefits as well- opposed to a synthetic, laboratory made vitamin. I also use various mushroom extracts in my daily smoothies and always keep a bottle of skullcap tincture in my purse. 

Do you have a favourite of your products?

That's hard to say! I drink tea and use my beauty products everyday. But I think my favourites are somewhat interchangeable. There's one product that I make and really love that doesn't get as much attention as the others- I'm not sure why! I couldn't live without it. It's the Masa + Honey Face Polish. I'm an exfoliation advocate and that particular scrub is so gentle yet really effective. And it doesn't leave my skin dry. I would buy it even if I didn't make it. 

Here in the UK the weather is cold and there is little sunshine, do you have any recommendations for blends?

When I think of dark days and cold weather, I want to really nourish myself and keep my immune system strong. I would probably be drinking lots of Wild + Weedy Tea and ElderMother Tea. Wild + Weedy contains lots of herbs to strengthen and fortify all systems of the body. I might even make an infusion out of it. ElderMother contains herbs that ward off acute viral illnesses like colds and flus.  I would also be dosing up on good quality cod liver oil. It's one of the best ways to keep optimal vitamin D levels in the winter time. It's the sunshine vitamin! 

Mother Mountain Herbals: Maiden Grey tea

I am a big fan of Earl Grey tea and your Maiden Grey tea is absolutely divine, what was the inspiration behind this blend?

When I first created the teas they were for the coffee shop and I thought we needed some more blends that would appeal to people who might not be into tisanes. I love Earl Grey too- but wanted to create something more feminine, like a flower potion. I think rose, lavender, and jasmine are really dreamy paired with the bergamot in Earl Grey. 

The illustrations and packaging are absolutely wonderful , did you study art or design?

No, I never went to college! But I developed a love for drawing at a very young age. I think I have an old photo of toddler Stina scribbling faces and dogs in a notebook. I've been doodling and painting my whole life, basically. 

What next for Mother Mountain herbals?

Well, I just became a vendor for Urban Outfitters and completed my first order from them. I felt like that was a pretty huge accomplishment in my first year of business.  My partner and I are in the process of purchasing a house with land- which means I can have a new home studio + space to grow herbs for MMH. As soon as I have more room to breath, I can expand my product line. Also- my goal this year is to start writing/illustrating a book about herbs!

For those readers who are interested in learning more about herbalism what would you say would be the best place to start?

The best starting place for me was Susun Weed's book "Healing Wise". It covers some great basics and dives into developing relationships with the plants you're using. Also attending any workshops in your area is fun to too! 

Mother Mountain Herbals: Maiden Grey, Psychic Eye and Mellow Belly

Stina was kind enough to send me some teas to sample and I thoroughly recommend you give them a try. They were so pretty I felt a bit naughty opening them, but I am so glad I did they were all beautifully fragrant and each tasted divine!!

First I tried the Psychic Eye Tea, this is a beautiful blend of refreshing Gotu Kola and Holy Basil mixed with magical mugwort and striking blue cornflower. Stina says 

"This tea assists with receiving information from the spirit realms and facilitates focus and attention outside of time. Enjoy prior to meditation, tarot readings, ritual work, or just before bed to promote vivid dreaming."

 I drank this one when my 19 month old finally settled for his nap to help me relax after the mayhem of my morning, it was beautiful and certainly did the job.

 Next on my list was Maiden Grey. As a long time Earl Grey fan I was really excited to be trying the Maiden Gray tea, I didn't realise my trusty favourite could get any better. 

"A floral and feminine version of the traditional old Earl. This dreamy elixir combines whole jasmine buds, pink rose petals, and aromatic lavender to transform your tea time into something truly flower powerful. Excellent with cream and local honey. Mildly caffeinated with organic black tea"

This tea is so so pretty, and is honestly my new favourite. I discovered Rose tea in China a few years ago and have been an avid fan since, who would have thought the flavors would merge so well with my trusty Earl Grey?.... perfect with a little Honey and almond milk!!

Stina also sent me some Mellow Belly Tea. This remains unopened, not because I am not tempted to rip it open, but because I suffer each month from Stomach troubles so am saving it for then.... I will let you know how i get on....

So will I be buying these teas again? Absolutely......, next time i will be adding some Masa and Honey Face Polish , some Sweet Orange and Patchouli dry shampoo and one of Stinas Hot Cloth cleansing kits to my order (currently sold out)...

So ....

A massive thank you to Stina for taking time out of preparing orders for Urban Outfitters and her store and house hunting to talk to Moon to Moon. I cant wait to see what 2016 brings xxx

I hope you all enjoyed the interview, I am planning many more on Moon to Moon this year

xx