Herbal Ally

Recipes

A few favorites, made the way I make them. Tap any recipe to open it.

Where to buy your herbs

You don't need much to start. One or two herbs, a jar, and a strainer will carry you a long way — build your shelf slowly, as you find what you actually reach for.

Bulk dried herbs

Starwest Botanicals is where I send most people for dried herb in bulk. Good sourcing, honest labelling, plenty of organic options, and they'll sell you a small bag rather than a kilo.

Or closer to home

A local herb shop, apothecary or food co-op is often just as good, and you get to smell things before you buy them — which teaches you more than any label. Ask what's freshest. Good dried herb still smells and looks like the plant.

And some of these you can grow in a pot by a window: chamomile, lemon balm, peppermint, calendula, tulsi. Home-grown and dried yourself is the best there is.

What to look for

Colour and smell are your guides. Dried herb should still be close to the colour it was alive, and it should smell of something. Grey-green, dusty, and odourless means it has been sitting too long. Buy small amounts and use them within a year.

A Note from the Maker

Just a normal human who loves herbs.

Herbal Ally is made by Herbs Love You™ · herbsloveyou.com

This app was built by a mom who is an herbalist, and also, honestly, just super tech-curious. I wanted something I could pull up while I was out and about, so when someone asked me about herbs I wouldn't have to carry a reference book around. And I wanted it to include contraindications, so I could easily check back and help make herbalism feel safer and more accessible.

With deep gratitude

To the Michael Moore lineage, whose work runs underneath so much of this.

To the Herbalism Roots program in Denver, and to my teachers there, Martin and Kim, amazing, witchy humans who guided so much of what is gathered here. I feel so blessed to have learned from them.

To Ryn and Katja at CommonWealth Herbs, whose podcast is an incredible resource and is still in my regular rotation.

To Robin Wall Kimmerer, whose writing has shaped how I see the living world. If you love plants, I can't recommend her enough; please read Braiding Sweetgrass and support her work.

To the plants themselves, for all the years of loving and learning about them. They are not just things, they are living beings, and they remain some of my very favorite teachers of all. We truly would not be here without them.

And to so many more than I could ever name here.

Thank you, thank you. ✿

FAQ

A few honest answers.

Is this medical advice?

No. This is folk and food herbalism, shared for education and wellbeing. Please talk with your own provider before using herbs, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a health condition.

Is herbalism legit?

Yes. Herbalism is one of the oldest forms of medicine on earth, and it's the root of a great deal of modern pharmacy — aspirin, for instance, traces back to willow and meadowsweet. It lives in two places at once: a deep traditional practice passed down through generations, and a growing body of modern research. It shines as gentle, everyday, food-and-tea-level support, and it works beautifully alongside good medical care rather than replacing it. That food-and-folk end is exactly what this guide is.

Are these the "right" blends? Can I change them?

These blends are ideas, not rules. They come from my own herbal traditions, teachers and education, and another herbalist might reach for different herbs, dosages or uses — all valid. So please treat them as a starting point: adapt them to you and your situation, explore other herbs that call to you, and lean into different information if it feels right. Most of all, listen to your body. It knows things the books don't.

Are these herbs safe?

Most of what's here are gentle food-and-folk herbs, but "natural" doesn't always mean "safe for everyone." Read the safety notes, watch for the pink preg badges, start with just one or two herbs and a small amount, and check with your provider if you take any medications.

Who are these doses for? Can kids or pregnant people use them?

The amounts here are for adults — roughly over 12 years old and 100 pounds. Children, pregnancy and nursing call for gentler, different dosing and different herb choices, so please don't just scale these down for a child. For that, I can't recommend Aviva Romm highly enough — a Yale-trained MD, midwife and herbalist with wonderful, trustworthy books and resources on herbs for pregnancy and children. (The pink preg badges here are a first flag, not the whole story.)

How much herb do I use?

A good rule of thumb is about 1 tablespoon of dried herb per cup of water. Each blend already portions itself out for you, leaning on a pleasant base herb with smaller amounts of the stronger ones. Listen to your body and adjust to taste.

How long does brewed tea keep?

A cup of tea is best fresh, but a brewed batch keeps in the fridge for about 24 to 48 hours. After that the flavor fades and it can start to grow things. Let your own senses have the final say: if it smells off, looks cloudy or fizzy, or just doesn't seem right, pour it out.

Tea, decoction, tincture — what's the difference?

A tea (infusion) steeps soft leaves and flowers in hot water; a decoction simmers tougher roots and barks; a tincture extracts herbs in alcohol for drops you can keep on the shelf. The Glossary's "ways to prepare herbs" walks through each one.

Why are some herbs "taken as a tincture" instead of in the tea?

A few herbs don't give their medicine up to hot water, or they're simply too bitter to drink, so they work better as a tincture or a gargle. When that's the case, the blend will tell you to take that herb alongside the tea.

Where do I get the herbs?

A local herb shop or co-op, a trusted online source like Mountain Rose Herbs, or your own garden. Start small and build your shelf over time.

How do I know if my herbs are good quality?

This matters more than almost anything, because the medicine is only as good as the plant. Quality comes down to whether it's the right species, grown or gathered from healthy plants, harvested at the right time, and dried and stored well. Be cautious with cheap, anonymous herbs (the kind from random online marketplaces) — you often have no idea what species it truly is, where it came from, or whether the plant was even healthy when it was picked, and all of that changes the medicine. Look for: certified organic (grown without synthetic chemicals or GMOs), a clearly listed Latin name and country of origin, and "sustainably" or "ethically wildcrafted" for wild-gathered herbs. Trustworthy sources include Mountain Rose Herbs, Pacific Botanicals, Oshala Farm, a good local herb shop or co-op, or your own garden.

Does it matter where my herbs come from?

Deeply. Some medicinal plants are being harvested faster than they can grow back. The most haunting example is silphium, one of the most prized medicines of the ancient world: during the Roman era it was harvested and grazed so relentlessly that it vanished entirely, often called one of the first recorded extinctions in history. That medicine is simply gone. Today, plants like goldenseal, American ginseng, slippery elm, echinacea and black cohosh (some of which appear in this guide) are considered at-risk. Being a conscious ally means choosing cultivated over wild-harvested when you can, and buying from sellers who do their due diligence. United Plant Savers tracks at-risk native plants and is a wonderful resource, and Mountain Rose Herbs is one supplier that takes at-risk species and sourcing seriously.

When should I see a doctor instead?

For anything severe, persistent, or worsening — a high fever, trouble breathing, severe pain, or anything that worries you. Herbs are a gentle support, never a replacement for real care.

What happens to my email?

If you ask to have a blend emailed to you, your address is used to send that and the occasional herbal note. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Terms & Refunds

The plain-English version. Last updated July 2026.

What you're paying for

A membership to Herbal Ally gives you unlimited blends, the full herb monographs, the complete Lore & Ritual and Almanac, the allergy filter, and PDF recipe cards. It's $11.99 a month, or $99.99 a year as a founding rate, which stays the same for as long as you remain a member even when the price rises. There's also a free version, and a 14-day free trial, so you can see what it is before you pay for it.

Cancelling

You can cancel any time, from the manage link that appears when you're signed in. That opens Stripe's billing page, where you can cancel or change your card yourself. No email required, no talking anyone out of it.

When you cancel, your membership stays active until the end of the period you've already paid for. After that it simply doesn't renew, and you drop back to the free version. You keep your account.

Refunds

I don't give partial refunds for time already elapsed on a membership — cancelling stops the next payment rather than refunding the current one.

That said, if something has gone genuinely wrong — you were charged twice, charged after cancelling, or the app didn't work for you — please write to me and I'll put it right. I'd far rather sort it out directly than have you fight a card dispute.

Your details

Your email and password are held by Memberstack, who run the accounts. Card payments are handled by Stripe — I never see or store your card number. If you joined the newsletter, your email also sits with my email provider, and you can unsubscribe from any message.

Blends you make are stored in your own browser, not on a server. Ask me any time and I'll delete your account and what's attached to it.

The important one

This is folk and food herbalism, offered for education and for love of the plants. It is not medical advice, it isn't a substitute for care from your own provider, and nothing here has been evaluated by the FDA. Please check with a professional before using herbs, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a health condition. You're responsible for what you choose to make and take.

Land Acknowledgement

This app was made on the original lands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute peoples. As a naturalized citizen of this land, I try, however imperfectly, to honor their deep wisdom and their long history of tending these plants and this place. So much of what we know about the medicine growing around us was carried and kept by Indigenous peoples, and that knowledge deserves both gratitude and protection.