LindenTreeHerbals

Hello! I'm Ginny, a wildcrafting and product-making herbalist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I'm the creator and owner of Linden Tree Herbals. I enjoy the alchemy of gathering the plants that grow in my area and turning them into beautiful, useful, and accessible botanical goods for others to enjoy.

I specialize in creative tea blends, salves and balms, self-care items, unique digestive bitters, simple natural beauty and skincare, and many other things as well. I gather or grow 95% of the plant ingredients I use for my goods, and use local ingredients and eco-conscious (recycled, recyclable, and compostable) packaging.

I’ve always been interested in plants and natural medicine, but was sparked to learn all I could after a few wilderness backpacking trips in the wilds of northern Michigan. I’ve formally studied with several herbalists since 2011 and these days, as a bio-regional herbalist, I still love to use what's growing in my own backyard!

Read on for more about our core values and business practices!

The Linden Tree Herbals Mission Statement:
Create and sustain Linden Tree Herbals to be a trusted, reliable, environmentally conscious herbal resource that operates with integrity.​


Our Guiding Principles:

Wildcraft ethically.
Make positive identification. Harvest abundant species in clean habitats. Never over-harvest. Always leave a population with plenty of flowers to turn into seeds, seeds and roots to sow the next generation, leaves to provide sustenance to the growing plant.

Encourage new growth of plants and people.
Plant seeds. Create lovely gardens for plants not found abundantly in our area. Provide information via blog posts, website, email, and discussion. Create and foster open-minded, non-judgmental dialogue with others - about plants, medicine, health, and healing.

Use what's around you.
If we can't find it in the wild or grow it in the garden, we'd rather not make medicine with it. The deep connection that comes from knowing the entire life cycle of the plants we use in our medicine is worth so much more than convenience.

Continually test and experiment.
Test everything ourselves, to make sure it's of the best quality. Try new things all the time, and have fun experimenting.

Environmentally-conscious supply decisions.
Wildcraft ethically. Use organic, sustainably grown ingredients (base oils, alcohols, butters, beeswax) whenever possible. Use locally-made products whenever possible. When local, organic and/or sustainably grown ingredients are not possible, consider the source. Before making supplier decisions consider the following: origin of harvest, origin of manufacture, sustainable or 'green' business practices, transportation and shipping costs, supplier's treatment of their workers, environmental condition of source area (for consumable supplies), recycled content and recyclability (for packaging materials).

Environmentally-conscious packaging decisions.
Package using recycled, recyclable, biodegradable, compostable containers whenever possible. All effort will be made to NOT use plastic containers - even those made with recycled materials. Seek to package products using materials that consumers can reuse, recycle, or compost.

Support other herbalists.
Promote the work(s) of trusted herbalists. Refer clients when appropriate. Always give credit to another herbalist for their work, ideas and teachings. Share experiences, observations, results, recipes, and guidance when requested.

Share the wealth!
Consciously make pricing decisions to ensure quality herbal preparations are available to a wider variety of people. Donate herbs and goods to those who need them, whenever possible. Support those in need by donating a portion of yearly gross sales.
- 10% of 2015 sales was donated to Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter
- In 2016 we sent donations to the Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council, Mní Wičhóni Nakíčižiŋ Owáyawa (Defenders of the Water School in the Oceti Sakowin Camp), the Friends for Metro Detroit Animals, and to our friends at Exhalation Integrative Wellness in Detroit, to support their work with those affected by the Flint Water Crisis.
- 2017 donations include support for the Dublin Herb Bike (a project by Herbalista), support to Fox & Flora Botanicals for their work in Ypsilanti warming centers, and the Friends for Michigan Animals Rescue.