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Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Borealis Backwoods Apothecary, Cooks, MI (2026)

02/23/2026

Full and strong > hungry and weak

Food is meant to be nourishing AND enjoyed

Eating well and purposefully is always 100x more sustainable and will give you the results you want in the long run. Incorporating herbs into food is a passion for me because I LOVE food 😆

It also doesnt have to be crazy expensive. Running through the drive through at McDs can easy rack up to $10/15 for one adult. A a simple meal thrown together like this costs maybe $5 and will keep you full far longer and not make you feel like s**t

Three of my food remedies are incorporated here-
🔥Fire cider vinaigrette (MY FAVORITE for salads- a blend of fire cider, raw honey and hazelnut oil). 🔥Fire cider salt all over my cucumbers.
🕯️I sautéed up the shiitake, onions and garlic in some herbal ghee (I tested out making herbal SMOKED ghee today and I’m in love. Ill be making a large batch for the site tomorrow!) before adding some left over venison brats we made over the weekend.

02/20/2026

🌿🌿🌿Chaga Cream

One of my absolute favorite things to do in the winter is chaga hunting. I’ve gotten to experience some of the most beautiful places, from water falls to old growth forests to superior shorelines.

This skin remedy is all about sustainability and crafting what's around you for medicine, my favorite kind of remedy making. This Chaga cream is hydrating, enhancing, protecting and healing the skin from every angle. For the Tallow base, I used venison tallow, rendered from the fat I harvested and infused with Chaga and vanilla bean (because oh how delightful the scent becomes 😍). A strong Chaga decoction in water and Non GMO Emulsifying wax to emulsify both the water and oil components. Preserved with the natural synergy preserve, coconut derived. I use the Chaga in both the water component and the fat, or "oil" component because Chaga has a lot to offer with both solubilities and has a plethora of benefits topically. From its anti inflammatory properties, to aiding with skin sensitivity and acne (thanks to the kojic acid). The betulinic acid found in Chaga is responsible for its skin cell regenerative properties. Chaga is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients for the skin. It's extremely beneficial to all ages and stages 🥰

A little recap on Tallow and PUFA. The healing that tallow offers is backed by time honored traditions. These are the methods our ancestors used. The original care. Most natural products we use on our skin these days are filled with inflammatory PUFAs which are unstable and can be toxic to the body. Tallow on the other hand is far more balanced and offers stability and slows oxidation. Tallow is also loaded with bioavailable nutrients, both for your skin and internally. Let's go down the rabbit hole of polyunsaturated fatty acids- aka PUFAs.

Skin care products that are made with PUFAs and touted to be anything and everything for our skin. I've certainly used plenty of them for myself, for my family and in products. They have so many great qualities, and I'm not going to sit here and say they're all bad, but moderation is certainly key as with everything. Essentially, the issue with PUFAs is that they are most times unstable and this leads to oxidation (damage and deterioration) when they're exposed to light, heat or air (so, anytime they're on our skin). Their molecules have double bonds, rendering them weak and easily broken. So why does any of this matter? Well, when these oils on your skin oxidize it creates a free radical cascade which damages what may have been previously UNdamaged lipids in your skin. PUFAs have now been identified as the main culprit of cellular damage. In fact, there have actually been studies done of internal use of PUFAs vs not, and how quickly the individual consuming PUFAs skin starts to get damaged and deterioration sets in, because what you eat affects your skin too.

I struggle during the winter with my skin, the dryness really causes me issues. It's important to learn about our bodies, what it needs and how to give it what it needs to keep any of those unpleasant winter skin issues at bay. That's what this product line is is all about. Honoring what our bodies need through this next season.

02/20/2026

Quick recap on another restock!

This one is one of the top sellers but I’m not sure I’ve done an informational on it for some time so here we go!

Pain Away!

Crafted with (all organic, home grown organically or Wildcrafted) white willow bark, meadowsweet, feverfew, california poppy, and blue vervain.

Believe it or not, this is what I used after an accident a few years ago when I ripped a portion of my finger off. It’s a super versatile blend, crafted to help with acute pain from injuries, chronic pain, back pain, migraines, menstrual pains, muscle pain and so much more. So I’ll dive in to each one of these analgesic herbs 🤍

The compound salicin in white willow bark is highly sought after and what aspirin was originally derived from. This compound plays a huge role in white willow barks ability to aid with inflammation and pain response. Salicin does have anticoagulant effects keeping blood clots at bay, so be wary if you have bleeding disorders. Willow barks also acts as a diaphoretic, and has been traditionally used to help reduce fevers. Such a power packed herb!

Then we have Meadowsweet, another power packed herb containing salicylates. Just like white willow bark, it has a long history of being used to aid with inflammation and pain. Again, just like white willow bark, it acts as a diaphoretic encouraging the body to sweat and therefore reducing fevers by the bodies natural temperature regulation rather than suppressing it (that’s a can of worms for another day). While it’s been used to relieve pain throughout the body, it does seem to have a specific affinity with aiding headaches, just like feverfew.

Feverfew is a gentle herb that has been long used for headaches, especially tension headaches. It has quite a few peer reviewed studies backing it as an efficient pain reliever in acute, inflammatory, articular and neuropathic pain.

Next we have Blue Vervain, and while I most often use this herb for colds and the flu as immune support, as well as nervous system support for anxiety, it works wonderfully for minor pain. I feel this is due to it being a powerful nervine and relaxing tension. Especially being helpful with spastic pains.

Lastly, California poppy! This is one of my favorite herbs to grow, and it’s so incredible versatile! It’s so gentle but effective. This plant can support us in daily living is by easing aches and pains. With its antispasmodic properties, this makes it an ally for everything from post workout aches all the way to growing pains and everything inbetween. It's also a mild pain reliver that traditionally was also used for little ones dealing with teething and colic. This is why I also make a single herb glycerite with California poppy, just for little ones! I've mainly utilized California Poppy in the past to aid with sleep and anxiety, but the benefits of this beautiful flower reach far beyond just insomnia (though it works beautifully for insomnia). It's non addictive and has an extremely high saftey profile, which makes it a wonderful plant for children too. In fact, California Poppy is a great herb to reduce bed wetting in kiddos! California Poppy is actually the top and most effective plant for bed wetting and bladder health. Back to the reason Ive incorporated it into this blend though, it is one of the longest standing herbs used for pain in folk medicine, and one of the most studied herbs in allopathic medicine. Ive personally had great success with this beautiful plant and will never be without it in my gardens.

02/19/2026

Restocked today!!

Tranquility Magnesium Body Butter

Lymph Mover Tallow Magnesium Body Butter

Magnesium Spray

All things magnesium ☺️ These are some of our most popular transdermal remedies. Our original magnesium body butter, our tallow magnesium body butter and our magnesium spray.

Recap-

Magnesium is an incredibly important mineral through lymphatic decongestive treatments. It has been shown to play one of the most crucial roles in supporting a healthy lymphatic and immune function. Magnesium is able to get into the lymphatic system beneath the dermis. About 80% of Americans are deficient in magnesium, and this sole deficiency cause so many issues and even other deficiencies! From anxiety, headaches, low energy, insomnia, restless legs, sore muscles, growing pains. The list goes on and on. Magnesium also helps us absorb other vitamins and minerals, so if you're deficient in magnesium, chances are you have other deficiencies too. Studies have shown that the most effective way to up your magnesium is through transdermal application, as it has the best and fastest absorption. Magnesium oil works great but tends to have an unpleasant sting to the skin during application. In this body butter, the magnesium oil is paired with Tallow to help soothe and moisturize the skin as well as increase bioavailability. The soothing nature of tallow allows us to avoid the unpleasant sting that the magnesium oil by itself causes (still, avoid application on open cuts and sensitive areas like the face and such).

Tallow Magnesium Body Butter- Lymph mover 🌿

Spring is a great time for lymphatic support, moving and supporting our elimination systems. Just as our liver & lymph nourishment tincture came about, over the years, I've learned just how interconnected the liver and lymphatic system is. You can not have one functioning without the other. They work together to remove waste, bacteria and viruses, dead tissue, toxins, and so on. Let’s call it the liver and lymph connection. If your liver is suffering, your lymphatic system is also suffering and vice versa. The liver is the largest lymph producing organ. Supporting and nourishing these systems internally is incredibly important. However, you can also support these systems transdermally. My goal was to create a massage butter that can be used both in lymphatic massage as well as conventional massage with the added herbal support to really get the lymph flowing. Tallow plays several roles, though, and aside from allowing for better bioavailability, it also stimulates lymph fluid drainage 🥰

This body butter is crafted with wildcrafted Cedar, Juniper Berries, and Wolfs foot. Extracted in avocado oil. Combined with magnesium and tallow to allow for maximum absorbancy and pine resin for a lovely gentle borealis backwoods scent.

Let's meet the plants!

Wolfs foot is incredibly rich and multi supportive. I won't go too much into it here as I just did a while post on Club moss. However, the reason I included it in this lotion is because it's a wonderful lymphatic mover. Club moss encourages the bodies detoxification.

Cedar purges the lymph nodes and removes harmful toxins which aids in a healthy immune response.

Juniper berries are detoxifiers and cleansers. They aid in lymphatic drainage and circulation. It's especially helpful in clearing congestion in the skin and promoting circulation.

Lastly, a little more on tallow for the skin and PUFA. The healing that tallow offers is backed by time-honored traditions. These are the methods our ancestors used. The original care. Most natural products we use on our skin these days are filled with inflammatory PUFAs, which are unstable and can be toxic to the body. Tallow, on the other hand, is far more balanced and offers stability and slows oxidation. Tallow is also loaded with bioavailable nutrients, both for your skin and internally. Let's go down the rabbit hole of polyunsaturated fatty acids - aka PUFAs.

Skin care products that are made with PUFAs and touted to be anything and everything for our skin. I've certainly used plenty of them for myself, for my family, and in products. They have so many great qualities, and I'm not going to sit here and say they're all bad, but moderation is certainly key as with everything. Essentially, the issue with PUFAs is that they are most times unstable and this leads to oxidation (damage and deterioration) when they're exposed to light, heat or air (so, anytime they're on our skin). Their molecules have double bonds, rendering them weak and easily broken. So why does any of this matter? Well, when these oils on your skin oxidize, it creates a free radical cascade, which damages what may have been previously UNdamaged lipids in your skin. PUFAs have now been identified as the main culprit of cellular damage. In fact, there have actually been studies done of internal use of PUFAs vs not, and how quickly the individual consuming PUFAs skin starts to get damaged and deterioration sets in, because what you eat affects your skin too.

02/19/2026

I’ll be pulling out more bone broth by the end of the day 🥳🥳🥳🥳 to ship tomorrow 🤍🤍

02/19/2026

The write up for Gut Balance as promised 🤗

Gut health is always a topic of interest, because it’s truly a foundational block to the health of the rest of the body. Obviously diet, eating habits and stress management play a huge role in gut health too. However, this blend of herbs was crafted specifically be an important building block in bringing the gut back into balance. Helping with water retention, bloating, irregular bowels, gut damage (from pharmaceuticals or chronic stress and inflammation and what have you), stimulating the digestive process allowing for better nutrient absorption, aiding with fungal/yeast imbalances such as candida or bacterial such as H Pylori, balancing the microbiome, supporting the metabolism and helping to manage sugar control and cravings.

Let’s meet the plants!

Crafted with Cardamom, Calendula, Eucalyptus and Barberry

🌱Cardamom, oh how I love cardamom. The aromatics, the flavor. There’s nothing to not love 🤍 it’s proven to be a potent medicinal, both time honored and in modern studies. Aiding with lowering high blood pressure, acting as a diuretic and helping with fluid retention, reducing bloating, helping with constipation. It’s a strong anti inflammatory and is incredible digestive support. Proven effective in reducing nausea, aiding in healing gastric ulcers, and even protecting against H Pylori. As a potent antimicrobial herb it’s often used for treating candida and other imbalances. Cardamoms phytochemical provide analgesic properties helping to relieve pain, especially stemming from the gut. This herb has the ultimate affinity for the gut, and it’s been used as a culinary medicinal for a very long time because of this.

🌱Calendula. Most folks think of topical applications when it comes to Calendula because of its vulnerary actions- which in short means it promotes tissue healing. However this plant has an affinity to the gut internally. On top of tissue healing, it’s a great anti inflammatory. This it’s important because gut inflammation breaks down the gut lining which then limits nutrient absorption and allows unwanted substances to pass through. Hence- leaky gut! Calendula has triterpenes which give it the classification as a mild bitter. I know I’ve touched on the importance of bitters before, this is something traditional in many cultures to take before or after a meal and it stimulates the production of digestive fluids and enzymes. Calendula is a fantastic herb for folks with low energy or low moods who have a predilection for food intolerances and a feeling of stagnation.

🌱Eucalyptus- This herb doesn’t get enough credit for its internal uses. All the spotlight is on the essential oil, which personally I’m not a fan of. Using the whole plant internally is an incredibly gentle way to receive its benefits. Taking eucalyptus essential oil is toxic and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The internally toxic components of eucalyptus are fat soluble-tea and this glycerite extract the water soluble constituents- safe and so very effective. Eucalyptus is a fantastic herb for the gut, stimulating digestion and is a wonderful anti microbial and anti inflammatory. It’s time honored for reducing gut spasms and helps with heart burn.

🌱Berberine rich Barberry, both the roots and inner bark. Barberry has a time honored history as a medicine plant and it’s a great time to harvest the roots to make more tinctures and salve 🥰 Just as potent as Goldenseal but unlike Goldenseal, Barberry is not rare and at risk. Quite the opposite actually- most species are pretty invasive.

Barberry is classified as a bitter, so it supports our delicate digestive system. It's been used as an effective treatment for chronic diarrhea for centuries. In clinical studies Barberry has been found to have strong antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties, beneficial both internally and externally. The most well known, most studied and most sought after compound in this plant is Berberine. Berberine has been proven to stop viral and bacterial attachment to human cells. It's also responsible for those bitter actions. Berberine is a strong anti inflammatory alkaloid and an analgesic. It’s well known for balancing gut micro biome and supporting the metabolism as well as being a metabolic activator to help with sugar control and manage cravings.

Pharmaceutical companies tend to isolate plant compounds, like berberine (one of the most powerful plant alkaloids in my opinion) because of how effective and therapeutic they are. However, and maybe I'm a bit bias, but I've found these compounds work so much better in supporting all of our systems when allowed to work synergistically with the other plant constituents.

02/18/2026

Two more recipes!

Forbidden Cocoa Chia Pudding 🍫

1- can of coconut milk5 cup of chia seeds
2 tbsp forbidden cocoa blend
2tbsp maple syrup
A splash of vanilla

Let it sit overnight in the fridge. Sprinkle with chocolate and nuts 😋

Rose Pine Pollen Moon Milk Chia Pudding 🌹

1- can of coconut milk5 cup of chia seeds
1 tbsp rose moon milk
2 tbsp raw honey
A splash of vanilla

Let it sit overnight in the fridge, sprinkle with rose petals 😋

02/18/2026

Calendula

This is a glycerite that I feel is often over looked because of its simplicity, however it’s so incredibly versatile and gentle and an absolute must if you have small children or babies.

Calendula has been such a close friend for a long time. I used it when my oldest (now almost 11) had thrush both on him and on me as I was nursing. I’ve used calendula as a main herb in leaky gut protocols, I’ve used it for candida, for heart burn, lymphatic support, venous insufficiency (think varicose veins ect), and liver support. The list of ways and ailments I’ve used it topically is even longer. I LOVE calendula. I love growing it, harvesting it, drying it and utilizing it in so many ways. I use the whole flowers as the resinous base is the most medicinal. Though I do love making baked goodies with the petals too!

Glycerites can be used both internally as well as topically which allows this sunny herb to be such a versatile remedy in your families tool box 🤍🤗

02/17/2026

🌿REST & RECOVERY

This year, Kava has been such an ally. I had gone back and forth with synergistic herbs for this blend and ended up deciding on Beetroot, Lemon Balm, Hibiscus and Horsetail. With a pinch of celtic salt for hydration.

I wanted something to support me before and after running or working out, or just on the days that seem to be go go go and feel like they take it right out of me.

Beetroot supports oxygen uptake and blood flow to muscles

Kava restores electrolyte balance, reduces muscle soreness and speeds up recovery. Is an inflammatory modulator, increases circulation and as an adaptogen reduces excessive cortisol

Lemon balm reduces muscle tension, and relaxes the body and balances out the bitterness from the kava.

Horsetail, harvested in the Spring is a great source of silica, helping with joint health and muscle recovery.

Hibiscus is such a wonderful flavor and is loaded with antioxidants. It suppresses appetite, stimulates the metabolism as well as supports the cardiovascular system.

Celtic salt is a great source of minerals. Your body cannot absorb your water intake without minerals. Celtic salt maintains electrolyte balance which is also crucial for muscle function.

This is a powdered blend, to which you would just whisk in to hot water and add a sweetener of your choice, or pour over ice! 🥰

02/17/2026

Quick reminder Manistique and surrounding areas-

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the last day to place orders for this weeks free delivery Thursday 🥰🥰

Thank you all and I hope everyone is having a great start to the week!

02/17/2026

I’m ready for this to be back in my life 🥹 it’s coming

Borealis Backwoods Apothecary

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