About Bear Earth Herbals
Nature. Nurture. Nourish.
from once a seed came a sprout...
Bear Earth Herbals is a small, woman owned herbal tea and salve company rooted in rural Northern Michigan. Our small herb farm is inspired by people like you who choose to support small sustainable businesses.
Bear Earth’s mission is simple: to bring the plants to the people and the people back to the earth.
My Story
Growing up in Northern Michigan, I spent most of my youth in nature exploring, building, tasting, and smelling. I developed a deep relationship with the wild and it's many dwellers and by age seven I was determined to move into the forest full time. At sixteen I finally found a way and finished high school a year early to move out into the subtropical forest of Kauai, Hawaii where I spent the majority of the next four years. Every day living out there was truly human. Gathering wood and water, plants for food and medicine, and greeting other feral beings were daily events. My passion for plants and herbalism deepened as I lived closely with the land and learned indigenous ways. Over the years I volunteered on farms and in botanical gardens, and read every plant book I could get my hands on.
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In 2012 after the birth of my son, I moved back to my home of Northern Michigan and knew it was my destiny to pursue a life in herbal medicine. While starting an eco-friendly cleaning business and working full time cleaning houses, I worked hard to pursue my true passion. I became a certified herbalist and started to develop a product line. By 2015 I transitioned fully from house cleaning to attending five farmers markets a week. I now teach classes, hold workshops, experiment with techniques in growing and harvesting herbs, develop herbal products, and spread the word to everyone and anyone willing to learn, hoping to ignite the same passion in others and keep the ancient tradition of herbalism alive.
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"Where there is passion, there is power and where there is community passion will flower."
~ Sierra LaRose (founder, farmer, wild harvester, herbalist and educator)
Salved, Creams, & Loose Leaf Teas: Grown in Northern Michigan
We are all about keeping it local. From shopping at the local farmer's market to sourcing many of our ingredients and herbs from local farms, we are willing to pay the extra cost to see our community thrive. Using indigenous herbs is not only great for the environment, but it is also important that we learn to work with plants that are growing where we live. Just as studies have shown that eating locally grown food is better for health, it is equally important to our well-being to use herbs growing in our immediate climate. We enjoy being an active part of our community and love making connections with other farmers, makers, movers and shakers!
At Bear Earth Herbals, reciprocity guides our work.
Support Local Business
From shopping at the local farmer's market to sourcing many of our ingredients and herbs from local farms, we are willing to pay the extra cost to see our community thrive. Using indigenous herbs is not only great for the environment, but it is also important that we learn to work with plants that are growing where we live. Just as studies have shown that eating locally grown food is better for health, it is equally important to our well-being to use herbs growing in our immediate climate. We enjoy being an active part of our community and love making connections with other farmers, makers, movers and shakers!
Wild, Organic and Sustainable
​We believe in and support Organic agriculture, and choose Organic and Fair Trade ingredients whenever possible. Many of the herbs we use in our products we sustainably wild harvest from the pristine forests, fields and streams of Northern Michigan. Some of our herbs are grown in our own gardens, and some we buy from other small farms and growers in our area, always using chemical free practices. We research the companies that we choose to support, verify that the claims they make are valid, and confirm they are using only sustainable methods.
Spread the Word
Our company mission is more than to provide high quality herbal products. We also want to share our knowledge with others, so that we can help to make herbal medicine the people's medicine. We offer classes and workshops throughout the year and provide herbal articles, recipes and other pertinent information in our monthly newsletters. It is our goal for every person to be able to walk into their yard and identify the plants that surround them - know how to use them - and feel grateful for their existence. Education is, and will continue to be, a huge part of our mission, as we strive to expand the world community of plant enthusiasts.