Herbiary

04/22/2026

Beauty in every corner.

Take a moment and give some love and appreciation to our beautiful mother who carries and protects us through space.

Orbiting the sun at 67,000 mph. While our solar system blasts around the Milky Way at 514,000 mph. And the Milky Way travels 1.34 million mph drawn to the constellation Hydra. And beyond...

She dances through the cosmos while we live and breathe, unaware of most of the hostilities that lie beyond our atmosphere.

We are a speck in the vastness.

Yet our speck is just as vast in its wonders and beauty.

We hope everyone can see just how special our world is. And treat the land and inhabitants with compassion and reverence.

Happy Earth Day!

Pictures in order: Azelas (Rhododendron) May Apple (Podophyllum peltatum), Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), High Bush Cranberry/Cramp Bark (Viburnum trilobum), and Sochan (Rudbeckia laciniata).

🌎 💚

04/17/2026

We had a friend visit us this afternoon for a minute.

Even the local wildlife knows it's National Herbalist Day and wanted to celebrate. 🥰

04/12/2026

Local, Raw Honey is now available!!!

We just got "Wild Mountain Honey" by West Honey Farms. A small operation, located in Buncombe county (same county as Herbiary, so super local!)

We have 3 types:

Sourwood- An amber honey, that is carmel and butterscotch forward with a unique subtle tartness at the end.

Locust - A rarity outside of Appalachia or the Ozarks because it is made with the pollen from Black Locust trees. Delicate, light honey with floral and vanilla notes.

Wild Flower - Complex, dark honey with floral, fruity, and earthy flavors. More intense taste due to the variety of flowers used in pollination. This is the most vitamin rich honey.

We even have a large 36 oz jars for those who are serious about making herbal infused honey this year. 🐝🌷🪻🐝

04/06/2026

What tinctures have you made?

As a general note: This is a loose intro into what tinctures are. This is not a complete guide.

Before making and ingesting tinctures, please know the herbs you are tincturing, their properties, safe dosage, and if they interact with certain medications or health conditions.

You can find more detailed sources for tincture making in books like "The Modern Herbal Dispensory" by Easly Horne and "The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook: A Home Manual" by James Green

(We have both available for purchase in our store.)

Also, has a plethora of herbal education blogs and classes. Their tincture ratio chart on their website's blog is such a handy tool.

Link: https://theherbalacademy.com/blog/weight-to-volume-tinctures/

Make sure to give them a follow!

03/29/2026

History of Buncombe county and the Cherokee. We sit on stolen land.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e9913eb717dc4e68aebe7a7c7d3f42c3?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQ2P3NjbGNrBDY-ZWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHskpgc12KRWGQ0lSeQyzJwnw8O_x_fsutZqVP9RtOiuN8PyDs8N18brpY8LV_aem_NxVirVAKzi04yNPoTA0qvQ

A history of Cherokee land cessions and the formation of Buncombe County

03/20/2026

Happy Equinox!!! 🌸🪻🌷🌼

It's finally spring! It sure feels like it outside. And with spring comes a lot of edible greens. 🌱

We included a few examples on our slides along with ideas on how to prepare them. So go eat some weeds, your vitamin cabinet is just outside the door!

Forage responsibly and harvest invasives aggressively. 💚

***As a side note, please only forage in areas away from roadways, electrical poles, waterways, and other areas where pesdicides, biohazards, or contaminants could be.

03/16/2026

Melissa Fryar, an Asheville native and member of our herbal community, has been the main wellness buyer at the French Broad Coop for the past 28 years. She has lost the majority of her eyesight and is scheduled to have restorative surgery this spring. If you are able, please contribute to give back to someone who has helped others heal so many times through the years. Thank you.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-herbalist-teacher-melissa-fryar-restore-her-sight?attribution_id=sl:546a9f62-3b39-4b9d-9ab6-11192edee6b1&lang=en_US&ts=1773701910&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp17_te-amp20_t2&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&fbclid=PAT01DUAQldMlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAafngMEYUNU9SK7WbZq4L0NHE_nEIo4pUavsQroMEhw7q4f1G_kF4hhfJfRU-Q_aem_QH44aE3vnF6MEuxFFZEr4A

03/16/2026

Did you know that Magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) are edible?

They taste like ginger with floral notes and make a beautiful syrup.

Here is Alexis Nikole's recipe for a thick syrup (make sure to follow!!!)

1.5 cups sugar
1 cup water
4 cups of loosely packed magnolia petals

* If you're comfortable, ratios can be changed for a thinner or more intense syrup. Just make sure to store it appropriately. Shelf life may vary.

Instructions:

Combine sugar and water in a sauce pan on low heat until dissolved.

Add washed Magnolia petals (bitter center removed) and stir into the syrup

Cover until it begins to boil

Uncover and cook for 7-10 minutes stiring occasionally (petals will turn brown)

Turn off heat and cover again. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Strain while hot into a clean glass jar. Seal immediately.

Refrigerate when cool. (Should store 6-12 months, if it lasts that long...😂)

Notes:

A light sugar such as white sugar or simple cane sugar is best for making syrups as the intensity of the color and flavor will show through the most.

However, honey, brown sugar, agave, molasses, maple syrup, etc. Can be used, but there may be additional flavor profiles from some of these sugars sources that may hide the flavor (or enhance it).

In this video, panela sugar was used (as that was what was in the pantry that day 😉). So the syrup was darker and had additional carmel molasses notes. The jar held up to the light in the video was a different batch with regular cane sugar (so it was fushia rather than brown).

***If you don't have access to magnolias, there are so many herbs that make great syrups. We have butterfly pea flower, hibiscus, ginger, rose, lavender, cardamom, and more available in the shop to make your own syrups. 👩‍🍳

03/09/2026

Happy Woman's History Month and International Women's Day (yesterday, 3/8)

(Had to repost because it was pointed out that we mislabeled Maria Sabina, and we didn't want that incorrect label to circulate so we fixed the slide.)

We put together a short slide showcasing a few wise women in herbalism. This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor can a few sentences capture the extraordinary lives these women lived. We encourage y'all to look further into their stories and the legacies they left behind.

We also want to acknowledge the women medicine keepers, healers, midwifes, and those who walked between worlds. Whose names were erased, but their deeds reverberate into the present.

To the mom's, aunties, grandma's, sisters, witches, and "crazy" folxs of the woods. Whose families and communities turned to in their hour of need, but their selfless service was only seen as a part of life.
Their names are no longer spoken, but their knowledge passed on through generations is very much alive.

To those who have been burned, enslaved, m*rdered, and assulted for that knowledge.

To the healers whose wisdom was dismissed as "primitive" and "barbaric." But whose work was later stolen and rebranded as someone else's.

To countless acts of service by women through millennia, that has allowed the human race to survive.

We remember you!

And to the medicine keepers yet to come, we welcome you!

03/06/2026

CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED AGAIN!!!!

We can take electronic payments again!!!! 🥳

It may be a funky process at checkout, but we have tap, chip, and swipe.

Just have a little patience with us as our card reader needs a moment to contemplate its existence. 🤖😅

03/05/2026

We are currently doing some much needed updates and changes to our systems. So we will have limited hours of operation on Mondays and Tuesdays for the month of March.

We will have normal business hours Wednesday - Sunday.

However, if you need to get something on Monday or Tuesday, we will be on site to let you in. Just give us a call when you arrive.

Directions are on our door.

Likewise, if you'd prefer to schedule a private shopping appointment on a Monday or Tuesday (MARCH ONLY). Please send an email to ibsy@herbiary.com a few days ahead.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!