Borealis Backwoods Apothecary

Borealis Backwoods Apothecary Returning to our natural state as one of balance, wholeness and vitality. Hunting - Fishing - Foraging in the UP

Friends in the Fort! 🤍
11/07/2025

Friends in the Fort! 🤍

Borealis Backwoods Apothecary fans:
Restocks:
Respiratory syrup
Elderberry Aronia syrup
Cramp Relief
Everything’s pine
Censored
Mag butter
Chaga cream
Elderflower rose face cream
Vitamin c and probiotic Naupaka butter
Pitch chest rub
Wild lettuce and kava kava extract
Vitality - NEW
Valerian glycerite - NEW
schisandra
Restore tincture
Parasite tincture
Mag spray
Houttuynia cordata
Ear drops
Baby soothe
Adaptogen glycerite
These are just the restocks! More of your favorites are in stock.
Monday Wednesday Friday 9-4
Saturday 9-2

I wanted to do a quick recap on our mag butter because once again it was a life saver last night. It’s been awhile since...
11/07/2025

I wanted to do a quick recap on our mag butter because once again it was a life saver last night. It’s been awhile since I’ve had restless legs. Normally I get them when I’m pregnant so it’s not very often I get them when I’m not. Last night though I had them in the worst way. After I put my baby down I lathered myself up and snuggled back in and slept like a dream. I used the Tallow mag butter because it’s my go to, but the regular mag butter and our magnesium spray are great options too!

Tallow Magnesium Body Butter- Lymph mover 🌿

It’s 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.

Additionally, 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 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.

I love this mag butter and its versatility. I hope you all love it as much as I do! And right now it’s on sale!

It’s seed season! The other day I gathered tons of seeds- both veggies and herbs, to start preparing for next year. Gath...
11/06/2025

It’s seed season!

The other day I gathered tons of seeds- both veggies and herbs, to start preparing for next year. Gathering them and putting them in brown bags to make sure they finish drying is the easy part. Next comes sorting and packaging 😅 though, as daunting as that process sometimes seems, working with your hands and doing something monotonous like sorting through herbs or seeds is so important. Especially these days when it seems our brains always have to be entertained by technology. Not only that, but to witness something so small turn into such bounty is a truly miraculous thing to tend to and witness.

Im sure I’ll have extras, and once I get everything sorted I’ll put some out in the farm stand and load a few to the site 😄🤍

And thank you all for an amazing first day of the sale!! Your support gives a lot of little hearts Christmas and keeps this life long passion project alive 🤍

Chaga + Bear Soap This soap is all about sustainability and crafting what's around you for skin medicine, my favorite ki...
11/05/2025

Chaga + Bear Soap

This soap is all about sustainability and crafting what's around you for skin medicine, my favorite kind of remedy making. This soap is cleansing, hydrating, enhancing, protecting and healing the skin from every angle. Loaded with bear tallow. This soap is infused with Chaga in every way possible. From the water portion of the recipe to infusing the tallow with Chaga too to extract both water soluble and fat soluble constituents. I also powdered Chaga and added vanilla bean for slight exfoliation. I used a half gallon of bear tallow in this batch of soap and an entire pound of Chaga!

Chaga 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 🥰 I chose bear tallow for this soap as it’s a traditional skin remedy. Bear tallow is incredibly moisturizing and has impressive anti inflammatory qualities. It’s time honored and used for everything from eczema, irritated skin and rashes to winter dryness.

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.

This is why we made the transition some time ago (however, surprisingly we were already using relatively no PUFAs) to only using MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) and SFAs (saturated fatty acids) aka Tallow!! SFAs have no molecular double bonds, which means there isn't any opportunity for oxygen to squeeze in and oxidation to occur.

The holiday sale is on! The whole website is 30% off until the 14th (or until sold out) Thank you all so much for your l...
11/05/2025

The holiday sale is on! The whole website is 30% off until the 14th (or until sold out)

Thank you all so much for your love and support! 🤍🤍

I have several blocks with nice Lions Mane flushes currently. Im giving them a few more days for their “teeth” to mature...
11/04/2025

I have several blocks with nice Lions Mane flushes currently. Im giving them a few more days for their “teeth” to mature a little more but by the end of the week I’ll have fresh lions mane available by the oz for local pickups and then the rest will be heading into the freeze dryer to preserve (that will be available for shipping).

Lions Mane is my favorite food AND medicine mushroom. In the kitchen, it has an amazing meaty texture with a really mild savory flavor that takes on seasonings and marinades like no other. The texture is best described as cooked crab 😋 fresh is best, but freeze dried is definitely runner up as it’s the best method to preserve not only is nutrients but it’s medicinal qualities as well. It reconstitutes great

Medicinally it is time honored (proven its efficacy and safety throughout generations and around the world) but it’s also shown some pretty impressive results in modern studies aiding with memory, focus and mood stabilization (anxiety, depression and much more), inflammatory conditions. The main compounds studied are hericenones and erinacines which enhance nerve regeneration and functional recovery (a big reason I decided to cultivate this mushroom).

In other cultures, lions mane has been long revered as a longevity tonic. Im so thankful to be able to grow such a powerhouse medicinal that I can also use in the kitchen to feed my family 🤍

November is National Diabetes Month 💙Type 1 is an autoimmune disease and despite the very common misconception, is not c...
11/03/2025

November is National Diabetes Month 💙

Type 1 is an autoimmune disease and despite the very common misconception, is not caused by lifestyle and can affect even infants. My boy was diagnosed at 13 months old. I thought I had done everything “right” and his diagnosis humbled me to my core. He was born without any interventions, he wasn’t vaccinated, he was strictly breastfed, he was cloth diapered. When he did start eating he ate 100% whole organic foods. He wore non synthetic clothes, played with wooden and natural fiber toys. But, we lived in a very toxic place and this autoimmune disease was still triggered despite everything.

At 13 months old he was actively dying and doctors at Parkview health in Fort Wayne dismissed us for months. “It’s probably viral” they would say. Until he was slipping into a coma.

Heres some type 1 facts everyone should know-

“Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease.
It’s not caused by sugar or lifestyle. The immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

💉People with T1D rely on insulin to live.
There’s no cure (yet!), and insulin isn’t optional — it’s life support.

📱 Technology saves lives.
Many people with T1D wear devices like a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump (like our family’s Tandem Mobi) to help manage blood sugars 24/7.

🌙 It’s a 24-hour job.
T1D doesn’t take a break — not for sleep, not for vacations, not for growing up. Families and individuals constantly monitor, count carbs, and make life-saving decisions every single day.

💙 Awareness matters.
The more people understand T1D, the better support and empathy our community receives.”

Symptoms like frequent urination, bed wetting, severe and unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst, yeast rashes, headaches, blurring vision, sweet fruity smelling breath, mood instability, nausea and vomiting, rapid breathing are all things to take note of. Early detection with a simple finger prick can save the heartache of a life threatening DKA and hospitalization.

Trust your mom gut. Don’t take no for an answer. Get answers. Be humble. Allopathic medicine has its place and saves lives. Not everything needs to be so black and white. No matter how you raise your kids, you’re doing whats best for your family and so much is out of our control. It would do all us mothers wonders to just ease up a little. There is no such thing as perfect.

Welcoming November with open arms. So many exciting things happening this month, one of them being the big holiday sale!...
11/03/2025

Welcoming November with open arms. So many exciting things happening this month, one of them being the big holiday sale!

I’d like to have shipping wrapped up by Thanksgiving so I don’t have to worry about it, so I’ll be running the holiday sale earlier in November than usual. It’ll kick of on November 5th and run until the November 14th at 7pm EST. I have a couple things Ive been working on that will be included in the sale as well and I’ll post on that later today.

Thank you all so much for your support over the years! It truly means the world to my little family 🤍🤍

Some cozy treats for this dreary day. Jumbo banana bread muffins and peanut butter thumb print cookies with cranberry fi...
11/02/2025

Some cozy treats for this dreary day. Jumbo banana bread muffins and peanut butter thumb print cookies with cranberry filling 🤗 loaded up in the farm stand!

One of my bear grease remedies! Grounding Balm 🥰This is another one of our tallow-based remedies. Tallows cellular makeu...
10/30/2025

One of my bear grease remedies! Grounding Balm 🥰

This is another one of our tallow-based remedies. Tallows cellular makeup is so close to our skin cell structure that it makes it incredibly effective at improving our skin cell health. We share biology with it, our body recognizes it, so we're able to utilize tallow and absorb it so much more efficiently. Tallow also supports us internally in so many ways that one could even label it as "a super food" but that's a post for another day. Tallow has such a unique makeup of fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, proteins and nucleic acid. This time-honored fat promotes strong, healthy skin membranes. Both repairing and replenishing, hydrating us so deeply. In this balm, we’re using bear tallow (bear grease). Bear grease used to be called "the Swiss army knife of North America". It was a staple in every home, and has centuries of time-honored use, both here in North America by Native Americans, as well as indigenous peoples across the globe. The history of bear grease is plentiful. It's centuries of use include encouraging hair growth and as a deep conditioner, ligament pain (tendinitis, arthritis), Swimmer’s itch, bug bite relief, burns (including sunburns) and minor wounds, and eczema relief. Bear tallow has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and doesn't have a scent like Beef, Bison, or Lamb (unless it's from a bear that's been feasting on fish all summer😅).

Bears represent strength, wisdom and vitality. They're grounding and represent balance. They're protectors. Bears are incredibly important to so many indigenous cultures. Spiritually, and/or as a food, clothing and so much more. Bear grease also allows none of the animal go to waste, after all, for us to have access to such a valuable resource, they did pay the ultimate price, and remembering that is important.

For this balm, we used local, sustainably sourced bear fat rendered into bear grease, hempseed oil, Birch bark & leaves and White Cedar tips and pure Beeswax.

Birch leaves are stunning and are part of the beautiful color of this balm. They're so soothing and contain salicylates. This plays a big role contributing to their anti-inflammatory properties, and even pain relief. Birch leaves are also a wonderful antibacterial herb, making them ideal for minor wounds. The bark lends the same qualities, with the addition of having high concentrations of triterpenes. This allows the production of keratin, a protein that protects our skin from damage and stress. Birch bark is well known for its cell regenerative qualities and has betulin and betulinic acid.

White Cedar has been used on rashes and skin irritations for centuries time. White Cedar can be used on congested skin, fungal issues, warts, and infections.

I love this balm to help summertime cracked heals, and my dry garden hands. However, the uses are endless. From an over night deep conditioning hair mask to a first aid ointment, beard balm, burn salve and so much more. I hope you all love it as much as we do!

The farm stand will officially be open until the snow flys. It’s stocked up pretty good (minus treats, I’ll be doing bak...
10/30/2025

The farm stand will officially be open until the snow flys. It’s stocked up pretty good (minus treats, I’ll be doing baked goods next week)

Remedies currently in the stand-
Respiratory syrup dry kits
Respiratory tincture
Immune support bone broth herb blend
Bone broth herb blend
Elderberry Aronia tincture
Andrographis
Censored
Ear drops
Oil of oregano
Throat ease
Olive leaf glycerite
Houttuynia Cordata
Bee Well Elixir
Everything’s Pine
Usnea glycerite
Wildcrafted C Boost syrup
Fungi boost
Chaga

Digestive Bitters
Japanese Knotweed glycerite
Barberry Tincture
Tick Bite tincture
Serviceberry glycerite
Heart to heart
Liver & lymph Nourishment
Vitality
Allergy tincture
Allergy tea

Pain Away
Liniment Oil
Wild Lettuce & Kava Tincture
Sweet White Clover Salve

Adaptogen Glycerite
Tranquility tincture
Tranquility Tea
Nervine Glycerite
Emotional Support
Valerian flower glycerite
Lemon balm glycerite

Restore tincture
Wise woman
Postpartum bath herbs
Baby soothe
Berried treasure liquid nourishment dry kit
Calendula glycerite
Mamas milk tea
Herbal baby powder

Herbal fruit punch
Michigan moment tea
Blue moon milk

Borealis granola
Cucumbers and zucchini relish
Maple syrup
Herbal cocoa
Organ and wild mushroom broth powder
Kombucha scobys

Tranquility magnesium body butter
Yarrow hydrosol
Calendula rose sugar scrubs
Spruce and fir sugar scrubs
Tallow and honey hair mask

Theres also some left over summer remedies on sale on the bottom shelf for $5 🙂

Address

Cooks, MI

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+19064502317

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