MODERN MEDICINE : Yellow Yarrow Apothecary’s Natural Healing
By Ted Scheffler
The term apothecary - meaning “one who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes” according to Merriam-Webster - dates back to the 14th century. But I doubt if any apothecaries back then were utilizing cannabidiol (CBD) in their medicinal products. Utah’s own Yellow Yarrow Apothecary does. They produce “a variety of unique herbal infusions with a heavy focus on utilizing the amazing properties of CBD to heal or balance the body,” says owner Erica Bruin. She explains, “While sourcing, we take great care in choosing high quality, organic, homegrown or wildcrafted ingredients. The CBD oil used in our products is Full Spectrum and Organically grown in Colorado. We offer a variety of body products such as topical salves, soaking salts, essential oil blends and lip balms. I also make quite a few different herbal tinctures which consist of a dried or fresh plant extracted in alcohol. This produces a potent medicine based on the plant’s constituents and taken internally for specific conditions.”
Bruin says that the seeds (so to speak) of her business were planted “thirteen years ago when I met my wife and she introduced me to gardening. This inspired me to dive into gardening myself and deeply grew fond of not just gardening, but growing medicinal plants. This motivated me to start an online herbalism course back in 2013. One class lead to another and my knowledge led me to medicine making, and now the motivation to help people. I’m still learning, but the confidence in my ability to assist people is growing. YYA has been a branch of love extending into products that make people feel better. Whether it be physical or emotional, plants can add something to your life that you might never expect.”
Bruin says “My wife has been my greatest support, especially because meeting her meant meeting my first garden. This was the time when I fell in love with growing medicine, thirteen years ago. She also has a great love for nature and is always learning and growing with me.”
Yellow Yarrow Apothecary is a Utah business and “Locally grown backyard herbs and wild harvested Utah plant life are an important aspect of my products,” says Bruin. “Although I cannot always practice this method due to winter and sustainability, I have great resources here like Greenthread Herbs to provide the herbs needed. Utah has an abundance of medicine all around us with a couple favorites being yarrow, nettle and elder.”
On why she does what she does, Bruin explains “Herbal medicine is greatly needed in any community, especially because western medicine has become so dominant. Adding awareness of herbal medicine through my products [such as CBD] is very important to me. This along with a few other herbalists in the community will help to focus attention on the great medicine in plants.”
Bruin says that alchemy plays a role in her apothecary art: “By intentionally harvesting and extracting herbs according to moon and astrological timing, it adds an increase in potency to the medicine. As I continue to explore the art of Alchemy, Medical Astrology and Plant Distilling I plan to formulate an entire line of herbal medicines that can be applied to each individual body’s needs.”
Bruin’s products can be ordered online at YellowYarrowApothecary.com and she also hosts The Hive Market SLC once each month, a “pop-up” market where her products and many other artisanal goods can be found. She adds, “You can also find me at our SLC annual festivals [such as Made in Utah], and in multiple local shops such as Greenthread Herbs, The Fellow Shop, Atelier, Unhinged and Animalia. Be sure to follow me on Instagram @yellowyarrowapothecary to keep up to date with the info and new products.”
When asked what advice she might have for someone interested in becoming a modern day apothecary, Bruin says “My biggest foundation for how I started was my schooling in herbalism. Taking the time to learn every detail about your ingredients is what transforms a simple product into a powerful healing tool. If you have an interest in creating herbal infusions, I would suggest starting in nature. Familiarize yourself with our local landscape, and each time you encounter something new looking into some of its unique properties.”
