A Beginner’s Guide to Growing, Drying & Making Herbal Remedies
There is something incredibly empowering about opening a cabinet and seeing jars of herbs that you grew, dried, stored, and learned how to use yourself. You don’t need an enormous garden or hundreds of dollars’ worth of equipment. You definitely don’t need to know everything about herbalism before you begin.
An herbal apothecary can start with five simple herbs, a few glass jars, and a willingness to learn.
At Tea of Life Apothecary, one of our goals is to make the herbal world feel approachable instead of overwhelming. Herbs have been used in homes for generations, and learning how to grow, preserve, and prepare them is a wonderful way to reconnect with those traditions.
This guide will walk you through the basics—from planting your first herbs to making teas, tinctures, and oxymels in your own kitchen.
Why Start a Home Herbal Apothecary?
A home apothecary isn’t about replacing your doctor or trying to treat every ailment yourself. It’s about learning how plants can become part of your everyday wellness routine. Imagine being able to walk into your kitchen and reach for:
- Peppermint after a heavy meal
- Chamomile when you’re ready to unwind
- Ginger on a cold winter afternoon
- Nettle when you want a nourishing herbal infusion
- Lemon balm when you want a comforting cup of tea
When you begin learning herbs individually, something else happens: You begin recognizing the plants around you. You begin to note the “weeds” growing near the garden suddenly have names. Herbs at the farmers market mean something and instead of seeing herbalism as a mysterious world with hundreds of plants to memorize, you begin building knowledge one plant at a time.
That is exactly how we recommend beginning.
Step 1: Start Small
Don’t run out and buy 50 herbs.
One of the easiest ways to become overwhelmed with herbalism is trying to learn everything at once. To get started, choose 5–10 herbs that are versatile, relatively easy to grow, and useful in everyday preparations. Some wonderful beginner herbs include:
Peppermint
Refreshing, aromatic, and wonderful in herbal tea blends.
Lemon Balm
A beautiful member of the mint family with a gentle lemon aroma. It makes a lovely relaxing herbal tea.
Chamomile
Those tiny flowers can be dried and used in teas, infused oils, bath blends, and other herbal preparations.
Calendula
The beautiful orange and yellow petals are popular in herbal skincare preparations, infused oils, salves, and teas.
Tulsi — Holy Basil
One of our favorite herbs for herbal tea blends and a wonderful plant to learn as you begin exploring adaptogenic herbs.
Thyme
Not only a culinary herb! Thyme has a long history of traditional herbal use and is wonderful to have growing near the kitchen.
Sage
Another plant that crosses beautifully between the kitchen and the apothecary.
Lavender
Beautiful, aromatic, and useful in teas, bath products, sachets, infused oils, and skincare preparations.
Nettle
A nutrient-rich herb that can be prepared as tea or a longer-steeped herbal infusion. Wear gloves when harvesting fresh stinging nettle!
You don’t even have to grow all of these, simply pick a few and Learn them well.
Step 2: Grow Your Herbs
You don’t need acres of land to grow medicinal and culinary herbs. Many herbs grow beautifully in:
- Raised beds
- Porch containers
- Window boxes
- Patio pots
- Small backyard gardens
Before planting, research the needs of each individual plant. Some herbs love sunshine and relatively dry soil, while others appreciate more moisture or partial shade.
And then there is mint. Give mint its own container unless you want to eventually own a mint farm. Mint spreads aggressively through underground runners and can quickly take over a garden bed. Whenever possible, grow your herbs without synthetic pesticides or herbicides—especially when you intend to use the plant in food or herbal preparations.
Step 3: Harvest Your Herbs
Harvesting at the right time can improve the aroma and quality of your dried herbs. As a general starting point:
Leaves: Often harvested before the plant flowers, when the leaves are healthy and vibrant.
Flowers: Usually harvested when freshly opened or just before full bloom.
Roots: Often harvested in the fall after the aerial parts begin dying back, or sometimes in early spring before vigorous new growth.
Seeds: Harvest after they mature and begin drying on the plant.
For leafy herbs, harvesting in the morning after the dew has dried is often ideal, using clean scissors or pruning shears and only harvest healthy plant material.
Most importantly: Never wild-harvest a plant unless you are absolutely certain of its identification and the soil in which the herb is growing. Our blog Dandelion: The “Weed” We Keep Killing That May Be One Of The Most Useful Plants In The Yard. Some toxic plants resemble useful medicinal plants. When you’re learning, growing your own herbs or purchasing properly identified herbs from a reputable supplier is the safest place to begin.
Step 4: How to Dry Herbs
One of the most important parts of creating your own apothecary is learning to dry herbs correctly. Moisture is the enemy of stored herbs. Herbs that are stored before they are completely dry can develop mold and should be discarded.
Air Drying
Gather small bundles of herbs and secure the stems together. Hang them upside down in a location that is:
- Dry
- Well ventilated
- Away from direct sunlight
- Protected from dust and moisture
You can also place herbs in a single layer on drying screens.
Using a Dehydrator
A food dehydrator can make drying herbs much easier, especially when humidity is high. Use a low-temperature setting appropriate for herbs and check them frequently. Excessive heat can diminish the color, aroma, and delicate aromatic compounds of some plants.
How Do You Know They’re Dry?
Leaves should feel dry and crumble easily and the stems should snap rather than bend. Flowers should feel papery rather than soft. Roots should be hard and thoroughly dry throughout. If in doubt of their thorough dryness, give them more time.
Step 5: Store Your Herbs Properly
Now comes the fun part. Building the apothecary!
Glass jars work beautifully for storing dried herbs. Label every jar with:
Common Name
Botanical Name, if known
Plant Part
Harvest or Purchase Date
Store herbs in a cool, dry, dark location away from direct sunlight, heat, and humidity. Although rows of beautiful herbs look gorgeous sitting in a sunny window, sunlight can degrade their color and quality. Whole or coarsely cut herbs generally maintain their quality better than herbs ground into powder, so when possible, keep herbs relatively intact until you need them.
Periodically check your jars. If you notice moisture, mold, an unusual odor, or significant deterioration, discard the herb. Your senses are valuable tools. Look at it each herb, smell them, and learn what your herbs should look and smell like when they’re fresh.
Now What Do You DO With All Those Herbs?
This is where herbalism becomes really fun. You can turn individual herbs into countless preparations, but three of the easiest places to begin are:
Herbal teas, tinctures, and oxymels.
Making Your Own Herbal Tea Blends
Tea blending is one of the simplest ways to begin working with herbs. You can combine herbs for flavor, aroma, and traditional uses. A simple blend might include:
Relaxing Evening Tea
2 parts lemon balm
2 parts chamomile
1 part lavender
Or:
After-Dinner Herbal Tea
2 parts peppermint
1 part fennel
1 part ginger
Notice that we’re using parts instead of ounces or grams. That makes recipes easy to scale. If your “part” is one tablespoon, a 2:1:1 recipe becomes:
2 tablespoons peppermint
1 tablespoon fennel
1 tablespoon ginger
If you’re making a large batch and your “part” is one cup, the ratio stays exactly the same. Mix your dried herbs thoroughly and store the finished blend in an airtight container away from light and moisture.
A typical starting point for many gentle herbal teas is approximately 1–2 teaspoons of dried herbs per 8 ounces of hot water, steeped covered for about 5–15 minutes. However, preparation varies considerably depending on the herb, plant part, and intended use.
That’s another reason learning herbs individually is so important.
Making Herbal Tinctures
Tinctures are concentrated herbal extracts commonly made using alcohol and water. Different herbs require different alcohol concentrations, so there isn’t one universal tincture recipe for every plant.
However, the basic process looks like this:
- Place the properly identified herb into a clean glass jar.
- Add an appropriate alcohol-and-water menstruum for that particular herb.
- Make sure the plant material remains adequately covered.
- Label the jar with the herb, ingredients, proportions, and date.
- Store according to the recipe and shake periodically.
- After the appropriate extraction period, strain and press the herbs.
- Transfer the finished tincture into clean, labeled bottles.
Herbalists often use weight-to-volume ratios when creating tinctures because this allows the preparation to be reproduced consistently. For example, you may see tinctures described as 1:5 or 1:2. Before making a tincture, research the specific herb you’re using. The appropriate ratio, alcohol percentage, plant part, and whether the herb is fresh or dried can all affect the extraction.
Making Herbal Oxymels
If alcohol-based tinctures aren’t your thing, meet one of the oldest and most interesting herbal preparations:
The Oxymel
The word oxymel essentially refers to a preparation made with vinegar and honey. Traditionally, herbs are infused into vinegar and honey to create a sweet-and-sour herbal preparation. A basic home method may involve:
- Placing dried herbs in a clean glass jar.
- Covering the herbs with vinegar, commonly apple cider vinegar.
- Adding honey according to the recipe and desired preparation.
- Keeping the herbs submerged during extraction.
- Allowing the mixture to infuse according to the recipe being used.
- Straining thoroughly.
- Labeling the finished oxymel with its ingredients and date.
Because vinegar can react with some metal lids, use a nonreactive lid or place parchment between the jar and metal lid. Oxymels can be used in small amounts on their own, diluted into water, incorporated into foods, or even used creatively in salad dressings and other recipes. Again, the specific herb matters. Research its safety, preparation method, and appropriate amount before using it.
You Don’t Have to Memorize Herbalism
One of the biggest things we want people to understand at Tea of Life Apothecary is this: You don’t have to know everything before you start. You just need somewhere to begin.
Learn peppermint, then chamomile, then maybe calendula. Learn what part of the plant is used, how it smells, how it’s traditionally prepared. Become familiar with its cautions and possible medication interactions. Once you have mastered that herb – add another.
Before long, you aren’t simply collecting jars. You’re building knowledge and that knowledge can follow you for the rest of your life.
We Created Something to Help You Get Started
At Tea of Life Apothecary, we created The Nurse’s Herbal Guidebook to make entering the herbal world easier and less overwhelming.
And you can download it FREE. Even better? We’re continuing to build it. We add additional herbs to the guidebook quarterly, allowing your herbal knowledge—and your home apothecary—to continue growing right along with it. Our goal isn’t to hand you an enormous encyclopedia and expect you to memorize hundreds of plant.
That’s how an apothecary grows.
👉 Download The Nurse’s Herbal Guidebook FREE from Tea of Life Apothecary:
Get the Free Nurse’s Herbal Guidebook
Your First Apothecary Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect
Start with five jars. Grow peppermint in a pot, maybe plant some chamomile as well. Dry your first handful of herbs, once completed – blend your first cup of tea.
Next, make your first tincture. Then try your first oxymel.
Write down what you learn. Start an apothecary journal.
Remember, the goal isn’t to become an herbal expert overnight, but to become a little more knowledgeable, confident, and connected to the plants around you than you were yesterday.
Your herbal apothecary doesn’t begin when you have a wall filled with beautiful jars. It begins when you learn your first herb.
Educational information only. Herbal products and preparations are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease or replace appropriate medical care. Herbs may cause allergic reactions or interact with medications and health conditions. Research individual herbs carefully and consult an appropriate healthcare professional when needed.
