Chestnut Herbal School

Medicinal Herbs

Herb Mountain Farm - Rose (Rosa rugosa, Rosaceae)
Last updated on August 13th, 2025

5 Herbal Business Ideas You Can Start with a Single Plant

Your herbal business idea can begin with one single plant. One herb can be your teacher, your muse, and your ticket to launching a business that is meaningful and sustainable. You don’t need dozens of product lines, acres of herbs, or a full curriculum to start sharing your knowledge and passion. In fact, with a strong herbalism education and a bit of creativity, you can establish your business by building your business skills, offerings, and impact on the strongest foundation: a deep kinship with the plant world.

Chestnut Student Garden Showcase: Herbalist L. Leland of Blossomwood Botanicals
Last updated on July 28th, 2025

How to Grow an Herb Garden: Get Inspired by the Real Gardens of Chestnut Students

Whether you’re planning your first herb garden or already tending a botanical beauty, our student garden tour will show you how far care, dedication, and a solid herbal education can take you. If you’ve been wondering how to grow an herb garden yourself, we’ve included free resources at the end of the blog—complete with practical tips, beginner-friendly plant suggestions, and ways to grow your skills (and confidence) with medicinal herbs. Take a gander at these real-life photos and stories showcasing the incredible ways Chestnut students are weaving medicinal herbs into their homes, backyards, and communities.

Herbal Aphrodisiac Shortbread Cookies
Last updated on February 7th, 2025

Herbal Aphrodisiac Shortbread Cookies

Aphrodisiac herbs are plants that elevate, nourish, or sustain our sexual or sensual desires. This Herbal Aphrodisiac Shortbread Cookie recipe is delightfully decadent and not too sweet. The cacao nibs, which are small pieces of the cacao bean, provide a rich and nutty crunch, while the rose water adds the lightest floral note. The rose petals contribute a splash of alluring color to entice the eyes along with the nose. These cookies are tasty as a stand-alone treat, but we also love them biscotti-style, served with coffee or tea.

A bowl of pomegranate molasses compound butter.
Last updated on October 11th, 2024

Herbal Compound Butters for Festive Feasting

Rich and sultry, compound butters generously lend a delectable flavor and silky texture to almost any dish. They can be slathered onto baked roots, fresh bread, and crackers or used to roast veggies or meat. Fruity, sour, and sweet butters are delicious with pancakes, muffins, or waffles. When you set the table with buttery herbal spreads, every occasion instantly feels special—from Sunday brunch to your best friend’s birthday dinner.

The roots of a freshly harvested ashwagandha plant.
Last updated on October 11th, 2024

The Medicinal Benefits of Ashwagandha

If you experience overwhelm in your life—whether from insomnia, anxiety, or burning the candle at both ends—the medicinal benefits of ashwagandha bring many blessings. Ashwagandha calms and heals your nervous system, refreshes sleep cycles, invigorates immune resilience, and infuses your entire being with strength. This charismatic herb heralds from India, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. Ashwagandha’s medicinal use in the Western world is thanks to the traditional healers of these regions, who cherish its healing root for countless ailments.

Glass jars containing Ashwagandha, Lavender, and Vanilla: The Dreamiest Herbal-Infused Ghee Recipe.
Last updated on October 11th, 2024

Ashwagandha, Lavender, and Vanilla: The Dreamiest Herbal-Infused Ghee Recipe

Preparing herbal-infused ghee recipes is a wonderful way to enjoy herbs and easily incorporate them into your daily rhythm. There are several methods to craft medicinal ghee, but in this recipe, we’ll follow a simple formula: infusing dried herbal powders into hot ghee, followed by cooling and whipping the herbs and ghee together. Beware of herbal-infused ghee recipes that cook the herbs with the butter during the ghee-making process; this method burns the delicate herbs and spices.

A person wearing an apron holds two jars filled with dried herbs, standing in front of a home herbal apothecary cabinet.
Last updated on October 11th, 2024

10 Best Herbs to Start Your Home Herbal Apothecary

Our apothecary at the Chestnut School is no mere medicine cabinet; it holds the stories and healing signatures of herbs gathered from local wildlands, cross-country travels, and our school gardens. The medicine in its bottles is much more than roots, leaves, and bark. It’s the essence of fields and forests, birdsong and butterfly kisses, babbling streams and fertile dirt, sunshine, and cool afternoon breezes. Are you curious about how to start a home apothecary of your own? We’ve simplified the process by choosing the ten best herbs to start your home herbal apothecary.

Three bin compost system built from reclaimed lumber.
Last updated on October 11th, 2024

Compost Magic for the Medicinal Herb Garden

Can you believe that you have the ability to turn garbage into beautiful soil? Well, with the help of millions of microorganisms, you can turn your waste into an incredibly useful material. Composting can be a magical art of transforming garbage into black gold. How sweet is that? Being a soil-builder instead of a landfill-contributor is righteous work for the times! Be a Green Magician! Both your herbs and the earth will thank you.