The Herbal Maker’s List: 30 Everyday Botanical Products You Can Create at Home
From Chamomile Tea to Herbal Salves: A Guide for Herbalists, Makers, and Curious Tea Lovers for thirty everyday botanical products.
If you’ve ever sipped a cup of chamomile tea to soothe a stressful day, you’ve already experienced the quiet power of herbs. But tea is just one of the many ways to bring herbs into your daily rhythms.
Whether you’re just starting to build a home apothecary or you’ve been crafting herbal products for years, this list offers inspiration for working with plants in many forms. Some are simple and soothing—like a warm infusion or a honey-sweetened syrup. Others invite a little more experimentation, like oxymels or herbal smoking blends. All of them begin with the same basic idea: whole plants, thoughtfully prepared.
As I spend more time with herbs and dive deeper into the world of possibilities of herbalism, I can’t stop thinking about the number of brands I can identify from a hundred yards away and just a glimpse of a color or logo. For the products you’d find in a typical medicine cabinet I can also tell you what to take for what, how long between doses, and the possible problems. Tylenol for pain, advil for soreness, Excedrin for headaches, tums for indigestion. The list goes on and on. Yet for most people when it comes to herbal remedies or even herbal categories there is a foreignness. And in that foreignness there is a gate preventing most of us from healing ourselves and experiencing the wonders of herbs. Our blog hopes to create a one stop place to learn more about the basics of herbalism and herbal products.
On our farm we grow twenty different herbs commonly used. The list below is an introduction of vocabulary for what you might do with the herbs we grow. Follow along for more info or peruse our catalog of other posts. Don’t see something you’re looking for or would like to see, contact us!
Here are 30 everyday herbal products you can make, from the familiar to the more unexpected.
🌿 Internal Herbal Preparations
These are the teas, tinctures, and tonics you take by mouth—made to nourish, support, or gently shift the body’s internal state.
1. Infusions
Like chamomile tea: steep soft plant parts (leaves, flowers) in hot water for 10–30 minutes. Gentle, nourishing, and foundational.
Click the link for a short article on making an herbal infusion.
2. Decoctions
Simmer tougher herbs (roots, barks, seeds) to extract their deep medicine. Think of something like a decoction of ashwagandha or reishi.
3. Herbal Teas
A blend of herbs steeped in hot water. You can use a single herb like chamomile or combine several for flavor and effect.
4. Tinctures
Concentrated herbal extracts in alcohol. Great for long-term storage and potent support—such as a skullcap tincture for tension.
5. Glycerites
A sweet, alcohol-free version of tinctures made with vegetable glycerin—gentler for kids or those avoiding alcohol.
6. Oxymels
A blend of raw vinegar and honey infused with herbs. Try a chamomile + lemon balm oxymel for winding down.
7. Shrubs
Vinegar-based fruit and herb syrups. These make refreshing beverages when mixed with sparkling water.
8. Herbal Vinegars
Infuse apple cider vinegar with mineral-rich herbs like nettle or red clover—great in salad dressings or as a daily tonic.
9. Elixirs
A sweetened herbal tincture—combining alcohol and honey for something shelf-stable and sippable.
10. Syrups
Cook down herbs with water and sweetener (usually honey or sugar) to make a thick liquid—elderberry syrup is the classic example.
11. Herbal Honeys
Raw honey infused with herbs. Chamomile honey is wonderful stirred into tea or taken by the spoonful before bed.
12. Herbal Wines & Meads
Fermented beverages made with herbs, traditionally used for celebration and seasonal transitions.
🧴 Topical Herbal Products
Herbs don’t always need to be ingested. These preparations are meant for external use—on skin, muscles, or in the bath.
13. Salves
Oil-based ointments thickened with beeswax. Plantain or calendula salves are perfect for skin irritations.
14. Balms
A firmer version of a salve, often used for lips, cuticles, or sore muscles.
15. Infused Oils
Herbs steeped in carrier oils like olive or jojoba—used for massage, skincare, or as a base for salves.
16. Compresses
A cloth soaked in a warm herbal tea or decoction and applied to sore or tense areas of the body.
17. Poultices
Fresh or dried herbs mashed into a paste and applied directly to the skin, often for drawing or soothing.
18. Liniments
A liquid preparation (usually alcohol-based) for topical use—often used for muscle tension or injuries.
19. Bath Blends & Soaks
Dried herbs (like chamomile, oats, lavender) added to the bath for relaxation and skin support.
20. Herbal Steams
Facial steams with aromatic herbs like rosemary, spearmint, or chamomile can clear the sinuses and calm the mind.
21. Hydrosols
Distilled water-based extracts, often made during essential oil distillation. They’re wonderful as facial toners or room sprays.
🍽️ Culinary & Lifestyle Herbal Products
These herbal products add flavor, aroma, and gentle support to everyday life.
22. Herbal Salts
Blend dried herbs with salt for a flavorful seasoning. Try rosemary + lemon balm salt on roasted veggies.
23. Herbal Butters or Ghee
Infuse fat with herbs—like basil butter or garlic-thyme ghee—for a medicinal culinary twist.
24. Herbal Smoking Blends
Dried, aromatic herbs for ceremonial or occasional use. Think mullein, lavender, or mugwort—not for daily use but part of some traditional practices.
25. Herbal Capsules or Powders
Dried herbs ground into powder and placed into capsules for easy ingestion.
26. Flower Essences
Energetic medicine made from flower-infused spring water preserved with brandy. Subtle and vibrational.
27. Herbal Liqueurs or Bitters
Alcohol-based extracts for digestive or cocktail use. A bitter blend with dandelion root, orange peel, and chamomile is a good place to start.
28. Dream Pillows or Sachets
Stuff a small cloth pouch with dried calming herbs like chamomile, hops, or lavender, and tuck it into your pillowcase.
29. Herbal Tooth Powder or Mouth Rinse
Natural oral care made with herbs like myrrh, cinnamon, or peppermint. Astringent and antimicrobial.
30. Herbal Smudge
A tied bunch of herbs to light and clean an area spiritually.
Start Simple, Stay Curious
You don’t need to master all 30 forms to begin working with herbs. Start where your needs or curiosities lead you. A nightly cup of chamomile tea, a jar of infused oil on the windowsill, or a small tin of salve in your bag can become daily rituals of care.
Plants meet us where we are. And herbal products—whether you make them for yourself, your family, or your community—are a way of honoring that partnership.
Interested in knowing more about what's going on on the farm? Our occasional emails bring you stories from the field, new herbs for sale, and herbal insights.
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