Your Friendly, Neighbourhood Apothecary
Updated: Sep 4
Iridian Apothecary is a love letter to Mother Nature's own medicine chest. A little science, a little bit folk, and a lot of heart.
Where can you find us?
You can find our products at markets around the Edmonton Area in Alberta, Canada as well as permanently at Moss & Sparrow in Hinton, AB.
Where do you get your herbs from?
We source our herbs one of three ways:
Grow them!
Wildcraft from the Alberta wilderness, ethically and respectfully
If an herb doesn't like to grow in this northern climate, like cinnamon, then we purchase from trusted vendors
By being picky about where our ingredients come from, we can ensure that we are only using the highest quality plant material. To us, high quality means more than just having a high medicinal content. It means being conscious about where it comes from, how it's harvested, and who it impacts.
Do herbal products actually work?
Many reputable scientific studies support the use of certain herbal remedies. There is a reason that Indigenous and folk medicine have been used the world over for thousands of years! Did you know that many of our current pharmaceuticals (like Aspirin) use plant-derived ingredients? A better question to ask is whether or not they will work for you.
Every person and every body is different. Same as pharmaceuticals, what might help one can harm another. Whenever you are looking into a new medicine, herbal or otherwise, consider the following questions:
Q: Am I currently pregnant or chestfeeding? If so, will this new medicine impact my baby?
Many herbs are considered unsafe to use during these times. If there is any doubt that a herb is unsafe, do not risk it.
Q: Am I on any medications (yes, vitamins count, too!) that may interact with this new herb?
Our bodies are complex and anything we put into our them has a chance of interacting. For example, St. John's Wort taken internally can react negatively with anti-depressants like SSRIs, causing a condition called "serotonin syndrome".
Q: Do I have any health considerations that could be negatively impacted?
The best example of this is allergies - if you are allergic to a type of plant, there is no good reason to use it, even if that's in a medicinal context.
Don't be afraid to work with a trusted healthcare professional and make sure to listen to your own body when making any medical decisions.
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