Traditional Medicinals: Plant Powered Teas

In 1974, Rosemary Gladstar, a third generation herbalist, and Drake Sadler, a community activist and environmentalist, founded the Sebastopol based tea company, Traditional Medicinals. Together, Rosemary and Drake shared a vision for the rebirth of herbalism in North America, and they built their business around plant medicine and creating tea blends that support the health and wellness of their customers. Their blends are based on herbal combinations that have been helping people for centuries, and their goal is to make teas that are both comforting and beneficial. They employ some of the most highly trained and respected professionals including folk herbalists, chemists, ethnobotanists, teachers, practitioners, and sustainability experts.

In formulating their products, Traditional Medicinals only uses organically farmed or wild-crafted herbs from ethical trading partnerships.
By fostering long term relationships with farmers, and paying fair wages through programs like Fair Trade and FairWild, they are able to incentivize responsible farming practices. They seek out only medicinal grade plants that are sourced from a small fraction of the world’s herb supply. These herbs are grown in ideal conditions, and because they are sourced in their most advantageous environment, they develop the ideal balance of chemical compounds.

Traditional Medicinals subjects their ingredients to a rigorous quality testing process, which sets them apart from other wellness tea companies. First, they start with identity testing to ensure that each shipment of herbs lives up to their standards, and is clearly what it claims to be. Their herbs then go through character testing, where they are checked for microbes, heavy metals, and non-organic pesticide residues. After that, their herbs undergo strength testing, where a variety of methods are utilized to determine whether or not the herb is strong enough to be used in their product. Lastly, cupping is used to evaluate the taste, texture, and aroma of each herb and blend to ensure the tea tastes just right.

Since 1974, Traditional Medicinals has been passionate about connecting people with the power of plants. As a Certified B Corp, they’ve integrated sustainability into every aspect of their operations, from sourcing responsibly grown ingredients to packaging, distribution and voluntary certifications.
They are incredibly passionate about ingredient purity, as well as social and environmental activism. We are proud to carry a number of their tea offerings in our Wellness department.

Some of our favorite Traditional Medicinal teas, listed below, feature Rosemary Gladstar’s original formulas.