The creators behind Sacred Herb Medicinals are genuine herbalists and their process to create these highly functional botanical medicines is nothing short of modern day witchcraft. A witch, after all, is someone who harnesses the power of plants and the elements to create healing tonics, tinctures, and in this case – topicals.
Local to Bend, the team of four includes owners Erin McClaskey and husband Aaron Hohman, Brooke Wilson and Kim Lemke. This core crew tackles everything from building their products from the ground up to packaging, sales, distribution, branding and marketing.
Many things make SHM so unique, but most evident is their deep knowledge of the plant’s capabilities – notably amplifying their product line by combining Cannabis with other complementary dried herbs and flowers. We’ve heard of the entourage effect … but this is truly an entire symphony of consciously curated herbal infusions.
“We believe that our bodies need more than just high levels of THC and CBD to allow you to feel your best,” says Wilson. “This amazing plant has much more to offer us than just the THC or CBD cannabinoids alone. We encompass all of these beneficial cannabinoids in our SHM line of products and consider them to be more than full spectrum products.”
Infusing jojoba, olive and avocado oils with whole flower, sungrown, soil-fed Cannabis, there are no Cannabis concentrates used in their topicals. The whole flower Cannabis concoction is so alive with cannabinoids and terpenes it almost buzzes when you see it simmering in its cauldron.
SHM also uses the same process for their dried herb ingredients. Lavender, comfrey, rosemary, arnica and other powerhouse healers in the plant kingdom are infused in their whole form – just like healers and medicine men and women have done for millennia. There is something ancient and sacred about their products which have been reborn into modern-day medicine. It isn’t gimmicky or flashy, and it doesn’t need to be because the proof is in the pudding.
In addition to stirring, blending and pouring by hand, the team takes great care packaging each item in recyclable materials. In an industry full of waste, SHM strives to reduce its carbon footprint wherever possible.
The SHM product line relies on their staple botanical oil infusions to create everything they make. And even If you’ve tried SHM before, it’s time to revisit their enhanced, extra strength varieties. A new spin on their classics means a little goes a long way to deeply penetrate pain and obliterate discomfort.
I recently tried their massage oil to work some tender muscles and found that I didn’t need much to glide across my skin. Within 15 minutes, I could feel the tension and inflammation begin to dissipate. An excellent topical should provide noticeable relief and SHM delivers on this promise. Since they use the same concentrated Cannabis oil as the base for each product, you can expect the same effects from their roller oil, pain stick and lotion – all genuinely effective topicals made with the utmost regard for plant medicine.
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of Oregon Leaf.
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