The Art of Blending: Rosemary Gladstar on Crafting Timeless Teas

As we celebrate 50 years of Traditional Medicinals, it’s only fitting that we honor one of the visionary forces who helped plant the very first seeds of this journey. Rosemary Gladstar—beloved herbalist, teacher, author, and co-founder of Traditional Medicinals—has been shaping the modern herbal movement for more than five decades. Her approach to plant medicine is both poetic and practical, rooted in a deep respect for traditional wisdom, a love of the land, and a contagious joy that has inspired generations of herbalists.

Often called the godmother of modern American herbalism, Rosemary is the author of twelve influential books, the founder of the California School of Herbal Studies, and the driving spirit behind organizations like the International Herb Symposium and United Plant Savers. Her tireless advocacy for ethical wildcrafting and medicinal plant conservation continues to shape the field today.

Here at Traditional Medicinals, Rosemary’s legacy runs deep. Not only did she help found the company in 1974 alongside Drake Sadler, she also formulated many of our most iconic blends—Throat Coat®, Smooth Move®, Mother’s Milk®, and more—blends that were born from her grassroots herbal practice in Northern California and her intuitive understanding of what people truly needed.

In this special 50th anniversary interview, Rosemary reflects on the early days of the company, the creative process behind her timeless formulas, and what it means to live a life devoted to the plants. As always, her words are filled with heart, humor, and a reverence for the plant world that continues to nourish us all.

Planting the Seeds: The Early Days of Traditional Medicinals

Q: As the co-founder of Traditional Medicinals, what does it mean to see the company reach 50 years? What inspired you to help create these formulas so many years ago?

A: Its really quite amazing to see the tiny seed we planted 50 years grow into the amazing entity it’s become. I don’t think either Drake or I had any idea of what we were creating, or even had a long term vision for it when I blended and brewed those first cups of tea…. At least, I know I didn’t! I was just busy taking care of my community and found great joy in mixing medicinal blends that were helpful and healing for others. I honestly think the plants had their own agenda and we were just willing vehicles.

It was really the community of plant loving friends who use to come into my small herb shop, Rosemary’s Garden, that inspired me to create the formula’s that I did. They were all based on the needs of that community. We were young at the time, so there were a lot of young pregnant mama’s who needed nourishing tonic blends, so Pregnancy Tea was born, as well as Mother’s Milk and Women’s Liberty. Winters were long, wet and damp and housing often wasn’t adequate so there were lots immune and respiratory ailments, so Throat Coat, Herbal Cold Care, and Breathe Easy were blended. Smooth Move was popular even way back then; it seemed like everyone needed a little Smooth Move now and then. Easy Now, now called Cup of Calm, one of my favorite teas, was a soothing and calming blend named after my high strung horse, because I was always saying to him, ‘easy, boy, easy now, ’….

But, in truth, I can’t really take all the credit for those early blends, because most of them were loosely based on traditional recipes that I garnered from old herbals and recipes written by herbalists long ago. Thus, the name, Traditional Medicinals. My biggest contribution was making medicinal blends that were not only very effective but also tasted really good. And that was an art! Again, I have to thank my loyal costumers at the herb store. I learned early on that if a tea didn’t taste at least somewhat drinkable, no matter how effective it was, most people weren’t going to drink it. People were far more likely to purchase a tea for their health and wellbeing if it tasted really good.

It’s fun to think of those early days as Traditional Medicinals grew out of the attic of the herb store into a small converted chicken shed at our farm, and then into its first real warehouse. Those early days were truly a collective and community effort. So many friends pitched in to help. Aside from all the friends who shopped at Rosemary’s Garden and were forever telling me what worked and didn’t work for them, there were dear friends who was our dear friend and fellow herbalist, Warren Raysor, who created all of the early art for the first Traditional Tea bags and also help name many of the early blends.

The Art and Intuition of Herbal Formulation

Q: You’ve often described herbalism as both an art and a science. How do you approach blending herbs to create a formula that is both effective and balanced?

A: In those days, I honestly have to say I mostly used intuition to blend formulas, an inner sense of knowing what worked, and which herbs synergized with each other. As odd as this may sound, when people came into the herb store and asked me to blend a formula for them, I would put my mind in ‘soft focus’ and open my heart wide, and listen from my heartspace to what they needed, and then the formula would just come to me. It wasn’t until several years later when the brilliant herbalist William LeSassier came to Herb School (the California School of Herbal Studies), that I first learned a really valuable system of formulation. William’s method, which he said came to him in a vision and was a direct transcribe from the ancient healer and mathematician Pythagoras (c. 580–495 BCE), has come to be known as the Triangular Formulation System. It’s the technique I’ve been using now for 40 years to teach my students the art of formulation. What’s so interesting is that even though I had little idea of how I was formulating the Traditional blends, I can take every single one of those early blends and place them on William’s Triangular Formulation chart and all of the herbs fall right into place. In other words, I actually did know what I was doing!!! Or, perhaps, intuition and herbs are powerful allies….

Q: When you were developing Traditional Medicinals’ original blends, what inspired your choices of herbs and flavor profiles?

A: Blending those early blends was a very organic process. People needed medicinal teas, and I just had a knack for knowing what to blend. I also knew enough about herbs at that time to have a sense of which herbs synergized each other and made the blend even stronger and more effective. That’s really an important key to formulation; to blend herbs in such a way that they build upon one another, and all together they can accomplish far more than any one herb, no matter how powerful can do by itself. Formulating herbs is, in fact, a lot like formulating people. Put the right group of people together and you can accomplish so much. But the wrong grouping of people, no matter how talent or skilled the individuals might be, often get very little done.

“Formulating herbs is, in fact, a lot like formulating people. Put the right group of people together and you can accomplish so much.” - Rosemary Gladstar

As far as flavor aspects… Well, my secret was having groupings of very flavorful herbs that I knew not only would help blend the less tasty herbs but also help synergize the actions. For instance, I often mixed cinnamon, ginger, sarsaparilla and birch bark with the more bitter roots and barks to make a root beer like flavor.

Joy in Every Cup: A Legacy of Love, Stewardship, and the Magic of Plant Medicine

Q: After nearly 50 years, blends—like Throat Coat, Smooth Move, and Nighty Night remain as popular as ever. Why do you think they’ve stood the test of time?

A: Quite simply, I think it’s because people find the teas effective, and they taste good. And they’re familiar. Traditional Medicinals is a trusted brand name.

Q: Herbalism has grown tremendously in the past 50 years. What excites you most about the future of herbal medicine?

A: What I’m most excited to see is the growing awareness of the need for thoughtful use of plant medicine; that we who love and use plants are first and foremost stewards of healing plants and caretakers of the wild gardens. We are not only ‘users’ of plant medicine, but caretakers of the plants we use.

“Plants are among the oldest living beings on the planet… as such, they are our elders.” - Rosemary Gladstar

I also love seeing the deepening love that people have for plants. And the recognition that plants are really among the oldest living beings on the planet, and as such are our elders. People are waking up to the fact that plants are living beings and have so much to teach us and share with us. As people discover this, as they begin to walk the herbalist path, or the plant lovers path, there is a joyousness that begins to emulate! And that joy spreads…it is part of the magic of plant medicine. Joy is in every cup!

Q: If you could sit down and share a cup of tea with your younger self when you were first starting out, what wisdom would you share with her?

A: I would remind myself as I walked this beautiful path, to remember to take time to smell the wild roses, to breathe in the breath of plants into my deepest soul, to rest a little more along the way, and dream a little more, to take time to love those around me, even more than I loved them. Love is all that matters in the beginning ~ and in the end.

What Plants Teach Us: How Herbalism Shapes a Way of Life

Q: What does herbalism mean to you on a personal level, beyond formulation and teaching? How does your new book The Generosity of Plants reflect what herbalism truly means to you?

A: Far beyond teaching and formulating, herbalism reflects a way of life to me that connects me deeply with the core of all that is…. And teaches me about my relationship with all living beings.

When I think about the ‘Generosity of Plants’ I become deeply aware of all that plants give to us, and to all other life forms. They provide the basis of food that all living beings feast on. They provide shelter, clothing, and medicine. The very air we breathe is a sacred gift from the plants. Without plants there would be no ‘breath of life’; there would, quite simply, be no life. But, perhaps, their greatest gift of all is their gift of incredible beauty. Everywhere we look, the plants create beautiful landscapes rich with color, texture, scent. They invite and seduce us with their beauty-way, and invite us to walk the path of beauty with them. That’s the generous way of plants….we have so much to learn from them!

Rooted in Tradition, Growing Toward Tomorrow

Herbalism has never been just about what’s in the cup—it’s about connection, tradition, and trust. For nearly 50 years, Traditional Medicinals has remained rooted in the belief that plants can offer real support when thoughtfully formulated and carefully sourced. And at the heart of that vision is Rosemary Gladstar, whose joyful reverence for the plant world helped shape not only this company, but the modern herbal movement itself. We’re deeply grateful for her enduring influence—from the beloved blends she helped inspire to the way she’s always reminded us that quality herbal products begin with intention, integrity, and love.