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Owner and operator of Bloodroot Hollow Herb Nursery continues ancient tradition

 

If you’ve recently visited Polk County Farmers Markets, you may have run across the Bloodroot Hollow Herb Nursery booth. Owned and operated by Samantha Dickens of Saluda, Bloodroot Hollow Herb Nursery has recently begun selling her handcrafted tea blends. 

 

The nursery offers a variety of plant starts, highlighting medicinal herbs for aspiring herbalists, as well as veggie starts, culinary herbs, dried bulk herbs and pollinator-friendly flowers.

 

Dickens is used to small-town life, having grown up in Denton, N.C., so it is fitting that she carries on the rural tradition of herbal medicine and natural healing that was once common knowledge in the Carolina foothills. A certified herbalist and Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine graduate, she has used her knowledge to create holistic tinctures, elixirs, and bath salts, which she sells along with the plants from which they are made. 

 

Her newest creation is a line of handcrafted tea blends designed to treat various ailments, while also being suitable substitutes for those sensitive to caffeine. The teas serve many purposes, with her choice in the morning being “Uplifting Blend,” made from dried stinging nettle, anise hyssop, and tulsi. 

 

Dickens says, “All my teas are locally sourced and ethically wildcrafted, including the tulsi, one of my all-time favorite herbs. It is also known as Holy Basil and is a sacred plant in India that helps to calm the nerves,  while allowing the drinker to stay alert.”

 

Samantha’s nursery takes its name from one of the more popular healing herbs. Bloodroot, a flower named after the red fluid in its roots, is a plant with a long history of being used to treat various ailments such as sore throats, congestion, and respiratory conditions. Bloodroot is just one of the many popular herbal treatments that have experienced a boom in recent years.

 

“I’m a female small business owner, one of many at the farmers market,” Samantha adds.  “And I hope to provide my customers with knowledge and whatever they need – whether plant starts, dried herbs, or tinctures – all of which I grow myself or are sourced from local outlets.”

 

The Bloodroot Hollow Herb Nursery booth sets up Saturdays at the Columbus Farmer’s Market from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Fridays at the Saluda Farmers Market from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Visit @bloodroothollow_nursery on Instagram for more information.