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July 16, 2025

Happy newsletter Wednesday, Reader!

​Are you ready to begin a better life?​

I'm going to say this up front.....

This is going to be a pretty passionate herbal chat today!

In recent news, I read an article that stated nearly 96% of pharmacy technicians surveyed by the Pharmaceutical Technicians Certification Board reported shortages of essential drugs.

**Many still have trouble getting what they need. There are other issues, too.

Did you know that 61% of our Big Pharma (OTC and Rx meds) are made in India and China, and ONLY 10% are made in the United States?

This tells us that those of us who rely on over-the-counter and Rx medications may be at risk if something happens in the world.

We have the solution...

Medicinal herbs and oils can most often substitute for over-the-counter (and sometimes Rx) meds!

I get questions daily and have for years now...."What can I do for x-y-z because...

• I can't find what I need.
• it's too expensive to buy OTC anymore
• I'm tired of giving my children toxic chemicals
• we're SO tired of being sick in our house and not getting better
• the meds just aren't working
• I'm sick (literally) of the side effects of everything I'm taking
• And more.

I received an email a while back from a lady in Saskatchewan, Canada, who asked me what she could do for a baby with fevers and other needs because no medicines were available anywhere for her.

I've recently checked the drugstores and medicine aisles in the grocers, and although they're not as patchy as they were for a while, they're STILL costly.

Mucinex for over $30?

When herbal remedies usually work better?

YIKES!

Here's a comment from one of my YouTube viewers:

"All these pharmacies shutting down have me worried." ---HalfLatinaJoy

We're literally at the mercy of other countries for our pharmaceutical medications! Countries that don't like us very much.

In our country, we're NOT prepared, pharmaceutically speaking.

We've outsourced our health.

Did you know the Canadian government sneaked a law into effect as of 2025 through one of those massive four-inch-thick bills crushing herbal product makers there?

Herbalist Yarrow Willard predicts that people in Canada will have access to less than 30% of the natural products they usually have been able to purchase.

Do you see the problem with this?

Big Pharma and the AMA have educated modern societies away from the use of medicinal herbs over the past couple hundred years. Plus, the FDA and FTC are still taking more punitive actions toward herbalists, making learning herbalism for the commoner more critical than ever.

I know of three herbalists who have been reprimanded and financially affected by government intervention. And then there's Dr. Mercola being forced underground. There are many, many others, too.

It's also becoming increasingly difficult to find quality herbal information online due to censorship, Google algorithm changes (actual herbal sites are rarely on the front page... or anywhere), Artificial Intelligence (making information generic and useless), and the rise of "misinformation" call-outs that are just lies.

This means for you and me that it's time to learn how to use the plants God has gifted to us in their whole form for our food and medicine. ​There's just no time to waste!​

I recently watched a couple of YouTube channels devoted to widespread preparedness and homesteading. Both coincidentally discussed "medical preparedness."

One was very "medical," as a "prepper" doctor was speaking, and had excellent information about dealing with first aid and stab wounds. But (disturbingly) no medicinal herbs were mentioned.

Unfortunately, most doctors know little about medicinal herbs and natural healing.

It's not their fault. The current system trains them this way. These systems don't want herbalism to stay alive or become available to the ordinary human. (Us)

OR I've seen some doctors claiming to be herbalists push their pre-made herbal formulas on you, and this is not true herbalism either.

The other popular homestead lady I saw on YouTube gave a rundown of ALL the over-the-counter drugs she had stored up in case of emergencies or grid-down situations. She even laid out this HUGE stack on her countertop of all the different kinds of medicines she had put away just in case.

These all have short shelf lives AND cost a ton of money. And....

No healing herbs.

Look.

I have to be honest.

I am HORRIFIED over and over again at how UNempowered modern people are when it comes to their health and the health of their families.

And I once was too, long ago, in that place myself. Thank goodness, I no longer live in that world.

It's not our fault.

We are unknowing victims of the takeover of natural health that began well over 200 years ago.

Anyhow---

Perhaps it's because my body had a very adverse visceral reaction to all of the toxic chemical products spread out on the YouTube homestead lady's counter that she was encouraging people to have on hand that I got so upset.

I USED to take those things, and they made me SO sick....and the worst thing was I didn't even know they were a huge cause of my health issues.

I looked at ALL those drugs on her countertop in the video, and I shook my head sadly because this is how most people think (and live).

After all, they're supposed to be safe, aren't they? Aren't they "approved" by the FDA? (I say this tongue in cheek, of course.)

Now, my students and I are SO blessed and happy because.....

We make ALL of those over-the-counter remedies now..... ONLY using natural medicinal plants and essential oils that support healing, and we feel SO much better.

You can do this too!

The best thing? Medicinal herbs don't make us sick. They support our body's natural healing processes and bring relief the body understands.

• diarrhea,
• constipation,
• sleep aids,
• pain relievers of all kinds,
• antibiotic sprays and ointments,
• sore muscle rubs,
• menstrual cramp helpers,
• eye washes,
• cough syrups,
• cold and flu remedies,
• fever reducers,
• hemorrhoid helpers,
• remedies for yeast infections of all kinds,
• seasonal allergies and general congestion,
• colic in babies
• indigestion in adults and kids
• bloating, gas, etc.
• infection fighters,
• and best of all: immune boosters to keep you well-----
• and more!

We now naturally meet these needs with medicinal plants, and so do thousands of my students.

Many of us even make pharmaceutical alternatives and supports, too. (If you missed yesterday's note, could you please give it a quick read?)

Look. I get it, and I'm sure you do, too.

People these days have no idea how horrible these medications are for them.

But I have a feeling that you DO get it....because you're here.

Big Pharma, the AMA (American Medical Society), the insurance industry, and the overreaching government have done a fabulous job "re-educating" the masses---brainwashing us---into believing herbs are weird and what we all need are pills. LOTS of pills.

For most people, medicinal herbs (most of which you can grow yourself or forage for) aren't even a thought. This makes me sad for them.

Yesterday, I showed you a picture of all the drugs (the Rx ones) one of my students sent to me---these are ALL the drugs she is now FREE of because she's learned how to make natural herbs and oils work for her. And she didn't even include her over-the-counter medications in the picture, either.

She feels SO healthy now. She's amazed.

I remember that feeling for myself long ago...

I, too, was in awe when I woke up one day and realized that my seasonal allergies were a thing of the past, that my rosacea acne was GONE (after ALL the decades I suffered), that my L4-L5 spinal discs had healed up along with the sciatica (without surgery that I was supposed to have had), and that my gut health was and is 100% better (no more overgrown yeast infections to prove it).

Sorry if that was TMI, but it's essential!

No more Xanax and oxycodone.

No more tetracycline or Accutane treatments.

No more Sudafed or Afrin or Tylenol PM or Monistat or....I could go on.

Just natural plant medicines that my students and I easily make at home.

I remember the very day, long ago, when we still lived in Las Vegas, Nevada....

Mr. V. and I were at the CVS drugstore on Lake Mead Blvd., walking up and down the aisles because we had a $50 gift card to spend. After walking up and down the aisle after aisle, he had an empty cart, and I had an empty basket.

He looked at me over the top of the aisle and said, "Heidi, we don't need any of this stuff! You make all of it!" We both laughed in amazement. The light bulb finally went on, and we realized we were health-independent!

That was a long time ago, and I remember that moment like it was yesterday. What a profound change! We spent the $50 gift certificate on bandages, betadine, and oral tooth kits for caps, just in case.

Imagine having this experience for yourself and your family, too.

I WISH with all of my heart that people would wake up to the fact that Big Pharma is NOT our friend.

When I found out that the dextromethorphan (DM) in OTC cough syrups (even in children's formulas) is considered a semi-narcotic and teenagers use it to get "high," and that even the American Pediatric Association states that it's not suitable for children under six, it just makes me SO angry. And that's just one of MANY examples.

It's so sad that most people are in the dark about all this!

And that's the way they want us to be....like mushrooms.

They'd like us sick but not quite dead so we can keep buying up their drugs.....

WHEW!!!!

I better stop now......

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​So, are you prepared for a better life? ​

If you ALREADY know you're ready to start learning herbalism, to get your customized home apothecary built out, and you're on board with using natural medicinal herbs and essential oils for true healthy wellness, then you need to take a look at my course,

​Ditch the Drugstore​

Enrollment for the next student cohort is closing in just a couple of days!

**NOTE: We've been able to stabilize our prices for now, but this may not be the case for the next student group.

**INVITATION: This coming Saturday, July 19th, we'll have our Welcome and Orientation live chat for this round of past and new students. Will you be there?

If you can't make it live, no worries. I'll have the replay for you.

After that, each week for the duration of this cohort of students, I'm constantly in the student group, and I hold live Question and Answer chats for about six weeks, sometimes longer if students need more time.

These live chats are recorded for those who can't make them live. We also have a bank of these replays as one of the many BONUSES of the course. There are over 100+ of them now, and they're all searchable!

What a great resource!

You have support and a REAL place to get your questions answered by people who care.

The course contains learning modalities for everyone:

• Videos
• Texts and books
• Digital flip books
• Live Interaction with instructors
• Group support and FRIENDS who get you
• Q&A sessions
• Help when you need it
• Searchable platforms for more information
• AND MORE!

Even though the course contains over 200 to 300 remedies and formulations depending on the option you choose and represents every common complaint, sometimes students need help making substitutions or adjusting formulas.

I help you with this, too, and I'll often even create custom formulas for students. This is a priceless feature. You won't find this help and support in any other herbalism school.

Please don't worry if you feel you don't have time.

I've set up the course so that you can take all the time you need and learn in the margins of your life or go through it as quickly as you want.

Once you buy the course, you own it for lifetime, and you can return to the materials as often as you want, anytime you want.

In addition, you can attend any future open groups with new and current students as you want, and of course, you have continued access between cohorts.

Some of my students have gone through every single group round, and it's because they learn new things each time.

This is how much I care for people willing to take the leap into learning family herbalism--to become more health self-reliant.

Who are:

🌼 not afraid.

🌼 ready to finally take back their health...

🌼 feeling strongly, this is the time to invest in their wellness future.

🌼 excited to TRULY be medically prepared with natural choices.

When you complete ​Ditch the Drugstore​, you will have become a confident family herbalist and know how to use the plants God has generously given us for our health and wellness.

The answer to re-learning this set of old traditional herbal skills we've lost in our modern times is Ditch the Drugstore.​

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Enrollment closes in three days. Will I see you inside?

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Encouragement and Inspiration

Isn't it comforting to know that we're not alone? Even when we feel alone, we're not. We're not alone because we have God who loves us deeply—so deeply that He gave His only son for us (John 3:16). We will mess up. And if we ask, He forgives us. And that's because He loves us and wants to be near us.

We can also be confused and afraid of what's happening in our lives. When I'm feeling afraid, I like to remember that God is good and He's there all the time.

"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."' ---Jeremiah 29:11

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​Last Chance to Join the FREE Apothecary Training

The last webinar workshop is happening this morning at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time (11 Mountain; Noon Central; 1 pm Eastern) and is the LAST live workshop training I'll have for many months on the Five BEST Herbs for Your Home Apothecary, and it's FREE to attend!

If you haven't registered already, it's not too late yet.

NOTE: YES, there will be a replay, so even if you can't make it live, register so you can get the FREE 29-page book that goes with the training.

And please send this link to a friend, too!

Come ready to relax, enjoy, and learn.

There's no need to take notes because the free book contains all the information, plus recipes and tips for growing the herbs!​

It's going to be fun and informative, and you'll be able to start your home medicine chest with the herbs I'll be sharing—with remedies, too!

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​If you've been on the fence about learning herbalism for a while....if you've been putting it off....

I encourage you to start now.

Personally, I like to think ahead 6 months, a year, or five....and I ask myself, "Self, if I don't start now, where will I be in six months? A year? Or five?" And then.... "What are the consequences of not just doing it?"

This helps me to make the best decision...and I pray on it, too. If you're feeling nudged, there's a reason for that....

I hope you have a beautiful and blessed week this week!

Big, BIG hugs to you, and of course...Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Please don't forget to consider finally getting a REAL home medicine chest going. There's NO time like RIGHT now. Click the logo below to get started in family herbalism:

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​Links Summary:

​1) Visit the information page to Ditch the Drugstore​

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​2) Visit the FREE Herbal Demo Video Page, and make some remedies with me​

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​3) Register for the last FREE Five BEST Herbs workshop that's happening TODAY (with a replay--so be sure to register)

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