Let me lovingly, but very clearly, set the record straight.
This weekend, while standing in my booth surrounded by jars of roots, bark, berries, resins, teas, and tinctures that I personally extracted with my own two hands, someone looked at me and said:
“So… you’re a stay‑at‑home mom who sells essential oils and mixes them to sell?”
NO.
I mean—yes, I am a stay‑at‑home mom. And I’m proud of that.
But no. Absolutely not. That is not what I do.
And this confusion is not harmless. It flattens an entire lineage of medicine, education, skill, responsibility, and sacred labor into a caricature created by multi‑level marketing, hustle culture, and vibes‑based capitalism.
So let’s talk about it. Because herbalism is not an essential oil MLM—and the difference matters.
What an Essential Oil MLM Is (No Shade, Just Facts)
An essential oil MLM is a business model, not a medical tradition.
Typically:
• Oils are mass‑produced by large corporations, often overseas
• Plants are not grown, harvested, extracted, or formulated by the seller
• The seller has no control over quality beyond corporate assurances
• Education is minimal, marketing‑driven, and frequently exaggerated
• Income depends heavily on recruitment and downlines
• Success is framed as mindset and hustle, not skill or mastery
In most cases, the person selling the oils has never touched the plant in its living form, studied its chemistry, or formulated the product.
They purchase a finished item and redistribute it.
That doesn’t make someone bad or foolish, and listen... I love EO's just as much as the next crunchy mama. Many people are simply looking for flexibility, income, or community.
But it does mean this model is fundamentally about sales, not medicine‑making.
And that distinction matters.
What I Do Is Herbalism
Herbalism is not reselling.
Herbalism is relationship.
It is a living dialogue between human bodies and the natural world.
I work with whole plants: roots, leaves, bark, berries, flowers, seeds, and resins. I source them intentionally, with attention to geography, season, freshness, ethical harvest, and plant integrity.
I study their actions, energetics, tissue affinities, safety profiles, contraindications, historical use, and modern research.
I extract my own plant material.
I formulate my own solvents.
I choose ratios, menstruums, extraction times, temperatures, and methods based on the plant itself—not a script from a brand handbook or a downline PDF.
This is medicine‑making.
It requires discernment, responsibility, patience, and humility.
Not mixing oils in a bottle.
What a Clinical Herbalist Is (And Why That Matters)
A clinical herbalist is not someone who simply enjoys plants.
A clinical herbalist is trained to work with people and handcraft custom extractions.
That means:
• Understanding human anatomy & physiology
• Knowing how herbs interact with body systems
• Assessing patterns, constitution, and terrain
• Considering medications, contraindications, and safety
• Choosing herbs based on tissue state, not trends
• Calculating appropriate dosage—not guessing
• Adjusting protocols over time based on response
Clinical herbalism bridges traditional plant wisdom with modern biomedical understanding.
It is slow medicine. Observational medicine. Individualized medicine.
It asks not just “What herb?” but:
• For who?
• In what state?
• At what dose?
• For how long?
That level of care cannot be mass‑marketed.
Whole‑Plant Medicine Is Not Aromatherapy
Essential oils are one tiny sliver of a plant’s expression. They are volatile aromatic compounds—potent, concentrated, and often aggressive.
They absolutely have a therapeutic place. Aromatherapy can be supportive, beautiful, and effective when practiced responsibly.
But it is not the same thing as herbalism.
Whole plants contain:
• Alkaloids • Flavonoids • Glycosides • Tannins • Resins • Bitter principles • Polysaccharides • Minerals and trace elements
These constituents work together.
They buffer each other. They modulate absorption. They protect tissues. They create intelligence through relationship.
Reducing a plant to its essential oil is like listening to one violin and calling it a symphony.
Herbalism honors the entire orchestra and understands that healing happens in harmony, not domination.
I Have an Education (And I Never Stop Studying)
Herbalism is not vibes, Pinterest recipes, or aesthetic jars on a shelf.
It is rigorous, layered, and lifelong. I attended Everglades University in Boca Raton, Florida for Holistic Medicine and continued (and am continuing) my education with both The Herbal Academy and The School of Evolutionary Herbalism.
My work is informed by:
• Anatomy & physiology • Phytochemistry • Pharmacognosy • Herbal actions • Materia medica • Extraction mathematics • Dosage calculations • Safety, contraindications, and interactions • Traditional lineages and modern research
And perhaps most importantly—clinical observation and humility.
Plants are powerful. Bodies are complex. Context matters.
This is not hobby craft. This is not casual mixing. This is not guesswork.
This is applied plant science informed by tradition, lived experience, and deep respect for the body’s innate intelligence.
I Make My Own Medicine, From Start to Finish
This is the part that feels most important to say out loud.
I do not order premade tinctures.
I do not rebottle someone else’s product.
I do not dilute essential oils and call it medicine.
I:
• Select the plant with intention
• Decide the extraction method based on chemistry and energetics
• Formulate the solvent (menstruum)
• Calculate ratios precisely
• Extract the plant over weeks or months
• Strain, press, and refine the medicine
• Bottle and label accurately
• Educate responsibly around use and safety
Every step carries accountability. If something goes wrong, it is on me— not a corporation, not a brand, not an upline.
That responsibility is sacred.
That is craftsmanship. That is lineage work. That is medicine.
Why This Comparison Is So Frustrating
Because historically, women who made medicine were erased, criminalized, dismissed, or mocked.
And now—after generations of that erasure—having this work reduced to “an oil MLM” feels like history repeating itself in a softer, pastel‑colored way.
It collapses skill into sales. It collapses lineage into branding. It collapses medicine into marketing.
I am not a distributor.
I am not a recruiter.
I am not selling a lifestyle brand, a starter kit, or an income opportunity.
I am an herbalist.
Yes, I’m a Stay‑At‑Home Mom AND a Medicine Maker
These identities are not contradictory.
They are ancestral.
Women have always made medicine while raising children—over hearth fires, in gardens, along forest edges, and at kitchen tables. This work has never belonged exclusively to institutions. It has always lived in homes. In the pauses between feedings. In the quiet hours. In the rhythms of care. This is not a side hustle.
This is a calling.
So Please, Let’s Retire This Assumption
If you see jars of tinctures, roots, teas, and extracts and your brain jumps to “essential oil MLM,” I gently invite you to pause.
Ask better questions. Learn the difference. Honor the craft.
Because herbalism deserves to be recognized for what it actually is:
Educated. Intentional. Whole‑plant medicine.
Not a pyramid scheme with lavender labels.
And if you’re ever curious about the process, the plants, or the why behind the work—I’m always happy to talk.
With deep respect for the plants, the people, and the lineage,
—Danni