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From SUSAN:
“As master formulator, this work grows out of my love of plants and putting ingredients together whether in the kitchen, garden or herbal studio. SOLUM & HERBE is the place where I can create wonderful combinations to heal and please myself, customers, friends and family. Each formula has been developed and refined over a number of years to be healing and nourishing. All are made from pure raw material and from plants either grown in my garden, by organic farmers or wild crafted ethically from nature. I make or supervise the making of each batch to insure the highest quality.”
SOLUM & HERBE is a family business working with interns interested in Herbalism and product making. Diane Marie Fry is our West Coast sales representative and has been invaluable in growing the sales to stores from the Pacific coast to the Sierras.
Solum and herbe, Latin for clays and plants are, quite literally, the source of our inspiration and the healing properties found in our products. We use only whole natural and organic materials so that the whole of Nature is present in each jar. Nature is our wise partner and it is with her that we co-create our products.
We have been developing products since 1995 and have formulated lines for the Face, the Body and a Therapeutic line for healing. Most of our products were prompted by requests by our customers, clients, friends and family. Over the years we have developed our philosophy and our line to create the cleanest, most wholesome products for our own and our customers use. The ingredients are all food grade, nothing less than the best ever goes into our products.
Beginnings
SOLUM & HERBE was started in Berkeley in 1995 when my young daughter developed an interest in using creams, lotions and other body care items. We went shopping a few times but soon I wanted to try my hand at making some combinations rather than buying from others. So, with my knowledge from my herbal apprenticeship with Pam Montgomery, my love of gardening and Olivia's interest in lotions we began experimenting with oils, aloe, herbs and clays. Now grown, Olivia is the model on our home page.
My very first ‘product' was not for a person but for a cow. In 1996 I was asked to help ‘ Malta ' a beloved school cow at Summerfield Waldorf School Farm in Sonoma County, California with some barbed wire wounds. The combination of green clay, aloe, vegetable oils, calendula and St. Johns wort healed her wounds quickly. The farmers tried it on their own skin problems and asked for more. Since that time people continue to use Malta 's Cream to help heal wounds, burns, insect bites on themselves and their pets. So you could say that we test on humans so that it is safe for the animals.
From Berkeley we moved to Sonoma County in 1998 and further developed the company and products growing a wide range of plants and making many wonderful herbal connections. Then, in 2004, we moved again to the beautiful Pacific Northwest where I have a small but growing garden and access to organic farmers, Sequim lavender and the wild Olympic Peninsula.
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memories include the particular scent of making ti leaf ‘grass’ skirts for school pageants and the sweet smells of flower lei making and wearing. The college years took her to California then moves to the East Coast, New York, and Sussex England helped her to broaden her ‘island’ perspective. Gardens at each stop gave her a wide range of growing conditions to work with and broadened the range of plants that she calls friends.
