The Guide to Beginner Herbalist Must-Haves

If you are just beginning your voyage into the wild world of herbalism, choosing the right tools can seem like a daunting task! The good news is most of the basic tools you will need can be borrowed from your kitchen – items like measuring cups, funnels, jars, and filters. Over time, you will build your foundation of tools along with your collection of herbs, combined with your increased knowledge from websites and books. But for now, here is the list of beginner must-haves you’ll need on your way to becoming a bona fide herbalist! 

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1. Mortar and Pestle 

A mortar and pestle does more than just make you look the part! Once you have a trusty mortar and pestle on hand, you will find that you won’t want to live without it. A mortar and pestle is especially handy when you’re making spice blends with aromatic seeds like cumin or fresh black peppercorns. I’ve even used my mortar and pestle to break down coffee beans in a moment of desperation when my coffee grinder was out of action!  I love this reversible mortar and pestle from Laevo.

Pro tip: a mortar and pestle is not just for dried spices; you can use it to grind fresh herbs like basil with organic olive oil and garlic to make a yummy pesto!  

2. Glass Jars 

Glass jars are perhaps more abundant than any other tool in a herbalist’s home (I do love jars in all shapes and sizes). But what else would we possibly use to store our plethora of herbs, spices, herbal teas, and special recipes? I have got a glass jar for almost everything, and I often even use them in place of cups to sip on my homemade infusions. When you find a good jar deal (like this one that offers 30 mason jars), buy them all. You really can’t have enough storage jars (although your housemates or partner may disagree). 

3. Metal Sieve 

A fine metal sieve is an invaluable tool in your herbalist collection. Having a fine-mesh sieve on hand makes straining teas, infused oils, and extracts a breeze. Some sieves are extra effective and have a lip that fits over the edge of the jar or bowl to prevent slips and spills (I recommend one of these). A medium-sized metal sieve will be able to handle almost everything, although when you expand your herbalist tool assembly, adding an extra one in a smaller size can be helpful, too. 

4. Cheesecloth 

Contrary to popular belief, a cheesecloth is not only for making cheese but is very valuable for a herbalist’s home. Cheesecloth serves as a different, thorough type of filter for various herbal concoctions. For example, when you are making herbal infused oils, it helps remove every last drop of botanical, and the same goes for straining your tinctures, vinegar, or herbal infusions. When you’re on the prowl, look for 100% organic and unbleached cotton like these. 

5. Funnels 

Trust me; life is a whole lot easier with an assortment of funnels, so don’t skimp on this one. A funnel is indispensable no matter how skilled you get at pouring liquid from one tiny bottle to another. After all, you don’t want to risk spilling your new, precious creation that you’ve been tending to daily, and they save you from extra clean-up. I recommend getting various sizes to fit a variety of bottles and jars and possibly look into purchasing stainless steel ones because some of our herbal concoctions may stain plastic. I love this set because it comes with sieves and strainers too.

6. Measuring utensils 

Dry measuring cups, glass measuring cups, measuring spoons, and graduated cylinders will all be needed when you have to measure out specific amounts of herbs, waxes, and solvents for any recipes you want to make. These tools are probably already a part of your kitchen, minus perhaps the graduated cylinder, which you will need if you are measuring very small or accurate amounts of solvents for tinctures. I love this stainless steel measuring set with color-coded handles.

7. Spice grinder 

I personally like to keep my herbs whole for as long as possible and then grind them once I am ready to add them to a recipe. I believe that this keeps them fresh for longer and retains many of their wonderful medicinal properties. Herbal powders tend to oxidize and lose their potency rather quickly. It’s helpful to keep a spice grinder on hand and grind your herbs and spices as necessary for the best flavor and health benefits. You can use an electric grinder, or a handheld one works great too! 

Pro tip: refill your store-bought manual pepper grinders with your own herb and spice mixtures to grind directly over your meals. 

8. Kitchen Scale 

It is very important to weigh your ingredients for some herbal recipes, specifically teas, and tinctures. Often you want very exact measurements to make sure you can make the tea exactly the same next time or guarantee you have the correct potency for your tincture. Small kitchen scales are handy, and they provide very accurate measurements! I love this kitchen scale because it’s digital, measures as little as 1 gram, and is rechargeable using a USB.

9. Tea Press 

A tea press is the easiest, quickest way to make large batches of herbal tea. I love to use my tea press to create nourishing herbal infusions. I let the infusion steep for several hours, then pour the herbs off, and drink it warm or cold. The tea press is helpful because it strains out all of the leftover herbs brilliantly! It works so well to make big batches of tea or a daily infusion blend. 

10. Glass Dropper Bottles 

These are kind of like the jars; you can never have enough! And once you have an assortment of different sizes, you will see the value of having different funnels on hand. Dropper bottles make enjoying your herbal concoctions easy and convenient. They’re also great for filling with that special herbal mixture to gift your friends or family! I bought 12 glass dropper bottles to start with, but I already need more.

Pro tip: Remember to always put a label on. It’s a very sad day (take it from me, I’ve learned my lesson) when you need to pour that beautiful tincture down the drain because you can’t remember what it is or what to use it for. 

11. Kitchen Utensils 

Having a supply of spatulas, spoons, knives, cutting boards, and kitchen scissors on hand will make snipping, whipping, chopping, and scraping your ingredients into the necessary sizes and textures all the easier. Luckily you can borrow most of these tools from your kitchen! (Or, if you’re precious about your stuff like I am, you may want ‘special’ utensils, especially for your herbal goodies.)

12. Double Boiler Insert 

A double boiler is sure to be involved in any recipe that requires melting. While you can definitely use a glass jar or measuring cup inside a pot, I personally prefer to use a double boiler insert for ease and safety. A double boiler insert is a handy tool that nests in your saucepan and has two pour spouts for a trouble-free transfer. I regularly use this tool for melting down herbal oils and wax to make creams, salves, and lotions. If you get yourself one made from stainless steel, it is easy to clean and can even be put in your dishwasher. 

13. Notebook 

Having a variety of notebooks is a must-have for writing down any ideas, thoughts, lessons learned, recipes discovered, and anything else you might want to remember. The art of herbalism is often an experimental one, and no matter how many times you tell yourself you’ll remember your latest successful recipe (or failure), the truth is that unless you write it down, it will be lost forever. 

14. Solvents  

A wide array of solvents will be useful when making various herbal preparations like tinctures, syrups, and infused oils. Carrier oils like olive oil, coconut oil, and sweet almond oil are great for making salves and infusions. Various alcohols with varying percentages like vodka, gin, and high-proof alcohol are the best for making herbal tinctures. Different kinds of vinegar, honey, and glycerine are often used in herbal recipes as well. 

15. Wax and butter 

If you are planning on making salves, body butters, and creams, having a variety of butters and waxes on hand will be helpful. Beeswax is the most used wax, but there are other vegan alternatives like candelilla, soy, and carnauba. Butters can include shea butter, cocoa butter, avocado butter, and kokum butter. 

Pro tip: Remember that butters and some oils have a shelf life, so buy in smaller quantities when you’re starting out. 

16. Herbs  

There are hundreds of wonderful and beneficial herbs to choose from, so how do you decide which ones to buy when you’re just starting out? One of the most practical methods for a beginner herbalist to add new herbs to their supply cabinet is by choosing a few new recipes to try beforehand. You will only need to purchase a few different dried herbs to make most herbal recipes. One recipe might only call for a few teaspoons of one specific herb, and herbs are generally sold by the ounce, or in pouches of four ounces or more, so you will begin to build an apothecary of your own before you even know it! You might want to consider a few versatile herbs like lavender blossoms, rose petals, peppermint, chamomile, lemon balm, calendula petals, and elecampane root.  

17. Books 

Good books (and websites) to learn from are a must. Each book you encounter will focus on a different part of herbalism. Some books might emphasize cooking and gardening or focus on the finer points of herbs and their medicinal benefits for healing. Others might have recipes for creating a complete home apothecary from scratch. There are so many different ways to “do” herbalism, so take the time to read as many blogs and books as possible.  

Learning to make your own herbal remedies and preparations at home opens a treasure chest of recipes and creative concoctions that are unrivaled by anything you can purchase off the shelf at your local health food store. Once you get started, you might find yourself wondering how you ever managed before discovering the art of from-scratch herbalism!