Written by Silencia Cox, Daughter of our Founder, CEO of Motherlove
Every product has a story. This one begins at the end of a dirt road, where a mountain meadow filled with wildflowers became both my childhood playground and the place where Motherlove first took root.
I grew up on the edge of a beautiful mountain meadow tucked away in the foothills of Northern Colorado. My father built our home with his own two hands. My mother tended her garden and gathered herbs. Our kitchen was filled with mason jars and crock pots brewing the first products of Motherlove. Our home business was a labor of love that started in our kitchen but was inspired by the meadows and forests right outside our front door.
My childhood was filled with wandering the meadow, gathering herbs, caring for animals, exploring rock forts, climbing trees, and roaming through ponderosa pine forests, aspen groves, and granite rock outcroppings. I made this land my playground, filled with magic, where every tree and rock had a name.
I look back on my childhood with gratitude for the moments of pure joy and beauty I found in the natural world. The home at the end of the road was the place where Motherlove was born and where our foundation was set.
The Mountain Meadow Body Oil is inspired by my love for this place; I created a product as a tribute to some of my favorite plants from my all-time favorite place.
YARROW (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow is a plant that I distinctly remember from my childhood; I would collect the frilly leaves and little white umbrella-shaped flowers that were so unique compared to all the other plants. The smell of fresh yarrow is how I will always know this herb.
We would harvest yarrow for several of our products, and after it was dried, we would sort through the aerial parts and remove large pieces of stem. We would watch a movie in the evenings while we cleaned the yarrow to be made into our Diaper Balm and Sitz Bath products.
Achillea millefolium is a perennial that grows up to three feet tall with white flower heads and feathery leaves. Yarrow grows well in a variety of conditions and easily reseeds itself. Only the white variety should be used medicinally, as the red and yellow yarrow are more decorative varieties.
BEE BALM (Monarda fistulosa)
Bee balm, horsemint, wild oregano, wild bergamot, and monarda are all names for the same plant, and it has always been one of my very favorite smells.
Growing up, I knew this plant as horsemint and would wander through fields of the fuzzy purple flowers, gathering a bouquet so I could smell the peppery sweet aroma all day long. There is no other flower that evokes memories of my childhood the way horsemint does. The mid-July brightness of every Rocky Mountain meadow was, in part, thanks to bee balm.
Monarda fistulosa is in the mint family and can be recognized by its square stem, opposite leaves, and feathery purple flowers. It generally grows in large clusters on the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains below 8,500 feet. It can often be found in sunny meadows or near dry creek bottoms.
PRAIRIE SAGE (Artimesia fridgida)
Prairie sage grew everywhere around our home. It would grow in clumps in the meadow, in cracks in the rocks, and cover hillsides with its soft, frilly, silvery tops.
When I was young, I would gather a few sprigs and gently brush them across my face. I loved the earthy smell. Surrounded by ponderosa pines, the sweet, grounding beauty always made me feel at home.
Prairie sage, fringed sagebrush, and pasture sage are all names for this plant. However, Artemisia frigida is not actually a sage. It is a perennial that grows in dry areas in both fields and wooded areas in the western US.
A LOVE LETTER TO HOME
This collection of wildflowers is more than a blend of botanicals. It's a tribute to the meadow that raised me, the place where Motherlove began, and the herbs that shaped both. This product is a love letter to a time and place where hand-harvested herbs and connection to the land came naturally.
