Meet Local Vendor: Maine Medicinals

Maine Medicinals, though launched in 2009 at the Common Ground Fair that many of us know and love, is the producer of a homeopathic remedy source that is actually far from common throughout most recent American history: the elderberry. This lack of awareness, though, was not always the case with this immune boosting plant. Documentation still exists describing how this prolific plant’s medicinal properties were used throughout medieval times in Europe even up through the American civil war era to treat everything from colds and coughs to abrasions and bruises (1). In the wake of modern medicine, though, it seems the elderberry had slipped from popularity until quite recently as homeopathic alternatives have started to make their way back into the everyday American medicine cabinet.

Enter Maine Medicinals or, as it was in the beginning, just Edie Johnston and her son, Geo Johnston, who had a vision to share the knowledge and research that Edie had been gathering concerning elderberry-sourced antioxidant homeopathic therapy. It all started with the creation of what is now the company’s most popular product, AnthoImmune Elderberry Syrup. By combining elderberry juice, elder flower, and Maine blueberries, Edie and Geo (and now their 6-8 people team, depending on the season) create a potent, antioxidant-rich immune booster for everyday use, as well as for cold and flu treatment.

The berries used in the products are grown on the company’s certified MOFGA organic farm and several other certified organic farms across Maine and are then harvested and frozen to preserve peak nutrients until use. From thawing the berries, it typically only takes their team 48 hours to hand-craft each small batch into bottles of elderberry syrup that are ready for immune boosting. Talk about berry-to-bottle!

Although Maine Medicinals’ reputation for high-quality already reaches as far south as Washington D.C., Edie and Geo have intentionally created a community of local, Maine farmers to cultivate the ingredients needed for their products. This is accomplishing another important desire the pair shares: that the company would be able to positively impact Maine farm families, as well as under-utilized Maine farmland. By creating for themselves a niche product, they and the farmers have already been able to share in the bounty of responsible and stewardship-minded business; one that can support local families and communities for generations to come.

 Sources:

(2013). Elderberry: An herb society of America essential guide. www.herbsociety.org/file_download/.../a54e481a-e368-4414-af68-2e3d42bc0bec