Rosemary Gladstar, co-founder of a $40 million tea company, on why most people should just say no to ginseng.

by Jess McCuan . photo by Susan Patrice

When she opened a small herb shop in Sebastopol, California, in 1974, Rosemary Gladstar had never written a check. She admits she didn’t know much about business—and still doesn’t. “I’m really an herbalist, not so much a business person,” says the 62-year-old. Still, the operation she co-founded with her partner at the time, Drake Sadler, is now the $40 million medicinal tea and herbal products company Traditional Medicinals. The company’s teas, with names like Throat Coat and Smooth Move, are sold at health-food stores and at chains like Target and Walgreens. Gladstar left the company for Vermont in the mid-‘80s, but she’s pleasantly surprised to see her teas when she’s traveling in, say, London. She’s the keynote speaker at the upcoming Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference in Black Mountain on October 1.

Are you pleased to see that herbs and supplements have become more mainstream? Herbs have become a big business. They have become a household word. That’s engendered a unique set of problems...from the health of the plant communities to the quality of the plants being sold... But the grassroots movement hasn’t gone away. Within the larger industry, there’s an integrity and heart that’s very strong.

Are certain herbs too popular or misused? Yes. Ginseng is a great example. It’s a fabulous herb… It gets overused, primarily by people who shouldn’t use it. People buy ginseng pills at gas stations, thinking it’s going to be an aphrodisiac. Ginseng absolutely doesn’t do that.

Any other herbs that have a bad reputation? Energy drinks. They have massive amounts of guarana and kola in them. Those things simply aren’t healthy for people, much less children. It’s sad to see. If you’re going to do something like that, just drink bad coffee.