Apothecary’s Tale

Welcome to Moss & Mortar Mercantile, a space born from a deep love for plants, natural healing, and old-world craft. My name is Jurnie, and my path into herbalism began with a fascination: that so much of today’s modern medicine was once rooted in plants, in leaves and roots ground by hand. As someone who’s lived with chronic illness, I turned to the wisdom of herbs, seeking the slow, studied healing they offer.

I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, surrounded by desert plants that many overlook. Their resilience sparked my curiosity. When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, I dove deeper, studying horticulture, learning to propagate and graft plants and trees, and eventually enrolling in herbalism school through the American College of Healthcare Sciences. I’ve come to see that even the desert holds secrets for healing, and that the old ways still have a place in our modern world.

Moss & Mortar reflects the magic and medicine of handmade remedies, crafted with intention, research, and reverence for the natural world. Whether I’m blending herbs into salves, infusing oils, or creating pieces from metal and fabric, I do so with the spirit of a curious witch, rooted in history and guided by heart.

I believe deeply in honoring the legacy of those who came before us: apothecaries, herbalists, medicine men and women, who risked and experimented, who passed down their hard-earned wisdom through generations. Their courage and trial-and-error became the foundation for the medicine we know today. Without them, we would have no blueprint, no path, from ancient healing to modern care.

This is not just a shop. It’s a return to the ancient, to the useful, and to the beautiful.