A Look at Joshua Tree’s Homeopathic Super Store
Written By: Gina Magnuson Heal Yourself at Grateful Desert Herb Shoppe and Eco Market
Herbalist Jenny Qaqundah has spent over 20 years studying and teaching the healing properties of natural medicine. From tinctures and oils to sprays and salves, Jenny develops magical elixirs to treat everything from irritable skin to anxiety. At her Joshua Tree shop Grateful Desert, patrons can pick up everything from chocolate to herbal supplements to lip balm, all incorporating natural, responsibly sourced ingredients.
Q: What are your favorite products to work with?
Jenny Qaqundah: It’s so funny because I teach and I always tell my students, “Oh, this is my favorite herb, this is my favorite herb” so many different times. If you ask an herbalist, “What’s your favorite herb?” you’ll get a different response for every day of the week. As far as herbs, my favorite right now is oshá but there are others like skullcap that are really winners. As far as essential oils, vetiver is such a grounding herb and frankincense is an all-star. It’s a powerful anti-inflammatory.
Q:What products do you carry at Grateful Desert Herb?
JQ: I’ve been in this industry for a long time and my passion is tincture making. I have tinctures, aromatherapy, shampoos, hair oils and body oils. I want to focus on small companies like myself that create beautiful products. I’m always searching for the best products, the best herbs and sell them in this little place where they can be represented.
Q: What are your favorite beauty products to use right now?
JQ: Benedetta is my one standard that I absolutely love. It’s really high quality. I found a new company called Mad Hippie and they’re grand.
Q: Do you use locally sourced ingredients?
JQ: Because I live in this area where water is scarce, when I manufacture for large quantities of people, I mostly get my products from places where they have lots of water. I think wildcrafting here would mean depleting the resources here. What I use for my product comes from places with lots of rain.
Q: Which homeopathic herbs grow in the desert?
JQ: Mugwort grows here, jojoba, chaparral or creosote as it’s locally called. There’s a plant called sinchweed that is absolutely powerful—it’s antimicrobial. We also have ephedra or má huáng.
Q: Do you have products you personally enjoy making?
JQ: On the tincture front, Sleep Deep formulas, people seem to need them as a collective. An aromatherapy favorite is our Forest Wilderness—it’s a huge seller. It’s funny, here we are in the desert and this is one is the one to make.
Q: What do you love about working in the desert?
JQ: The community here is just magical. In the forest and the tropics, everything moves fast and degrades quickly, but in the desert, you have to wait. It slows a person down. There aren’t trees to block your vision; you just have to be really comfortable with yourself.
Heavily Meditated: Jenny recommends vetiver, frankincense, nutmeg and cedar oil for centering the mind and body.
Grateful Desert Herb Shoppe and EcoMarket
61695 Twentynine Palms Hwy
Joshua Tree, CA 92252
760.366.8333It’s time for Herbology 101.
