The Story Behind Odd Fauna: A Journey Into Herbalism & Plant-Based Wellness

What if I told you I didn’t always believe in herbalism?

What if I even said that, up until maybe two years ago, I was still somewhat skeptical?

To understand why I launched Odd Fauna, my medicinal herb line, we have to go back a bit and follow the winding journey that led me here.

Believing in the power of plants—not just as “medicine,” but as building blocks for full body, mind, and spirit wellness—was not always top of mind for me (shocker, I know). I didn’t grow up in a household that drank herbal tea or took shots of fire cider when a cold came on. We ate well and took care of the earth through recycling, composting, and mindful consumption—and I’m forever grateful to my parents for instilling those foundational values so early in my life.

Even when I first dipped my toe into learning about herbalism, I could feel the taboo around it. People seemed to fall into two camps:

1. Afraid someone was going to cast a spell on them with a tincture or salve (cue eye roll), or

2. Convinced it was all just a placebo effect.

If I’m being honest, the latter fueled a lot of my skepticism.

Over the past five years, though, I’ve come to believe that the stigma around herbalism has been heavily influenced by the rise of big pharma and Western medicine. And before alarms go off—let me be clear. I do believe in science. I do believe in medicine. I believe in them holistically.

Modern medicine can and has saved lives. But I also believe our current medical system—and the pharmaceutical industry—aren’t built around keeping people truly well. Where big pharma exists, big money follows. After researching our food systems in depth for the past eight-plus years, I feel confident saying that.

To me, holistic wellness means utilizing the power of plants, expanding our awareness of what we consume and why, and using the medical system as a last resort—not the first. The goal is balance. Wellness. Prevention. Not falling into a domino effect of pharmaceutical “fixes.”

I bet you didn’t expect a big pharma tangent when you started reading this.

It’s not usually my style, but things are shifting for me this year. I’ve learned a lot in my almost 30 years of life, my intuition has proven right more times than I can count, and—well—I’m a Cancer. If you know, you know.

If you’ve made it this far and I haven’t scared you off yet—yay! I promise I don’t spend my days cursing the medical industry. That would take time away from my gardening, which is far too sacred.

I’ve been a little garden troll for as long as I can remember. Ironically, one of my favorite childhood gifts was my very own herb garden, where I grew a surprisingly decent harvest at the ripe age of 10. Fast forward to today and I simply love growing things—vegetables, herbs, houseplants, flowers. Whether from seed or propagation, the lifecycle of plants continues to fascinate me and probably always will.

Over the past five-plus years, I grew—and learned—a lot. My background isn’t in horticulture or botany; it’s in business. Yes, I’m a business grad. But my saving grace? A concentration in Marketing and Environmental Sustainability, which I like to think earns me a few extra aura points.

As I learned more about plants, I realized just how useful they could be.

Believe it or not, squash was my gateway drug into herbalism.

...Stick with me.

I love winter squash of all kinds—but please don’t offer me a zucchini unless it’s baked into bread. One year I had a small but mighty zucchini crop and kept thinking, What a waste. I nearly guilted myself into eating them just to avoid composting. But thanks to the glorious world of social media,

I learned how edible the entire plant was—leaves, blossoms, all of it. I tried a few recipes and, to my surprise, loved them.

Mental gears shifted. Wheels turned.

What else is edible?

Around the same time, I was navigating personal skin issues, inflammation, and general body struggles (a story for another day). As I learned about edible plants and their benefits, I began connecting dots—and finding answers within the herbalism community.

Instead of trekking to Target or Ulta for expensive skincare products that didn’t help my adult acne (a true delight) or my excessively dry, itchy skin, I turned to my growing plant knowledge and the internet in search of natural solutions [That’s where our Body Butter was born!!:')]

I fell into herbalism through my love of plants and an intuitive understanding of their potential power. I kept thinking—if people lived full, healthy lives before pharmaceuticals existed, there had to be more to the story. More plant wisdom waiting to be rediscovered.

After years of creating, testing, and refining, I felt ready to launch a subsidiary of The Magic Sprout called Odd Fauna.

The name is a nod to herbalism—but it means so much more. It’s a reminder to be curious about your health. To ask questions. To explore options for wellness, even when they don’t fit the norm.

Odd Fauna is more than the products we sell. It’s a reminder that we’re surrounded by resources and nutrients—growing in sidewalk cracks, labeled as “weeds,” hiding in plain sight. With a little knowledge, we can empower ourselves to use what’s already available to us.

Thanks for reading—and let’s discover more together.

Stay Odd, Be Well

– Sara