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DETROIT LAKES — In the summer of 2023, Danika Leitheiser, a long-time Detroit Lakes artist known for projects like her Kiddie Land prints and her “ever-evolving” creativity, decided to explore gardening with a specific goal in mind.
“I wanted to grow plants that were useful,” she said. “I didn’t just want flowers.”
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Her early gardening efforts included herbs and lavender. Over time, Leitheiser found herself drawn into the world of herbalism, exploring how natural properties can enhance and support the body’s systems.
Leitheiser said the craft of herbalism is complex and, much like her art, always evolving.
“I’d be learning about Hawthorne berry or mugwort and all the different benefits of that one herb. And I’d be like, ‘I need to put that in that remedy,’” she said. “And now I have this huge cupboard full of simples, which is … every bottle is one herb.”
Leitheiser discovered tincturing with the desire to help people heal. Tinctures are concentrated liquid extracts of herbs, created by soaking plant materials — such as leaves, flowers, seeds or roots — in a solvent like alcohol or vinegar to draw out their medicinal compounds. This traditional method is a cornerstone of herbalism.
Leitheiser found tinctures especially effective and noted that other extraction methods, such as using oil or water, are also common in herbal practices.
“There are all these different ways of making preparations,” she said. “Each preparation extracts different medicinal constituents out of the herbs.”
As her interest in the craft grew, Leitheiser began exploring how these tinctures could be combined to address specific health concerns and individual needs.
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“I (learned) more about this herbal stuff and I wanted to see what else I can do with these tinctures I have,” she said. “I could mix them together to make different formulas for very specific ailments and people’s body types. And that’s when I realized that I really wanted to share it somehow.”
Driven by a desire to share her knowledge, Leitheiser created a Facebook group, “The Cupboard,” in the fall of 2023 for those interested in learning about herbal remedies and sharing their experiences. There, Leitheiser shares recipes for teas, ciders and pet remedies, offers consultations, and provides various other premade remedies.
One of Leitheiser’s motivations for exploring herbalism was to help support her daughter, who has epilepsy.
“I was doing a lot of learning on how I could help her and the root causes and everything,” she said.
Leitheiser describes herbal remedies as a holistic approach that can complement Western medicine, offering supportive options for well-being.
“Herbalists have a responsibility to know if there’s contraindications with an herb and a certain medication,” she said. “In my consultation sheets that I’ve developed, I ask a bunch of questions and I figure out exactly how that person’s body works, the energetics of their body. It’s a very, very personal and subjective form of healing.”
Leitheiser said that anyone interested in learning more about herbalism and herbal remedies can join the Facebook group and ask questions.
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“This is for everybody,” Leitheiser said. “It’s the peoples’ medicine.”
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