By Curt Peterson
Zanni Lacey and Lindsay Rose hosted a Renaissance Faire-like grand opening event for their ZBotanical business on Sept. 17.
Hartlanders wondering what’s happening at the long-vacant Shepherd’s Woodworking location north of Webster Road on the Hartland-Quechee Road, couldn’t stop guessing.
Lindsay Rose is a co-founder of ZBotanical in Hartland.
“We cultivate, plant and wildcraft (harvest in the wild) botanicals which we use to produce handmade, small-batch herbal tinctures, teas, salves, natural insect repellent and high-quality CBD products,” their website proclaims, adding their products contain no chemicals or GMOs and are “100 percent Vermont-grown.”
Lacey and Rose provided the Mountain Times with explanations about their products and their uses.
Ceremonial Herb Bundles are burned to “clean the air in a room, both of bacteria and viruses, and of negative energy or spirits,” Rose wrote in an email.
St. John’s Wort tincture is one of 22 tinctures and potions available on the website. “When used topically, it helps with connective tissue pain, rashes and burns,” Rose said. “When taken internally, it can be helpful to regulate moods.” She advises consulting one’s physician before taking any substance internally.
Sacred Union Elixir – best let Rose speak for herself – is “full of delicious aphrodisiacs to put one in the mood!” Cannabidiol (CBD), or industrial hemp is “An appealing treatment option for patients seeking anti-inflammatory, anti-pain, anti-anxiety and/or anti-spasm effects without the euphoria or lethargy associated with THC,” (tetrahydrocannabinol) – the element in cannabis associated with getting high.
The ZBotanical website says CBD can “ease symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, alcoholism, PTSD, epilepsy and antibiotic-resistant infections.” CBD oil isolate costs $22 per half ounce, $88 for two ounces.
CBD Rich Whole Plant Extract, contains .3% THC.Purchasers may pay with cash, cards, checks or Venmo, Rose said. Their apothecary will open the second week in October, Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Zanni Lacey and Lindsay Rose opened ZBotanical in Hartland on Sept. 17.
Thirteen grand opening vendors, many costumed to compliment the faire theme, plied various ZBotanical-complement wares and services from tent-booths arranged like a Viking marketplace, local musicians played facing a flaming firepit, food and beverages were served from a permanent stand, patrons experienced “smoke ceremonies” in a barn-like setting, and two volunteer attendants guided visitors to a remote parking area “a five-minute walk from the festivities.” Rose said approximately 700 people visited.
Katherine Williams had a booth for her business, Well Maiden Birth and Healing Arts, promoting her herb-based treatments and education oriented to pregnant and postpartum individuals, and to young families.
“Zanni and Lindsay brought we herbalists out of the hills and into town for the day, and I am grateful for this chance to exhibit professional and community-based herbalism together,” Williams told the Mountain Times.
Rose and Lacey met at the 2017 Thetford balloon festival, discovered their mutual interest in herbs and botanicals, and, three months later, became business partners.
Cannabis is often associated with marijuana, and, with the Oct. 1 opening of Vermont’s first retail marijuana shops, there’s a lot of confusion about the topic.
“To be clear,” Rose said, “we have no plans to grow or sell marijuana at the moment, but are excited for our friends who are.”
