The Plants That Found Us: Growing with Intention
A personal look at how PlantCeuticals’ herbs found us.
At PlantCeuticals, every plant we grow has a story. These aren’t herbs pulled from a catalogue or chosen because they are trending in wellness circles. They are the plants that found us, through personal necessity, through healing, and through noticing the needs of those around us.
As mentioned in one of our previous Root & Remedy posts: Welcome to the PlantCeuticals Root & Remedy Journal: A Personal Journey of Herbal Healing & Regenerative Living. This journey began, as many do, with health struggles of our own: gut issues, brain fog, restless sleep, low immunity, and that lingering feeling of simply being “off.” We didn’t want a quick fix. We wanted to get to the root.
While I was experimenting with fermented foods and learning about adaptogenic herbs, my sister Kathy was busy with the land; rebuilding soils, brewing composts, nurturing beneficial microbes, and restoring fertility to the earth. Healing people and healing the planet became our shared mantra.
The Plants That Chose Us
As we started growing what we needed, we also noticed the plants already thriving wild on the farm. Some were bold and medicinal, others quieter helpers, but all carried a certain energy that seemed to arrive just when we needed them most. As Kathy, my sister and PlantCeuticals’ co-founder, reflects:
“It’s phenomenal; a certain plant appears, like ashwagandha. As soon as we noticed it growing naturally on the farm and started working with it, the plant responded and all of a sudden we had ashwagandha growing everywhere. Mullein and wormwood were the same and we have now found a field of them. Every time we discovered a new plant, its companion herb also appeared. Sutherlandia, for example, has the African potato watching its back. It is amazing how they somehow grow next to their medicine friends. As we pay more attention to the land, the plants and the earth, it offers up information and gifts. The more connected we are, the better it gets. It is so inspiring to see the land regenerating and giving back.”
Our Plant Allies
Each of our plants have their own unique way of supporting balance and wellbeing: 
These aren’t just ingredients, they are part of the living story of Oaklands Farm and PlantCeuticals. They remind us that nature often knows what we need before we do.
Each plant thrives in the climate and soils of our farm in the foothills of the Drakensberg. They are tended by hand, harvested with intention, and formulated in small batches with only what is needed. Nothing more.
Need Is Our North Star
Everything we have created at PlantCeuticals was born from a need — first our own, then our community’s. We have seen mothers seeking renewal, children in need of gentle support, friends looking for restful sleep, and guests at Oaklands embracing restoration. Each time, we have turned to the wisdom of plants for a way forward.
This is not a business built on trends. It is built on love, curiosity, and a deep respect for what grows when you listen. So when we say from soil to soul, we mean it… quite literally
With love,
Caroline Bruce
Co-Founder, PlantCeuticals
