The 1970s, known for bell-bottom jeans and disco fever, also saw a quieter revolution — the herbal renaissance. This movement aimed to reconnect people with ancient plant healing traditions that were largely lost during the 1900s in America. Amid this rising interest in holistic health, Catherine Hunziker emerged as a passionate environmental crusader and fervent advocate for women's rights.
As a trained midwife, Catherine recognized the urgent need for women to reclaim their health and wellness. Driven by this vision, Catherine began handcrafting fast-acting liquid herbal extract blends to assist midwives during births. This dedication led her to acquire WishGarden Herbs in the 1980s, which at the time was little more than a closet filled with alchemical wonders.
As Catherine steered WishGarden's transformation from a birth practitioner-focused company to a comprehensive everyday health solution, she executed a vision to make herbalism more approachable and accessible. Instead of expecting people to identify single herbs such as mullein, angelica and elecampane for lung health, she combined them into effective blends with explanatory and catchy names like "Deep Lung." This simplified the path to natural wellness and boosted the appeal and success of herbal remedies in the emerging natural grocery stores, apothecaries and wholistic medicine clinics.
Today, the spirit of the 1970s herbal renaissance still thrives at WishGarden Herbs where we remain proudly owned by Catherine and her children. With an unwavering focus on sustainability, ethical sourcing, and scientific research, we bridge the gap between tradition and innovation. We are honored to carry on our mission of empowering people to own their health by crafting radical herbal remedies for everyday life.