Mother Earth Blog & Guides

There is a lot of information online about cacao, mushrooms and botanicals, and plenty of it makes things sound more complicated than they need to be. This is where we keep our own practical guides together: what a product is, where it comes from, how to choose a format and what to look out for before buying.

New to cacao? Start with our free cacao beginner’s guide, with a simple recipe and more about the origins and people behind it.

I'm Garrett, the person behind Mother Earth. Some of these articles are about the growers and suppliers we work with. Others are about the day-to-day questions people ask me, or the practical side of running a small wellness business in Ireland. No big claims, no pressure to buy something you don't need.

New here? Read our latest articles, or browse our older community stories. The sections below make it easier to find what actually interests you.

Ceremonial cacao

Explore the origins, the different block sizes and the simple decisions that help you make a good cup. If you're preparing cacao for other people, we've included straightforward advice on quantities, preparation and costs.

See the full cacao guides or shop the cacao origins.

Functional mushrooms

Rather than promise what a product will make you feel, we'd rather help you understand the label. Here are the differences between Lion's Mane, blended capsules, tinctures and gummies, and how to compare quantities and serving sizes.

More mushroom guides · Explore the mushroom products

Blue Lotus, White Lotus and other botanicals

There's an important difference between dried botanicals sold for ritual use and herbal teas sold as drinks. Our Blue and White Lotus products are supplied as botanicals for personal and ritual use, not as foods or food supplements. The guides explain the different formats, storage and labelling without making medical promises.

Blue & White Lotus collection · Herbal teas

Rose, cacao and Katie's Rose course

Rose comes in several quite different formats here: tea petals, finely milled powder, a Bulgarian tincture made by Ivanka, rose-infused cacao, gifts and a separate learning programme with Katie. Each has its own purpose and instructions.

Explore the Rose collection · Katie's Rose Healing Method with Reiki Level 1

Matcha, Shilajit and everyday products

For some people it's tea. For others it's a newer product they're trying to understand. We look at ingredients, sourcing and practical format differences, not exaggerated wellness claims.

Shilajit range · Matcha · Amma India

Cacao training and practitioner advice

If you're thinking of learning to guide a cacao circle, we have both online training and an online-plus-New-Ross option with Katie and me. You can also read about the less glamorous, but important, side of planning an event and making the numbers work.

All cacao training options · Practitioner Business Guide · Practitioner and studio supply

Health shops, cafés and small businesses

We work with independent health shops, cafés, studios, salons and other businesses. These guides are about choosing a practical range, working with real margins and getting the product information right.

Wholesale & Trade · Health shops · Community and voluntary organisations

Recipes and ways to use the products

Not everything needs to be a big ritual. We've got simple ideas for a cup of cacao, getting to know a new tea or finding the right tools for the kitchen.

Browse our recipes · Cacao and rose recipe · Choosing cacao sizes

All articles, including the older ones

Want to browse without choosing a category? Read the latest Mother Earth articles or explore the older Community stories and guides. We're keeping both available rather than moving or duplicating articles and breaking existing links.

If there's a product or practical question you think we should cover, drop me a message. I'd rather write about what people actually want to understand.

Garrett
Mother Earth Wellness