7 Secrets of Wellbeing: Rachel Landon of Wilder Botanics
Rachel Landon’s connection with healing plants started in childhood, helping her working mother grow fruit and vegetables to feed the family, foraging in the fields and hedgerows, and creating simple remedies in the kitchen.
From school, she moved to Dublin in 1989, was asked to model for John Rocha and Katharine Hamnett, and embarked on a frenetic international career as a fashion model. She ended up in New York in the 1990s, burnt out and exhausted from living on adrenalin. Curiously enough, it was the city which never sleeps that steered her towards the then new wellness movement. Inspired by the ethos, Rachel studied nutrition and took up yoga.
In 1998, Rachel, now 28, moved back to London to study naturopathy and herbalism, graduating with honours – and having a baby en route. Her first clinic opened to patients in 2004; she still sees a small number of patients today. The inspiration for Wilder Botanics came from her patients, who were drawn to the concept of using herbal products and nudged Rachel to create her own range to care for face, body and mind.
So Wilder Botanics was born in winter 2018 – a truly luxurious and efficacious line of handmade, 100% natural, organic and wild-crafted formulations, which Team BB loves to use ourselves. Rachel and husband Charlie, now parents of four, run the company and are intimately involved with every stage of production. Somehow, she also found time to write a book, Superherbs, on adaptogens.
You can enter our Beauty Bible prize draw for two sets of Wilder Botanics ‘Precious Oils’ here, each set worth £202.
Not surprisingly, the demands on Rachel are pretty non-stop. Here are the ways she has found to help manage stress and keep her stable and resilient (‘mostly!’). ‘As long as everyone at home and at work is happy then I’m happy,’ she says.
My best beauty and wellbeing tip came from my mum, who said ‘get out in nature’. I live in West London now but walking on Hampstead Heath or on the scrubland near our home really allows me to reconnect and clear my head. It helps me manage stress. Being outdoors and moving always shifts a negative mood or an over-full brain. I’m an introvert so I need time on my own to just be and refuel; it allows me to switch off and get things in perspective. It’s the best tonic for me if/when I’m feeling overwhelmed by work, family or life in general. Being outdoors is good for my younger children, who are eight and nine; the general bickering and chaos seems to subside when they get their welly boots on.
Looking after myself is a daily balancing act. Like many women I juggle the needs of kids and work and find putting my own needs at the forefront of my day is a struggle. It’s in my DNA because my incredible funny mum embodied that ‘don't complain just get on with it’ post war philosophy. My husband Charlie (co-founder of Wilder) is my rock. He’s very good at compartmentalising and saying ‘just push that thing aside’ in a way that makes it feel okay. I repeat to myself: ‘just slo-o-ow down….’. Seeing family and friends who love and support me is vital too. Talking, eating good food and drinking wine with my girlfriends has helped me get through the last three decades.
Nature also gives me inspiration for Wilder, foraging in the hedgerows for medicinal plants and sharing how easy it is to create your own remedies. I put organic herbs in teas and tinctures, which add phyto (plant) nutrients – minerals, vitamins and antioxidants – in an easily absorbable form. The most important herb for me personally is Nettle, which contains all the nutrients I need; it’s in the formula for our Flourish tea. [Nettle leaves are a good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, quercetin, and linolenic acid, as well as vitamins C and A.]
Maintaining muscle tone is vital since I turned 50. As well as walking briskly with Tippi, my black Labrador, I practice yoga daily and plan to add in Pilates and weights. Sitting on the floor rather than my sofa is a small act but it keeps my hips and core strong and my lower back healthy.
Supplements are important for my health. I take selenium every day to support my thyroid function, starflower oil for my adrenals plus a probiotic intermittently to balance my gut microbiome. I also take adaptogens, as I explain below.
A well balanced diet and adaptogenic herbs is key to managing stress. I try to make sure meals are well-balanced, with seasonal ingredients that are as close to nature as possible: so I avoid ultra processed foods of all kinds. Also taking adaptogens, such as Siberian Ginseng, Holy Basil and Reishi mushrooms, help our bodies adapt to stress and support our mental and physical reaction to it.
