A little bit about who we are ~
Jewelweed is a sacred space for health and wellness on the shore of Lake Minnetonka. The shop was named in honor of the local wildflower which grows on the shore as well. If you catch them in the morning with the dew still on the leaves the water droplets look like little jewels. And if you put a leaf underwater the air pockets on the leaves look like jewels too. The medicinal properties are most commonly used to treat poison ivy (mash up the fresh leaves and make a poultice or make a salve).
We have attentively curated a collection of high quality, small batch, often surprising goods that support the interconnected health of the planet and its people. Our offerings include herbal remedies, flower essences, aromatherapy, crystals, jewelry, green beauty products, hand-poured candles, incense, favorite books, tea and drinking cacao, stand-apart gifts, and so much more. With an emphasis on goods sourced from small alchemists, makers, and artisans, we especially love to feature items from our local community.
Inside our shop you will find our exclusive in-house seasonal line of handcrafted, micro batch products made with organic or locally-grown and wildcrafted plant material (which can be intuitively selected just for you by our staff, if you like).
Jewelweed is a place to hold space for sharing wisdom and ideas as well. Classes on natural health, wellness, conscious living, and spirituality are offered by a diverse group of approachable teachers, healers, and visionaries.
At Jewelweed we are passionate about natural health and sharing it with our community. We are committed to empowering the individual in their pursuit of greater personal health and wellbeing. We actively live our values of sustainability, reconnecting with nature, conscious consumerism, social equality, personal empowerment, and holistic healing.
We meet everyone who walks through the door where they’re at. We love to meet you, to know you, and share our healing offerings, bringing more naturalness and wellness to your body, mind, and heart. We hope you leave smelling of wild roses, cedar, chamomile, elderflower, sage, and anything and everything that calls out your name.
Jodi McKee took inspiration from her own healing journey as a catalyst to create Jewelweed. She opened the store she had wished for when she was undergoing her personal transformation and now offers her clientele a unique experience. Jodi, mother of three boys raised on herbal medicine and natural healers, has experienced first hand the healing and support plants and alternative methods can offer. She brings her unique experiences and training as an herbalist, flower essence practitioner, life coach, energy healer, interior designer, entrepreneur and more to Jewelweed.
This shop is her wildest dream come true. Her hope is the store will offer inspiration and serve as a place of introduction for people to ideas and practices that many still label as ‘weird’ but are nonetheless healing and nourishing to the body and soul.
Jodi’s background in her own words…
The question I get asked the most is, "how did you get into all of this?" as people gesture around the store. My story below describes how I got started on the plant path and came to trust in alternative methods, but it isn't the entire picture. The reason I have stuck with plant medicine for over eighteen years is because I have witnessed plants and other modalities heal people in miraculous ways. I am here to share what I have learned as a mother, an herbalist, energy worker and spiritual seeker in hopes that it can benefit others.
My oldest son Alec had terrible asthma when he was little. It began when he was three months old and lasted five long years. He frequently caught colds that severely affected his lungs- he was constantly wheezing, coughing, and struggling to breathe. We went through numerous late night emergency room visits, multiple extended hospital stays, two 911 calls, many doctor visits, several specialist appointments, and prescriptions for heavy duty drugs including albuterol, steroids, and antibiotics. We even had his tonsils and adenoids removed.
My breaking point occurred after a 2-day trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. My son received 25 allergy testing pokes as well as an aerosol “irritant” in his lungs that caused him to cough for six weeks straight. Their conclusion was that he would have asthma and allergies for his entire life. As a last-ditch effort, I asked the doctor about diet and supplements. I was told that neither would have any impact on asthma- rather, I should load up on prescription drugs and prepare an action plan for future asthma attacks. When we left Rochester, our son was so much sicker than when had arrived. I felt angry, frustrated and hopeless.
Up until then, I had been an obediently “good” mother, following everything the doctors told me. But eventually, I realized that I needed to try something different. So, I started doing research. In 2001, I did not have access to the internet so I went to the library and the bookstore. One of the first books I found was about a water cure for asthma. (Seriously). We tried it. It didn’t work. I found books on maintaining healthy homes and clean air. I learned about the toxicity of my cleaning products. I read about the vitamins asthmatics were often deficient in. And then I stumbled upon herbal remedies.
Shortly after I took my first herb class, taught by Lise Wolff. She gave me an analogy that stuck with me. She told me to think of the immune system like a cup. Just as a cup filled past its limit will overflow and lose its functionality, an immune system overloaded with too many toxins cannot do its job properly. She told me that this will show up in some as asthma and allergies.
We made a lot of changes. Some were easy, and some were hard. We gave away our dog. We moved to a 'healthier' home. We installed air and water filters. We went dairy free. We quit using harsh chemicals in our house and on our lawn. I started driving 30 minutes to the grocery store to buy organic food. We spent more time at home and avoided anyone with a cold. Of course, we received pushback from our friends and family- but this didn't stop me. I began to think for myself and question everything the doctors told me. I watched my son closely and really tried to notice what helped as well as what harmed. I noticed which foods turned his complexion pale, gave him dark circles under his eyes, or made him cough. I could tell by the little tweak in his voice when he was coming down with a cold. I learned to trust my observations and intuitions.
We consulted with Lise for my son’s asthma (which was already showing signs of improvement). Alec started on low doses of herbs daily. Within months he came down with a terrible chest cold accompanied by coughing and heavy mucus. When the cold had run its course... that was it. No asthma ever again. I continued to use herbs and vitamins to build up his immune system. At the first sign of a cold, I gave him more herbs and modified his diet to help fight off the virus. We stayed away from prescriptive and OTC drugs. And it worked. Today my son is 23 years old, and his immune system is stronger than ever. The changes we made in the process of helping Alec become healthy are now a part of our everyday family lifestyle.
Looking back on the experience, there are two big shifts that occurred. The most obvious is that my son went from incurable to cured. The second is that I went from ignorant to educated. I learned that the doctors only know what they know. They can be helpful and amazing. But I no longer go along with what they tell me simply because they have an MD behind their name. I need to do my own research. I need to trust my own intuition. I need to observe my children (as well as myself) and recognize the messages bodies communicate. Sometimes, adjusting to what a body is saying can be inconvenient, expensive, or simply confusing. It might mean letting people down or doing something considered "weird." Do it anyway. It is this deep listening as well as consciously responding that brings about true healing.