This whole thing started when I showed my stepmom an insect repellent balm that I had made for myself. She loved it and encouraged me to produce more of it. She even offered to sell some for me. Who knew that playing around with plants in my kitchen could turn into me thinking I could sell the things I made? Maybe it’s ambitious, but you fail 100% of the ventures you never attempt.

How did I decide on the name Bois-Sent-Bon Botanicals?

Naming a company or product line feels like a big step. Once it’s out there, you’re basically locked in unless you feel like starting from the beginning again. As often happens when I’m faced with an important decision, my head had never felt so empty… until I remembered my dad’s wine label!

He was (and maybe still is) a member of an amateur winemakers’ club, and he created award-winning wines under his label, Cernunos, named for the Celtic god of wine and revelry. What a fantastic name for a wine label! I wondered if there might be a Celtic god or goddess of herbal medicine, herbs, or really anything relevant. I found Bride, but she is more closely associated with spring and renewal, and I wasn’t convinced.

I eventually stumbled across clan badges, which were supposedly used to identify and distinguish between clan members before tartan became widely associated with Scottish clans. I looked up the badge for my family’s clan and… Bog Myrtle.

Jeez Louise, I can’t win.

“Bog Myrtle” doesn’t exactly inspire confidence or make you want to use botanical products. It’s probably the word bog that’s the problem. But then I remembered that I’m a Canadian mutt. Along with my Scottish ancestry, I’m also French Canadian. So I wondered: how do you say Bog Myrtle in French?

As it turns out, there are several names, but Bois-Sent-Bon is apparently a popular regional Canadian name for Bog Myrtle. It literally translates to “wood smells good.”

That seemed perfect. Not only does it bring together both my Scottish and French-Canadian heritage, but it also sounds just a little bit fancy.

I have been experimenting with creating balms and salves ever since I found myself living in a cabin in the woods during the COVID lockdowns. My interest in herbal and traditional medicine has only deepened the more I’ve learned and experimented. I’ve been completely hooked since 2020, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

I completed Herbal Academy’s Introductory Herbalism course and am currently enrolled in their Intermediate Herbalism course. I hope to continue learning for many years to come and to keep creating botanical products that you can use with confidence.

Thank you for reading. I hope you love the balm as much as I do!