Difference Makers: North Augusta herbalist turned passion for herbalism into her calling

Editor's note: Difference makers is a series of profiles that highlight Augusta-area people dedicated to living and working toward a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable way of living.

A passion for herbal medicine blossomed out of a need to care for her family, says Ashley Murphy, owner of ABĒCA Naturals.

“I was introduced to herbal medicine when I was pregnant with my son, Trey,” said 37-year-old Murphy. “So that was about seven years ago. I was absolutely fascinated from the get go. I was living in Savannah at the time and a local woman was advertising elderberry syrup. When I put my family on this regular elderberry syrup, I noticed that the amount of colds we were catching throughout the winter was minimal, if any. And I thought maybe there's something to this herbal medicine thing.”

ABĒCA Naturals, located in North Augusta at 503 W. Martintown Rd., offers an array of plant-based preventative wellness products from vitamin supplements, creams and teas.

When it came to naming her business, Murphy’s love of family poured over into her business.

“In 2018 we moved to North Augusta and I couldn’t find elderberry syrup,” said Murphy. “I figured since I was a stay-at-home mom ... I could start making my own. I just wanted to make medicine and everybody said I had to have a business name. I looked over at my three beautiful children − Callum is 13, Atreyu is 6 and Bella is 5 − and I took the first couple letters of each of their names, put them together and ABĒCA Naturals was born.”

Murphy answered the following questions about her work. Answers have been edited for content and length.

Question: What inspired you to make plant-based preventative wellness alternatives?

Answer: I found an elderberry syrup recipe. I immediately went on Facebook to see if anyone else was looking for elderberry syrup. The amount of people who were also looking for elderberry syrup was insane. So I started a delivery service. I would load my babies up and drive around from Aiken to Appling. And I would drop it on their front porch.

Question: How much were you charging for bottles of elderberry syrup? 

Answer: I was charging $20 for a 16-ounce bottle which retails at about $30. That was the going rate five years ago. That's what really helped us develop a local following. It wasn't long after that I started taking online courses and I bought tons of books. I started making creams and tinctures which are concentrated extracts of plant medicine.

Question: What inspired you to open a plant-based preventative wellness store?

Answer: After seeing our website someone called and asked if we had a store. That was the first time it occurred to me that I should have a store. I just wanted to make medicine and put it on whoever shelves would sell it. But there was a demand there. As things began to unfold greater than I could’ve ever imagined in 2020 while driving down Martintown Road I saw a sign out front for this space. I called the number, met with the landlord.

Question: What happened next?

Answer: I didn't recognize that God was moving in my life. But I look back now and I think, He clearly put it on the landlord's heart to say, "I love everything you do. What's it gonna take for you to move in?" He's a man of God. And clearly the Holy Spirit encouraged him. He didn't run a credit check. He didn't ask for a business plan. Faith at its finest. We moved into this space in December of 2020. Our official opening was Jan. 2, 2021.

Question: Why is running a sustainable business important to you?

Answer: Everything gets reused here. We have a local farmer who brings eggs that we sell. We tell people to bring their egg cartons back. People can donate their glass jars. Anything we print that's not customer facing gets printed on recycled paper. We have a compost pile. Our compost pile makes itself because of the nature of what we do here. We're constantly straining herbs from the tinctures and teas that we make. And so those are perfect for going right back into nature.

Question: Why is being eco-friendly important to you?

Answer: It pains me to use anything new that I know there's a ton of it floating around somewhere, just waiting for a second chance at life. My love for sustainability followed my love for herbalism. They go hand in hand.

Question:  If you could go back in time and give your younger self any piece of advice, what would it be?

Answer: Life isn’t all about you. We are all designed for a much greater purpose. A big part of that purpose is taking care of our planet.

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Funding Partners.

Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: North Augusta entrepreneur turned love of herbs into her calling