This conversation with Melanie from Mint is part of a series of interviews with women who, like me, feel particularly connected to nature. I will talk to different women and find out more about them and their approach to nature.

Melanie Wieser from mint has always been a child of nature

These are exactly the stories I will pass on to you here so that you too can discover the most diverse insights and approaches to nature.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Melanie and I'm originally a florist and I also worked in a garden center. I've been fascinated by nature since I was little. Even as a child, I always loved being outside and in the forest because that's where I always felt most comfortable. A few years ago I trained to become a qualified European alternative practitioner, which teaches you everything you need to know about plants and I really enjoy experimenting. I like to combine my florist knowledge with herbs and love designing things.

I come from Saalfelden in Salzburg, I was born and grew up here and I love country life. With my blog and my posts I want to raise people's awareness of nature and their environment. It's enough to start with small things to protect nature in the long term. I'm also a big fan of making things yourself, because that way you can see how much effort goes into the products and appreciate them more.

I still work today as a florist in a large hotel where I design the decorations and the rest of the time I work for myself with mint and design and organize workshops and herb walks and collect herbs to use them in different things.

Where does MINT come from?

It was a long process, I wanted a name that fit with me as a person and with my name and also with the herbs. The mint is refreshing and robust - so it was the combination of my M from Melanie and the mint.

How long have you been doing this?

I really started doing this about 2.5 years ago, with my own company. I want to teach people what grows around us and what you can do with it. I find it exciting and I want to bring it closer to people again. For me, one herb was very important and that is cinquefoil, which grows pretty much everywhere. It is also a very antispasmodic herb, whether it is for gynaecological problems or muscle cramps, it is extremely effective. Since I always have severe period cramps during my period, I made a tincture out of cinquefoil and it helped me so much that I no longer had to take any tablets.

How did you come across cinquefoil?

It caught my eye on my daily walks and I researched it and was really impressed by its effects. I also combine it with yarrow and lady's mantle.

Red clover and yarrow helped me a lot with my somewhat problematic skin and improved my complexion a lot. Since my skin is hormonal, the red clover tincture with its many female hormones helped me a lot.

However, it is important to first take a good look at the plant and identify it precisely, and also to seek expert advice from a specialist, as there are of course plants that do more harm than good. Always look at the whole plant, not just the flowers, but also the leaves and stems and if possible the roots too.

I also recommend approaching the topic slowly when eating wild herbs. Not too much at once, as that can be too much for the body to start with. Wild herbs have many times more minerals and vital substances, which our bodies are no longer used to.

What is your favorite plant?

I find it difficult to choose a single favorite plant, I like them all and it changes a little depending on the season and what is growing. What I really like, visually, is the seed head of the wild carrot, this little basket is so charming. But I also love the stinging nettle because it is so healing. But I love them all and it always depends a little on the season.

Is the forest also your topic?

The forest is a key theme for calming down and reducing stress. You can read about this in studies and the green power of the forest has an enormous and positive effect on us. Consciously going within ourselves with all of our senses has a calming and balancing effect on our bodies. You simply feel better.

Do you also offer many workshops?

Yes, I give workshops and also offer product boxes depending on the season. These are always limited edition boxes with a wide variety of products that I can collect myself and with herbs that are growing in my area. But they are always small quantities that I then offer on Instagram and when they are sold out, they are sold out and next time there will be new content. I don't have a permanent online shop yet - that will definitely come - but at the moment it depends on what I have at the time, that is what I offer.

The tourism association organizes herbal walks every week from May to October. I am also happy to come to you personally and we can collect together in a small group and create a product. You can book various individual workshops with me. I am happy to develop the content according to your ideas and also enjoy working with children. I also think it is very nice and important to work with children and to bring them closer to the love and mindfulness of nature.

You can find detailed information about the workshops on my website or onInstagram .

You can find more interviews about great women and their approach to nature here:

Karin from Naturspirit
Stephanie from Atempause
Susanne from Naturzauberwerke
Tina from the herbalist
Melanie from Mint
Anja from Daisy & Sunshine
Andrea from Fermentista
Andrea from Yoga Cuisine
Marlies von Quendelgrün
Christine from Textpoterie
Doris from Made with Love
Alex from Die Kräutermadame
Bianca from Naturespiritauraspray
Gerda from Green Power