What Does Organic Mean? Benefits & Easy Organic Swaps 

Organic September is here. But beyond the label, what does organic actually mean, and is choosing organic really better for you and the planet? 

If you already check the ingredients in your supplements, think about what goes into your food or choose herbs to support your everyday wellbeing, there’s another question worth asking: How were those ingredients grown? 

At Herbtender, we believe good wellbeing starts long before a product reaches your kitchen cupboard. It starts with the plants. The soil they grow in, how they’re cultivated and the choices made along the way. 

That’s why all our herbal teas and herbal drops are Soil Association Certified organic, and why we source organic mushrooms too. For us, organic is part of our approach to creating products that are thoughtful from source to shelf. 

And this Organic September, the message is refreshingly simple: organic can be a shortcut to better.  

What does organic mean? 

First things first: “organic” isn’t simply another way of saying “natural.”  

For food and drink in the UK, organic is a legally regulated term. To carry an organic certification symbol, products must meet defined standards and be independently inspected. Soil Association organic standards also go beyond the legal minimum in several areas.  

Organic farming works with natural systems to support the health of soil, plants, and the wider ecosystem. It restricts the use of synthetic pesticides and artificial fertilisers and prohibits GM ingredients.  

So rather than having to decipher another long list of claims, certification gives you something reassuringly tangible to look for. 

See the organic symbol? Someone has done the checking. And we like that. 

What does organic mean for herbs and mushrooms? 

When you’re choosing herbs or functional mushrooms as part of your wellbeing routine, it makes sense to look beyond what’s in the formula to where those ingredients came from and how they were grown. 

Choosing certified organic ingredients means the herbs have been grown and handled according to recognised organic standards. That includes strict restrictions on synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, alongside farming practices designed to support healthy soils and biodiversity.  

This gives you independent reassurance that organic standards have been followed throughout the supply chain, from farm to finished product.  

We also source organic functional mushrooms, including Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Chaga and Cordyceps. For us, it’s all part of the same approach: being thoughtful about the plants and fungi we use, knowing where they come from and prioritising quality and traceability.  

Because if you’re being selective about the ingredients you put into your body, we think it’s worth being selective about how they got there, too. 

Is organic better for you? 

This is where it’s worth cutting through some of the noise. 

Choosing organic doesn’t automatically make one food, herb, or cup of tea a magic ticket to better health. Your overall diet and lifestyle matter far more than any single label. 

But there are good reasons why organic can form part of a thoughtful approach to wellbeing. 

One of the biggest is pesticide use. Organic standards severely restrict which pesticides can be used, with organic farmers instead using approaches such as crop rotation, mechanical weeding and encouraging natural predators to help manage pests.  

According to Soil Association, “many pesticides are endocrine disruptors, meaning they can interfere with hormone systems, affecting everything from thyroid function to fertility, even at very low doses.” 

It’s one reason organic is increasingly part of a much bigger conversation about what we consume. The Soil Association’s 2026 market research points to growing consumer interest around pesticides, ultra-processed foods, and nutrient density.  

For us, it comes back to something simple: if we’re choosing plants to look after ourselves, we want to be thoughtful about how those plants have been looked after too. 

Why does soil health matter?  

Here’s something we probably don’t think about while putting the kettle on, your herbal tea starts with soil. 

Healthy soil supplies plants with nutrients and water while supporting an extraordinary ecosystem beneath our feet. Organic farming is designed to maintain or improve that soil rather than simply taking from it.  

That matters because human health doesn’t exist separately from the health of the environment that produces our food and herbs. 

It’s an idea that’s always made sense to us at Herbtender: healthy plants need healthy places to grow. 

Why organic matters at Herbtender 

For us, quality begins at the source. 

We don’t just think about which herbs, adaptogens and functional mushrooms belong in a formulation. We care about where those ingredients come from and how they’ve been grown. 

That’s why: 

• Our herbal teas are Soil Association Certified organic. 
• Our herbal drops are Soil Association Certified organic. 
• We source organic functional mushrooms. 
• We prioritise traceability and responsible sourcing across our ingredients. 

Our organic teas and drops are independently certified throughout the supply chain, helping give you confidence in what you’re putting into your cup or dropper.  

Because when you’re choosing something as part of your daily wellbeing routine, we think you deserve to know what’s behind it. 

5 easy ways to choose more organic 

And here’s the good news: you don’t need to go 100% organic overnight. 

1. Start with something you have every day. Tea, coffee, milk, oats, eggs or whatever appears in your routine most often. One everyday swap is much easier to do than replacing an entire shop. 
2. Look for certification, not just words like “natural”. “Natural” and “organic” aren’t interchangeable. For food and drink, organic is regulated and independently certified. Look for a recognised organic certification symbol.  
3. Check your herbal cupboard too. We tend to think about organic fruit and veg, but herbs, teas and other plant-based wellbeing products must be grown somewhere too. Check how brands source their botanical ingredients. 
4. Ask where your ingredients come from. Good brands should be able to tell you more than what’s on the front of the pack. Look for information about sourcing, traceability and how ingredients are grown. 
5. Don’t let perfect become the enemy of better. Organic can cost more, and choosing everything organic isn’t realistic for everyone. Pick the swaps that make sense for your budget and your routine. 

One tea. One ingredient. One regular shop. Small choices still count towards a bigger overall picture.  

Organic: a shortcut to better 

That’s what we like most about this year’s Organic September message. Small swaps, bigger impact.  

Wellbeing can sometimes feel unnecessarily complicated. There is always another ingredient to understand, label to decode or rule we’re apparently supposed to follow. Organic certification makes one choice a little simpler. 

For Herbtender, it’s part of a much bigger philosophy, carefully chosen plants, thoughtfully sourced, made into products that fit naturally into everyday life. 

Looking after ourselves and looking after the natural world don’t need to be two separate things. If you’re thoughtful about the ingredients you choose for your wellbeing, it makes sense to be thoughtful about where they come from and how they’re grown too.