Amid the social revolution of the late 1960s, another influential movement was building strength. Following two decades of post-WWII economic growth, science, industry, and babies were booming. Hippie culture was gaining traction, pushing back on The Greatest Generation who had helped win WWII but were now sending their children to a questionable war in Vietnam. The rising generation, as they always do, was challenging the morals and beliefs of the day, while promoting a return to plant medicine, organic foods, and personal freedom, among other things.
Unfortunately, the widespread abuse of psychedelics during this time contributed to a harmful stereotype leveraged by businesses and government to downplay the efficacy of plant-based medicine in favor of new synthetic medicinal products. Debates ensued over which plants were safe and which should be restricted. Further complications arose from the fact that most synthetic medications (then and now) are based on compounds that naturally occur in plants. You can’t patent patchouli. You can’t buy the rights to basil. How would corporations increase and sustain sales while the government protected personal freedom? Increased government regulation threatened to take away an individual right to guide their own health care with natural medicines that had been used by humans for thousands of years.
A Quiet Revolution
This debate was at a fever pitch as we entered the decade of disco. The proven and yet unconfirmed risks of chemically infused foods, medicines, and personal care products was popping up in public discourse. Government regulation continued to expand as organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency were being created every other year. Over this period, hundreds of entrepreneurs around the country responded to growing public suspicion by opening a wave of shops exclusively selling natural products. Good Earth Markets was the first in the state of Utah, opening a tiny store in Provo in 1973, their walls bearing signs emblazoned with calls to “help preserve freedom in health care.”
A New Normal
Over five decades of progress takes the edge off the narrative that was once fraught with fear. In short, the grassroots movement worked. As demand for natural products increased, citizens urged lawmakers, including our own Utah Senator, Orrin Hatch, to create legislation that ensured continued free access to safe, natural products, with guardrails set up to restrict unconfirmed disease claims. Fast forward to today, and natural wellness is experiencing a renaissance, this time with much fewer illicit drugs. Millennials and Gen Z are making natural wellness hip again, touting the benefits of plant medicine, organic foods, and time freedom on social media. Natural wellness is not just here to stay, it’s quickly becoming the new norm.
As the industry surges again, natural wellness stores are prospering. Good Earth Markets is opening new locations and reaching more customers than ever. Even with bigger national chains nearby, Good Earth’s wholesome vibe and long local history provide deep roots to fuel your personal wellness journey, however you choose to pursue it.
