Meet the Sea of Herbs brothers!

A family story

In the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem is Sea of Herbs, a local, family business of herbalists from the Al Muakkat family passionately proud about what they do for over two centuries!

For six generations, the Al Muakkat family of Herbalists have inherited and studied the trade from their forefathers, each adding their own wisdom to their trade while respecting traditional and holistic medicine. Centuries ago, before there were pharmacies and hospitals, people would turn to their local ‘Attar or Herbalist for their ailments. The herbalist would have the knowledge and experience of natural herbs and spices to help remedy their health complaints.

Today, the Al Muakkat brothers, Isaac and Jacob, our senior herbalists, use ancient wisdom inherited from their father along with contemporary scientific research to create high quality natural health and beauty products.

‘What we’re trying to do is tie ancient Arab medicine with medical knowledge today. We study each herb, its chemical makeup, its benefits, its side effects and who should or shouldn’t consume it. And of course, we have to take into account that people today are taking pharmaceutical medicines, so we need to know how they interact with each other.’

-Isaac Al Muakket

Sea of Herbs is also famous in Jerusalem and beyond for the quality and potency of their spices. They also have a wonderful knack for creating spice mixes, which make cooking delicious gourmet meals so much easier! If you pass by their store in the Old City they’ll only be too happy to help, offer their advice on beauty products, spices, and natural remedies and even help you custom make your own mixes.

Photo by Mary Kristi Brashear