The story of MOBU Herbals began with one patient who changed everything. Dr. Janell Cole, a specialist in treating parasite infestations, found herself facing a challenge that would lead to an entirely new way of delivering herbal medicine.
Finding a New Path
A high-profile patient came to Dr. Cole in a wheelchair. She was battling a severe parasite infestation, and despite Dr. Cole’s expertise, traditional treatments weren’t helping. In fact, the patient was getting worse. That’s when Dr. Cole remembered something from her herbology training about the skin being our largest organ.
“I looked at how many people were using patches – B vitamin patches, hormone patches, seasickness patches,” Dr. Cole would often share. “But I didn’t want to use patches. I’m a bit of a freak about adhesives – if I have to pull off a bandaid, I have to hold my ears and have someone else rip it off because that adhesive hurts!”
This led her to explore beeswax and create X-tracting, her first product (now known as Extraction Balm through Dr. Cole’s Herbal Remedies). The concept was simple but powerful – use the skin to deliver nutrients directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system that often prevents proper absorption of medicines.
When the patient applied X-tracting to the areas of infestation, something remarkable happened. Within weeks, she was walking. As Dr. Cole explained, “The skin really is the largest organ. It absorbs nutrients right into the bloodstream, avoiding all the complications that can happen in the digestive system, especially for people with gallbladder issues or liver problems.”
The Night Kava Calm Was Born
The second product emerged from another powerful moment. Dr. Cole had been using Kava to help patients with panic attacks. One night, parents brought their daughter to Dr. Cole’s kitchen. The girl was completely dissociated – “out of her body,” as Dr. Cole described it.
Dr. Cole was in the middle of experimenting with infusing herbs into oil on her stove. They helped the girl put her hand in the warm mixture, and Dr. Cole applied it to her chest. Within 30 seconds, the girl looked up and asked, “What am I doing here? What’s going on?”
This became Kava Calm (now available as Stress Relief Balm), which went on to help countless people with panic attacks, ADD, ADHD, and depression. One touching story Dr. Cole shared was about her uncle in his 80s, fighting bone cancer. As his wife and Dr. Cole’s mother would rub Kava Calm on him, he’d repeatedly say, “That feels so good, it makes me feel calm.”
A Legacy That Continues
Dr. Janell Cole’s work with MOBU Herbals began in earnest around 2006, when that first high-profile patient – by then recovered – encouraged her to share these products with the world. “She was a real world peace mover,” Dr. Cole would say, explaining how MOBU Herbals grew beyond her private practice.
Though Dr. Cole passed away on April 30, 2019, her healing legacy lives on. Today, her original formulations continue through Dr. Cole’s Herbal Remedies (coleherbals.com). X-tracting is now called Extraction Balm, and Kava Calm has become Stress Relief Balm, but the formulas remain true to Dr. Cole’s original vision.
The story of these products reminds us that sometimes the best healing solutions come from listening to our patients and being willing to try something new. Dr. Cole’s commitment to helping others feel better naturally lives on in every bottle of her carefully crafted formulas, now carrying forward under a new name but with the same healing purpose she intended.