My Journey Into Herbalism

My journey into herbalism has been a tremendous one. I want to talk a bit about it today-about where I've come from and where I'm going in this realm of plant medicine.

The first plants I raised were culinary herbs. I planted them at a friend's house, a gift for a cook. It's funny looking back on that adventure and all the curiosities I experienced with my first plant babies.

When I moved in with my dad, he built us raised beds and planted fruit trees. I started planting native plants after I read about their importance and how I could attract & support endangered wildlife with them.

Very quickly, I found that all of these native plants hold memories of us. I discovered the relationships Native people had built with Skullcap, Yarrow, Echinacea, Bee Balm, Sleeping Hibiscus, Sunflower, and Prairie-Tea. I bought books on native plant landscaping, started transforming my entire yard, and serendipitously landed a job at @wildscaperslandscaping doing exactly that.

For years, I couldn't bring myself to harvest or forage from my home landscape or from wild areas. I would cry at the thought of the bees having one less flower to drink, the snakes or frogs one less place to nest.

But herbalism pushed itself into my life despite my resistance. I would bring home landscaping cuttings from job sites, many of which were medicinal. And although, in my disability and struggle, I could not make room in my life to learn much about them, I processed them and stored them away for the future.

I knew I would get to them one day.

As a child, I lived far from others. There wasn't much else to do than explore the world outside. My natural inclination was to mix potions of dried moss, lake mud, juniper berries, and bones. I would wander to places I wasn't allowed, in awe of the great things I saw - like the beaver dams or antlion trap fields. I was mystified by the archway of vines at my neighbor's house and another neighbor showed me how to make a bird feeder and food out of a log and peanut butter.

Everything was enchanted.

I don't think it's a coincidence that this is my path now. I have known it for a long time. It becomes clearer to me every day.

I understand the reciprocity of these relationships. The plants are not here only for us. They are here for everyone, everything. One aspect of their presence is to speak with us, to be with us, and to heal us. I believe we are here now to see them, to help them, to save them, to honor them, and to learn, respect, and revive all of the traditions that do so.

My place in this world is in this space, nuzzled in the cranny between plants and humanity.

And the place of starting is always with myself. I will develop the skills necessary to rebuild human relationships with our world- with our plant, fungi, animal, and spirit friends.

I've spent the last years exploring the emotional, spiritual, and chemical relationships these plants offer to me. They've provided gentle soothings, fastidious wisdom, great acts of alchemy, and wonderful conversations and company.

My purpose now is to introduce you to them.