Herbalism
As an herbalist, I have such reverence and love for the plants of the earth and their healing capabilities. In days before modern medicine, we all would have knowledge of how to support our health utilizing the “weeds” growing all around us. We would know how to support our immune systems and strengthen our microbiomes, or soothe aching joints and overworked adrenals...our language may not have sounded like this...but this is because healthy practices were approached more intuitively and had been passed down for generations. We did not have studies on pubmed to help us make informed decisions, but we did have generations of “case studies” to help us identify what worked and what didn’t.
Today, I am happy to say that we do have studies on pubmed to back up the anecdotal “research” of generations passed. In addition, did you know that “one fourth of pharmaceutical drugs are derived from botanicals” (“Herbal medicine | University of Maryland Medical Center,” n.d.)?
This includes medications such as:
Aspirin (derived from White Willow Bark)
Digitoxin (treats congestive heart failure; derived from Digitalis purpurea)
Quinine (treats malaria and babesiosis; derived from Quinine bark)
Pilocarpine (treats glaucoma; derived from Pilocarpus jaborandi)
Paclitaxel (treats lung, breast cancer, and ovarian cancers; derived from Pacifica yew)
Artemisinin (treats malaria; derived from Sweet Wormwood,
Silymarin (treats liver disease; derived from Milk Thistle) (Veeresham, 2012).
My goal as an herbalist is to help those whom I work with, learn how to utilize herbs into their everyday life to support their best and most flourishing state of health; whether that be through cooking with immune supportive herbs, drinking nutrient dense tea, incorporating rejuvenating root powders into their smoothies, or applying anti-inflammatory infused oils topically on the skin.
Contact me here to schedule a session or for general inquiries.
References:
Herbal medicine | University of Maryland Medical Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/treatment/herbal-medicine
Veeresham, C. (2012). Natural products derived from plants as a source of drugs. Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research, 3(4), 200–201. https://doi.org/10.4103/2231-4040.104709