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herbs require relationship. this is a major difference between conventional medicine (for lack of a better term) and working with plants. some see this relationship requirement as a hurdle, because it takes more time and effort. but i think it's part of the medicine.
herbs require relationship. this is a major difference between conventional medicine (for lack of a better term) and working with plants. some see this relationship requirement as a hurdle, because it takes more time and effort. but i think it's part of the medicine.
okay, i overstated it a bit. you can treat herbs like conventional medicine, grabbing goldenseal and echinacea every time you get sick. it's possible to swap out nyquil and use (and i mean that word, "use") wild lettuce to the same ends. but i would argue that's not herbalism.
if you are coming to herbalism with "i want to do medicine but naturally" that's a step but it's not the whole thing. holistic herbalism is about changing our relationship to our bodies, the earth, and our definition of wellness. it's not a swap of a pill for an herb or two.
& i'm not at all against working w/ conventional treatments. even though i know it does bad things to my stomach, sometimes i don't have the patience or energy to work w/ herbs for a headache. it's one of those days and i just want advil.
sometimes we come to herbalism w/ chronic illness & pain. w/ fatigue. it is tough to tell people who are so tired and who have often been done so dirty by conventional medicine: hey, your herbal protocol means you're making yourself tea 3 times a day & applying a salve as often.
& also movement & nutrition & sleep hygiene, & & &. it can be too much. so we have to be thoughtful about these effort levels and help people find what's honestly possible. so there's that side to it, and that's so important.
at the same time, i *mostly* love that most herbal remedies don't work like time-release capsules & that we have to continuously welcome them into our lives throughout the day. there's something saturn about it all, the commitment required. a commitment to yourself, & the plants.
you start to experience rose like a dear friend who has your back. yarrow, like a guardian. plantain, the healer. you learn that this plant that works well for someone else doesn't really sit well in your body, and that's okay.
there's privilege in this. to have the time and the energy to work this way. we have to get creative when people have lives that have so little room in them, and we can. plus that conversation alone is a healthful one to have, to hold space for someone's utter lack of it.
when people are like "but do herbs work?" yeah, and some of them "work" right away. but a lot of them are meant to be foods, tonics, or they build us up over time, reminding our bodies of what they can do but have forgotten. i think that's so beautiful.
[okay, that's it for now]
also, hi, i have herbal/astro-herbal consult availability in march https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=category%3AHerbal%20Consults&owner=19888362
also, hi, i have herbal/astro-herbal consult availability in march https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=category%3AHerbal%20Consults&owner=19888362
