Mystery or Chemistry?: The Craft of Herbalism and the Role of the Herbalist

A number of people have asked me what exactly is herbalism? What does it mean to be an herbalist? If you say something about herbal tea, most people think of chamomile (and rightfully so, chamomile is a wonderful herb!) and maybe think of the Celestial Seasonings shelf in the grocery store. Luckily for all of us, there is so much more to herbalism!

In the most basic sense, herbalism is about the connection of humans to plants. In one sense it

is utilizing the chemical and physical properties of plants to remedy and support the health of humans. There are herbs that can help nearly any condition or disease. There are herbs for gallstones, sinus infection, viral illness, panic attacks, seasonal depression, painful menstruation, diarrhea, seasonal allergies, bruises, high blood pressure, AIDs, cancer, stroke, etc, etc, etc! There are billions of plants that offer healing to us in a very physical and palpable way. They do so in a way that is natural and do not burden the liver or have side effects the way so many medications do. There are a few herbs that it is very good to exercise caution with, but most herbs are perfectly safe.

Plants offer something else to us beyond their physical properties. For whatever magical reason yarrow seems to offer help to the person that has some sort of bleeding or circulatory imbalance, but it also offers aid to those that seem to be bleeding or wounded spiritually. Mugwort not only helps bring on and balance menstruation, but also brings on dreams and a somewhat mystical state. Elder stimulates circulation and fights viruses, while also bringing healing to those who seem spiritually empty inside or unfulfilled. Agrimony is helpful for a large array of digestive imbalances, but is also helpful for the person who smiles through their emotional pain. Reishi mushroom not only boosters the immune system and nourishes the adrenals, but also nourishes the heart/mind connection. Many of the bitters such as gentian, dandelion, and burdock not only aid digestive imbalances but also put one in touch with their gut instincts. These are only a small sampling. Every medicinal herb offers something beyond the physical side to healing. There is a non-physical aspect to plant healing that can be difficult to name or describe. For me, it is a spiritual experience that leaves me deeply grateful to the earth and the plants she has given us for our healing paths.

The fact that plants provide so much to one's healing path also means that there are specific herbs for each specific person. This is where it is so handy to have an herbalist! For one, it is

helpful to have someone with knowledge of the hundreds of medicinal herbs available to us. However, there is so much more than considering medicinal action that happens in true healing. As an herbalist when I sit with someone I am thinking about herbal actions, the energetics and disposition of the person, how the ailment of the client is connected to other organ systems or factors, the complete bodily and non-bodily journey of the person sitting with me, their psychological and spiritual health and how that is mirrored in their body. I use my knowledge, but I also open my intuition and heart. For me being an herbalist is part spiritual practice.

I spend a lot of time gathering herbs, researching medicinal actions of herbs, learning about the systems of the body, and crafting tinctures and other herbal products. But, I also spend a lot of time building a relationship with plants in a spiritual way. I honor and thank the earth through ceremony and ritual and in return the earth seems to just keep giving. I aim to be the conduit between the plants and the person who is seeking to be healed. It is simply a matter of listening to which herbs speak to the needs of a particular person and being able to relay that message. Sure, it's a little whacky and “woo woo,” but so are many of the things in life that are worthwhile and meaningful.

So, I struggle to answer questions about what herbalism is or what does it mean to be an herbalist. I can feel my two feet straddling two very different worlds. On the one hand there is the very practical and physical side of herbalism. A summary of chemical constituents and plant actions. But then there is the other more mysterious side. The story of the particular powers of a plant for which there is no obvious explanation. The empirical and the magical inhabiting one space.