The truth about herbalism…

The true story about herbalism from my eyes…

From first glance it seems herbalism is specifically the study of medicinal plants and herbs and using them for medicinal purposes. But you see, it is so much more than that.

Herbalism is the art of noticing, and the practice of remembering.

This week I had the opportunity to attend a Seed Saving conference. I had the chance to see some different indigenous seed saving practices, along with some more modern approaches to seed saving. It was really potent, and I find myself still sitting with the medicine of that conference.

So depth on that, is a topic for another time.

But at this conference, a woman approached me and said “so you’re an herbalist?” to which I responded- yes!

She then asked me “so what do you do, study the properties of plants?”

And in a flash it had me thinking. I didn’t have the most simple answer for her question, that I felt she wanted a simple answer for. I’ve noticed this in educational spaces when people ask about my work. They want simple answers to “what I do.” Which I feel often hides under the blanket of “how do you make money in this career?”

And so, I gave her a more simple answer. I said yes, in essence that is what I do.

What I was thinking was very different. How can I begin to explain to someone what herbalism really is?

That it is so much more than medicine making and studying. That truly, it is the art of noticing and the practice of remembering.

That through herbalism I have learned to listen so closely to nature, and a lot of my work is simply noticing. Noticing the smallest of things as much as I can and listening to the stories they tell.

Or how would I even explain that herbalism is the practice of learning to decolonize the structures that have kept us confined for centuries. That in this practice you begin to rewire the entire way you think and see how much conditioning, capitalism and colonalism play a role in our thinking. And that inherently herbalsim is not separate from this. And that we cannot learn about the plants without learning about where they come from and about the indigenous communities whose land these plants existed and exist on. About the keepers that have been protecting earth for ages.

And that we cannot be in relationship with the earth and plants without seeing all of this.

How do I explain that when we practice herbalism we remember who we are in the truest form. That we learn more about ourselves and the world around us. And we see things as both so simple and so complex.

How do I explain that herbalism is a form of resistance to structures that have kept people small and silent for far too long.

How do I explain that herbalism isn’t the study of plants but the understanding of the connection to everything.

Herbalism is this intricate beautifully woven tapestry where every single thread matters.

It is a practice of getting to the root of things. Of stepping outside of allopathic thinking and learning to listen and understand our bodies signals. And how stimuli, stress, and conditioning affect our mental, emotional and physical health.

How do I explain that herbalism is learning that we have centuries old nervous systems that were made to live more simply and take in less information. And that our current world doesn’t support that, which is why so many of us live in a constant state of fight or flight.

Herbalism is looking to ancient practices like fire making and rituals that surround the fire.

Herbalism is seeing the connection people have had with the earth for centuries and upholding respect for those traditions.

Herbalism is believing that the tiniest of indigenous seeds are to be protected and held sacred by those that they belong to. And that there are wisdom keepers and indigenous people who have every single right to deny giving their sacred seeds to people outside of their communities.

In my workshops I often tell people, you’re more of an herbalist than you think. Because often, people are. We get attached to labels and what they mean of us- and how that relates to the money we make. And this is a very captialistic way to think.

So I understand that when people are asking me what I do as an herbalist, they more so want to understand how I make money- because that feels complicated to them.

And you know what, it is complicated- but also so simple. It’s actually about simplicity altogether- and getting back to that simplicity.

It’s not about money, and I have learned that I can’t expect most people to understand this. I often have to remind myself that the majority of people don’t come from this way of thinking. That most of the people in our society have been conditioned to not see this deeply. Or that that population of people has become louder than the ones of us who lurk in the shadows of earth noticing.

And maybe that is the difference, who’s loud & who’s quiet.

Because of course- how could you possibly hear the earth below you if you’re mind and life is filled with noise.

I do believe every person has the capacity to remember. To remember this truth and to return to simplicity. But I believe that takes practice, along with some very raw and vulnerable honesty. And that takes bravery and courage.

And with that bravery and courage we can tune into the art of noticing and the practice of remembering; the heart of herbalism.