To work with plants one must first and foremost be a committed ecologist
Musings from the Loo (Gallery) Part 3 (final)
Herbalism is a lifestyle, not a hat worn from 9-5, or 10-3pm. It's how we chose to live our lives, close to nature, in rhythms with the seasons, knowing the cycle of the plants, knowing our regional plant allies, and respecting the elements. This translates to anyone who works closely with plants. Inspiration takes many forms and knows no hours! Plants are with us in our bedrooms, our kitchens, our bathrooms, our gardens , our libraries and our community spaces. Imagine a day where you are not interacting with a plant in some capacity, what are you wearing? what is your morning drink? what are you writing on? etc.
As plant people we are always practicing, and in practice, learning new ways to be in relationship with the plants, new ways to slow down...and listen so that we can truly listen and understand the language of the plants. Those of us who are called to study herbalism know it is a long and slow path...a lifetime of study but also a life time of joy and deep connection.
And it’s that connection piece which I am addressing in this article.
Back in 1991 at the first International Herbal Symposium, attending as a brand new herbalist, having just completed my Diploma in Natural Therapy at (the now defunct) Raworth College of Natural Medicine and Sports Science in the UK, I was introduced to (American) Herbalism by a follow Brit David Hoffman. I do not remember the class title but I do remember writing down Davids words verbatim
“Herbalism is ecology in practice” David Hoffman
It was not until that moment that I made the connection; yes i had begun calling myself an environmentalist from a young age becoming a member of “Friends of the Earth” when it was still a young grassroots organization, and attending rallies at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park as soon as I was old enough to get there! But that I had also chosen a career path that was deeply linked.
Herbalism IS ecology in practice.
That line has informed, shaped the way I have practiced herbalism and taught nature inspired art in the years since then. As all my apprentices have heard me say multiple times you cannot become a good herbalist until you are a committed ecologist/environmentalist. The health of Earth’s ecosystem is the foundation of all health. Individuals cannot live fully healthy or happy lives in poisoned ecosystems and unhealthy communities. Plant life cannot thrive and become healing remedies when the environment is toxic.
Human impact in the in various forms (rising population, resource abuse, greed, and inappropriate technologies) is fast degrading the environment. This impact creates new patterns of human and ecosystem poverty and disease creating a breaking point, elemental imbalance, and the Environmental Crisis we are facing.
Some of the Key Concepts of Ecological Medicine that I have embraced adopted into a Model for Ecological Herbalism
Interdependence
Each of us is deeply connected/interconnected with Earth's ecosystems. Ecological Herbalism is a way of studying and understanding where we live and learning about the ecosystem around us. We are nature.
“The universe is a continuous web. Touch it at any point and the whole web quivers” - Stanley Kunitz
Resilience
Health in humans and ecosystems is not a static, stagnant state but a dynamic one, one which flows… marked by resilience, flexibility and adaptability. The World Health Organization defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,’ health is not about the absence of anything; it’s an active state, we have to work at it.
Health without harm
Health care should not undermine the environment or public health. I believe that every practitioner should be familiar with the “Hippocratic Oath” Hippocrates counseled physicians to “revere the healing force of nature.” Just because we are herbalists, it does not automatically mean that we are “not harming” (If you are not familiar with the Three Traditions of Healing (S. Weed) it is worth the read.)
Appropriateness
"Medicine," in its Greek origins, means "appropriate measures” The goal is to achieve maximal health with minimal intervention! I feel like the 6 Steps of Healing by Susun Weed is a good starting place to create and to that we add the stanza “without overburdening Earth's life-sustaining processes”
Diversity
Health is served by diverse and integrated approaches, including many traditional healing systems, indigenous medicines, local medicines, and modern medicine in a thoughtful manner.
“Diversity creates harmony, and harmony creates beauty, balance, bounty and peace in nature and society, in agriculture and culture, in science and in politics.”- Vandana Shiva
Reconciliation
How we practice? Accessibility to all, Individual health care services should be economically sustainable, equitable, modest in scale, of high quality, noncommercial, supporting values and principles which put the earth health first. Herbalism is the medicine of belonging, the direct experience of the whole healing the part. Recognize & understand how all forms of oppression exist in the realms of herbalism & natural medicine, continuing to harm individuals and communities. The relationship between healing plants and people can be seen as Gaia in action.
Community/Cooperation
In order to gain knowledge and improve practices, relationships, connections, alliances of mutuality must be built between all life forms and disciplines.
“We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we’ve lost our connection to ourselves.” ― Andy Goldsworthy
The Changing World, the climate crisis should be an urgent call to action individually and collectively. Understanding the ominous changes in the biosphere should compel us to act, individually and collectively. Whether it is in the way we create more free clinics; make, grow, and use medicines; guerrilla plant gardens, or choose the means of maintaining our own health, we need to do so with a commitment to enhancing life on Earth!
It is impossible to be good herbalists/plant people with out first and foremost being an environmentalist. We need clean water, clean air, healthy soil in order to make vibrant herbal medicines. We have to care for, protect, and step out of our comfort zones to work for the elements.
Without a healthy planet there is no true health! Our wellbeing is ultimately dependent on the wellbeing of our environment. Living locally, eating local foods, protecting the waters and using the medicinal plants of our region will help to keep us healthier as individuals and also help us to re-inhabit the place we live with a more physical, cellular, and natural connection.
Come and celebrate Earth Day with us and learn how to capture the beauty of natural plant material on paper. Eco-printing (Botanical Contact Printing) refers to the act of using plant materials to directly apply color and printed marks to textiles and paper.
Blazing Star Herbal School is dedicated to teaching traditional herbal medicine and Botanical Art forms in a way that supports a more sustainable future for all members of the green world and shows respect for the integrity of nature. We offer a unique perspectives on herbalism, weaving social and political aspects of health and healing through the study of medicinal herbs and food practices. We inspire students to find their own healing path by creating a personal relationship with the plant world.