The Tenets of Bioregional Herbalism
And how my practice is evolving...
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Do not resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality.” - Lao Tzu
The past 14 months of life in Milford has been nothing short of idyllic. The days ebb & flow, the seasons change. It is beautiful here. Gone are the days of rushing through life. Rushing early in the morning to get ready, get the kids dropped off on time. Race to work, work vacuously hard. Scramble to get dinner on the table, bath and bedtime routines. Maybe a load of laundry and a few moments for your own thoughts… Life almost seems to move more slowly now. We have space to grow, fresh air to breathe, the time to form our own thoughts. This is a season of healing. This is a season of change.
There’s still alot going on, don’t get me wrong! My path still winds and dips, same as anyone else’s, decisions carving out our lives. Amidst the chaos that is homeschooling while working from home, I’ve also started acquiring a formal education in herbalism. Why? Because I came to the realization that I don’t want to operate on an allopathic, impersonal, “take-this-for-this”, product-based business model. There is so much to learn and know. About plants, about people. About constitutions, actions, energetics. Affinities, organ systems, tissue states. The different systems we can use to understand the magic in everything around us... Not understanding all of this, or at least trying my darn best to do so, is doing a disservice to my clients and simply not living up to my role as a healer.
So, on that note: I have suspended my online shops, for now. My products are absolutely still available! Please feel free to reach out to me about them. But I feel and understand the importance of learning to embrace a more holistic, vitalist approach within my practice of herbalism. The past 14 months have also included welcoming bioregional herbalism into my practice, or using plants that are native to my area. This week I decided to author the tenets of bioregional herbalism that I apply in my own practice.
The Tenets of Bioregional Herbalism
Trust the vitality of nature
Meaning simply, let wild plants be. Observe and learn from them. What are they telling us about themselves? Also, trust that where they are is where they belong. If they were able to grow here on their own accord, they can live here on their own accord. Resist the urge to pluck up a useful plant and transplant it elsewhere, or construct a garden around a certain plant population. Every relationship in your life should be based in trust and respect, including your relationship with nature. This starts by learning to listen.
Wildcrafting
There is no better way to get acquainted with a plant than by incorporating your senses. And what better way than to find and harvest them in the wild? Foraging can help us better understand the plants we consume and/or work with and when we acquire our resources directly from nature, we also don’t have to worry about modern-day concepts like inflation or supply chain issues…
Wildtending
When we take from nature, we must give back. It’s all about balance. A bioregional approach to herbalism means using local plants for medicine making, but also taking on the responsibility of looking after those native plant populations. Gently tending them, helping them to flourish. It means taking on the responsibility of never overharvesting, and always protecting the ecosystem.
Experiential learning
You picked the plant. Now what? It doesn’t come processed and neatly packaged, ready to be added to your preparation. You can order your ingredients online or buy them in a store… but you can’t purchase the experience of processing your own raw plant ingredients. Processing plants is an artform in & of itself.
Seasonal Living
I will venture to speculate that local plants, probably your closest neighbors, as living beings- in the same natural rhythm as you, seasonally and geographically, may be more compatible with your own energetics. If you have no plants on your property and aren’t in the position to grow things yourself, then you can choose to buy from and support someone locally who is.
And as I sit here under the new moon, sipping a steaming cup of pine needle tea, I feel thankful that I am able to form & get these thoughts out. Thanks for reading them.
Happy Thanksgiving. :)