There’s something powerful to me about these herb weekends. Perhaps it’s that nearly every time I go on one of these weekends, and I am immersed in the systems of the human body and how plants can help to stimulate the efficiency and heal those systems, I understand more profoundly about the relationship people have with plants and landscape. Intuitively, it’s a no brainer for me – because I am a plant nerd. My children are named for trees. But, to have some quantifiable proof of the healing powers of plants from sources like Roger Ulrich at Texas A& M, Sloan Kettring’s index of herbal plants, and the anecdotal evidence from our instructors through their years as clinicians, strengthens my case for integrating medicinal plants into the landscape for aesthetics and for personal/ecological restoration….One of the things that stands out to me from this weekend, is not anything that anyone said, but the beauty of the plants that were growing on the farm. The forms of these plants are beautiful. Spending time looking at each one, and making connections to how they are used, and how I have used them made the experience of seeing them incredibly meaningful to me. In these times where so little is within our “control” and when so much is fast paced, slowing down to get to know plants on the levels of healing, beauty and ecological context feels almost decadent to me. But that’s the power of taking that time. Taking time – instead of letting someone else take it for you – is a process that once begun re-establishes your connections to your self, to your family and to your world. That’s healing.
 |
| clary sage |
 |
| comfrey |
 |
| elderflower |
 |
| blue flag iris |
 |
| angelica |
 |
| wild yam |
 |
| arnica |
