Learning about herbs

Last week a long awaited book arrived and it's was worth the wait. If anyone's looking for a beautiful present for a herbalist or garden lover this would be one I would recommend.

National Geographic Herbal by Mimi Prunella Hernandez features 100 herbs from around the world. The photography is stunning and it has good descriptions of what the herbs are used for and their history as well as how to use the herbs. It also has chapters on different aspects of herbalism.

After listening to Mimi's talk at conference this year, it really made me think. Yes, on one hand I am a brown bottle herbalist and I feel so many people benefit from this. On the other hand, I am a gardener and forager and I like the more relaxed style of folksy herblism.

Being able to pick a leaf or make a tea from a herb that I have either growing in my garden or one I can find a couple of hundred metres down the road at the riverbed is exciting for me. For example, my daughter reacted to some kind of insect bite and I was able to show her where the plantain was in my garden and what to do with it to support healing.

I also have needed to think about how can I support my clients as well as friends and family. I like empowering others with herbal knowledge, including safety and simple inexpensive ways they can support their bodies. I feel that is one role for me as a herbalist.

How can people learn more about herbs? Joining their local herb society or Herb Federation NZ. I am a member of the Canterbury Herb Society and there is a lot of wonderful information from the members. Courses like this one that HFNZ offers are affordable https://herbs.org.nz/education/certificate-course/ There are also a lot of wonderful books out there like Mimi’s and others by Rosemary Gladstar, Neal’s Yard and Rosalee de la Foret that have good information.