Remembering the Medicine Beneath Our Feet

Jul 28

Before medicine came in amber bottles and sterile white rooms, it grew beneath our feet.𖧧

For thousands of years, every culture on Earth turned to the forests, meadows, mountains, and gardens for healing. Long before pharmacies existed, there were grandmothers with bundles of herbs hanging from the rafters and healers who knew which roots or herbs to use for different ailments. The Earth was humanity’s first apothecary.

Plants have never simply been “alternative medicine.” They were medicine.

Even today, many of our modern pharmaceuticals trace their origins back to plants. Aspirin was inspired by compounds found in willow bark. Digoxin comes from foxglove. There are countless medications that began as observations of what the natural world had already been doing for centuries.

Modern medicine has accomplished extraordinary things, of course. From emergency surgeries and antibiotics to understanding how viruses and bacteria work. It has saved countless lives. So I am not trying to argue against modern medicine (although we could go down a rabbit hole of the injustices and how harmful modern “medicine” has been towards us, but we will save that for another day). There is definitely a place for modern medicine but I want to invite you to remember that healing has always had more than one language.

Many of us lost our relationship with the plants growing all around us or maybe never even had a relationship to begin with.

We’re taught to spray “weeds” with toxic chemicals (that harm us as well as the environment, I’m looking at you Monsanto) without ever asking why? How many of us have pulled dandelions from our yards but also pay for expensive detox teas made from the very same plant…

Even in the early 1900s, herbal medicine remained a significant part of everyday healthcare in much of the Western world. Physicians regularly prescribed botanical preparations, and pharmacies stocked herbs alongside other remedies. But as medicine became increasingly industrialized the knowledge passed down through generations became less visible and the modern healthcare systems began to reshape how we understood healing. But that’s a rabbit hole we will for sure explore in the next letter, so stay tuned.

For now, I’d rather simply remember.

My hopes in writing this article is to inspire you to rebuild your relationship with plants and the natural world around you. Imagine walking through the woods and recognizing the life growing around you by name!

The Earth has always offered nourishment and support, you just have to pay attention.

I want to give you five amazing plants that I LOVE to work with and also have significant scientific evidence of their healing and supportive benefits. It’s fascinating that science is only now catching up to many of the medicinal uses that Indigenous peoples and traditional healers have practiced for centuries. But I am so glad that these studies are being done.

Ginger

The Awakener

In Ayurveda, ginger is considered one of the greatest warming herbs. It is believed to awaken the digestive fire (Agni). It stimulates circulation and gently warms the body from the inside out. Ginger can help ease nausea and move stagnant energy in your body. If a plant could embody movement it would be ginger.

Drink this every morning to start your day off with vitality 𖤓

Dandelion

The Purifier

Often dismissed as a weed, dandelion has long been viewed as one of nature’s great cleansing allies! It has amazing detox benefits and supports your liver and kidneys so they can properly detox your body. Its flowers are deeply nourishing and have lots of vitamins and antioxidants. In rituals I use to power plant to help me release any toxic energy that may be in my life.

Dong Quai

The Nourisher

Known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as the “female ginseng,” Dong Quai has long been cherished as a nourishing herb for the blood. Traditionally, it is used to support menstrual health, encourage healthy circulation, and restore balance after periods of depletion. Rather than forcing the body into action, Dong Quai is believed to replenish and gently rebuild from within.

I strongly recommend if you have very intense and painful periods to take this herb it has personally helped me from going to losing my ability to see because of how painful my periods were to having pain free periods<3

Ginseng

The Restorer

For thousands of years, ginseng has been treasured as a tonic for vitality and resilience. In TCM, it is believed to strengthen Qi which is the body’s vital life force. Ginseng is said to cultivate lasting strength and restore what has been worn down. Ginseng is also amazing for supporting immune health. If you feel like you need some extra support in your energy and health, ginseng is your guy. I know we all could use a little ginseng in our lives lol

Yarrow

The Guardian

Yarrow has been the companion for many healers and warriors for centuries. Yarrow it has been applied to wounds to help slow bleeding and support the skin’s natural healing. Yarrow can also be ingested to support digestion and the body’s natural inflammatory response!

In my opinion greatest gift plants give us is that they teach us about our relationship with the Earth.

Learning herbal medicine changes the way you walk through the world. The forest is no longer just a place for beautiful scenery and relaxation, its an apothecary. The first apothecary really. There is so much we can learn from “ weeds” and flowers.

Nature has never been separate from us. There is a reason the earth is called Mother Earth or Gaia. She has been caring for us all along.

But this is only the beginning.𖧧

In future letters, I’d love to explore more medicinal herbs, forgotten healing traditions, and the rabbit hole of history of how our relationship with plant medicine has evolved over time.

Until then, perhaps the next time you pass a dandelion growing through the sidewalk, you’ll see something different. 𖧧

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p.s I would love to hear what herbs you feel drawn to or what your own relationship with herbs and plant medicines looks like.𖧧