why work with an herbalist?
The wild ways of plant medicine are going through a kind of renaissance at the moment. Folks from around the world are re-discovering our ancient, ancestral ways of working with herbal medicine and finding creative ways to call them into the lives we live here and now. There’s more information out there about taking herbs, making herbal medicine at home, harvesting herbs from the Salt Lake City area (and everywhere else in the world!), and more. All of this is fantastic as it returns plant medicine to the hands of the people where it belongs. While all of us can become proficient in providing essential herbal care at home, there’s something truly magical about working with a dedicated and experienced herbalist. Here are a few reasons why you might like to work with an herbalist as you explore your own connection to herbal medicine- whether you’re here in Utah where I am or across the ocean.
1 - The Journey
Have you ever noticed that when you’ve got a toothache, the minute you book a dentist appointment or show up to the waiting room, the pain seems to fade? There’s something so powerful about letting someone else walk with us as we go on our healing journeys- and our bodies, minds, and spirits respond so well to it. Working with an herbalist means that you don’t have to go it alone. Rather, you get an experienced guide you can help you learn, explore, experience, and reach goals as you’ve defined them.
2 - Experience, Competence, and Confidence
A professional clinical herbalist has gone through years and years of training, mentorship, and working experience. They’ve seen hundreds of people who are working on a variety of things, and they’ve learned how to best be supportive to those people no matter what their goals are. Having someone with that much experience under their nails to be on your wellness team can dramatically change how effective your herbal journey is.
3 - The Forest For The Trees
Have you ever noticed that sometimes we can’t see our own ‘stuff’ the way other people do? Sometimes it takes another person to get a perspective outside ourselves to identify patterns, potentials, pitfalls, and possibilities that are in our blind spots. A qualified herbalist is experienced in helping you to look back on your own experiences and narratives in a way that can help expose the roots of long-standing issues so that they can be handled properly.
4 - The Internet Lies
Not all information online is equal, nor are all herbal books good. Anyone can pen an article, blog post, youtube video, or even book these days, and many people share information that is misrepresented, incomplete, lacking nuance, or just plain wrong. Herbs go through fads all the time- there’s always a ‘cure all’ herb out there that everyone talks about. Working with an experienced herbalist in Salt Lake City, Utah can help you avoid misinformation and wasted time and money so that you can focus on the herbs that are suited to you as an individual.
5 - Constitution and Formulation is Complex
Superior herbalism, in all its many cultural and traditional forms, relies not on someone memorizing lists of what an herb is ‘good for’ and then treating people, but on the herbalist having a deep and nuanced understanding of the energetics, temperaments, and actions of various herbs and how they will unfold within someone’s unique being. Throwing an herb at someone that’s ‘good for the lungs’ because they have respiratory issues will have a 50/50 efficacy at best. An excellent professional herbalist understands and has experienced the ways in which different herbs with an affinity for a body system or function differ from one another and will change their effects based on the type of person who takes them in medicinal form. This is where herbalism gets really, really effective!
6 - Herbalists are often really great people to connect with. Many of them teach classes, hold workshops, lead herbal foraging walks, medicine making labs, and other community events in addition to their clinical work. Getting to know your local Utah herbalist is a fantastic way to engage more with herbs, learn more about the plants and yourself, and explore your herbalism.
When it comes to working with a clinical herbalist, I suggest finding someone with at least 4 years of structured education, 2 years of mentorship with a practicing herbalist, and a proven track record of formulating remedies, medicine crafting, serving the community, and being a go-between from the plants to the human worlds. You should feel confident and curious about asking your herbalist about their qualifications, education, and experience- this is not only normal, it’s welcome! We love talking about how we learned and what we’ve experienced. You are also encouraged to ask your herbalist if they’ve worked with other folks in your situation, or if they know someone who has whom they can refer you to.
No matter who you work with, I wish you all the beauty, harmony, and power that comes from connecting to our green allies.
