In Nature, the ailment and the solution are often found together. What is Nature trying to teach us through the plant medicine that is found in our own backyards?
Take, for instance, my humble corner of the globe in Western Massachusetts: Ticks and tick-borne diseases are a major health concern. In the very same environment where Lyme and co-infections abound, nature also presents to us an invasive plant called Japanese Knotweed. The roots of this plant are a bright orange color, and they contain the potent phytochemical resveratrol, which has antioxidant and mitochondria-protecting properties that are known to support individuals living with chronic Lyme.
Japanese Knotweed grows so voraciously that it has outcompeted many native species of plants in the forest ecosystem–It’s almost as though this plant’s persistence is Nature’s way of sending us a message.
Herbalism in Hawaii
Hiking to a waterfall in Waimea Canyon, Kauai.
Several days ago, we went on a hike in Waimea Canyon in Kauai, Hawaii, through a thicket of wild ginger. We hiked like goats along 4,000 foot cliffs, winding our way to a waterfall that was overflowing with elderberry bushes.
I thought for a second that this would be the perfect place to get sick with the flu, and I nicknamed the trail the “Cough Syrup Hike.”
In nature, the ailment and the solution are often found together.
Wild ginger stalks grow well past 7 ft tall (the author poses for scale).
Wild Sambucus mexicana, a warmth-loving variety of elderberry, thrives in the rich volcanic soil adjacent to a waterfall in Waimea Canyon, Kauai.
Soil erosion reveals a near-infinite supply of wild ginger rhizomes in Waimea Canyon, Kauai.
A Trip to Kilauea Farmer’s Market
We went to the farmer’s market in Kauai last week in a town called Kilauea. It seemed like more of a locals’ market–way fewer tourists, and an incredible selection of produce and herbs: fruits like noni, soursop, papaya, pineapple, and coconut.
The Hawaiian noni fruit. This fruit was traditionally only consumed by Hawaiians during famine times. When it is ripe, it smells like stinky cheese. The fruit has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be consumed as food or applied externally, and it is an excellent source of probiotic bacteria.
It made me reflect on how each of these foods serves a bio-individual, geographically specific purpose when consumed by the people who reside here.
Take coconut, for instance. Coconut, which grows in the tropics, is filled with plant medicine! Coconut water nourishes us with electrolytes–It is an excellent source of potassium and magnesium. Coconut meat contains stable, saturated fats that resist oxidation from exposure to light and heat. It is therefore an excellent oil to cook with at medium to low temperatures. Coconut meat contains capric and caprylic acids–fatty acids that are known for their anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties.
If you don’t live in the tropics, this plant medicine could still be helpful for supporting balance in your body, but it won’t have that same bio-individual/geo-specific response to the ailments in your region.
What Happens When We Outsource Our Healing?
While even I as a practitioner use tinctures and formulas that contain herbs from around the world to support my clients, I think that Nature teaches us important lessons in our own backyard.
In our local forests, we observe the plants that are presented to us in our immediate environment. Like our ancestors, we improvise with what is at hand, rather than outsourcing our health with plant medicine from halfway across the world.
Mother Nature wants to give us life, if only we have the patience to observe her gifts.
Work With Me
If you’re interested in learning more about what it would be like to work together, here is a link to book a free 30-minute discovery call.
