My first experiments with herbal medicine involved the process of making tea. This is one of the oldest and least complex methods of imbibing the medicinal compounds of plants with water as the solvent. In all plant based medicine making there must be some means of breaking into the plant cell wall in order to extract and derive the valuable nutrients and healing constituents therein. These compounds must not only be extracted, but also held in some form of menstruum, such as water.

Every culture on Earth has used plants as medicine since the beginning of time. Each culture in every region of the world developed their own healing systems in which plant based medicaments were an integral part.  The modern tradition of herbal medicine that I have been trained in and currently practice is what is called Western Herbalism. This healing art is based on a synergy of Traditional European and Native American plant based healing.  I was also trained, to a lesser degree, in Chinese Five Element theory and Ayurveda, but continue to return to the precepts of Old World medicine that is now called herbalism.  I am grateful to have gained the knowledge and some minimal understanding of these other modalities, but feel most adept at fully understanding, embracing and providing to clients with the practice of my ancestors and of the First People of my bioregion. Perhaps this is because of my deep love and connection to the beauty and wisdom of the Northeast forests that are brimming with Native plants and vast meadows where many European plants have proliferated and naturalized.  Many of these plants have crossed with similar Native species and are oftentimes impossible to tell which is which.