Shifting from curing to improving - taking the pressure off as an herbalist.
When I first thought about being an herbalist, I was afraid I would be in many situations I couldn't fix. I feared letting people down, not learning enough, or not knowing the right things. Initially, I worked on myself, tried remedies, and took mental notes. (I am always so happy to find that occasional physical note where I wrote down what worked instead of assuming I would remember!) After seeing some positive effects on my health, I began looking for ways to help my family. I studied every ailment they had. Sore throat? No problem, I would take six hours of classes on that and still feel I was missing something. I suffered from wanting to be overly prepared. My mom was a professional Girl Scout; that motto is always in my head. Be Prepared. I didn't want to give anyone the wrong herb. Can you relate?
Do other herbalists begin this way? I want the first experience with an herb to be positive, much like you hope to make an excellent first impression. I suffered paralysis by analysis. At some point, I looked at my herb closet - now more of an herb room - and realized it was time to share. I’d been making medicine but keeping it all to myself.
Sometimes, we can point to a specific event that changed us in the best way.
For me, it was a phone call about my grandson. Leo had a terrible diaper rash, and nothing was working. His little bottom was almost bleeding. Are you a grandma? You can feel the pain that went through me. You might relate to the fear I felt. The knowledge there wasn't time for six hours of classes and that my kids needed me. I have to add that Leo spent the first 80 days of his life in the NICU, so I was very paranoid about experimenting.
But being a parent brings out that risk-taker in all of us. We will try anything to help those we love. So I gave myself 15 minutes to think about it, made up a simple combination salve, and took it over.
I saw the doubt on my son’s face when I whipped out my salve container.
My daughter-in-law Jessie said, “wow, it’s like…really green!”
Here’s a pic of the Chickweed oil I used as a base.
I took a deep breath and changed Leo’s diaper. Then I said, “if this doesn’t improve things in 24 hours, we’ll try something else.” I felt a little happy when he didn’t scream as I put my salve on his poor bottom. We all watched in awe over the next few hours as his skin improved. We were ecstatic the next day when his bottom was barely pink.
Why was this small victory such a big deal?
It made me take a step back. I realized I’d put myself in the position of thinking I had to solve all the problems I faced. I’d not considered the value of making things better.
I now look at herbal medicine as a process:
We can try different approaches until something improves.
We can work with people to find solutions.
Natural healing becomes a journey, not an outcome.
I switched my focus to the little problems that come up daily instead of herbs for COPD or Epilepsy. (Let’s be honest, those people would not come to me for help, thank goodness!)
Lots of little things feel big. Think of the pain of a bee sting or the itch of poison ivy. Think of your last round of hay fever or sleepless nights.
People don’t like to suffer. Finding success with little things has built my confidence. It’s also helped my family develop an appreciation for plants. Now it’s not unusual for Jessie to call and ask, “Do you have an herb for…?”
What’s your favorite way to use your herbs, or what would you like to learn?