Llewellyn's 2017 Herbal Almanac by Natalie Zaman

Author:Natalie Zaman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: llewellyn's herbal almanac, llewellyns herbal almanac, herbalism, green living, herbs, 2017 herbal almanac, 2017
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2016-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

[contents]

Plant Therapy

by Lupa

It’s the seven o’clock hour on a morning in July. The sun has just cleared the trees to the east, and the soft rays burn off the last of the dawn chill. My hands and knees are rooted in the soil of my plot at the local community garden, where I grow produce for my partner and me. Today is a day for weeding, and as I yank up popweed and thistles, I imagine that I’m methodically removing stressful thoughts from my mind as well. The physical activity gets my blood flowing and clears out the anxieties that plagued me the previous night, and the rising sun boosts my mood.

In midwinter I’m carefully watering my houseplants: swiss cheese vine, spider plants, a variety of rescued succulents left on the side of the road months ago. This is the hardest time of year for me—endless weeks of rain and cold and never feeling quite comfortable. But there’s my little corner by the window where my indoor garden thrives. In absence of outdoor growth, tending to this tiny oasis has become one of the things that will help me get through to spring’s longer days.

May gives its warmth and light to tulips and daffodils, early petunias, and the first roses of the year. I am fortunate enough to be invited to a tour of the therapeutic gardens at a local hospital. The garden director leads us through brick-lined pathways and broad-branched trees. At each stop we get a bit of history on how these gardens were planned and developed and learn of the research that supports their efficacy in helping patients recover more quickly. These cultivated places provide solace for the bereaved, physical therapy opportunities for the injured, and a moment of joy and gentle play for children fighting an array of illnesses. They are a much-needed change from closed-in hallways, beeping machinery, and the ever-constant pain of IV ports and blood draws.

Humans and Nature

It may seem odd to those of us who work with plants that the medical community—and science at large—is just now quantifying the benefits of gardening, hiking, and other exposure to the plant kingdom. Most of you reading this have had experiences similar to the ones I’ve described above. We know how relaxing it is to spend time with our hands in soil, coaxing little sprouts to grow. And we know this relaxation isn’t just in our heads, either; we can bring others to our special green places to feel the same sense of safety and comfort.

So it is that when we engage in gardening and similar activities, we’re being good to ourselves. We need exposure to nature, plants and otherwise, in order to be healthy. As a species, we evolved in wide, grassy savannahs and then later adapted to survive in almost every climate and habitat in the world. Until very recently, within the past several centuries or so, most humans lived in close relationship with the earth; even those who did not farm still hunted, visited the countryside, or traveled over land and water.

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