Update on a Community Collaboration (a guest post)

 
Adrian Williams is an herbalist living in Canton. Learn about his plant-based offerings at birchleafbotanicals.com. He also works at Nature’s Storehouse, a natural food, supplement, and herb shop located on Main Street in Canton.


It was early afternoon on a chilly Saturday this past February – to be fair, almost every day in February was chilly – and a group of herbal enthusiasts stood crowded around a table at Deep Root.

We had just finished a class on herbal approaches to digestive health. The participants – ranging in age from early adulthood to past retirement – were putting together their own herbal concoctions. Ideas and questions were bubbling. Should I use cinnamon or citrus peel? Go with the milder burdock or the crazy bitter gentian? Students chose the herbs most suited to their constitution, applying what they had just learned with creativity, curiosity, and excitement. They would take their formulas home and put them to use in the weeks to come.

This class and three others like it were sponsored by Nature’s Storehouse this winter and spring. Although the classes were geared toward adults, it was apt that we held them at Deep Root, a community resource that encourages and fosters self-directed learning and following the lead of one’s curiosity.

Using herbs for health and healing was the focus of the class series. Folks came to learn about plants and together we explored ways to redefine health not as mere absence of disease but rather as an abundance of energy, vitality and spirit. At each class the spark of excitement was evident as folks learned about herbs, made connections to the plant world, and discovered how to apply the new-found knowledge in their own lives.

It is also exciting to see the energy and positive results that happen when community organizations work together for the benefit of all. In this case, Nature’s Storehouse, located a few doors down from Deep Root, wanted to offer classes to the public but lacked a classroom space. Maria and Deep Root stepped in and generously offered to let us use their space, which proved to be just the right size.

The herbal approaches to wellness class series was well attended and – to judge by the enthusiasm of participants – a considerable success. With a bit of luck we’ll be offering more classes at Deep Root in the near future.

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