This piece is so very rich, thank you so much for verbalising and hitting so
Many truths.
I am not a herbalist and have always gone to a registered medicinal herbalist for their expertise and knowledge.
I am UK based and post menopausal, but find it so difficult to see how this life stage is treated by the ‘wellness industry’ (menopause). Its viewed as something to fix and cure and push through and I feel deeply for women at this life stage.
I love this quote especially “The body, once a site of intuition and communication, becomes a project to correct”
How can people come back to themselves when bombarded with expectations of how they should be navigating this life.
I love that you are shining light on some of the dark corners of wellness 🙏
As a registered herbal practitioner with over 20 years experience I have seen many shifts in this space. I have much respect for those who have an honest desire to learn, but take umbrance with those who put themselves forward as experts and then damage the reputation of our profession due to inexperience or lack of knowledge. Much of what my ancestors taught is being lost, so I applaud people who want to write about and record our herbal heritage. However this means nothing if it comes from simply regurgatating, then rebranding what others have written without first and foremost sitting with, and learning from the plant itself. Thank you for stimulating a thoughtful discussion on this important topic.
This resonates deeply. Especially the idea of rebranding tradition and extracting the pieces we can digest in this culture out of the broader context. I'm starting to touch on this a bit as I continue to write on here. social media and the age of information has made knowing what's "authentic" or accurate nearly impossible.
Thank you for writing this piece! I’m particularly interested in seeking wellbeing through a cultural lens — i.e. what has been passed down to me from my Indian and American kin, including elements of wellbeing that might have been lost or erased in processes of migration and upheaval. This sometimes feels at odds with my desire to understand my local plant landscape — eating locally, growing / foraging for my own herbs, despite the fact that my current home is not one of familial origin.
Very insightful. I do think many people approach wellness the same way they have been taught and conditioned to approach health—as a commodity that can be bought. I try to teach a preventative approach to health and wellness as a lifestyle to be lived and not a commodity you can buy. It’s a completely different mindset. That said, I find Mountain Rose Herbs to be impeccable with their approach to organic and ROC (regenerative organic certified) herbal products.
I absolutely loved this read. As a student Naturopath with a strong focus in herbalism you highlight how important knowledge and experience is. Wellness has become synonymous with the new age marketing of age old wisdom, herbs repackaged for the masses with often little consideration of the repercussions.
I absolutely love reading (and re-reading) your articles, listening to the way that you speak of herbs as the living things they are. Reminding us of just how powerful plant constituents are and the respect that they deserve. Thank you for the discussions you start and the information you share.
Thank you for this thoughtful and well balanced piece full of compassion for the reasons people seek wellness and may get caught unaware. As an oncology nurse, I have many experiences that can speak to when this happens. I also don’t shame or blame my patients for seeking alternative wellness and in many cases encourage it. But where there is a need there can be greed and I also see that happening to heartbreaking effects. I pray those with pure intentions and objective outlooks in all the many fields of wellness (spiritual, herbal, western, eastern, mental health, etc) can simultaneously work towards helping people in a way that transcends trends and relies on truth.
Could not agree with you more on all of the points you have made in this article. Thank you for adding your voice and your thoughts to this important conversation.
I'm all for it. We should be adoring health. After way too many years of TV medical soaps... making being sick interesting and a magnet for personal attention, and promoting arm chair "diagnostics"... I really don't care HOW we get healthier!!!! We got to stop poisoning ourselves! Anything we promote today is all bells and whistles, trying to get attention... but it's working. Slowly.
Health and wellness have become another consumerism-driven commodity. Much of it, IMO, has to do with the approach by mainstream medicine to just treat symptoms rather than digging deeper to find the true cause of problems. The societal drive for performance at all costs is not helping in the least. People want the quick fix, so they can continue abusing their biology and call it a "good life" because they -seem- healthy. Until they have the big crash and don't understand what happened.
This is SO good. Very poignant. I wholeheartedly agree with the points you’re making here.
I also wonder if this commodified wellness obsession is a result of our country’s (speaking about the U.S.) complete refusal to deal with death. And the wellness is about putting it off for as long as possible or even trying to defy it, seeing death as an enemy rather than as simply the other side of life. The natural world knows this wisdom deeply.
This piece is so very rich, thank you so much for verbalising and hitting so
Many truths.
I am not a herbalist and have always gone to a registered medicinal herbalist for their expertise and knowledge.
I am UK based and post menopausal, but find it so difficult to see how this life stage is treated by the ‘wellness industry’ (menopause). Its viewed as something to fix and cure and push through and I feel deeply for women at this life stage.
I love this quote especially “The body, once a site of intuition and communication, becomes a project to correct”
How can people come back to themselves when bombarded with expectations of how they should be navigating this life.
I love that you are shining light on some of the dark corners of wellness 🙏
As a registered herbal practitioner with over 20 years experience I have seen many shifts in this space. I have much respect for those who have an honest desire to learn, but take umbrance with those who put themselves forward as experts and then damage the reputation of our profession due to inexperience or lack of knowledge. Much of what my ancestors taught is being lost, so I applaud people who want to write about and record our herbal heritage. However this means nothing if it comes from simply regurgatating, then rebranding what others have written without first and foremost sitting with, and learning from the plant itself. Thank you for stimulating a thoughtful discussion on this important topic.
Ooooft! This hit so many nails on the head and I’m HERE for this conversation!
Especially this piece “In a world that rewards quick answers and polished appearances, choosing slowness, depth, and discernment is a radical act.”
It’s so true. We’re always rewarded with quick, easy fixes and answers.
But medicine. Real medicine, needs patience. You need to sit deep in it.
I loved everything about this. Thank you for sharing it with all of us! 🙏🏻✨
This resonates deeply. Especially the idea of rebranding tradition and extracting the pieces we can digest in this culture out of the broader context. I'm starting to touch on this a bit as I continue to write on here. social media and the age of information has made knowing what's "authentic" or accurate nearly impossible.
Thank you for writing this piece! I’m particularly interested in seeking wellbeing through a cultural lens — i.e. what has been passed down to me from my Indian and American kin, including elements of wellbeing that might have been lost or erased in processes of migration and upheaval. This sometimes feels at odds with my desire to understand my local plant landscape — eating locally, growing / foraging for my own herbs, despite the fact that my current home is not one of familial origin.
All to say, this piece made me think. Thank you!
Very insightful. I do think many people approach wellness the same way they have been taught and conditioned to approach health—as a commodity that can be bought. I try to teach a preventative approach to health and wellness as a lifestyle to be lived and not a commodity you can buy. It’s a completely different mindset. That said, I find Mountain Rose Herbs to be impeccable with their approach to organic and ROC (regenerative organic certified) herbal products.
I absolutely loved this read. As a student Naturopath with a strong focus in herbalism you highlight how important knowledge and experience is. Wellness has become synonymous with the new age marketing of age old wisdom, herbs repackaged for the masses with often little consideration of the repercussions.
I absolutely love reading (and re-reading) your articles, listening to the way that you speak of herbs as the living things they are. Reminding us of just how powerful plant constituents are and the respect that they deserve. Thank you for the discussions you start and the information you share.
Thank you for this thoughtful and well balanced piece full of compassion for the reasons people seek wellness and may get caught unaware. As an oncology nurse, I have many experiences that can speak to when this happens. I also don’t shame or blame my patients for seeking alternative wellness and in many cases encourage it. But where there is a need there can be greed and I also see that happening to heartbreaking effects. I pray those with pure intentions and objective outlooks in all the many fields of wellness (spiritual, herbal, western, eastern, mental health, etc) can simultaneously work towards helping people in a way that transcends trends and relies on truth.
Could not agree with you more on all of the points you have made in this article. Thank you for adding your voice and your thoughts to this important conversation.
I'm all for it. We should be adoring health. After way too many years of TV medical soaps... making being sick interesting and a magnet for personal attention, and promoting arm chair "diagnostics"... I really don't care HOW we get healthier!!!! We got to stop poisoning ourselves! Anything we promote today is all bells and whistles, trying to get attention... but it's working. Slowly.
Health and wellness have become another consumerism-driven commodity. Much of it, IMO, has to do with the approach by mainstream medicine to just treat symptoms rather than digging deeper to find the true cause of problems. The societal drive for performance at all costs is not helping in the least. People want the quick fix, so they can continue abusing their biology and call it a "good life" because they -seem- healthy. Until they have the big crash and don't understand what happened.
This is SO good. Very poignant. I wholeheartedly agree with the points you’re making here.
I also wonder if this commodified wellness obsession is a result of our country’s (speaking about the U.S.) complete refusal to deal with death. And the wellness is about putting it off for as long as possible or even trying to defy it, seeing death as an enemy rather than as simply the other side of life. The natural world knows this wisdom deeply.