Herbalism has a long history with humanity but despite its’ history, there is still much to learn about the practice.
Beverly Wein, the owner of Sage traditions, started her company after receiving her education from Wild Rose College of Natural Healing.
Since opening her business she has come to appreciate the holistic medicine in herbal tea.
Wein strongly believes that by “using whole plant medicine as opposed to extracting certain chemical properties out of a plant,” one can make use of “all the properties of one plant that will work synergistically with itself, in order to support you for your health.”
One thing Wein would like to change is the lack of scientific studies done on herbal medicine.
“There’s not a lot of studies done with plants because there isn’t a whole lot of money in it,” Wein said.
If there were more studies done, it would become clearer for consumers of herbal products to see how their bodies are affected by herbal medicines.
“A lot of what we do is based on traditional use from ancient cultures,” Wein explains.
Regarding the safety of herbal medicine products like herbal teas, Wein says it’s most important when you are taking any herbs in large quantities that you have a professional overseeing your use.
“Herbs are safe if you are using them in the right way, and if you miss use them, then they are not,” Wein says.
Katarina Primavera is a licensed practical nurse who loves herbal tea for her own personal use.
Although she agrees with Wien when it comes to the amount of tea you should be consuming.
Just be mindful about what you’re taking, how much you’re taking and how frequently,” Primavera says.
One of Wein’s favourite parts of being a herbalist is enjoying the exotic smells of the herbs while crafting those herbs into custom products for her clients.
Wien says the most rewarding part of the job is being able to help people to discover what nature has for them.
“Empowering people to be able to do something small for themselves as simple as making a cup of tea every day can help bring them back into health.”
Edited: Tawnya Plain Eagle | tplaineagle@cjournal.ca