Herbal Allies: Nurturing Wellness and Wisdom in the Garden

“In some Native languages the term for plants translates to “those who take care of us.”

― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

We often call on quotes and harvesting practices shared in this beloved book written by Robin Wall Kimmerer, an Indigenous woman and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. It is important to acknowledge that much of the wisdom in tending plants, and utilizing them as food and medicine, come from ancestors of many different lineages. 

Plants take care of us every single day, they nourish our bodies with their own. Food is medicine, or at least has the potential to be. This is most obvious in the meals we consume – a sprig of oregano adds great flavor to pizza, but it is also a powerful medicine. 

This semester, a group of eager young herbalists gathered in the Edible Schoolyard Garden in Berkeley each Tuesday after school for 8 weeks to explore this truth a little deeper. In this after school series, we highlighted the power of plants as medicine in the form of teas, syrups, and salves.

Our first plant ally introduction was to the Elderberry bushes in our garden. We greeted the bushes in their home, beneath our redwood understory. Students drew the Elderberry leaves, or made leaf rubbings, and observed the changing colors of the berries. Some creative students even used the ripe berries themselves to make drawings and notes in their herbal journals. Most importantly we learned that the berries must be boiled to be edible! A great lesson in patience and becoming well acquainted with a plant before we partake. We collected the ripe berries, thanked them for their immune boosting medicines, and eventually cooked them into a delicious Elderberry Syrup with local honey. 

Over several weeks, our students also met a classic combination of skin healing plants from our garden, including: Calendula, Lavender, Plantain, and Yarrow. These plant allies were collected with gratitude and used to infuse olive oil for a soothing Skin Healing Salve. Once our oils were infused and strained, it brought us great joy to watch the beeswax slowly melt into the oil, completing our recipe. Finally, we were all SO excited to pour the warm liquid potion into chapstick tubes for handy lil’ travel salves. 

One beautiful autumn afternoon was spent meandering around the garden, meeting many delicious medicinal plants for making tea. Our young herbalists harvested and dried the plants of their choosing to make into tea bags. Some of the tea blends we made included: Chamomile, various Mints, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Basils, Calendula, Yerba Buena and Lavender. We had a great day stuffing our tea bags with the dried herbs and naming some of our beloveds we would like to share them with. 

As our herbal adventures have wrapped up this semester, and we move into the darker, cooler season, I'm thinking about our young herbalists in their homes. I imagine them sharing warm cups of tea with family, or maybe offering up their salve to a friend with a bug bite. I thank the Elderberry for keeping them curious and well through the winter. And I recall that phrase from Braiding Sweetgrass, “those who take care of us” and I smile, realizing that now, it is the children taking the plant medicines out into the world to care for their community. Thank you ancestors, thank you plants, and thank you community for the ability to share this knowledge with the next generations of caretakers.

Quick shoutout to Coach Jarrett Tory Sanders and the whole LEARNS after school team at King Middle School for collaborating with the Edible Schoolyard! Thank you all for offering a safe, inclusive space for students to explore new activities after school! We are so thankful for Jarrett’s leadership and encouraging students to try new things.