"The first step on the path of the herbalist is to learn how to take care of family, friends, and oneself—so we naturally begin our practice as a 'family herbalist.'  My first ‘patient’ was my father, my second was me. I helped both.”  We want to know what are the safest and most reliable herbs and how to use them in simple, at-home settings. Our relatives and friends will be both the most open and the most skeptical of our first endeavors, so we need to be as willing to step back as to step up.

Humility and responsibility are as important as knowledge. We need to know when to refer to medical doctors, as well as more experienced herbal practitioners. Herbalism is an experiential art and science, so there is no predicting in advance what we will come across on our path; we try our best to be prepared. My father and mother are now 93 (2023), and attribute their longevity partly to me—though they listen to the doctors more than when they were young.”   - Matthew Wood, MS