Local herbalist Ali Banks has always had a profound connection with the natural world. As a child, Ms. Banks spent most of her time outdoors getting to know the plants that grew in her backyard, by studying their scents and colors. Her journey towards becoming an herbalist began with these interactions, and by making experimental recipes with the flowers and leaves that stood out to her.
After working as an environmental attorney for a period of time, the disconnect between humans and nature became all too apparent. She realized she instead wanted to be working plants every day, learning about the healing powers they possessed. She soon began pouring herself into studying botanical medicine and established her own apothecary company, Fireside Botanicals, which makes healing remedies using locally sourced plants and mushrooms.
Ms. Banks has always been concerned with finding ways to protect the natural world and heighten our connection with the earth on an energetic levels, melding spirituality with biological health to encourage a holistic manifestation of wellness.
"Our culture is experiencing a drought of understanding what it means to be connected to the spirit of mother earth" she says, and so one of her main goals is to facilitate relationships between humans and plants through workshops such as the one at Crabtree Farms. She firmly believes that the process of making your own herbal medicines is just as important as actually ingesting it. "Not only do herbs possess bioactive chemical compounds that help our bodies heal, the experience of working with plants can ignite a new level of consciousness and vitality that is critical to personal health."
In her upcoming workshop at Crabtree Farms, Ms. Banks will be emphasizing the class of medicinal plants known as adaptogens - plant and mushrooms that aid our bodies as we combat stress and biological disharmony.
Participants will learn about the history of adaptogens, the different bio regions where these plants originate from and herbal energetics. Participants will also learn which adaptogenic herb is right for which person, and then how to make their own medicines to take home. Two of Ms. Banks' favorite herbs, Tulsi and Reishi mushrooms, are both adaptogenic in their healing qualities.