Woodland Herbal can teach you how to use herbs for medicinal, other purposes

COSHOCTON − A local family of herbalists has teamed up with Clary Gardens to create an herb school, the Green Path Academy.

Brandon Scott and Jenni Parsons are the founders of Woodland Herbal, a Warsaw based online apothecary offering all natural remedies and herbal teas, according to a news release. The duo will teach classes twice a month on subjects like natural beauty, family herbal first aid and cooking with herbs for the holidays.

Parsons said many of the herbs used for healing are the same for cooking. For example, oregano just isn't good for pizza and pasta, but can aid with digestion, ease a cough, boost the immune system and calm inflammation. It can be used in food, to make a cup of tea or to create a salve, oil, tincture or tonic.

Parsons admits that herbalists operate in a weird gray area in the U.S., different from other parts of the world. She said currently there is no official certification for herbalists. However, one can take classes and earn certifications from different institutions. Parsons is a graduate of the Science and Art of Herbalism taught by Rosemary Gladstar.

"Attending our classes means hands-on learning with other herbalists and the plants themselves, giving a solid foundation to build upon," Parsons said.

The pair employs methods and techniques of western herbalism with their Scottish heritage and Appalachian roots, the release states, and they have generations of herbalists in their family.

Parsons' mother, Barbara Keith, is a herbalist in Mount Vernon. Both sides of her family trace back to Guernsey County with ancestor Otis Miller being a country doctor and herbalist with an apothecary in Cambridge and other relatives helping to found Guernsey Memorial Hospital. Parsons taught herbalism to Scott, her son-in-law, and her daughter, Leah.

“All of our ancestors understood and used plant medicine, not just mine," Parsons said. "There is good reason these recipes have stood the test of time for thousands of years. This knowledge belongs to us all and it is important to learn and share with our community. This wisdom is our inheritance, and it is yours too."

Everyone is welcome to participate from beginner to elder, who want to share time with people who are passionate about plants. Participants can expect to learn cultivation to preparation, recipe making, how herbs effect the systems of the body and how to invite plants into your life to keep your body in balance.

Also offered is The Green Path certificate track, a hands-on course of 12 classes, teaching the whole process from seed to harvest to medicine for people interested in becoming family and community herbalists.

“Herbalism is a vast subject to study and almost impossible to learn alone from a book or online course. We are lucky to have generations of herbalists in our family and are excited to share some of what we have learned from them. Thanks to Clary Gardens, we have the perfect place to come together and learn with the plants themselves," Scott said.

Welcome to the World of Plants, an introduction to the series of classes ahead, includes hands-on experience, tastings, herb walk, and stories. It will be held at 3 p.m. July 7 at Clary Gardens. More information, registration and class schedule can be found at greenpathacademy.org .

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Woodland Herbal can teach you how to use herbs for medicinal, other purposes