BIO-REGIONAL FOLK HERBALISM
A wild prayer in reverence for the Earth.
In some Native languages the term for Plants translates to “those who take care of us”.
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass.
Folk Herbalism is an ancient practice of engaging with Plants as medicine.
Bioregional herbalism is the practice of cultivating deep relationship and reciprocity with place — meaning we look to the plants and land around us for medicine, healing, and wisdom. It may be understood as one of the oldest forms of relationship our earliest human ancestors had with the natural world. When our ancient ancestors first evolved alongside plants, they formed a deep, embodied connection.
Over millennia, humans have nurtured relationships with plants and the natural world — learning what to eat, which plants offer medicine, and how to live in harmony with our environment. Our relationship with plants is as old as time itself. The indigenous knowledge passed down through generations holds the wisdom of humanity’s evolution alongside nature.
Bioregional herbalism is rooted in relationship to the land we inhabit — to the native plants growing around us and the earth beneath our feet. This practice holds the potential for profound cultural and planetary healing, as it helps us reconnect with the land as a source of belonging and kinship. Within this framework, the land becomes a partner and an ally, rather than something separate from us. We begin to see ourselves as extensions of the whole, woven in intimate, animate relation with the web of life.
Bioregional herbalism teaches us how to be ecological stewards and offers deep nourishment on both physical and spiritual levels. It provides a framework for developing a system of healthcare that is place-based, plant-based, ecologically sound, and capable of operating independently from the exploitative systems born of colonialism. This practice carries an intimate understanding of the plants, land, and ecosystems we are part of — guiding us in the protection and tending of nature, and of our own wellbeing.
Plants are not alternative medicine, they are the original.
Herbal medicine has been essential to sustaining the health and wellbeing of humankind. From the very beginning, humans evolved alongside plants, developing unique receptors in every system of the body that respond to plant compounds — a reflection of our shared evolutionary path.
The first dated use of plant medicine goes back to archaeological evidence from the Paleolithic age, approximately 60,000 years ago, with findings at the Shanidar Cave in Iraq. Written records of medicinal plants also date back thousands of years, such as Sumerian tablets from around 3000 BCE and the Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt (circa 1550 BCE).
with every known ancient culture maintaining a relationship with plants as medicine. The first isolation of individual plant compounds occurred in the 18th century, scientifically affirming what our ancient ancestors and the wise women of our lineages had known and practiced for millennia.
Plants continue to play an essential role in modern medicine — the word drug itself originates from the Latin word for “dried plant.” Thousands of modern medicines have their roots in plant chemistry. For example, one of the most potent pain-relieving medicines, morphine, is derived from the opium poppy. Modern medicine would not exist without plants. And while isolated plant compounds can provide powerful medicine, whole-plant preparations consistently offer more sustainable and integrative healing, creating a synergistic experience within our biology.
Each time we commune with our plant kin — sipping herbal tea, taking a tincture, or inhaling the camphor-like oils that soothe and relax our systems — we awaken our connection to the natural world and nurture our wellbeing.
Allow the Wisdom of Nature to guide you home, to your Sacred Roots.
Sacred Roots herbal medicines are wildcrafted using seasonal and foraged ingredients, made by hand in small batches in the Scottish Highlands — a land where Freya holds deep ancestral roots and connection.
Slow-crafted in a way our ancestors would recognise.
With intention, prayer, and presence, I forage for herbal medicines in a sacred way — practicing reciprocity with the Earth. Each journey begins with prayer to the land, to the Highlands of Alba. Every remedy is inspired by the native plants of Scotland, ancestral folk practices, and the ancient Celtic wheel of the year. These medicines are offered humbly, in the hope that they may bring us closer to ourselves, to the land, and to the healing balms of nature.
Each creation carries the prayer of Remembering Our Roots. Within my offerings you will find herbal medicinal blends, tinctures, medicinal mushrooms, elixirs, and ritual tools for earth reconnection. These medicines are brewed off-grid in the Highlands, harvested in rhythm with the wheel of the year and the lunar phases. Each offering contains blessings from the sacred springs and wells of my local Tay Valley.
May these creations bring you healing from the wildness of Alba.
Gaol agus beannachd — love and blessings.
Croft Moraig Neolithic Stone Circle - 5,000 years old, Loch Tay Valley, Scotland.