Long before prescription medicines were created in labs, people used plants for medicine. Some of our most famous drugs owe their origin to botanical constituents; aspirin comes from willow bark, morphine from the opium poppy, and digoxine (used for heart disease) originates from foxglove, to name a few.
The use of plants as medicine has a history that dates back as far as the Ice Age and according to the World Health Organization, over 80% of the world’s population still uses some form of herbal medicine as their main source of healthcare today. This plant wisdom has been passed down through generations of herbalists and healers and becomes ever more relevant today, as the world seeks new ways to create the antidotes to our modern diseases.
Believe it or not, many of our best medicines are actually derived from plants that are commonly thought of, as weeds and are growing right under our feet! These weedy plants can teach us a lot about building resilience and maintaining good health!
If you have been curious about the origins of some of modern medicines, interested in how to incorporate a more plant based health regime into your life, or simply want to crack the door open on the never ending world of plant medicine, then join us for this eye opening exploration into the medicines that grow all around us on this plant walk through NYC’s backyard.
Clinical herbalist, Dawn Petter from Petalune Herbals will guide you through an enlightening walk in Central Park where we will see native botanicals in their early Fall splendor. Discover the apothecary medicines that grow in the wilds of our urban parks and landscapes and learn how to correctly identify the specific plants we see, what makes them so special, and creative and delicious ways to incorporate their medicine into your daily life.