Medicinal plants

Foraging with Friends

By Don Ollsin

In 200 B.C. the Emperor of China sent a delegation of subjects to British Columbia to search for the precious Reishi mushroom. Reishi mushroom is still one of the most important medicinal plants that grow abundantly in our forests. In 1992, in the United States alone, 40,000,000 pounds of antibiotics were used. Most of these newer antibiotics are synthesized and do not occur naturally. These antibiotics can remain intact in the environment unless they are destroyed by high temperatures or other physical damage such as ultraviolet light from the sun. Our forests are filled with the effective natural antibiotics like Oregon grape root and Usnea.

With springtime approaching it is time to nourish and cleanse our blood. Stinging nettles provide all the necessary and important nutrients at the perfect time. In the past before the invention of synthetic fibers, stinging nettle stems were dried and woven together to make nets powerful enough to catch a moose. In the forests of British Columbia there are hundreds of useful and important herbs that can be used for medicine, food and industry. One company in Europe now makes jeans out of stinging nettle fibers. The World Health Organization has recognized that we need traditional medicine if we're going to continue to provide medicine for the people. Medicinal plants need specialized locations that old-growth forests provide.  Learning to identify, harvest in a sustainable and ethical way, honoring the spirits of the plants and transforming them into medicines is a rewarding and empowering experience. 

Today, modern medicine uses Taxol from the Yew tree in its fight against cancer. We need to preserve and protect this rich sustainable source of natural medicine and food. Don will be speaking on growing an herb garden at Seedy Saturday on February 16, 2013 at the Victoria Conference Centre.

Don Ollsin is the author of Pathways to Healing, A Guide to Herbs, Ayurveda, Dreambody and Shamanism. He now conducts online programs on herbs and healing. Check his website at