Brittany Wood Nickerson is a local herbalist who offers books, posters, journals and various online classes for the layperson to learn the skills of herbalism at any level. Herbalism is the earliest known medicine and has been used for thousands of years to heal major and minor health ailments. However, it is not necessary to become an herbalist to experience the benefits. Nickerson is a trained herbalist who has previously consulted with patients, but now teaches those who want to learn the art of herbalism. I saw her speak a few summers ago at Hungry Ghost Bread’s “Summer Herb Talk Series” and own her beautifully crafted wellness cookbook, “Recipes From the Herbalist’s Kitchen: Delicious, Nourishing Food for Lifelong Health and Well-Being.” Nickerson practices herbalism using almost completely whole plant medicine, making her own medicines. In a brief interview, I asked her for some basic herbal tips.
NP: What is herbalism?
BN: There are different ways to practice herbal medicine, but broadly herbal medicine is the use of plants to heal for health and wellness. Really, it’s the use of plants for medicine, whether it’s preventative wellness, nutritional purposes, healing or working with symptoms.
NP: Your book covers various methods of using herbs; would you say there is one way of using them that is superior to the others, or is it just preference?
BN: I think each one has its advantages and disadvantages. For me, I’m always trying to craft a plan for people that takes into consideration all aspects of their holistic wellness. That includes what they enjoy doing with their time and how much time they have. For certain people, certain medicines are going to be better. For example, tinctures are alcohol, glycerin or vinegar based extracts. Those are really convenient, compact and super easy to use because they are made in advance so you can have them in their bag or pocket and take them whenever you need to. Teas are really great because they are warm and are full of hydration. When you are sipping tea, it often calms people down. They connect with the making aspect of it. It’s really great for the nervous system or digestion because the warm liquids actually soothe and release tension in the body or soothe the GI tract. Every aspect has its own thing. If you’re really into it then a little bit of everything is what’s ideal and certain herbs lend themselves better to certain preparations. But I have my background in Ayurveda, which is traditional Indian medicine, and in Ayurveda the form that you administer the medicine in is as important as the medicine itself and it always compliments the medicine which in this case would be the herb. There’s an alchemy of everything coming together, which is why my book is what it is, because it is this alchemy between all of these different parts and in traditional folk herbalism you can’t really separate them.
NP: What would be some reasons one would want to incorporate herbal medicine into their lifestyle?
BN: The people who reach out to me in my practice have specific health ailments that they’re working with and are seeking support on. But for example someone might be looking for alternative treatments for something like Lymes disease, help sleeping or mysterious digestive issues. The doctor might tell them they don’t have anything wrong with them and they don’t have a particular diagnosis. So sleep, digestion, stress and anxiety, depression and then diagnosed health issues like supplemental care for cancer. In the range of digestive issues, someone might come to me because they have chronic pain in their digestive system, or they might have IBS or colitis. A lot of people come for immunity. They get sick a lot or they have a hard time getting well when they’re sick. Skin issues are really common. The range often varies. Some people come because their first choice is a holistic option. Other people come because they have exhausted the conventional system and they are still struggling.
NP: Do you have any herbal recommendations to manage stress and anxiety during this pandemic?
BN: Absolutely! I definitely feel for mental health; sleep is one of the most important things. Ideally having a set sleep schedule helps. I do think a pre-bedtime routine is really great and that varies from person to person. I’m also a really big fan of loving-kindness meditation. There are some great studies on loving-kindness meditation and how it increases your immunity and decreases inflammation. So taking care of your nervous system is really important. Another thing is keeping your skin and whole body hydrated. There’s a whole practice in Ayurveda on oiling that’s really important to the nervous system. Herbs that I love for stress and anxiety are oats — either oat tops or oat straw — chamomile and lemon balm.
NP: We know that our emotional health is so intertwined with our gut health. What herbal recommendations would you suggest to improve gut health?
BN: In the wisdom of Ayurveda and other traditional healing systems, to be in routine and for your body to know what to expect for food is really important for your digestion. But in Ayurveda the most important thing for digestion is to really work with digestion in the morning. Breakfast is breaking the fast; you have ideally gone a long stretch without eating which is good for blood sugar. It gives everything a break. So when you wake up in the morning, you need to reboot the digestive fire and you do that with warm liquids and warm foods. Start in the morning with things that are easy to digest: things that are warm, cooked and nutrient dense. Every morning, have warm water and a hot breakfast. Your body will be happier if you eat on a schedule. Snacking all day long is not ideal for digestion because you want to digest the food you already ate.
NP: In your book you write about how herbalism empowers us on a path of self-discovery, positioning us to be “the heroes of our own story.” What are some simple ways students can integrate herbalism into their daily lives?
BN: Our culture does this thing of “outsourcing heroism.” We are taught that experts are the ones that know things. The homesteader who has a lot of different skills is just not what most people are raised to do. It’s a whole cultural phenomenon. For me, what I’m trying to invigorate with my work is helping people not only to learn tools, but gain confidence so that they can feel like they have the ability to take care of themselves on some level. For me that one hundred percent starts with knowing your body. The gift of holistic medicine is that it is tailored to you. Drowning out the outside and moving into yourself when you come from a body centered place and you are in body which is an element of empowerment. You learn through curiosity and experimentation and the outcome of whether or not it is supportive.Then, when you make change it sticks because it feels good.
NP: What are some basic things to have in an herbalist’s home medicine kit?
BN: I would definitely have a healing salve. Something that can be applied to cuts, scrapes, bruises or dry skin. And then I would have some kind of tincture or tea for anxiety or sleep. My favorite catch-all digestive herb is fennel. I would keep fennel seed around as a tea and it’s really good for gas, bloating, cramping or digestive discomfort. I would also probably keep some sort of immune stimulant around. Whether it was a blend or a simple tincture of echinacea, or elderberry and vitamin C. Something you could take if you feel you were exposed to a virus. There are some great local options to buy these items. There is a local apothecary in Turners Falls, Saw Mill Farm in Florence has local stuff and Full Kettle Farm in Sunderland has local teas and tinctures. But if you’re at one of the local co-ops take a look at Traditional Medicinal teas. They have one for cold and flu, one for stress and one for digestion, so it would be easy to just have a tea bag in your dorm room.
NP: Lastly, herbalism has such a long history with its origins from Indigenous cultures. How are you able to appreciate these incredible healing practices without appropriating?
BN: This is a big question and something I think about a lot. Western Herbalism is a syncretic tradition, over the years (at least as far back as the Roman Empire) through colonization and empire it has acquired the traditions and teachings of other cultures and woven them into common use, mostly without recognition or consent. We all have to acknowledge that by practicing Western Herbalism we may be using information that has been taken from BIPOC and pre-Christian Pegan communities unethically, ungratefully, and often involving various forms of violence. I think that acknowledgement and recognition of this history is an important step. So is breaking down the power structure that comes with colonialism, white supremacy, and capitalism and one way we can begin to do that is through gratitude. We cannot erase the past, but we can be as conscious as possible moving forward with respect and appreciation. This includes raising marginalized voices in the herbal community, involving yourself in community reparations and social justice work and acknowledging the lineage of teachings and knowledge. Crediting where you learn things from helps instill a new power dynamic – one that fosters respect and appreciation for what one has learned rather than promoting entitlement and individual ownership. This question is also real and alive for me as a student of Ayurveda, a tradition that is not of my ancestors. When sharing something from the Ayurvedic tradition I always preface it by crediting the tradition. I also practice being humble and speaking as accurately as I am able on behalf of the tradition. In class with my students, I also always share the complete lineage of my teachers of Ayurveda. This is the beginning of a large and ongoing conversation of which the needs, experiences, and teachings of the BIPOC community should always be the most prominent.
