7/27/2019 Ecological Herbalism

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ECOLOGICAL HERBALISM

ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF

INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE

Drugs, as compounds in their form,

have not been encountered in the

evolution of our ecosystems.

50-90% ofpharmaceuticals are

excreted into the environment

chemically unchanged or

unmetabolised.

Many are not biodegradeable and

continue having chemical effects

forever. Pollution is also a major concern

from hospitals and in production e.g.

dyes, organic chemicals, carcinogen-

ic materials.

Antibiotics kill broad groups of

bacteria, including benecial ones,

and now unique pathogenic bacteria

are emerging. Massive amounts in

our ecosystems.

Hormones are not water-soluble

and are affecting wildlife e.g. chang-

ing the gender of sh

Millions ofanimals are killed in

tests to sanction unsafe medicines as

safe for human use.

RESOURCES

www.unitedplantsavers.org

www.reclaimtheelds.org.uk

www.wildheartpermaculture.co.uk

www.veganorganic.net

The Lost Language of Plants, StephenBuhner,

Healing Wise, Susan Weed

Planting the Future, Rosemary Gladstar

& Pamela Hirsch

Grow Your Own Pharmacy, Linda Gray

The Medicinal Herb Grower, Richo CechHerbal harvests with a Future, Plantlife

International

The Herbalists Way, Nancy & Michael

Philips

Growing Green, Jenny Hall & Ian Tolhurst

ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF

PLANT MEDICINES

Overharvesting of plants popula-

tions has been accelerated by the

need for phytomedicines, pharma-

ceutical drugs & other industrial

applications

We have genetically eroded plant

communities, increasing the threat of

extinction

Habitat has been diminished anddestroyed through industrial agricul-

ture & other patterns of civilisation

Industrial scale wild harvesting

and cultivation practices have other

impacts e.g. soil erosion.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Grow your own medicine!

Be a conscious consumer - be

aware of at-risk plant communities

(you can nd lists of herbs from

United Plant Savers). Prioritise those

that are not wildcrafted & are

organically cultivated as locally as

possible.

Wildcraft regeneratively and priori-

tise abundant herbs aka weeds.

Design for biodiversity on land you

caretake. Plant medicinal herbs &

create habitats.

Create a botanical sanctuary

Support the establishment of regen-

erative models of agriculture, such as

agroecology & permaculture, which

benet biodiversity while feeding

communities & cultivating medicine

Seed save & cultivate medicinal

plants, steward areas to support

plant populations

If you teach herbal medicine orforaging ensure that you cover plant

conservation & herbal horticulture,

as well as alternatives to unsustain-

able wildcrafting & purchasing at-risk

plants

Organise in your community for

food & medicinal autonomy. Start a

community garden, CSA/CSM, teach

herbal horticulture, propagate plants,

resist industrial agriculture & capital-

ism, organise for access to land, so-

cial & ecological justice & in defenceof plant medicines!

GROWING CHANGE: SOME

INSPIRING EXAMPLES

United PlantSavers is a

grassgrouts group

dedicated to pres-

erving Americas

native medicinal

plants through education, research,

creating & managing botanical sanc-

tuaries, propogating plants & more.

Goldthread Herb Farm in North

America offers community support-

ed medicine shares to sustain itsorganic farm as well as offering farm

to pharmacy education & supplying

local apothecaries & herbalists. They

are an inspiring model of communi-

ty-based ecological herbalism.

WHAT CHALLENGES DO

WE FACE TO BRING ABOUT

CHANGE?

Conservation efforts in a capitalist

system on a global scale are general-

ly weak and ineffective Growing medicine can be economi-

cally unviable in our current capitalist

society, growers may struggle to

sustain livelihoods without commu-

nity support and acess to resources

needed to grow is limited e.g. access

to land

Our urbanised and industrial society

effects our relationship with the land

e.g. destroyed or dimishing habitat &

biodiversity.

Some medicinal plants are difcultto cultivate & many people lack basic

growing skills through our culture of

disconnect

Regulation which minimises access

to plant medicines will put stress on a

small number of plants, while others

become unviable to grow and sell

This handout is about the ecological

impacts of industrial and plant based

medicine and the radical ecological

and social changes needed to

support plant communities to ourish

for generations.

Western countries are hugely

dependent on the import of plant ma-

terial from the Global South, affecting

land use patterns & native access to

medicines that are exploited

Even ethical wildcrafting will harm

plant communities when realisticallyquantied

With growing interest & re-discov-

ery of herbal medicine, demand is

outstripping supply, especially as

herbalism becomes big business