ACHS Staff

Victoria Worden

Production Lead

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Victoria was raised in the Pacific Northwest and studies Native Environmental Sciences at the Northwest Indian College. After moving to Portland, she began an internship at the Mississippi Herb Shoppe to deepen her knowledge of herbal medicine.

Victoria grew up eating wild plants foraged from the forest with her grandfather and has always appreciated the abundance of native foods in the region. She expanded this early connection to the land through her academic studies of native plants and her participation in the Herb Shoppe’s internship program, which introduced her to an industry she hadn’t previously considered. Since then, she has remained committed to pursuing work in the natural health field.

In 2013, Victoria attended “The Living Breath of Wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Indigenous Ways of Knowing & Cultural Food Practices and Ecological Knowledge,” a symposium in Seattle that brought together Indigenous people from around the world. Varied approaches of traditional medicine practices shared at the event fueled her desire to learn more about natural medicine and nutrition, especially as it relates to ancestral diets. Since then, she has gained significant knowledge about the traditional diets and lifeways of Alaskan Indian and other Pacific Northwest Indigenous peoples.

Victoria has also worked with the Clackamas Watershed Council, teaching middle school students how to identify macroinvertebrates and use them as indicators of water quality. She is particularly proud of this work, believing that when children learn about their environment and how human activity impacts it, they are more likely to become responsible stewards. Victoria holds the belief that, especially within the natural health field, people should view themselves as caretakers of the land and take action to protect it.

She grows native plants such as Devil’s Club, Yellow-Eyed Grass, Camas, Sweet Cicely, Wapato, and BiscuitRoot, with plans to plant them in local parks in partnership with the watershed council. Additionally, she hopes to grow enough to offer these plants to members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, particularly those who wish to cultivate native species but may not have the financial means to acquire them.

“I am always excited to learn about what our students and graduates are making with the herbs and oils I help prepare for them. They’ve inspired me to do more work with natural medicine in my personal life.”

Place of Study: Northwest Indian College – Lummi

ACHS Staff

Victoria Worden

Production Lead

[email protected]

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