In early June, I shared a beautiful hike with friends through the forest below Larch Mountain in Corbett, Oregon. Part of our hike took us through a drainage that had been used as a slash disposal area for fire-damaged trees and debris cleared from the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire. Nearly seven years later, the area is lush with native vegetation: wildflowers, sedges, rushes, ferns, salmonberry, red alder, and bigleaf maple are all thriving. This former debris field provides a living example of restoration and natural resilience. Near the end of our hike, we encountered a remarkable tree, still standing with its many roots exposed. It made me think about how our strength lies in our roots – the foundations we create in the many aspects of our lives.
I carried this with me into my first Sustainable Herbs Initiative (SHI) Learning Journey just a few weeks later. SHI was born of the vision of Founder and Director Ann Armbrecht with a mission, “to create a movement supporting high quality herbal products, sustainable and ethical sourcing, and greater overall transparency in how herbs reach end users.” SHI brings together stakeholders from across the herbal supply chain – farmers, product manufacturers, herbalists, professional organizations, suppliers, and many others to forge a meaningful and impactful connection with our beloved herbs and to bring awareness to the work and experience of the producers that bring these plants to us.
As an educational institution, American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is also committed to bringing awareness to sustainability and the environmental considerations for the natural products we rely on to promote wellness. Sustainability has been part of our mission since 1978, and this learning journey provided a new lens through which we can teach about sustainability in our aromatherapy, herbal medicine, and wellness programs. The SHI Learning Journey offered a fresh, firsthand perspective we can carry into our classrooms and community work, one rooted in experience at the source.
In the Field: Learning From Farmers
The 2025 SHI Learning Journey took us to southern Oregon and the community of Williams, Oregon. Here, we spent three days learning about and experiencing plants through a multi-dimensional lens, starting with the farmers and botanicals at their source. The beautiful Oshala Farms was our base for the first two days, where we learned from Jeff and Elise Higley, who started the farm in 2013. Over two days, we immersed ourselves in the sights, smells, and sounds of the farm. We spent time quietly walking the long rows of herbs growing under the southern Oregon sun, with the sweet aromas of calendula, chamomile, and many other thriving botanicals wafting in the air. The soil was warm and soft beneath our feet.
As a group, we experienced harvesting calendula with its rich, bright orange blossoms and slightly sticky resin, each flower picked with care and attention that honors the plant and safeguards quality. The Higleys’ work made clear that farming medicinal herbs is not simply an agricultural operation, but a blend of science, art, and stewardship.
Learning Through the Senses: St. John’s Wort with Erika Galentin
Among the many memorable sessions of this learning journey was a session with herbalist and American Herbalists Guild Executive Director Erika Galentin. Over three hours, we focused on a single plant—St. John’s wort—not to simply recall a Rolodex of its medicinal uses, but to truly “meet the plant,” as Erika shared. Without naming the herb or delving into its uses, we studied its botanical structure, made observations such as how light reflected through its leaves, tasted it, and shared how it made us feel. This was herbalism as relationship-building: slowing down, engaging all the senses, and honoring the plant. Erika’s thoughtful presentation shared insights from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Metamorphosis of Plants, which I’ve been avidly reading this summer. This exercise deepened my appreciation for the idea that knowledge of herbs is not only about knowing what they do, but also understanding who they are.
Spotlight on Wild Stewards
From Oshala, we traveled to HerbPharm, where acres of beautiful fields and blooming gardens greeted us. We spent the day hearing from wildcrafters, including wild stewards from Appalachian Sustainable Development and others working independently. These stewards shared about the challenges and opportunities in wildcrafting, including sustainability in wildcrafting, best practices, and how to engage the next generation. I learned about the scale and importance of wild-harvested plants in the herbal supply chain, and the critical role that education, ethical sourcing, and consumer awareness play in ensuring their survival.
From Field to Consumers: Inside HerbPharm’s Processing Center
To wrap up the learning journey, several of us spent time at HerbPharm’s processing center, learning how the fresh herbs we’d just spent the last few days working with are processed to make tinctures and extracts. We experienced the process of herbs arriving fresh from the field, how they are inspected, and then used to manufacture new products, including complex quality control protocols and careful handling. This highlighted how important it is that the care taken at the farm carries forward through every step of the supply chain.
Roots, Relationships, and Responsibility
These three days together were a transformative experience, forging new relationships and forming new roots within the herbal community. It was encouraging to see the commitment of each participant to sustainability, quality, and preserving the future of herbal medicine.
During this journey, many stories of community and connection highlighted the interconnectedness that exists across the supply chain and the power of partnership to lift up the industry as a whole. This was brought to life by the partnership between Asheville Tea Company and Sarjesa, a story of companies working together in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Asheville.
At ACHS, we are deeply committed to this work and providing education that emphasizes the importance of sustainability in the integrative health and wellness field and the value of partnerships that advance sustainability at scale. Through the ACHS Foundation, we engage with communities to expand access to high-quality holistic health education and fuel innovation in integrative health and sustainability.
Interested in learning more about holistic health and wellness programs at ACHS? Request more information today!
