Herbalism is widely considered to be the oldest medicine known, with archeological evidence suggesting it’s use 800,000 years ago.  Strictly defined, an herb is a plant with stems that don’t produce persistent woody tissue.  Herbalism, as medicine, is applied more broadly utilizing remedies that are plants, trees, mushrooms and more.

There are several ways to categorize and use herbs to support health and wellness.  Chinese medicine uses the energetics of herbs and individualizes their use based on the energetics of each person.  For example, cayenne pepper is energetically hot and may not be the best choice for someone who is hot.

Western herbalism looks at the actions of plants and how they affect body systems.  Tona Monroe, DAc., L.Ac. utilizes both approaches to herbalism because they are both valuable to support healing and wellness.