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The Herbal Forge Academy of Herbalism - Interview with Petra Nadolny
The Kräuterschmiede is a herbal school, which sees itself as a starting point for people who are interested in nature and wild herbs. But we also want to make people aware of the variety and possibilities that plants offer us and that is much more than nutrition and healing.
Herbs school. Picture: daffodilred - fotolia More and more of our native wild herbs are disappearing. Many people barely notice. Once colorful meadows and field edges are rather drab today. The use of weed killers has become the norm. Whether we want it to be true or not, it will not be without consequences for us.
We organize walks, organize seminars, lectures and workshops. Homeschooling and webinars complete our offer and make distances unimportant. Trainees from Austria and Italy show that the online area is becoming increasingly important here as well.
Important for me is a colorful range, whereby the emphasis is on nutrition and psyche / wellness. Also "animal themes" play a big role. Especially for our animal friends the wild herbs are very important.
Have you always been concerned with medicinal herbs, or where did the idea of founding the herb smithy come from??
With the Kräuterschmiede I have fulfilled a dream that has matured in me for a long time.
I grew up with nature. My father showed me a lot as a child. Nevertheless, for a long time it was the animals that interested me more. During my training as a veterinary practitioner, I completed a training as a phytotherapist (medicinal plant therapist). At that time, this training did not exist directly for animals, so I successfully completed this further education in the human area with examinations. In the welfare plant animal science the experience from the human area is based on.
The more I have dealt with the medicinal plants, the more fascinated me the variety of plants. Even today, the topic of wild herbs is not boring.
In 2012, I fulfilled my dream with Kräuterschmiede, which is continually expanding year after year. I have a lot in mind.
Which herbs do you use, and which products do you make from them??
Important to me are the herbs that grow here on site. I only use non-toxic plants. Many poisonous plants are important medicinal plants, but the dose between healing effect and potentially lethal dose is often very low. I myself use the wild herbs in my diet and could thus make some very positive experiences in terms of my health. Every year, a syrup syrup is made from ribwort and raw cane sugar or honey. I use the wild herbs in smoothies and make tinctures. I also use the herbs as tea. In the wellness area I smoke with the herbs and make massage oils. For the cold season and in joint complaints, I use herbal pillows. For example, hay flowers are used against the joint complaints.
There are so many ways to use the wild herbs, e.g. Homemade cosmetics for those who have too many chemical and unhealthy ingredients in regular cosmetics. Making soaps yourself is always a lot of fun. Even for sensuality and eroticism, the plants can be used.
For our ancestors, domestic plants played an essential role in nutrition, medicine and hygiene. Can you give examples of once-common herbs that have been forgotten today??
The wealth of knowledge of our ancestors has unfortunately been forgotten more and more. The knowledge that we have today is in my opinion divided into two parts. On the one hand there are valuable remnants of old knowledge, which is based on experience and on the other there is the "modern" scientifically proven knowledge. We have to prove everything today and prove it through studies. The effectiveness of the plants consists of a multi-substance mixture, that is, the effect of several active ingredients in conjunction with each other. Science often isolates the active ingredients, which then often have a different or even no effect. In fact, all of our wild herbs have a more or less healing effect.
The healing power of many trees is in my opinion almost forgotten, they are hardly seen as a medicinal plant. The inconspicuous plants like the couch grass have a healing effect that should not be underestimated, hardly anyone knows today. The weeds - whose family also includes the woodruff - are hardly used as a medicinal plant, as well as the toadflax. Fortunately, there are more and more people who are once again interested in the power of wild herbs. Even the old customs come out more and more out of their shadowy existence. I am convinced that many people in times of technology and of 'getting faster and better' are yearning for harmony with nature.
Nobody founds a "herb smithy" to earn as much money as possible as fast as possible. What does you do in your job??
For me, the wild herbs are pure passion. They are worth being brought into the focus of the people. We owe them a lot. I am preoccupied with the wild herbs, give me peace and let me pay attention to the small - often inconspicuous - things in life. In and with nature, we also learn a lot about ourselves, even if the peace and quiet at the beginning is difficult for many to bear.
Of course I also have to earn money, but I have a job that I enjoy a lot and that I see nothing but "work". I've never enjoyed making money so much.
Unfortunately, this area is often occupied by people who put their value well below the bushel and - if at all - take only the smallest amounts for their services. I also like the fact that to a large extent I can take my own health into my own hands.
I also want to help see the herbs as a kind of lifestyle that helps us enjoy our lives more. Away from the eco-image, the theme of wild herbs has long become "acceptable" and that's a good thing. (The interview was conducted by Dr. Utz Anhalt)