My Green Journey                  
by Kim Falcone

People continually ask me, “How did you decide to become an herbalist?”  Well, rather than just a cut-and-dry decision, it was more of an evolution for me—and maybe a bit of heredity.

I’ve always been drawn to the outdoors and the earth’s wondrous flora and fauna. As a child I journeyed on foot from my home through a large stand of white pines and oaks to visit my best friend, Tracee. Our days were spent exploring the surrounding woods and playing outdoor games rather than watching TV inside (although we spent some days watching Star Trek and Truth or Consequences, too!). As I grew older, these journeys through the woods and along the nearby seashore were made atop my spirited bay mare, Tassie.

Under the watchful eye of my dad, who also shares my love of the outdoors, I became familiar with wild plants and trees and other wildlife through observation. He often took our family on summer vacations to Maine or Nova Scotia, where we roughed it for a week, most often in a cabin with no running water or indoor plumbing. We caught perch, bass, and pickerel in a nearby lake or stream and picked wild blueberries. From my grandmother, Helen, who often joined us, I learned that certain plants had medicinal value. One plant, comfrey, helped the pain of her arthritis. Some had roots that tasted like root beer, and others had berries that tasted like wintergreen LifeSavers. Wow! 

One day when I was about 14, I remember Gramma Helen telling me that her mother, my great-grandmother, Nellie Campbell Hamilton, was a community midwife and licensed practical nurse. She used plants to heal folks in the villages of Saunderstown and Allenton, Rhode Island, where she, her husband, and five children lived and farmed. From my mother and aunts I learned that Nellie was a sprite of a woman, bold and gregarious. Family lore tells that she could cure warts, and rather than reveal that her secret remedy was a plant, she told folks it was magic! I remember my great-grandmother through five-year-old eyes, but she was in her late eighties and was a bit fragile. How I wish I could have gone on a walk through the woods with her—I might have learned the name of that magic plant!

During my later high school years I began experimenting with culinary and medicinal herbs and testing the results on friends. One time I made blueberry leaf tea  (high in antioxidants!) for a tea party. Unfortunately, it tasted like cardboard. Another time, after reading about the value of ginger for a sore throat, I coaxed a boyfriend into drinking a specially prepared infusion. Although it worked, we weren’t prepared for the burning effect the spice would have on his raw, irritated throat. After taking a gulp he yelled, “What are you trying to do, kill me?!”

Fast forward to the 1990s and to marriage and motherhood. A new community of strong, intelligent, and independent women beckoned me to explore aromatherapy. I began to experiment with essential oils, and was really fascinated. Lavender, eucalyptus: the scents were heavenly, and to think, they heal as well. I dabbed tea tree essential oil on my daughter’s fever blisters and rubbed lavender essential oil on sore throats, burns, and sore muscles. The list or remedies was endless.

I then began reading every known book on medicinal plants. I wanted to reach out to people and heal them, or, as I now know, I wanted to guide them to heal themselves. The next year I enrolled in my first of several herbal apprenticeships. This part of my journey is still ongoing. I will always thirst for more knowledge and continue to study, both with herbalists and the plants themselves—the best teachers of all.

In January 2006, I opened The Cottage in Lily’s Garden in Wakefield, Rhode Island, where I formulate a number of herbal and aromatherapy products for health and home as an herbal practitioner. The Cottage is nestled among swaying pines and swamp maples; the trees provide shelter for the cultivated and wild plants below, many of which I use to make medicine in its multiple forms. Visitors enjoy the property’s serenity, and often comment on the wonderful energy they feel while taking in the woodland sights, scents, and sounds. Indeed, this was my vision when I initially dreamt of such a place. I feel so blessed to be able to live and work in this sanctuary.

So, the next time you are visiting South County, Rhode Island, take a few minutes to stop in and smell the medicinal herbs (and flowers). Sip a cup of tea in the cottage or in the garden, or take a weed walk through the surrounding woods and learn about the wonderful healing properties of local wild plants. Who knows? It may be the beginning of your own green journey.

Kim Falcone is the owner of Lily’s Garden Herbals www.lilysgardenherbals.com.