Herbalist Matthew Wood :050
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In this interview herbalist Matthew Wood shares his journey to becoming a master herbalist
Matthew is so passionate about plants, teaching and otherwise sharing his knowledge that we rarely get to here about him; how he was lead to and became an herbalist! He was gracious to spend some time for this interview and to share what is a challenging topic for him to cover, himself!
Of Course, Matthew does talk about herbs… he just can’t help it!
“I was imbued with that foreign spirit…” – Matthew Wood
“Plants are reference points for consciousness.” – Matthew Wood
Matthew shares:
- Learning from the Indians
- Studying in Scotland
- About the Seminole Indians
- Yarrow – Achillea millefolium
- English is a language of commerce
- Being raised Quaker “Follow your inner light, what works for you.”
- Being too shy to tell counselors he wanted to be a botanist
- Studying at the University of Minnesota – graduating with a history degree after 14 years
- “You really understand [the essence of] that plant, so you get an A.”
- What he gained from formal training
- Organic chemistry and alchemy
- Receiving the “Mantel of Authority and Responsibility”
- The experience of receiving the “Medical Degree from Mother Nature”
- Chinese Medicine philosophy (a taste)
- Yellow Jessamine – Gelsemium sempervirens
- Do plants from our native region more helpful to us?
- Herbal trade history
- Black cohosh – Actaea racemosa
- Do you need to have a “degree from the plant realm” to be an herbalist?
- Plantain – Plantago major
- A confidence boosting message for new herbalists!
- How to speak and understand like an herbalist
- The spirit and soul world… more to come!
“You can be a master from day one, you just need to know what one herb does reliably.”
– Matthew Wood
About Matthew Wood
“A Real Live Herbalist”
Matthew Wood has been a practicing herbalist since 1982. In a period when many authors and lecturers are merely “arm chair herbalists” who offer theories and opinions based on book learning, and others have turned to the exotic traditions of India or China, he has been an active practitioner of traditional Western herbalism. He has helped tens of thousands of clients over the years, with many difficult health problems. While Matthew believes in the virtue of many other healing modalities, he has always been inspired to learn, preserve, and practice the tradition of herbal medicine descending to us from our European, Anglo-American, and Native American heritage. He is a member of the American Herbalists Guild (registered herbalist) and has earned his Masters of Science degree from the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine (accredited by the University of Wales). Visit Matthew’s Website here