I love to grow as many of my herbs as I am able to – not that I would be completely self-sustaining by doing so, because many of my herbs come from other countries such as India (Ashwagandha), South Africa (Sutherlandia), and some of them would need a huge field to cope with the demand (Valerian). But plants are ever generous, and in my little cottage garden, I can produce many of my medicines.
Mainly, the joy is to be surrounded by the plants, to connect with their growth cycle, the insects and birds who live with them, to get involved with the turning of the seasons as I collect my herbs, enjoy their beautiful wholesome fragrance as they dry in my apothecary, brew them into tincture, place the exhausted herb material on the compost heap to nourish next year’s herbs, prescribe the medicines, and see people get better. All this brings me great joy. The other satisfaction is the vitality of a home-grown herb when compared to a mechanised commercially produced herb, as you can see from the picture above.