Panel Discussion

One thing Coronavirus has taught all of us is there’s no one right way to do just about anything. Certainly, healthcare is an area where many perspectives are far more powerful than singular dogma. Our panelists will share their perspectives and discuss a variety of approaches to working with viral infections, including but not limited to COVID-19. We’ll focus more heavily on avoiding getting ill in the first place and preparing for the possibility that illness may strike, including how to sort the good information from the less helpful as we navigate life during a pandemic and after the virus has cleared.

Phyllis Light

Registered Herbalist (AHG), Folk Herbalist

Larken Bunce

MS, Clinical Herbalist, Executive Director of Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism

Thomas Easley

Registered Herbalist (AHG), Functional Herbalist, Teacher, Author

Erika Galentin

MNIMH, RH(AHG), Clinical Herbalist, Aromatherapist, Author, Distiller, & Horticulturalist

Some of Our Questions

We discussed a variety of aspects of dealing with COVID-19 and related viruses. This is a selection of a few of the questions we discussed. 

Question #1

What are the best ways a family can protect themselves from the current outbreak beyond the guildies we’ve gotten from the WHO, CDC, and John’s Hopkins University, which include hand-washing, social distancing, sheltering at home, and self-quarantine if signs of illness are present? 

Question #2

With this pandemic, we’ve seen a lot of information on how plant medicines may or may not support healing and prevention of COVID-19. This is not new. Experts in many fields nto just limited to herbalists have weighed in on how effective home remedies are or can be for handling illnesses and preventing disease. How can I tell the difference between good information and bad information…especially if the source is a doctor or scientist or similar expert I would normally trust? How can I check my facts or do my own research and make best choices for myself and my family or friends? 

Question #3

What is the best one herbal preparation for me to learn to make to get through a cold, flu, or any type of coronavirus? If I can only learn one medicine-making technique, which one is the best to master?

Question #5

What are your top three herbs to wildcraft, forage, grow, or otherwise gather before the next wave of illness happens (or before the next cold/flu season)?

Dr. Jennifer L. Kasten – On Facebook: Ongoing analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic by Dr. Jennifer Kasten, MD, MSc(Oxon), MSc(London): a pathologist with degrees in infectious disease epidemiology, mathematical modeling of epidemics, and fieldwork in epidemic control.

United Plant Savers – Research on endangered plant species, At-risk plants, and ethical wildcrafting.

American Herbalist Guild COVID-19 Resources – See also our More Resources Page.

Petri Dishes Aren’t People by Camille Charlier – article Thomas mentioned on evaluating research and herbal information including the 3Es of evaluation.