Ginseng, echinacea, ginkgo, chamomile, aloe vera, milk thistle and St. John's wort. While these are terms for herbs that are common to many people, others may not be as familiar. So a Metairie resident has formed a group to help educate people about herbs and their benefits.
Dawn Anderson, a local herbalist, recently teamed up with friend and fellow herbalist Tihana Zschieche to form the Medicinal Herb Group, which meets monthly at the Rosedale Library, 4036 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson.
"The purpose of the group is to help people learn about herbs," Anderson said. "We want beginning herbalists to start out on the right path. It's important to know what you're taking into your body and what effect each herb has on the various systems in the body.
"Most herbs treat more than one thing and people need to be sure that while they are trying to improve a health condition, they're not harming another system or organ in the process."
The group, which was formed two months ago, has attracted a wide variety of people: teachers, medical professionals and company executives.
Anderson said she got interested in herbs in 1966 when she came across a book called "How to Eat Your Weeds" and began to research the pros and cons of herbal use. Today, Anderson is an experienced herbalist, attending conferences across the country and taking classes on herbs wherever she can find them.
"I find that you tend to become more of an environmentalist when you become interested in herbs," said Anderson, who remembers as a child collecting herbs with her grandparents. "You realize that just about everything out there serves some positive purpose. You also focus more on nutrition because you begin to see that you need to eat a healthy diet to stay in shape so that you can get the maximum benefits from herbs.
"It's (being an herbalist) a very interesting progression and an ongoing learning experience."
For more information about the Medicinal Herb Group, call Andeerson at 889-0826.
- BY : Barbara Louviere
- SOURCE : Times - Picayune1999.06.03
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