I waited many months for this interview with Chanchal Cabrera as she kept at bay all distraction while on a self-prescribed writing retreat to work on her book about herbal oncology. And the wait sure was worth it. Despite Chanchal’s long history lecturing on herbal medicine at Pacific Rim College, this was our first opportunity to meet. I doubt it will be the last as there is still so much richness for us to unearth.
Even though the focus for this interview is relatively limited to cancer and herbal medicine, through tangents, we diverge into a significantly broader view that captures topics such as preservation of plants and old growth forests, the concept of collaborative medicine, journeying with ayahuasca, personal development, and dying with dignity and celebration.
Chanchal established a connection with herbs as a young girl with flower presses and her personal spice collection. A family cancer scare led her into the clinic of renowned herbalist David Hoffman, and David welcomed her into his dispensary, giving her a glimpse of herbal medicine in action. She has been enamoured with herbs ever since and a professional herbalist for more than 30 years.
Among an impressive list of credentials and accolades, Chanchal is the author of the book Fibromyalgia – A Journey Toward Healing and a certified Master Gardener. She and her husband farm 7 acres on Vancouver Island at Innisfree Farm and Botanical Garden.
Whether your interest lies in natural cancer care, herbal medicine, or Chanchal directly, you will not be disappointed with this episode. She shares with us some incredible stories of both life and death and plants seeds for many future herbalists to sew.
Please enjoy this episode of Pacific Rim College Radio with Chanchal Cabrera.
Episode Links:
Innisfree Farm and Botanical Garden
Learning Links:
School of Western Herbal Medicine at PRC
Online Herbal Medicine courses at PRCOnline
Student Clinic at PRC