Today I am sharing an important conversation with one of my primary herbal teachers, about the micro and macro views of health and healing. Modern life too often disassociates us from our innate identity and relationship with our greater ecosystem, biome, and planet. Herbal medicine, when practiced deeply and mindfully, goes beyond a simplistic replacement of conventional medicine with "natural" remedies, but moves us sometimes subtly and sometimes profoundly toward a recovery of our biological identities. The human body has the innate power to heal itself. Without this power to self heal, even the most advanced medications and surgical procedures would ultimately fail. The role of the herbalist in the healing process is to consider the client as a whole person, and to consult her/him/them concerning changes in lifestyle, diet, herbs, and supplementation in order to foster an increased state of balance and health - thus maximizing the body’s self healing capabilities. Herbal medicine is not only the people's medicine, it is the planet's medicine. While we celebrate the increasing popularity of using herbs, we need to ensure herbal traditions remain true to our roots and accessible to all. Richard Mandelbaum RH is a clinical herbalist with a private practice, offering personalized health consultations, online and in person in the southern Catskills, NY. Richard has been an avid student of our native flora for close to forty years, and in addition to seeing clients he teaches classes in clinical herbal medicine, field botany, and phytochemistry. He is a co-founder and core instructor at the ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism and is on the faculty at David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies and the Won Institute of Graduate Studies. He has been a Registered Herbalist since 2003 and was a member of the American Herbalists Guild board of directors from 2012 to 2018. Richard lives with his wife Gabrielle and his daughter Rose in their straw bale home in Forestburgh, NY. You can learn more about Richard, including articles, podcast interviews, etc. at Richard Mandelbaum RH (http://richardmandelbaum.com) Connect with Richard via: Email: richard@arborvitaeny.com Website: Richard Mandelbaum RH Visit https://marinabuksov.com for more holistic content. Music from https://www.purple-planet.com. Disclaimer: Statements herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.