On Wednesday, April 17, the inaugural meeting of the Herbal Club took place at the Valley Park Conference Center in Hurricane.
In a grand, high-ceilinged conference room with a soaring chandelier and plush carpet, folks gathered around long, white tables to discuss something earthy, mundane and practical.
Herbs.
It was a robust turnout, especially for the first meeting of a new club. Thirty-six people assembled, among them couples, parents with young children in tow and friends attending together.
If they had all come to learn more about herbs, they were in the right place.
Tom Jones, former president of the West Virginia Herb Association and a 20-year herb enthusiast, shared from his extensive knowledge and experience about herbal teas, the club’s first subject matter.
His “students†appeared as enamored with the topic as Jones, taking notes on their handouts, asking thoughtful questions and thumbing through herb books that were being passed from person-to-person.
Following Jones’ 30-minute presentation, the new Herbal Club members were encouraged to come forward and try the various herbal teas that Jones and the club’s other leader, Nicole Mayberry, had prepared for them.
Mayberry herself is an herb lover, and for good reason. She was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases and didn’t appreciate the way that doctors would prescribe medications almost haphazardly at times, it seemed to her.
Encouraged by her dad, this mother of two began researching natural remedies and discovered that they were effective in helping her.
“Since my immune system is compromised,†she states, “I take holy basil and echinacea to help strengthen my immune system’s responses to viruses and bacteria.â€
Mayberry is thankful for her dad’s knowledge of herbs. Her dad, incidentally, is Tom Jones.
Jones is a longtime Putnam County resident who is perpetually intrigued by some plants’ abilities to help medical issues in a safe way.
“I know of herbal salves correcting skin conditions [and] herbal supplements helping with various internal disorders,†he notes.
By day, Mayberry facilitates workshops for a local conservation agency, and after her dad led a workshop titled “Medicinal Herbs for Winter†at her place of work, it gave the father-daughter duo an idea.
Jones and Mayberry wanted to find others in their community who were similarly fascinated by the possibilities of herbs. It was time to launch an Herbal Club in Putnam County.
“We hope to educate the community/Tri-State area on the usefulness and effectiveness of natural remedies using herbs,†Jones says. “For example, anyone using a diuretic must take potassium as pharmaceutical diuretics deplete potassium from your system. Dandelion root is a natural diuretic, and it adds potassium plus vitamins A, B, C, and D as well as iron and zinc.â€
Judging by the April 17 meeting — its turnout and the attentiveness of its participants, it appears that Putnam Countians are ready to receive the knowledge that Jones and Mayberry have to impart.
Herbal Club members can expect meetings to be held every two months at Valley Park. Future topics will include tinctures (July’s meeting topic), salves, medicinal gardening, herbal cleaners for the home, and more.
Some of the meetings will be make-and-take workshops, where participants will be able to make things like salves and tinctures and take them home with them. While classes are free, the make-and-take workshops will involve minimal fees to cover the cost of supplies.
While Jones and Mayberry are excited about covering all of the topics, they each have their own personal favorites. Jones covered on April 17: herbal teas. Mayberry is excited about a class on herbal salves.
“I enjoy all the many variations of salves that can be made, but my favorite is lavender to help aid in sleep,†she said.
A good night’s sleep must be important to Mayberry, who is a member of the city of Hurricane’s Development Authority and the West Virginia Composting Council, does free seed library work (check out the free seed library she recently placed in Valley Park’s Community Garden) and manages to raise children, a large garden and chickens at her home.
A full life that includes valuing herbs and enjoying their benefits — that sounds exactly like the kind of life that Nicole Mayberry and her father Tom Jones would prize.
“Pharmaceuticals are chemicals and, when administered, there are usually negative side effects,†Jones says. “Herbs are naturally occurring and usually have little to no side effects.â€
He adds, “Herbs are for everyone. Anyone that’s interested in the value and positive effects of herbs should join the Herbal Club.â€
If you would like more information about joining the Herbal Club, email plantedinputnam@gmail.com. The next meeting of the Herbal Club will be in July; stay tuned to Valley Park’s Facebook page for the date and time.
