This past week was quite eventful with our Garden Club having its first event of the trimester. We held our intentions in grounding, growth and gratitude. In an attempt to beat the looming coldness of winter, we set out to reset our garden space which really needed some love and tending. With our new and growing membership, we launched our fall clean-up and gathered soil for soil testing, which will be done in collaboration with the Plant Friends Club. This is a crucial step toward making next season’s garden one of practical application and purpose. With the assurance that our soil is free of any harmful toxins, we are making an effort toward creating a place where students learn firsthand how to cultivate, harvest and study safe-to-use medicinal plants and allow a more personal interactions with the plants we are learning in botanical medicine and other courses.
Amidst the weeding and trimming, students exchanged names and stories about what brought them into their fields of study. It was heartwarming to hear about how some people have gardens they tend to at home or aspirations to cultivate a garden in their future. It was especially nice that the rainfall from earlier that morning had softened the ground and the atmosphere wasn’t too hot. The sky graced us with clear blues and fluffy clouds to set us on our way after hours of work. The cleanup ended with our usual tour of plants in the garden, and we even found banana spiders and a praying mantis, which some of us had never seen before. Among the plants in our garden, most notably (in a medicinal sense) are those listed below:
African Marigold (Tagetes erecta)
African marigold has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Its beautifully colored petals are commonly infused in oils or teas to help with skin and wound care. As companion planting, it also acts as an insect repellent for ideal garden ecosystem equilibrium.
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)
A soft and soothing ally, marshmallow root is rich in mucilage, making it a go-to for digestive and respiratory irritation. Its calming, coating properties remind us of gentleness in healing both for plants and people.
Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Aromatic and heartening, lemon balm is a nervine that nurtures the heart and soothes the nervous system. It is great for reducing anxiety, improving focus and as a study aid for students during exams and long study sessions.
Community & Celebration
Later in the week, Garden Club participated in tabling for the NUHS Experience, welcoming new students entering our expanding student body here in Illinois. Students gathered at our table to bag their own unique mixture of dried herbs for tea and learn more about the Garden Club. With excitement, many signed up to be a part of Garden Club and hung out to hear more about the student experience here in general.
It all ended on a high note this weekend at the Winter Formal Masquerade Ball. I’m sending a special
shout out to our student body for putting forth such a great intentional effort to make this experience one to remember. It was my first time attending an event outside of those held on campus and with laughter, music and connection, we basked in self-expression. My mask, influenced by tribalism and ancient shamanic healing gods, paid homage to the ancestral origins of medicine and spirituality; and much to my surprise was awarded the Best Mask among a lineup of jaw-dropping creations.
As we packed away our tools and the week ended, I was reminded that tending to the garden and tending to ourselves go hand-in-hand. Just as the soil needs rest and renewal, so do we and sometimes the most healing thing we can do is simply take a night to dance with friends and celebrate being alive together.
