Herbal Clinic Brings Traditional Treatment To New Communities

 

Herbalism is considered mankind's first medicine, but today people associate it with marijuana or kitchen herbs. One Atlanta-based health network tries to reach people in new ways with traditional herbal medicine, although some people are still skeptical of the practice's benefits.

 

Tim Johnson is a 41-year-old single dad. He's tall with a graying beard and an easy-going persona. He also went to prison in 2011 for drug-related charges. This morning, Johnson is in a church parking lot off Ponce De Leon Avenue.

 

It's barely noon and already 95 degrees, but he doesn't mind. He's here for the Herbalista Community Health Fair. Johnson has been going to Herbalista since his release from prison three years ago. He says his criminal record has made it hard to get insurance.

 

"The position I'm in right now...I'm unable to because I am a convicted felon," he said.

 

His past drug use makes Johnson wary of synthetic medicine.

 

"We want a quick fix everything. You're not happy, here's a pill. You're too happy, here's a pill. You've got too much energy, here's a pill," he said.

 

Herbalista is a network of mobile clinics and holistic care providers like herbalists. The program's founder, Lorna Mauney-Brodek, says their free services work well for people like Tim Johnson, who doesn't have insurance.

 

"We work really hard at education. What we try to do is empower people to learn to care for themselves," she said.

 

Mauney-Brodek use natural resources to treat everything from inflammation to mental illness. Johnson, who struggles with back pain and anxiety, has found relief with herbal tinctures.

 

Herbalists like Christina Gibson operate in an unregulated space. The government doesn't oversee their practice. Gibson makes this clear at the beginning of every consultation.

 

"We're herbalists, we're not doctors, so we don't prescribe and we don't diagnose," Gibson said.

 

A study from the University of California, San Francisco found little scientific evidence to prove the safety or effectiveness of herbal medicine. It said herbs could react dangerously with other medicines, which would outweigh any potential benefits.

 

Dr. Stacey Zhang from the University of Georgia's Department of Health Policy and Management says conventional medicine could work hand in hand with herbalism.

 

"I don't have expertise in herbal medicine, but I think based on my research, how a doctor approaches can reduce healthcare expenditures can improve population health ... I think that's beneficial," she said.

 

Even if some experts are willing to consider herbal medicine, many people remain skeptical. Jeremy Reim, who drives Herbalista's mobile clinic, the Herb Bus, was one of those people. He was unsure of how effective herbal medicine could be. Now he's considering training to be an herbalist himself. He says the connection between patients and practitioners is a huge part of Herbalista's healing practice.

 

"When I see some of the participants show up, and I see their face[s] light up when they see Lorna, it helps people feel human. And I think that's healing in and of itself," he said.