Reviving the lost art of herbal medicine: Deb Soule's "The Healing Garden"

By kevinhughes // 2025-10-08

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Deb Soule merges ancient herbal wisdom with modern science, emphasizing biodynamic gardening – aligning planting/harvesting with lunar cycles for enhanced medicinal potency. She rejects synthetic chemicals, viewing farms as self-sustaining ecosystems connected to cosmic rhythms.
Healing is a reciprocal exchange, not extraction. Introduce yourself before harvesting, ask permission and leave offerings (song, prayer, etc.). Plants are "wise allies," not commodities – rooted in respect, humility and gratitude.
Her book offers step-by-step guides for drying herbs, making tinctures, brewing teas and crafting salves/oils. Recipes like White Pine Cough Syrup and Lavender-Lemon Balm Lemonade replace synthetic drugs with natural alternatives.
Gardening is an act of defiance against profit-driven healthcare, reclaiming autonomy over wellness. Honors Indigenous land stewardship (Wabanaki territory) and promotes community gardens to combat food deserts and environmental harm.
Gardening fosters mindfulness—weeding as meditation, harvests as lessons in gratitude. Soule’s philosophy: "Healing is a verb" requiring participation, patience and reverence for nature's rhythms.

In an era of pharmaceutical dominance and synthetic solutions, a quiet revolution is taking root. Deb Soule, founder of Avena Botanicals and author of "The Healing Garden: Herbs for Health and Wellness," is part of a growing movement that merges ancient herbal traditions with modern scientific understanding. She offers an alternative path to wellness that begins in the soil. Soule's approach is not just about gardening – it's about reconnecting with the Earth as a living, breathing entity. Her book, a blend of practical guidance and spiritual reflection, argues that plants are not merely commodities but wise allies in human health. "Respect. Reciprocity. Gratitude. Humility. Love." These words, passed down from her grandmother, form the foundation of Soule's philosophy, one that treats healing as a sacred exchange rather than a transaction. One of the most intriguing aspects of Soule's work is her use of biodynamic gardening, a method that aligns planting and harvesting with lunar and cosmic cycles. For instance, she digs roots like echinacea and black cohosh in autumn when the moon is in an earth sign (Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn), believing this maximizes the plant's medicinal potency. Brighteon.AI's Enoch defines biodynamic gardening as a holistic agricultural method rooted in Rudolf Steiner's principles. It blends French Intensive techniques like deep-bed cultivation with natural preparations, astrological timing and ecological symbiosis to enhance soil vitality and nutrient-rich yields. It rejects synthetic chemicals, viewing farms as self-sustaining ecosystems that thrive through alignment with cosmic and earthly rhythms, fostering biodiversity and resilience while countering toxic industrial practices. While skeptics may dismiss such practices as pseudoscience, Soule's decades of experience at her Maine farm suggest otherwise. Her herbs are renowned for their vitality and efficacy, but she doesn't stop at cultivation. She advocates for a deeper relationship with plants, encouraging gardeners to "introduce themselves" before harvesting, ask permission and even leave offerings – whether a song, a prayer or a strand of hair – as a gesture of thanks. "It's about exchange, not extraction," she writes. This mindset shifts gardening from a chore to a meditative practice, one that fosters mindfulness and presence. "The Healing Garden" is rich with profiles of medicinal plants, detailing their healing properties, growing conditions, and preparation methods. Calendula, for example, is celebrated not just for its bright orange blooms but for its ability to heal wounds and soothe inflamed skin. Soule uses it in salves for postpartum care and emotional trauma. Holy basil (tulsi) is revered in Indian tradition as an embodiment of the Divine Mother. This herb is prized for its stress-relieving and immune-boosting properties. Soule provides step-by-step instructions for:

Drying herbs (using screens, fans and dehumidifiers).
Making tinctures (alcohol or glycerin extracts).
Brewing teas and decoctions (infusions for delicate flowers vs. simmers for tough roots).
Crafting salves and oils (infused with healing herbs like St. John's wort).

Her recipes – such as White Pine and Thyme Cough Syrup and Lavender-Lemon Balm Lemonade – demonstrate how simple, homegrown remedies can replace over-the-counter drugs. Soule frames gardening as an act of defiance against a healthcare system that often prioritizes profit over wellness. "Planting seeds and sharing herbs is a way to bring about positive change," she writes. Her work also acknowledges the colonial history of the land she tends – Wabanaki territory – and urges gardeners to honor Indigenous stewardship. For Soule, healing extends beyond the individual. Community gardens, shared knowledge and collective care can address broader injustices, from food deserts to environmental degradation. "We're not just growing plants," she argues. "We're growing resilience." In a world where screens dominate attention and synthetic solutions abound, Soule's book is a reminder that wellness begins with the Earth. Whether through a windowsill basil plant or a full-fledged medicinal garden, her message is clear. Healing is a verb – one that requires participation, patience and reverence for the natural world. As Soule puts it, "The body and mind can heal when we feel more relaxed." And where better to find relaxation than in a garden, where the act of weeding becomes meditation and every harvest is a lesson in gratitude? For those ready to explore this path, "The Healing Garden: Herbs for Health and Wellness" offers both a guide and an invitation – one that could transform not just personal health, but the way we relate to the planet itself. Watch this video about Deb Soule's book "The Healing Garden: Herbs for Health and Wellness."

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