What does medicine mean to you? One of the tenets that I follow is that health does not just refer to the state of your physical body but also pertains to the wellbeing of your mind, soul, and spirit. Similarly, I feel that medicine is not defined by pills and diagnoses; rather, it is something that nurtures on all levels. This holistic view is one that I have gravitated to intuitively and was concretely described to me during the Traditional Medicine lecture of an indigenous knowledge course taught by an Anishnaabe that I took a few years ago. My arrogant expectation of a chat about native plants and their uses was blown to the wayside. Instead, I spent three hours learning about an entirely different worldview and definition of medicine, one in which the mind, body, spirit, and soul are interconnected and are equally important in maintaining health. This concept has been part of practically all traditional societies, and it was only with the rise of allopathic medicine that the mind and body were considered separate.

The world right now is in a crazy state of simultaneous chaos and forced stillness. Over the past few weeks I’ve found solace in the outdoors. Picnicking with my dog on my favourite medicine hill. Pressing flowers to immortalise spring. Watching a quartet of fiddlers playing in a field of camas. Enjoying the smell of lilacs during evening walks. Monitoring the germination of my teeny second sowing of leafy greens. Discovering a treasure trove of medicinal plants within walking distance of my house. On days when I want to spend all day curled up in bed, a walk in the forest is the most important medicine for me.