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Herbal medicine Jill Murray THE TIMES HAGERSVILLE - "Healing has to begin within before you can heal something or someone else." Janice Longboat runs a holistic clinic outside of Ohsweken where she makes healing medicines to cure such ailments as the common cold. Holistic healing is working with the mind both physically and spirit- ually. "People are becoming more aware of holistic healing," she said. "I haven't had any doctors discour- age it." She has taken all the formal training in herbal medicine and has graduated as a natural prac- titioner. This has been her way of life since she was eight years old, learn- ing about wildcraft herbs including colt's foot, burdock and mullen. "I lived in the time when you didn't run to the doctor every time you had an ailment." She sai_d, "a tea made of herbs and wild mint has the power to calm a person right down/' she said. "It is even good for yo_ung children." . She said it takes a good month to dry the wild herbs and she stores the medicine from one natural growing cycle to the next. The house she lives in now used to be her grandmother's home. "It seems her energy still guides me in my work," she said. 'Tm not a medical doctor," she said, "I can't diagnose people's prob- lems. If a person has a real problem, I send them to their _own doctor." Ms. Longboat said she has dis- covered in the last few years how · the mind can make a person sick. "It's through the negative things," she said, "like stress, pain, anger and guilt" She said, "there seems to be an awakening of health, an awareness happening. Many people are going through the holistic healing pro- cess." Something has to happen," she said, "lpq around to see the des- truction Mir planet. People are now making a conscious effort Pictured are the wild herbs Ms. Longboat hangs on a rack for at least a month before she will put them lnjars and use them in her rememdies. (St.a.ff photo). Ms. Longboat teaches a Native Community health care. course about traditional medicine part- time at Mohawk College i"n Hage rs-- ville. Beginning on May 10, she will ·also give a six-session program on Herbology and it's Medicinal Uses. But that's not all she does. She also organizes her own herb walks, two during the summer and one in spring and in fall.and one retreat c • people. She said she prefers the small group because it is too hard to interact with a larger group. "This year we will do juice lut- ing, group therapy and a sweet ,rass tobacco burning ceremony during the retreat" She said she is often invited to speak Ol) the uses of natural ~bs and healing practices. She said the demand is growing e even '*81\t