Gillian Smith operates Gillian’s Herbs from her home in the Yalakom. The business sells a variety of herbal products made by hand by Gillian, who has been studying herbalism since 1994. She grows most of the herbs for the products on her homestead, and also locally wildcrafts many of the herbs herself. In the short interview below, you will learn more about her practices, philosophy and how to get your hands on her amazing products. Enjoy!
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your family?
A: I am a plant and animal loving multi-tasker by nature and, though as a child was convinced I’d be a veterinarian when I grew up, I started my love of herbs eating wintergreen and pine needles from my rural backyard outside of North Bay, Ontario at the young age of 3. In high school, my girlfriend and I dabbled in herbal medicine, making love potions, teas and visiting herb shops in Toronto. In university, it became clear that botany was more to my liking as an academic focus and so veterinary medicine was shelved, and that led me to start a Master’s degree at the University of Victoria. There I became quite disillusioned with academics in general and, quite by chance, found a beginner’s herb class to lighten my spirit. It was there that my love of herbs and herbal medicine really germinated and I haven’t looked back once. I’ve been taught by some of the greatest herbalists on the planet, traveling as far as Albuquerque to study, returning to BC to sell my wares. I started with a simple salve of Sage and Comfrey which morphed into the now famous Seven Herb Healing Salve. 26 years later, my family of 3 homesteads a piece of paradise in the Yalakom Valley where we grow a wide variety of medicinal and culinary herbs, as well as food crops next to our owner built straw bale home.
