What if the most profound teachers in our lives weren’t human at all, but plants? This is the heart of ecological herbalism- learning directly from the living world and discovering how plants can guide us through healing, change, and even grief.
Recently on The Dancing Willow podcast, herbalist and author Dara Saville joined us to share her journey into herbalism, the story of her first plant ally, and the deeper meaning behind her work with the Yerba Mansa Project. Her words remind us that herbalism is more than tinctures and remedies, it’s about relationship, reciprocity, and belonging to the web of life.
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A First Ally: Globe Mallow
Dara’s path as an herbalist began not in a classroom, but on the roadside. While traveling across the New Mexico plains, she stepped out of her car and noticed a vibrant orange flower growing out of gravel and dust. That plant was globe mallow, and in that moment, she realized that plants could speak.
“It was like love at first sight,” she shared. “That encounter drew me into the world of plants and I could never come back from it.”
Globe mallow became her first teacher, showing her that non-human beings are capable of connection, recognition, and healing. This experience laid the foundation for everything that followed in her herbal practice.
What Is Ecological Herbalism?
Dara describes her approach as ecological herbalism, a way of understanding plant medicine that looks beyond the body to the relationships plants form in their ecosystems.
By observing how plants live, adapt, and heal their environments, we begin to understand how they also work within us. “Plants are the same medicine in the land as they are inside our bodies,” Dara explained. “When we see how they regulate water, air, and soil, we learn how they regulate vital forces within us, too.”
Her book, The Ecology of Herbal Medicine, explores this framework, while her forthcoming work delves into ancestral relationships with plants and the knowledge carried through time.
Yerba Mansa: Ancient Wisdom for Changing Times
At the center of much of Dara’s work is Yerba Mansa, a plant native to the Rio Grande Bosque. With a lineage stretching back over a million years, Yerba Mansa carries what she calls “planetary knowledge.” It has survived floods, droughts, and environmental upheavals that humans can hardly imagine.
For Dara, working with Yerba Mansa is not only about physical medicine- though it’s known for its powerful astringent qualities- but also about spiritual guidance. “This plant has witnessed unimaginable change,” she said. “When we sit with it, we can feel that ancient wisdom. It teaches us resilience.”
Her nonprofit, the Yerba Mansa Project, focuses on restoring the ecosystems where this plant grows. But restoration, she emphasizes, isn’t just about planting- it’s about restoring relationships, stories, and responsibilities.
From Grief to Action
Many people today carry deep ecological grief as they witness environmental destruction and climate change. Dara believes plants can help us transmute that grief into healing action.
“When we get our hands in the dirt, plant seeds, and care for ecosystems, something shifts,” she said. “People tell me they feel their grief transforming into empowerment.”
Through community restoration events, children and families join the Yerba Mansa Project to plant shrubs, tend the soil, and learn directly from the land. In turn, these experiences cultivate both ecological health and a new generation of caretakers.
Building Relationship with Plants
For those just beginning their journey, Dara encourages slowing down and being present. Start with something as simple as breathing with a plant- offering it your oxygen while receiving its carbon dioxide in return. Speak to it. Ask what it needs. Be patient.
“These relationships take time, sincerity, and commitment,” she said. “Even if you’re starting from scratch, it’s possible to build deep, reciprocal connections with plants.”
She also reminds us that the work involves unlearning- examining the ways our histories of colonization and disconnection have shaped us- and finding a path forward rooted in respect and reciprocity.
Continuing the Story
As Dara sees it, we are all part of a story still being written. The plants, our ancestors, and our descendants are woven into it. Our task is to step into our responsibility as caretakers and co-creators of a livable future.
“The world needs good humans in relationship with the land,” she said. “When we act from that place, grief becomes medicine.”
Learn More & Get Involved
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Explore classes at Albuquerque Herbalism
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Support or join The Yerba Mansa Project
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Read The Ecology of Herbal Medicine (University of New Mexico Press)
Whether you listen to Dara’s words on the podcast or simply sit with these reflections, may you find inspiration to begin or deepen your own relationships with the plants around you.