I became interested in herbalism during my first round of cancer treatments. At the time, I just wanted to put my hands in the dirt and be dirty every day. Next, I started growing things and seeing medicinal herbs for sale at the store. My curiosity grew with each thing that I saw or grew.
And at the same time, I got a job at the National University of Natural Medicine. I spent as much time as possible in their healing garden, just taking naps and listening to the plants.
In retrospect, I think a part of it was that I was inspired never to go through chemotherapy again. I had just experienced chemotherapy in my first round of cancer treatments, and it’s such a harsh thing. So I was just curious as to how you can take medicine and not destroy your body while doing so.
Between all of these things – it became almost like an obsession, like, it just needed all of the information in my head. I started taking classes and kept growing more and more plants. Training as an herbalist came out of all of that.
Since becoming an herbalist, I’ve done a lot of work helping people recover from chronic symptoms caused by food intolerance. Food intolerance is often at the root of someone’s symptoms. So when someone walks into my clinic with allergies, chronic sinus infections, or chronic IBS, I turn to food to see if I can find a culprit.
If you’re struggling with symptoms that you can’t kick, consider dropping me a line. I’d love to help.
– Kelley Stangl,
Herbalist + Owner of Stangl Apotheca