The Pennsylvania School of Herbalism operates in the Allegheny Mountains in Western and Central Pennsylvania. These mountains, like the broader Appalachian region that we live in, have many surviving folk herbal traditions. Like many people in our generation, we live with fragments shared when we were little from our grandparents, great aunts, great uncles, neighbors, and other elders in our community. Because of these fragments, we recognize how important and precious this knowledge is—to gather, to retain, and to pass on to others. We are collecting these traditions to help compile, preserve, and teach them.
The Northern Appalachian region comprises most of Pennsylvania (except the southeast corner), southeastern Ohio, southwestern New York, and the Maryland panhandle. You might be from here, or you may have grown up here or had family from here. If you live in this region or have ties to this region, and you have been passed any herbal knowledge by friends, family members or community members, we would love to hear from you!
We are particularly interested in how herbal medicine was practiced by the people who lived here in previous times. We are looking specifically for what traditions have been passed down to you (likely in a oral/hands on fashion) from neighbors, family, grandparents, friends, or other local community members. If you have any recipes, cookbooks, or other such materials, we’d love to hear about them as well.
We have a short Google Form we created that you can share this knowledge—and once you share, Dana may follow up and ask for a short interview. You can also reach out to us via our contact form if you have more extensive things to share.
Please share with us here!
