Catawba County News

Educated About...Herbs

Published: January 22, 2020

This month, the library continues its participation in CVCC’s community-wide read of Educated, author Tara Westover’s memoir about breaking with her family’s beliefs in order to pursue a formal education.

Raised as an End-of-Days survivalist in Idaho, Westover lived in an environment where doctors, public schools, and the federal government were strongly distrusted. She had an isolated upbringing centered around her immediate family and her father’s salvage yard business until she left home as a teenager to attend college and ultimately earn her PhD.

Since modern medicine was viewed with suspicion in her survivalist circle, Westover’s mother practiced a self-taught brand of herbalism, which she used to treat minor pains as well as catastrophic accidents.

In several upcoming workshops, we’ll dig deeper into what herbalism involves, and participants will have a hands-on opportunity to explore the culinary and therapeutic aspects of natural herbs. Tim Yarborough, wellness director of Vital Plan, will guide the library’s programs and add context to Westover’s mother’s methods, like foraging for yarrow and rosehips and mixing up homemade tinctures.

The library programs will meet as follows:

• Saturday, February 1 at 10 am at the Sherrills Ford-Terrell Branch Library
• Saturday, February 1 at 2 pm at the St. Stephens Branch Library

CVCC is also offering a program called Herbal Medicine: Fact and Fiction. It’s free and open to the public and takes place at noon on Wednesday, January 29 at the East Wing Auditorium on campus.