Hello. My name is Sarah Hooff, and I am a practicing herbalist living in Powell River (upper Sunshine Coast) B.C, 90 miles north of Vancouver. I thought it might be helpful to tell a little about myself and my philosophies. Family life is definitely my reason for learning about herbalism, long lists of side effects scare me and do not sit well with a mothers protective instinct. I've found there are many safe alternatives we can try first anyhow if you simply act promptly with great results. On the other hand, there are physical troubles that take years to manifest and again there are many wonderfully nourishing plants that can help restore balance when used regularly to help renew those areas of concern.

Looking back, it was probably the birth of my first son that made me most curious. A family member had suggested Raspberry leaf tea, but honestly I could not understand how a little leaf could do so much! And of course, as you probably can guess I did not follow the advise and my labour was long and exhausting. While often first labours generally are longer, I know now I could have been better prepared and it could have gone much more smoothly.

Following that baby I experienced 2 miscarriages. There had not been any help on the subject and I was told by my doctor that they really couldn't do a lot for me until I had suffered three miscarriages! Of course I hit the books, and the result was a healthy baby boy followed by the most smooth pregnancy and birth anyone could wish for. The whole labour from start to finish was three and a half hours! Since then I've had 4 more children. They were born at home and all in three and a half hours or less. I believe strongly it was because of the many pots of Raspberry Leaf / combo infusions. Many of my most precious memories have to do with my pregnancies and the growing or preparing of these wonderful herbs.

In 1997 in a little book shop in my town, I found a most amazing book called Herbal Healing for Women, by Rosemary Gladstar.The book is most wonderful and is written for the 3 main stages of a women's life and I fell head over heels in love with Herbalism. I already knew herbs would remain forever an ally, but something about the way she writes. I knew this had to be my path as well. Several years later I was thrilled to find out Rosemary Gladstar (Sage Mountain) offered a Distance Course and I ordered it immediately. An amazing hands on course and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Herbalism. So with the completion of that study and the many years of dealing with family issues I decided to open my own little Herb Shop here from home, Hummingbird Hill. My husband and I also grow organic produce, homeschool the kids and raise Italian Mastiffs (Cane Corso) I feel thank full each and every day and wish to share my knowledge and hopefully be of good service to others.

I also wish to share my experiences as a vegetarian. I became vegetarian when my husband and I got together in 1994. I had already been interested in that lifestyle and now it is something I really appreciate about my diet. In these modern times it doesn't feel safe to raise our children eating mainstream meat or even necessary with the many options that we have. Even without processed meat alternatives, many plants have an amazing range of vitamins and minerals and I feel plants are grossly underestimated for their nutritional contents. I feel as long as what we put into our bodies is quality, and health and vitality is taken into consideration, we really don't need to fear deficiencies so much in our culture as we do need to be cautious of excess. I feel this diet is extremely beneficial and the rewards are swiftly felt as our bodies have less burden placed upon it.

Also a more recent love of mine has become exercise. It is so important to understand the value of using our bodies. They are designed to be used! Nothing, no spicy pepper, synthetic compound or expensive health supplement can compare to the results that come from physical activity. Whether it's because of its ability to ease your mind for it is something you do just for yourself, or the endorphins, or all of the fresh oxygen rushing through your system, one cannot deny the positive and speedy effects of proper hydration and getting physical :)

I feel strongly that radiant health is our birthright. We NEED to be proactive concerning our health. Yes, it is true our Environment is facing serious troubles and our bodies are suffering from pollution, pesticides and many other assaults I'm sure. We might feel the balance needed for healing is out of our hands, but this isn't so. We start by looking within. Most problems do not occur overnight and with dedication to ourselves and what we truly need, the peace and vibrant health we desire is inevitable.