Decolonizing with Plant Medicines - An Interview with Philippa Joly

Herbalism As Activism - Stories of healing, justice, resistance and change

In this episode...

I interview my friend Philippa Joly, a long time activist, organizer and herbalist living on Denman Island.

“Just the basic elemental thing of reconnecting a human with a plant can be revolutionary for people. When people realize that not only is there a healing capacity in plants… but they realize there’s a sentience in the plants, there can be a new forging of relationship.

There’s this opening that happens for people where they feel less alone. They feel less afraid. And there’s an empowerment when there’s plants growing all around me that can be my allies.”

In this interview we talk a lot about decolonization and how herbs can change our relationship with the Land and how we defend it. Philippa also shares some of her stories from working at a couple of pay what you can herb clinics in Vancouver and Victoria. And we talk about some of the challenges we share in terms of balancing accessibility to the medicine and the need to make a living as practitioners. She shares some of the behind the scenes about the business models of the clinics that she’s worked at.

I hope you enjoy this interview with Philippa Joly.