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Monday 9am - 6pm Tuesday 9am - 6pm Wednesday 9am - 6pm Thursday 9am - 6pm Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 6pm

http://www.healinghouseherbal.com/

Healing House Natural Wellness, 907 12th Street, New Westminster, BC (2026)

09/04/2026

🌿 THE FUTURE NEEDS TO BE GREEN 🌎

When I was a child, I wanted to be a naturalist. I imagined myself deep in the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by towering trees, studying plants, wildlife, and the extraordinary interconnectedness of the natural world.

Life took me down a slightly different path—but perhaps not as different as I once thought.

Today, as an herbal practitioner, I still spend my life listening to plants. I work with them as medicines, study their chemistry, grow them, harvest them, and witness every day what they can offer human health.

But I also believe those of us who work with plants have a responsibility to speak for them.

Because planetary health and human health cannot be separated.

Trees are not simply beautiful scenery. Forests help cool landscapes through shade and evapotranspiration, store carbon, move enormous amounts of water through the atmosphere, protect watersheds and soils, and influence rainfall and regional weather patterns.

A living forest is part of the Earth’s climate-regulating infrastructure.

And when we remove forests on a massive scale, we don’t just lose trees. We disrupt ecosystems, biodiversity, water cycles, soil health and the intricate relationships that help keep our planet habitable.

We spend so much time talking about human health as though it exists independently of the environment.

It doesn’t.

Our food comes from living soil.
Our medicines come from the Earth.
Our water depends on healthy watersheds.
Our air is shaped by forests and oceans.
Our survival is intertwined with countless species we may never even notice.

That little girl who wanted to disappear into the Amazon rainforest grew up.

But she never stopped loving the forest.

And perhaps part of being an herbalist is remembering that plants are more than something we extract medicine from.

They are our partners.

They are our teachers.

And sometimes, they need us to be their voice.

🌿 The future needs to be green.

09/03/2026

Rest is part of the medicine. 🌿🌊

There is something about the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest that asks you to slow down.

The salt air. The mountains disappearing into the mist. The rhythm of the tides. The deep greens of the forests meeting the cold blue water. Out here, nature seems to operate on a different clock—and I am remembering how important it is that sometimes, we do too.

As a practitioner, herbalist, mother, business owner, and someone who spends much of my life caring for others, I am very good at reminding people that rest is essential to healing. Taking my own advice can sometimes be a little harder.

So right now, I am resting.

I am exploring. Breathing deeply. Sleeping a little longer. Spending time near the ocean. Laughing. Being present. Letting my nervous system soften and giving my body the opportunity to simply be rather than constantly do.

Rest isn’t laziness. It is physiological restoration.

It is where the nervous system recalibrates, the brain processes, tissues repair, hormones find rhythm, and our reserves begin to replenish. We were never designed to exist in a perpetual state of productivity.

Even the natural world understands this.

There are seasons for growing, seasons for blooming, seasons for harvesting—and seasons for becoming quiet.

September is going to be an incredibly busy month at Healing House. The apothecary will be bustling, the clinic will be full, herbs will be pouring, formulas will be made, and there is so much exciting work waiting for me when I return.

But before the busy season begins, I am giving myself permission to refill my own cup.

Because caring deeply for others also means learning when to step away, breathe, restore, and come home to yourself.

I’ll be back soon—rested, restored, probably smelling faintly of cedar and ocean air, and very ready for everything September has in store. 🌿💚🌊

With love from the beautiful Pacific Northwest,
Petra

08/31/2026

🌿 “The soul is the greening power of the flesh.” — Hildegard of Bingen

There is something remarkably beautiful about this idea.

Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century mystic, physician, and herbalist, described viriditas—the “greening power”—as the vital force associated with growth, renewal, vitality, and life itself.

Centuries later, science is beginning to give us language for something ancient healing traditions have long understood:

We cannot completely separate the body from the mind, emotions, relationships, and sense of meaning.

Modern psychoneuroimmunology examines the communication between the brain, nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system. Chronic psychological stress can influence cortisol and sympathetic nervous-system activity, which in turn can alter immune regulation and inflammatory processes.

This matters because healing isn't simply about giving the physical body the “right” nutrients, herbs, or supplements.

It is also about asking:

🌱 Am I getting enough restorative sleep?
🌱 Do I feel safe enough to rest?
🌱 Am I nourishing myself or merely surviving?
🌱 Do I have meaningful connection?
🌱 Am I making space for joy, creativity, nature, spirituality, or purpose?

Research into mind-body interventions—including relaxation practices, mindfulness, and stress-management approaches—has found effects on stress-related hormones and aspects of immune and inflammatory function, although the evidence varies considerably depending on the intervention and outcome being measured.

This doesn't mean that positive thinking cures disease.

It means something more nuanced:

The environment we create within ourselves can influence the biological environment in which healing takes place.

Perhaps this is what Hildegard's viriditas invites us to remember.

Healing is not only about fighting what is wrong. Sometimes it is about cultivating what is alive.

Calm the nervous system.
Make room for connection.
Rest.
Breathe.
And tend to the small green places within you that still want to grow. 🌿

08/29/2026

🌿 Clinic & Apothecary Holiday Notice 🌿

Healing House Natural Wellness will be taking a short seasonal pause as we transition into fall.

The clinic will be closed until September 10 while I take some much-needed time to recharge, adventure, and return rested and ready for a busy fall season. 🍂🌿

The Herbal Apothecary will remain OPEN next week, so herbal orders, refills, and apothecary needs can still be taken care of during that time.

Please note that the Apothecary will then be CLOSED September 7–10, with regular operations resuming after my return.

This little pause gives me the opportunity not only to recharge, but to prepare, restock, and get the apothecary ready for the season ahead.

Thank you for your patience and continued support. I’m looking forward to returning refreshed, restocked, and ready to welcome everyone back for fall. 🌿🍁

With love from the plant world,
Petra | Healing House Natural Wellness

08/28/2026

🌿 Raising Children With the Wisdom of the Earth 🌿

One of the greatest gifts of herbal medicine is that it invites us to slow down, observe, and become curious about the natural world.

I believe children should have a place in that experience.

When we teach children about herbs, plants, food, and holistic healing, we aren’t simply teaching them what a plant can do. We are helping them develop a relationship with the Earth. 🌱

A child who learns to identify a dandelion, measure herbs for a tea, watch a seed become a plant, or understand why we nourish our bodies begins to see nature differently. The Earth becomes something they interact with, learn from, and care for—not simply something that exists around them.

And there is so much learning hidden within herbalism.

🌿 Reading: learning plant names, studying herbal monographs, following recipes and understanding instructions.

🌿 Mathematics: measuring herbs, calculating ratios, understanding fractions, doses, percentages, weights and volumes.

🌿 Science: observing plants, learning about ecosystems, understanding the human body and exploring how plants contain different constituents.

🌿 Critical thinking: asking questions, researching answers, observing outcomes and learning that not every traditional claim is automatically supported by evidence.

Most importantly, herbalism can teach children connection—to their bodies, to their food, to the seasons, and to the living world around them.

There is something profoundly beautiful about watching a child become curious about a plant and ask, “What does this one do?”

As a mother and a healer, I consider it one of the greatest honours of my life to help nurture that curiosity.

I don’t want to simply teach children about nature.

I want to help raise a generation that feels connected to it. 🌎🌿

08/27/2026

Herbal medicine isn’t about finding the “right herb.” 🌿

One of the biggest misconceptions I see is the idea that herbal medicine works like a search engine:

“I have this symptom. What herb should I take?”

But clinical herbalism is rarely that simple.

The same symptom can have completely different underlying patterns from one person to another.

Two people may both experience inflammation, digestive problems, fatigue, or immune dysfunction — yet the reasons their bodies arrived there may be entirely different.

That’s why I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all herbal protocols.

I look at the whole person.

Their constitution.
Their history.
Their medications and supplements.
Their nutritional status.
Their stress and lifestyle.
Their digestive function.
Their inflammatory patterns.
Their environmental exposures.
And, most importantly, what their body is actually asking for.

Sometimes the answer is a nourishing herb.

Sometimes it’s supporting digestion.

Sometimes it’s reducing an unnecessary burden.

Sometimes it’s rebuilding what has been depleted.

And sometimes the most appropriate recommendation is not another herb at all.

This is why clinical herbal medicine requires education, critical thinking, pattern recognition, preparation knowledge, safety assessment, and an understanding of when herbal medicine can complement — rather than replace — conventional medical care.

The plants are powerful.

But knowing which plant, for which person, at which time, and why is where the art and science of herbal medicine truly meet.

🌿 The goal isn’t to give your body more things to do.

The goal is to give it the right support.

08/26/2026

Not many things keep me up in the middle of the night these days, but one thing certainly does and that is the standards of education around clinical herbal medicine. In my opinion, there have been a lot of changes since the time that I went to school, and from what I can see many schools have changed the standards of what it means to be a clinical Herbalist. Certainly there is an argument to be said for keeping up with the times, but there’s also the argument for being sure that the standard of education in clinical herbal medicine is at the highest standard that it can be (in my opinion). Now I’m not spilling any beans here about what was discussed, but I will say it was an incredibly wonderful opportunity to talk about what the future of Herbal medicine might look like with the current president’s of North America’s longest standing herbal school, which just turned 100 years old!! that’s a lot of history and a lot of tradition. I’m not ashamed to say that I am a graduate of Dominon Herbal college and I’m also not ashamed to say that I use my education every single day and that without it, I would not be who I am , doing what I am doing. So to Art and Lorraine, thank you so much for listening and thank you for the lively discussion. Sending lots of love and deep respect from the plant world!
Dominion Herbal College

08/25/2026

There’s something special about the early mornings in the apothecary. 🌿

Before the day gets busy, the kettles are warming, tinctures are being poured, orders are being carefully filled, and the scent of fresh plant material fills the room.

At Healing House, we do things the slow way.

Our tinctures begin with raw plant materials and are made by hand, right here in our apothecary. We take the time to source our herbs thoughtfully, process them carefully, formulate intentionally, and allow the extraction process to happen as it should.

You won’t find pre-purchased tinctures sitting on our shelves that were manufactured somewhere else, shipped to us, and relabeled.

We want to know what plant went into the bottle, where it came from, how it was processed, what was used to extract it, and how it was made.

Because when you’re working with medicinal plants, those details matter.

There is something deeply meaningful about being connected to every step—from the raw plant material to the finished bottle that makes its way into someone’s hands.

It may not be the fastest way.

It certainly isn’t the easiest way.

But we believe slow, intentional, hands-on herbalism is worth it. 🌱

Every bottle carries a little piece of the apothecary with it—and a whole lot of care.

08/24/2026

🌿 ANEMONE PULSATILLA — THE PASQUE FLOWER

Anemone pulsatilla (syn. Pulsatilla vulgaris) is one of those plants that deserves both respect and curiosity. Known as Pasque Flower or Easter Flower, it has a long history of traditional European herbal use and is closely related to the Pulsatilla species used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Historically, Pulsatilla was used for nervousness, stress, anxiety, insomnia, neuralgia, headaches, respiratory complaints, menstrual concerns and rheumatic conditions. Traditional practitioners considered it a powerful, deep-acting botanical rather than a gentle everyday tonic.

🔬 WHAT DOES MODERN RESEARCH SHOW?

The cancer research is intriguing.

A 2023 study examining Pulsatilla vulgaris extracts found inhibition of 12 cancer-associated signaling pathways in cervical cancer cells, including MYC, Notch, Wnt, STAT3 and NF-κB. The extracts also increased apoptotic cell death and interfered with pathways involved in uncontrolled cellular proliferation. Triterpenoid saponins appeared to contribute substantially to these effects.

Other Pulsatilla research has investigated inflammatory signaling and immune modulation, including effects involving NF-κB and inflammatory cytokines. This makes the plant particularly interesting when we consider the relationship between chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation and cancer biology.

But there is an important distinction: these findings are primarily laboratory and animal research.

🌱 AND THERE'S ANOTHER STORY: SUPPLY.

Pulsatilla vulgaris is now considered Near Threatened, with habitat loss and degradation contributing to declining wild populations. Kew's Millennium Seed Bank is helping conserve its genetic material.

Responsible sourcing matters.

This is not a plant I would consider a casual “take it because it's natural” herb. Fresh Pulsatilla contains irritating compounds such as protoanemonin, and appropriate preparation, identification, dosage and sourcing are critical.

🌿 Powerful plants deserve powerful respect.

08/23/2026

🍂 SELF-CARE FOR THE SEASONAL SHIFT 🍂

As we move from the warmth and outward energy of summer into the cooler, darker days of autumn, our bodies notice the change.

Seasonal transitions can influence our sleep, energy, digestion, mood, immune function, and nervous system. Less daylight can affect our circadian rhythm and melatonin production, while cooler temperatures may encourage the body to conserve energy. We may naturally begin craving warmer, heartier foods and more rest.

Instead of fighting that shift, we can work with it. 🌿

✨ Eat with the season.
Begin incorporating warm, nourishing foods like soups, stews, roasted vegetables, root vegetables, warming spices, and mineral-rich broths.

✨ Protect your sleep.
With changing daylight, consistent sleep and wake times become even more important. Get morning light exposure and create a calming evening routine.

✨ Support your nervous system.
Autumn is an invitation to slow down. Gentle movement, breathwork, stretching, meditation, time in nature, and intentional rest can help your nervous system adapt.

✨ Keep digestion moving.
As we transition toward heavier foods, support digestion with adequate hydration, fiber, bitter foods, herbs, and mindful eating.

✨ Nourish immune resilience.
Prioritize nutrient-dense foods, adequate protein, healthy fats, minerals, and the basics that often get overlooked: sleep, hydration, movement, and stress management.

✨ Honor your changing energy.
You don't have to maintain the same pace you had in summer. Sometimes wellness means doing less—not pushing harder.

🍁 Seasonal change isn't something your body needs to “fix.” It's something your body needs to adapt to.

This autumn, ask yourself:

What would it look like to move with the season instead of against it?

Your body is constantly adapting. Give it the nourishment, rest, rhythm, and support it needs to do that work well. 🌿

Healing House Natural Wellness

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

08/31/2026

08/29/2026

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

08/24/2026

08/23/2026

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Monday	9am - 6pm
Tuesday	9am - 6pm
Wednesday	9am - 6pm
Thursday	9am - 6pm
Friday	9am - 6pm
Saturday	9am - 6pm