Meet Sarah
Sarah’s communion with the natural world began early in life. Growing up on her family’s land in the Blue Ridge Mountains, some of her earliest memories are of eating persimmon bread with fox grape jelly, and of fresh game and fish supplementing her family’s bountiful gardens.
A degree in Biology from Guilford College and a yearlong apprenticeship with a master herbalist further developed and deepened her knowledge and love of the natural world. Permaculture Theory--design thinking based on the patterns of natural ecosystems--unified the different aspects of her education and interests, painting a path forward for her. Permaculture holds the promise of sustainable, synchronistic economies in its fusion of the human and natural worlds; the ability to grow food, medicine, create art and build community can bring radical transformation and healing.
With the help of mentor and collaborator, Charlie Headington, Sarah created science, art and gardening programs for the students of Elon Homes for Children, a residential treatment center for at risk youth, located in central North Carolina. In recognition of the Sarah’s work, she was awarded Horticultural Therapist of the year in 2000, from the Carolinas Chapter of the American Horticultural Therapy Association.
After leaving Elon Homes for Children, Sarah worked independently as a Permaculture designer and in 2001 she took a position as the executive director of SEEDS (South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces), in Durham, NC. She worked at SEEDS for three years, developing several new programs and incorporating Permaculture principles into their work with the community and the gardens.
She moved to the New River Valley in 2004 to reconnect with family and the mountains she loves. She started NatureScapes with her spouse in 2008- a design build permaculture business. For 10 years, she built beautiful gardens in the NRV. In 2017, she began work on Blue Sky Botanicals.
Sarah is a certified Permaculture Designer and Horticultural Therapist with over 16 years of experience designing gardens and educating children and adults. She was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in the Completion of Foundations in Herbal Medicinal Herbalism and Excellence in the Completion in Herbal Apothecary by the Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine, and has completed 6 month advanced training with Green Comfort.
She is now working on a yearlong herbal program with Dr, Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., and upon completion she will be a registered herbalist with American Herbalist Guild.
“Why” Plant Based Medicine?
Blue Sky Botanicals serves as a provider of plant-based medicines and as an educator. We want to empower individuals through education and experiential learning in order to create a healthier community.
Herbal remedies have served humankind for millennia, supporting the human body through healing long before modern medicine. While drug design has created medicines that have extended lifespans and cured what was once incurable, plant-based medicines are still an important part of an holistic and natural approach to health and wellness.
As complex living systems of interactive chemicals, the active ingredients in plants are most effective when synergized with others in their original chemical profile, not when separated into component parts. Plant-based medicines consider the whole plant instead of extracting individual active ingredients. Instead of isolating an individual agent that could help with relaxation, for example, plant-based medicines examine how the interactive properties of the organism enhance stress-relief as a whole. This provides better relief for you, while maintaining the natural balance of the plant itself.