The re-emergence of grassroots herbalism: an analysis through the blogosphere

ABSTRACT

The Complementary and Alternative medicine sector has grown enormously since 1980. Western Herbal Medicine (WHM), located within this domain, is a traditional therapeutic system that has enjoyed this recent public acceptance. Scientific evidence supporting therapeutic actions of plants employed in WHM has inspired public confidence. Today the herbal product industry is big business, employing sophisticated pharmaceutical manufacturing processes and competitive marketing strategies for phytomedicines with little resemblance to living plants. The literature reports a divergence of views among practitioners seeking to identify central tenets of contemporary WHM and cites herbalists who are resisting the commodification of herbal medicine. This study employs qualitative research methods to examine the blogosphere for evidence of this group using a combined purposive sampling approach and thematic analysis of blogs meeting predetermined inclusion criteria. The search revealed a group of bloggers who voice concerns about the direction WHM is taking and are ethically responsive to global environmental pressures. They share the common value that WHM should remain a healthcare option that empowers and supports the community and suggest this is best achieved by maintaining and sharing fundamental skills of plant identification, simple herbal product manufacturing and incorporating both science and tradition in their herbal practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Western herbal medicine
• globalisation
• environmentalism
• sociology
• grassroots
• commodification

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the bloggers for providing the insight into their work, and to the anonymous reviewers whose thoughtful comments have been valuable in the development of this article.

Conflict of interest

Sue Evans is an administrator of The Herbarium blog.

Notes

1. An Australian example is MediHerb. MediHerb is a manufacturer of liquid herbs for professional dispensing founded in 1986 (MediHerb, 2015). In 2008 it was acquired by Thompson Group which in 2009 became Integria Healthcare Pty Ltd, a holding company for the group's natural healthcare brands, manufacturing plants and network of distribution centres (Integria, 2015). In 2010, New Zealand oil and gas company Todd Corporation Ltd. acquired Integria (ASX, 2014).

2. Blogs are a form of user generated web material that were initially called “web-logs” (i.e. online diaries) which have since been shortened to “blog” and have become a significant feature of present day online culture (Hookway, 2008).

3. Wildcrafting is the practice of harvesting plants from their natural, or “wild” habitat, for food or medicinal purposes. It applies to uncultivated plants wherever they may be found, and is not necessarily limited to wilderness areas (Blankespoor, 2013).

4. CSAs (Community Supported Agricultures) are an alternative, locally based economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA also refers to a particular network or association of individuals who have pledged to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production.

5. Transition Towns (also known as transition network or transition movement) is a grassroots network of communities that are working to build resilience founded on the principles of permaculture in response to peak oil, climate destruction and economic instability.