CFS Guest Speaker: Danièle Fogel on Herbs in Harmony: Exploring Their Role in Growing Ecosystems

​Danièle Fogel, PhD, is the founder of Yervika, an herbal education project that seeks to foster connection and belonging through herbs. Through Yervika, Danièle guides people to reconnect to nature and our inherent belonging to the earth. At the heart of her offerings is an emphasis that we are part of nature and not separate from it, that connecting to herbs is a transformational shape-shifting process, and that working with herbs is a remembering that is much more accessible and simple than is typically understood. Danièle has worked for nearly 20 years as an educator in various contexts, and is passionate about facilitating people’s (re)connection with herbs. Yervika offers online guides for self-education, workshops & classes, garden/project consultations, and 1-1 coaching geared towards helping people find more purpose and joy in their lives through a connection to nature and herbs.

​Workshop description:

​With the increasing interest in herbalism, there are a lot of misconceptions about what herbalism actually is. In this talk, our guest speaker will give an overview of and introduction to herbalism, and address the important role of herbs in growing ecosystems. Danièle will delve into the history of humans’ relationships with and use of plants, the differences and overlaps between kitchen herbalism and clinical herbalism, and address common misconceptions about herbalism and how it differs from allopathic medicine. Danièle will also discuss the important role that herbs play in growing ecosystems, including as part of our food system, farming systems, and agricultural systems. She will offer a few simple ways to begin engaging with herbs in our everyday lives as a way to emphasize the accessibility of working with herbs and our inherent connection to them as human beings.