Phyllis D. Light - Herbal Studies

A fourth generation Herbalist and Healer, Phyllis has studied and worked with herbs, foods and other healing techniques for over 30 years. Her studies in Traditional Southern Appalachian Folk Medicine began in the deep woods of North Alabama with lessons from her grandmother, whose herbal and healing knowledge had its roots in her Creek/Cherokee heritage. Phyllis’ studies continued as an apprentice with the late Tommie Bass, a nationally renowned folk herbalist from Sand Rock, Alabama, as well as other herbal Elders throughout the Appalachians and the Deep South.

Today, Phyllis has made it her mission to help keep the traditional herbal knowledge of the Appalachians available as a health tool today and as a resource for generations to come. One of the few traditional types of folk medicine native to North America, this herbal practice makes use of plants native to the Appalachian region and the deep South. It has its roots among the Native Americans who lived here, the Spanish and other Europeans who settled the area, the Scots-Irish who immigrated in great numbers and the African Americans who were brought here as slaves. Thrown together by the vagaries of global history, all of these groups contributed to a traditional medical system that has evolved from before the dawn of the industrial revolution.