A few words by Michael Pilarski
Herbalism has been around for a long time. It pre-dates any written record. It was the main health care system until allopathic medicine and pharmaceuticals displaced it in the modern West in the 1800s and 1900s. Herbalism in the United States was at its lowest ebb in the 1960s. Virtually the only herb book available in print was Jethro Kloss’ “Back to Eden”. I had my copy in the early 1970s and read it cover to cover.
A new herbal renaissance blossomed in the 1970s with people like Rosemary Gladstar, David Winston, Michael Moore and so many others.
In 1975, I started the Spring Gathering of Healing near Tonasket in north-central Washington. It was one of the first natural healing gatherings in the Pacific Northwest. It continued for several decades run by a collaborative called the Antahkarana Circle. Herbal medicine was always part of it.
In 1996, I co-founded the Northwest Herbal Fair to serve the grass-roots Northwest herbal community. We did 10 years annually, mostly at the River Farm near Van Zandt on the middle fork of the Nooksack River near Bellingham. We averaged 850 participants at each of those.
After a hiatus, in 2011 we were at the Fire Mountain Scout Camp outside of Mt. Vernon, Washington with 900 people.
After another hiatus we held 4 NWHFs back to back from 2021 to 2024. Three at the Lake Leland Amphitheater near Quilcene on the Olympic Peninsula and one at the Skalitude Retreat Center in the North Cascades.
So here we are again in 2026 on the Olympic Peninsula at Finnriver Cidery in Chimacum. Washington.
Why attend?
See old friends and make new friends.
Vend or shop at the many vendor booths.
See what is available. Meet the producers.
Education: learn/teach.
Build the herbal movement.
Keep traditions alive for future generations
In 2027, we plan a big 3-day Northwest Herbal Fair with Rosemary Gladstar as our keynote speaker and many other herbal luminaries.
Some components of the herbal movement:
Herbalists | Clinical herbalists | Folk herbalists | Curanderos | Indigenous herbalists | Traditional, grew up with it in the family | Wildcrafters | Herb farmers | Herbal product-makers | Herb gatherings, events, classes | Herbal event organizers | Teachers | Writers | Schools | Herb Stores/Apothecaries | Interested public
What is the scale of herbalism today?
* What % of people in the USA today use herbs as medicine? There are widely varying estimates but most fall between 20 % and 30%.
* What % of people worldwide use medicinal herbs? Approximately 80% of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines and traditional treatments for some part of their primary healthcare needs, according to estimates by the World Health Organization.
* U.S. retail sales of herbal dietary supplements reached an estimated $13.2 billion in 2024, according to data from the American Botanical Council.
* The global herbal medicine and medicinal products market is estimated to be worth roughly US$ 250 billion to US$ 270 billion annually.
- 31 reads