We recently connected with Michelle McAninch and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

My defining moment changed everything for me. Like many of us, it all started in 2020. I had a very sick little boy, the doctors gave him no help and just continued to send him home, completely dismissing my concerns. He just got sicker & sicker to the point that we started to lose him. After a very intense ER visit my son was diagnosed with Mono & Strep together. He eventually healed but that situation changed me forever. Leaving the hospital, I realized that no one will ever care about my children as much as I do so I’d better learn to care for them. I looked out at my yard and thought, “there’s got to be something better here than what those yahoos had to offer.” So, I ordered every book I could find on the plants in my local area and got to work scouring my yard for medicinal plants. I quickly realized I live on a pharmacy. I helped my friends and family get well, mailed herbs to any and everyone that needed them and people started healing from all sorts of illnesses. What started as a desire to care for my children turned into caring for my community. Then one thing led to another and our company, Tamarac Garden was born.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi there, I’m Michelle McAninch, herbalist, wife, mother to three teenagers, and lover of all things natural. I got into the herbal wellness industry out of sheer desperation. After a few major health crises in my family I realized that a doctor and a medical system designed to just treat symptoms could never make my family well. As I looked out at my yard I realized that I lived on a pharmacy. I started Tamarac Garden as a way to help my family, friends, community, and now nation be well without pharmaceuticals. I handcraft herbal remedies that replace common medications, whether it be for headaches, asthma, arthritis, eczema, or pain we have a remedy for it that isn’t riddled with harmful chemicals. Our plant based remedies actually heal the body inside & out. Along with herbal remedies I make natural skincare made from real, edible ingredients that heal the skin, slow the aging process, and increase collagen production. I’m most proud of the many customers that I’ve helped throughout the years, hearing from people that have been able to avoid the hospital, get off of pharmaceuticals, regain confidence, and take back their health has been so extremely gratifying.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

All my life I’ve been a big believer in modern medicine. My childhood pediatrician was right up there with God for me. If there was a problem him and his prescription pad could always solve it, I grew up with chronic bladder infections, debilitating stomach aches, ear infections, and hives. I thought I was healthy but I was not. It took me years of unraveling everything I’d learned through my school years and beyond that my health issues were not just bad luck or bad genes but they were the outcome of toxic pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, processed food, and over the counter meds had destroyed my body. It wasn’t until I started to take responsibility of my own health that those life long conditions began to change. As I stopped using pharmaceuticals of all kinds, stopped eating the Standard American Diet (hilariously nicknamed the SAD diet), and began to give my body the right conditions I began to heal.

I had to unlearn that my health is up to my doctor. I had to unlearn that a prescription will heal me. I had to unlearn that big corporations actually care about my health. I learned that my health & wellness are up to me, and me alone.

Now that I’m a mother my children know that healing starts in the home. If they are sick there’s a remedy in our yard or our pantry. If there’s a medical emergency we always start with treating it at home. Our health is up to us and no one else. Our bodies are made to heal; we just have to give them the right conditions.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

What has been the most helpful for me as a self taught herbalist is to be out in nature. To harvest the plants I work with. To go out in the wild and forage them. To watch them in every stage of their life cycle. To touch, taste, and smell them. To heal myself with them, and then others.

Books, classes, and curriculum are great but nothing can ever replace real life learning, experience, & intuition. That’s where the real magic happens. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” Mark Twain.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tamaracgarden.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tamaracgardenfamilyfarm
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/tamaracgardenfamilyfarm
• Other: On Rumble- Eat Your Weeds

Image Credits

Heidi Meckle