Listening to the Body & Listening to the Plants
This past June, during Oshala Farm’s annual Herb Camp, our Co-Founder and CEO, David Gordon sat down beneath a shady oak for a conversation with Erika Galentin, a deeply respected voice in herbalism and plant medicine. Erika is many things: Lead Creatrix, Clinical Herbalist, Grower, Distiller, Educator, Mentor, and Product Maker at Sovereignty Herbs. From her medicine gardens near Athens, Ohio, she serves a wide community of seekers and students through coaching, classes, and mentorship programs. She also led our earlier journey with the Sustainable Herbs Initiative, inviting us to experience plants not as commodities, but as living, breathing relationships.
What unfolded was not so much an interview as a shared exploration, like an exchange of ideas about healing, embodiment, and what it means to truly be in a relationship with plants and with our bodies.
Erika leads the workshop "Aromatic Distillation: A Ceremonial & Alchemical Journey" at Herb Camp in Oregon
A return to embodied relationship
David began by observing how Erika seemed to guide people not just toward herbs, but into a new relationship with their bodies. Erika nodded.
“The relationship we have as human beings with medicine and wellness often comes from this externalization of control,” she explained. “We’re taught to go to the expert—the doctor, the practitioner—because we were never taught to listen to ourselves. And in many cases that’s lifesaving. But it’s not the only way. My role as an herbalist isn’t to fix people, or to have the herbs do that either. It’s to help people listen—really listen—to their own bodies.”
Rather than creating a hierarchy of knowledge, Erika described her role as a companion, a guide who hands the power back to the individual. “Because ultimately, I can’t control how someone treats their body. But I can advocate for them to change their relationship to it. And that’s where herbs are so powerful.”
The power of presence
David reflected on an exercise Erika had led during Herb Camp — an herb tasting where participants were asked not to name the plant, but simply to experience it.
“You wanted us to let the plant teach us,” David said. “How does that fit into your practice?”
Erika smiled at the memory. “It’s an invitation to embodiment,” she said. “In the West, we’re taught from a young age to live in our heads. To value rationalism over lived experience. We’re told that our senses aren’t legitimate sources of knowledge. But when you taste a plant, when you smell it, when you feel how your body responds—that’s real. That’s information. That’s the beginning of a relationship, not just with the plant, but with yourself.”
She spoke of how many people feel disembodied, disconnected from the signals their bodies send. “We ignore the hunger cue until we’re ravenous and grab something quick. We don’t listen, and over time, that can make us unwell. Herbs invite us back into listening. Into trusting that what we sense is valid.”
Remembering the ancient
When David asked how this way of working with plants relates to ancient traditions, Erika paused thoughtfully.
“I don’t have direct lineage to ancient traditions outside of my own European bloodlines—colonizers, really. But what I’ve found in exploring that heritage, in connecting to traditions like Goethe’s living thinking, is a return to something human. This way of being, of sensing, of living in relationship with the world—it isn’t new. It’s how we evolved. It’s how our ancestors survived. It’s how many people still live today.”
She spoke of how Western culture has often forced us into inhuman patterns of thought and living. “Herbalism helps us circle back. To remember that our bodies, our senses and our presence are powerful tools. These are the ways we’re meant to be in the world. The work of the herbalist and really anyone who supports healing—is to hold space. To witness. To remind. To walk alongside. Our bodies are phenomena to be studied and to be experienced,” Erika reflected. “Just like the plants. It’s all about relationship.”
We left our conversation with Erika feeling nourished, inspired. Grateful for her generosity of spirit, and grateful for the plants that connect us all.
To learn more about Erika’s work, visit Sovereignty Herbs.
Watch the full interview here
