Farm to Clinic, Nicaragua, Type 2 Diabetes - A research paper

For three months at the beginning of 2016 I lived on a permaculture farm in Nicaragua. A huge part and one of the most rewarding aspects of my time there was going to the Naturopathic free clinic on the island once a week. At the clinic I found true inspiration and expanded my perspective on what herbal medicine could be for and with local people as an accessible, affordable, ongoing health care option, especially for non-communicable diseases. The Latinx population in the states faces many similar issues as what I saw in Nicaragua and my hope is that with my farm and my herbal practice I can fill a niche and a need. Many of the plants that came up in my research for this paper are ones that I am experimenting with or already growing on poppysol farm.

I am so grateful that David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies is the two year program that I chose to further my herbal knowledge. He encourages the idea that herbalists need to be able to successfully interact in the same field as other health professionals and that one way to do that is by committing to rigorous research on the plants and populations we work with throughout our careers. Though much of my time is spent cultivating plants, I really enjoy the opportunity to feed my Virgoan side with books and research. Aren’t we all seeking balance?

My desire is to make my work shareable and accessible, always, so that it can be of most benefit to the community. Here, you can download the paper as you like! And, I’d love to hear any thoughts you have after reading!