During a sunny and warm summer afternoon, at a shared harvest in Sudbury, Ont., a wide-smiled woman waved at my mother and me. With both her arms filled with gardening instruments, we encountered April Lilley, an earth and spiritual lover.
“Tonight, we will use plants you see in your everyday routine, and we will make medicines out of it,” said Lilley. I observed the group picking leaves and what looked like flowers from the ground. With excitement and the need to understand the unknown, everybody followed what she said.
In the early ’90s, Lilley and her mother started their “herbalist-healer” journey. Because of her sensitivity to most pharmaceuticals, Lilley had to find an alternative way to keep her health stable, “I’m not able to use what other people can…so I had to learn [different ways].”
However, the sensitivity to pharmaceuticals was not the only thing stopping her.
Lilley said, “In my early 20s, I broke away from my family as most people do, and it was a fairly harsh breaking away for me, and I needed a way to rely on something…something bigger than me.”Â
As everybody picked their plants, Lilley led participants to the Seasons Pharmacy & Culinaria. On the right, you could see a consulting room for medical needs, while on the left, a wide kitchen and aisles covered the room. Smiles were brightening up the room, and laughter sounded like a symphony — everybody was having a great time!
All of a sudden, I felt an uncomfortable, non-stopping sting in my back. Simultaneously, Lilley was teaching us about the abilities of the comfrey plant and the dyeing uses of a plant called Goldenrod, so I ignored the feeling. As we began to serve the goldenrod tea, I felt another sting. It was a bug that had gotten stuck in my clothes during the harvesting.
For over 25 years, Lilley has practiced her skills to those in need. Her specialties span herbal medicines, yoga teaching and sound and movement healing. “Just use the comfrey and rub it for a few seconds,” she told me. I followed her instructions, and in a matter of seconds, the pain was gone, and the prick lessened.
Rachelle Rocha, co-owner and chief visionary officer of Sudbury’s Seasons Pharmacy & Culinaria observed the workshop and gave her insights. With over 30 years of experience as a pharmacist, Rocha has applied her knowledge in biochemistry and bioactivity to bring alternative medicines to northern Ontario.
Rocha and Lilley had previously worked together in 2021 due to the latter’s allergies to pharmaceuticals. Exploring different herb combinations, they realized they were learning from each other.
“I think the first thing we ever made together was birch beds in the spring,” shared Lilley. “These are an incredible healing plant that helps to regulate blood pressure, skin and digestive issues.”
As everybody was trying to figure out what kind of bug had bitten me, Rocha approached the group and gave her testimony.
“About a week ago, I broke my ribs, and before I went to the doctor, I decided to use comfrey…I just wrapped it around the injury,” said Rocha. She said that using comfrey, a plant that promotes cell proliferation, helped her fractured ribs.
Everybody gasped — their mouths were open, and their eyes expressed want and desire for what they had just learnt. Rocha grabbed her phone and scrolled through her gallery, showing the before and after.
“You know, I have so many stories like these. We have wild and cultivated plants all around us that can assist us in healing, and I think people should know,” she said.
Lilley hosts workshops of many kinds, including sound therapy for healing trauma in Ottawa and Kitchener. Carrie Regenstreif, a community engagement coordinator for Sudbury Shared Harvest, gathered 12 people to attend the Sudbury “Food, Tea and Medicine” workshop.
Through Rocha, Regenstreif met Lilley and decided to use the shared harvest for the local community. The two started working together in early 2023 when the first workshop offered a practice on using plants that grow easily in Sudbury to eat and make teas and medicines.
“The idea is to help people build practical skills related to local food and other plants,” said Regenstreif.
For centuries, the use of natural plants has benefited different cultures around the world. However, because of the lack of interest and mainstream credibility on the matter, Rocha, as a pharmacist, gave her opinion.
“Pharmacy practice has its roots in natural medicines,” explained Rocha. “While a plant has many compounds with bioactivity, a pharmaceutical company will extract only one of these compounds, isolate it, study it, patent it [and] sell it. The plant is still there, with its many compounds.”
Towards the end of the workshop, Goldenrod was prepared as sweet fried cakes, and we learned how to use different plants before turning to pharmaceuticals. Yet, this was not the last time I would talk to her.
“For the past few years, I’ve done extensive research before teaching…most of my knowledge comes from European experts in chemistry and biology, Indigenous grandmothers and several books,” said Lilley.Â
During a phone conversation with Lilley, she said, “This is my whole life story. I don’t follow a religion, but if I did, this would be it for me.”
Just like Lilley, her son developed a similar allergy to pharmaceuticals. “Pharmaceuticals are not for everybody. In the mixing and extraction, most of the plant abilities are gone.”
Rocha backed Lilley’s opinion with her knowledge and experience.
“There are frequent studies that can be referenced, but you need to know what you are doing because there are some plants and combinations that can be quite dangerous,” said Rocha. “It depends on the type of alternative medicine. It’s important to get good advice from a practitioner worthy of your trust.”
At the end of the conversation, Lilley shared happy tears with those who look forward to learning about these practices.
“If you believe that there’s possibly a different way of doing something, you’re right. Find a mentor or somebody that believes and knows what it is that you’re interested in,” said Lilley. “Whatever it is that you’re seeking to learn or change or grow with, there is a way to do it.”