Bryan Murphy, Herbalist

My journey into herbal medicine first started with the desire to know more about primitive living skills. I felt a strong connection to the old ways of living, and I adopted the philosophy of understanding the basics of living before allowing myself to be spoiled by technology and conveniences. When I was young, fresh out of college and looking to get my career going. In 2008 the recession was in full swing. Everyone was hesitant to hire someone with little experience and I was struggling.

In my spare time I began studying survival skills and permaculture, which would lead me to seek certification in permaculture design on a farm north of Seattle. By this time I landed a job and took some time off to seek this certification.

On the farm my fascination with plants, soil, cultivation, and health grew from there. After spending some time in the nursery where each plant had a display of information and a list of medicinal qualities, I started diving into the book I took with me by herbalist Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West.

After a lengthy time of self-study,  I decided that researching alone was not fulfilling to what I needed to know. I need to have someone who knew what they were talking about guide me.

I started formal training through the School of Natural Healing and then further, in-depth clinical herbalism skills through my mentor Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa from the International Integrative Educational Institute. The training and study was very in-depth and included spending clinical time with real people, discussing their health, and then developing herbal and dietary recommendations.