I am a graduate from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine (CICM) and have been practicing acupuncture in Totnes since 2012. I am joining forces with two colleagues, another acupuncturist and a herbalist/gardener, to create a Chinese Medicine garden right outside our clinic on the beautiful Dartington Estate, on the outskirts of Totnes, Devon.
Our vision is to transform the ground from grass and weeds into a medicine garden. We want to raise awareness of the medicinal properties of these plants and our powerful medicine system. We would love people to experience the plants and gain a deeper connection to the origins of medicine and we’re also aiming to create a beautiful healing space for a patients and neighbours to sit in, before and after their treatments.
Due to the fact we share a similar climate to much of China, surprisingly perhaps, many of the plants we hope to grow are common to our own native gardens. The garden will include plants we will be familiar with like sage, peonies, honeysuckle, rhubarb, forsythia, and goji berries, as well as other more unusual plants from the Materia Medica.
We started the project in Spring 2022 by covering the area with mypex and wood-chip and we’re now embarking on the adventures of a crowdfunding campaign.
Once the garden is established, we hope to offer:
- Community harvesting and garden maintenance days
- Herb discovery workshops to teach people about the medicinal plants and how to use them to support their own and family health.
- Medicine making workshops – we will experiment in the making of herbal tinctures, salves and liniments
As the project evolves, we will be asking people to get involved with the preparation work and planting and, in the longer term, maintenance of the space.
If you would like to know more about the project or would like to be a volunteer, please contact me at: charlotte@blossomtreeclinic.com
Also if you feel inspired to help us realise this vision, please donate to our crowdfunder.
Charlotte Johnston MBAcC (Devon)
November 2022
