Mischa Shuler and the Healing Plants of Maine
by Marilyn Miller
When you ask Mischa Shuler how she became interested in the healing plants of Maine, she will tell you that the plants found her.
“One day a fellow staff naturalist shared with me the curriculum for a three year clinical Master’s level herbal program, and I had a physiological response. My heart started thumping and my palms started sweating… Whoa! This was something I needed to do!”
A decade later, you can visit Mischa Shuler, community herbalist and owner of Wild Carrot Herbs at her offices on State Street. She will listen earnestly to you and create a tea, powder or tincture out of healing plants to treat what ails you.
Healing plants of Maine include Hawthorne berries (above), skunk cabbage, sumac, white pine needles and elder flower.
“I formulate teas, powders and tincture extracts specifically to individual needs with the intention of healing the vitality of underlying tissues so that acute and chronic conditions resolve without recurrence.”
Mischa takes full advantage of the healing plants of Maine. When we spoke, she was off to Peak’s Island to harvest rose petals. According to Mischa rose petals support love and ease of being. They are particularly effective for loss or trauma.
Other Maine plants found in Mischa’s apothecary include Hawthorne berries (heart, circulation, connective tissues), skunk cabbage (lungs), sumac (respiration and circulation), white pine needles (immunity, cough) and elder flower (fever/immunity).
Mischa supports people of all ages, but she has a special affinity for working with children.
“Kids are resilient and are generally able to shift to patterns of health more rapidly than adults.”
Mischa also loves working with women at any stage in their life. She works with people suffering from anxiety. She focuses on determining the cause of anxiety. She provides an herbal solution both to treat the cause and manage the effects of anxiety.
She recalls a special patient, “a little man, age four months. His mom brought him in for eczema support. Within three days his skin had cleared. He stayed on the herbs for about six weeks. And he remained symptom free until the following autumn when he began daycare, when we supported him with immune supportive herbs and his symptoms once again resolved. This is so heartening!”
Mischa also shares her love, respect and knowledge of plant medicine with classes and herb walks around Portland. Mischa believes in community herbal medicine. She wants her lessons about healing plants to be shared with others to benefit us all. That is what Mischa is all about.
Mischa’s apothecary is located at 101 State Street. More information about her practice and classes can be found at www.wildcarrortherbs.com.
