Plant Lore and Science: Exploring the Parallels
Saturday 26-September 2026 / 2-4pm
What if the herbs woven through myths, charms, and healing traditions were describing real patterns in the body long before science had the language to explain them?
From protective plants hung over thresholds to herbs gathered for dreaming, divination, grief, and love, our ancestors understood plants as allies of body, spirit, and lore, passed down through oral tradition. Across Cornwall and Europe, herbs have long appeared in folklore and medicine.
In this richly illustrated talk and workshop, medical herbalist Ruth explores the meeting place between folk medicine, ancestral apothecaries, and modern herbal understanding. Together we will journey through herbs of protection, love spells, heart healing, divination, and dreams, exploring how plants came to carry meaning through story, energetics, observation, and lived relationship with the land.
Why were digestive bitters once prescribed for “low spirits”? Why were herbs like mugwort gathered for dreaming and second sight? What can protective herbs tell us about resilience, ritual, and healing and what does the science now say about these same time tested traditions?
As part of the session, we will share in a tea circle - an opportunity to slow down, connect with the sensory wisdom of plants, and experience herbal medicine through sensory, somatic practice - a valuable tool to learn about herbs.
Drawing from her 15 years in clinical practice as a Western medical herbalist, Ruth gently weaves together historical ideas, traditional herbal energetics, and emerging scientific understanding - revealing surprising connections between the plantlore and contemporary herbal knowledge.
Ruth Weaver BSc. (Hons) is a Medical Herbalist with over 15 years of experience offering holistic, personalised healthcare with herbs and nutrition. Ruth studied at the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine in Glasgow where she gained diverse insights from herbalists and health experts from around the world. Then completing her Herbal Medicine BSc (Hons) at Lincoln University in 2012.
Ruth's work has supported thousands of people internationally, along with facilitating workshops and public speaking, Ruth has regularly contributed evidence-informed articles and detailed herbal monographs to a range of herbalism and integrative health publications.
In 2025 Ruth opened Cornwall’s first Western herbal high-street dispensary in over 85 years ‘The Apothecary’ in Penzance. The space serves as a shop and drop-in herbal clinic where you can receive a mini consultation or book in for more in depth herbal support. Visit her website or connect on social media to explore upcoming events or drop in to The Apothecary;
Instagram: @apothecaryforager
Ticket options
Saturday 26-September 2026 / 2-4pm
What if the herbs woven through myths, charms, and healing traditions were describing real patterns in the body long before science had the language to explain them?
From protective plants hung over thresholds to herbs gathered for dreaming, divination, grief, and love, our ancestors understood plants as allies of body, spirit, and lore, passed down through oral tradition. Across Cornwall and Europe, herbs have long appeared in folklore and medicine.
In this richly illustrated talk and workshop, medical herbalist Ruth explores the meeting place between folk medicine, ancestral apothecaries, and modern herbal understanding. Together we will journey through herbs of protection, love spells, heart healing, divination, and dreams, exploring how plants came to carry meaning through story, energetics, observation, and lived relationship with the land.
Why were digestive bitters once prescribed for “low spirits”? Why were herbs like mugwort gathered for dreaming and second sight? What can protective herbs tell us about resilience, ritual, and healing and what does the science now say about these same time tested traditions?
As part of the session, we will share in a tea circle - an opportunity to slow down, connect with the sensory wisdom of plants, and experience herbal medicine through sensory, somatic practice - a valuable tool to learn about herbs.
Drawing from her 15 years in clinical practice as a Western medical herbalist, Ruth gently weaves together historical ideas, traditional herbal energetics, and emerging scientific understanding - revealing surprising connections between the plantlore and contemporary herbal knowledge.
Ruth Weaver BSc. (Hons) is a Medical Herbalist with over 15 years of experience offering holistic, personalised healthcare with herbs and nutrition. Ruth studied at the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine in Glasgow where she gained diverse insights from herbalists and health experts from around the world. Then completing her Herbal Medicine BSc (Hons) at Lincoln University in 2012.
Ruth's work has supported thousands of people internationally, along with facilitating workshops and public speaking, Ruth has regularly contributed evidence-informed articles and detailed herbal monographs to a range of herbalism and integrative health publications.
In 2025 Ruth opened Cornwall’s first Western herbal high-street dispensary in over 85 years ‘The Apothecary’ in Penzance. The space serves as a shop and drop-in herbal clinic where you can receive a mini consultation or book in for more in depth herbal support. Visit her website or connect on social media to explore upcoming events or drop in to The Apothecary;
Instagram: @apothecaryforager
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