Cheverly Community Market has a new addition...

We're so glad to introduce Bevin Clare, our very own house herbalist and nutritionist. Bevin will be contributing articles to the blog about ways that we can use herbs to enhance our lives. We hope you'll take advantage of her expertise!

Bevin Clare, MS, is a clinical herbalist and nutritionist living in Cheverly since 2005. She is the Herbal Division Chair in the Masters of Science degree program in Herbal Medicine at the Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel, Maryland, where she also has a clinical practice specializing in wellness. Bevin serves on the board of directors of the American Herbalists Guild, and the United Plant Savers, a group supporting international preservation of medicinal plants in their native environment. Bevin lives with her husband Richard and their many plants on Joslyn Place in east Cheverly.

As a way of introducing Bevin to you, I posed a few questions to her -- she was kind enough to answer! 1. What got you interested in herbal medicine? I grew up in the woods of New Hampshire and always had an attraction to plants. As I got older, I realized that their impact in our bodies (be it coffee or ginger or poison hemlock) was much more than a coincidence. As I realized that people and plants co-evolved together I also realized the therapeutic potential of plants in our lives, and went on to study herbal medicine from both a traditional and contemporary evidence-based perspective. 2. What's an easy thing that we can do every day to make our lives or homes more healthful? Grow something useful! Herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage grow so well outside in Cheverly, and are all incredibly good for you. Each day you can go outside and pick a spring of rosemary and add it to anything you make, from eggs to salads to marinades. Kitchen herb gardens are easy to care for, take little to no water, and cut down on the amount of lawns we have. Plus, pollinators love the flowers on these herbs, and our butterflies and bees can use all the help they can get. 3. What is your top concern for our health? From a big picture, I would say the challenge is a lack of cultural interest in wellness itself. While we know we need to exercise and eat better to prevent health disease and cancer and all of the other things we are scared of, the motive is rarely to just feel great and be well. Most people come to see me to try to fix something they think is wrong with them, and I would someday like it to be the opposite-- that we take the time to do the things that are good for us because we want to. I would like to see each person strive to create their life in such a way to feel vibrant, happy, and healthy just for the sake of being well. 4. What plant do you recommend everyone cultivate in their homes or gardens? There are a few things which grow really well in Cheverly, as I mentioned rosemary, thyme, and sage above for food and medicine. Medicinal plants such as yarrow, echinacea and milkweeds are prime food for butterflies. And for the cost of a couple of packets of seeds morning glories (sun), zinnias (sun), and forget-me-nots (in shade) are all lovely and bring a lot of color. 5. What's your favorite thing to cook? Anything involving herbs! I use a lot of herbs and spices from all over the world. At the moment I would say the combination of fresh basil (usually holy basil) and fresh chilies is amazing and a core tradition of Thai cooking. The holy basil (or tulsi) is an herbal medicine used to promote energy and blood sugar regulation, and the chilies are also good for increasing energy and detoxification, are high in anti-oxidants, and have loads of other medicinal properties. Plus, a nice spicy meal can help turn on your body's own cooling on a hot day.

Keep reading the blog for more great advice from Bevin (and if you have a question for Bevin, email us). We're sure she's going to be a real asset to the Market community!