If you've spent any time learning about herbalism, especially traditional western herbalism, you've probably heard the term "plant ally" on more than one occasion.

But what does plant ally mean?

Having written about plant allies for many years, it seemed that it might be a good time to offer my own perspective on the definition of plant ally, shaped by my herbal education and direct experience with plants and the people who seek them out. So let’s take a moment to explore what a plant ally is, why it is a useful concept in herbalism, and how it applies to our healing work.

For me, I define my herbal practice as being intersectional, earth-centered, and plant-led which informs the way that I connect with plants as allies. There are many forms and traditions of herbalism with in the world with different ways of defining our relationship to plants and value systems of a healer. How you choose to practice and be in relationship to the plants, people, and creatures you serve hopefully reflects the sacred values you hold as a healer.

What follows is my current understanding of practicing in a plant-led way and with plant allies. I hope that it inspires your own thinking and inquiries on the subject - hopefully with tea in hand and amongst your plant kin.

What is a Plant Ally?

A plant ally is a plant, tree, herb, fungus, algae or other member of the green world that we are in a sacred reciprocal relationship with and that helps us to cultivate an experience of wellbeing in our life. In the sequence of evolution, plants are our elders, having already been present and witnessing our development when we first emerged on this planet as a species. Many have co-evolved alongside us, providing food, shelter, clothing, and medicine. As a species, we have spread their seeds through our millennia of nomadic and semi-nomadic life as well as our more recently settled and agricultural ways of being.

Plant allies can appear to us during times of both acute and chronic healing need, and while some may be familiar from our childhood or earlier life, others completely new to us. Often there is an ancestral or cultural connection to the plant, but not always, since plants, in their vastness of generosity, will often show up with their teachings to folks no matter their heritage or background.

Sometimes plant allies appear to us in dreams, other times in the food we are cooking, or a childhood memory. Sometimes they appear as gifts whether by human friends or dropped onto our path by an animal. Plant allies are often eager to show up for us - it is we who must practice showing up to them.

what is a plant ally — image via @outimaarjana

The purpose of a plant ally is specific to the needs of your relationship with them. Many times plant allies provide relief to something we are suffering about, such as chronic pain, heartbreak or the long recovery from a difficult illness. Usually plant allies come because we have called them, whether consciously or not, and we've been fortunate enough to open up to their help. Some relationships with plant allies last for many years if not one's entire life, but sometimes an ally is here for a season or specific situation and then moves on. Being in relationship with a plant ally often results in growing deeper into your own understanding of your self and your interconnectedness with the cycles of life, death, and renewal.

When I enter into a relationship with a plant ally (or sometimes wake up to realize that I've been in one for a bit without even realizing it - this happens more often than you think), I try to spend time with the plant in-person, from the uncultivated to cultivated spaces it grows. In general, I try to get to know my plant friend in as many ways and forms as possible (The Thirty Day Plant Ally Project is full of suggestions for connecting with a plant ally if you're looking for inspiration).

Mostly, I try to listen with my whole self to the messages of my plant ally, opening up to them as we navigate ways of feeling well together. If I can, I like to carry some of the plant ally with me, tucked into a small bundle that I can wear on my body which serves to connect me with the very old human practice of wearing plants on the body.

If you are working with a client and they have a particular plant ally they have a relationship with, it can be healing to work with that plant ally as part of your herbal recommendations for them, from incorporating it into remedies to directly asking the plant for aid. It can also be incredibly healing to help connect folks with their plant allies in a conscious and meaningful way as there is so much opportunity for ancestral healing and cultural reconnection through plant allyship.

Finding a plant ally to work with can be as simple as choosing an herb that calls to you and starting there. Sometimes it can be helpful to think about the plants that led you to your interest in herbalism in the first place. Other times a plant from your childhood might be the one to speak to you. Let your curiosity guide you and trust the process of knowing yourself better through relationships with your plant allies.

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If you’re looking for more plant ally inspiration, have I got the archive for you. You can also find my complete collection of plant profiles in The Plant Ally Library if you like dozens of plant profiles with more added each year.

I hope you feel inspired to participate in the tradition of plant allyship that herbalists have been engaged in for generations. May your curious heart lead you home to kinship with our green world.

This post was made possible through patron support.
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