Walking Through the Garden Again
May 25–31 marks Natural Medicine Week in Australia.
Natural Medicine Week is celebrated across Australia from May 25–31, and it has prompted me to reflect on something I often think about in clinic.
Why do I love herbal medicine so much?
The answer is not simply because I am a naturopath.
It is because I believe we were created to live much closer to nature than many of us do today.
We now live in a world of busy schedules, artificial lighting, processed foods and concrete landscapes. Yet our bodies still respond to sunlight, fresh air, movement, plants, flowers, seasons and the natural rhythms that have existed since creation.
As a Christian, I often find myself reflecting on the Garden of Eden. A place where humanity lived in harmony with both God and creation. A place of abundance, provision and connection.
Whilst we may no longer walk through that garden, I believe many people are searching for ways to reconnect with the wisdom found within nature and within themselves.
This Natural Medicine Week, I wanted to share a more personal perspective on why I became a naturopath, why I continue to love herbal medicine after all these years, and how my Herbal Remedy Bar has become what I often describe as my modern-day walk through the garden.
It is a week where naturopaths, herbalists and natural medicine practitioners celebrate the role nature continues to play in supporting human health and wellbeing.
For me, Natural Medicine Week is more than a professional celebration.
It is a reminder of where it all began.
As a Christian, I often reflect on the Garden of Eden.
Before there were pharmacies.
Before there were laboratories.
Before there were concrete cities and crowded shopping centres.
There was a garden.
A place where humanity walked with God amongst His creation.
The word Eden is often associated with delight, pleasure and abundance. It was a place where heaven and earth existed in harmony. A place where everything needed for life had already been provided.
When I look at the herbs, flowers, roots, seeds and trees that I work with every day, I am reminded that nature was never an afterthought.
Creation came first.
God tells us in Genesis:
“Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth…” (Genesis 1:29)
I often wonder if, before we became disconnected from nature, people instinctively understood more than we do today.
Perhaps they noticed the scent of a flower and felt comforted.
Perhaps they sat quietly beneath a tree and found peace.
Perhaps they recognised that the natural world was constantly communicating with them through colour, fragrance, taste and season.
Today, many of us live in what I call the concrete jungle.
We wake to alarms rather than birdsong.
We spend more time under fluorescent lights than sunlight.
Many people have never walked through a medicinal herb garden, picked a calendula flower, smelt fresh lemon balm, tasted marshmallow root tea or held freshly harvested dandelion in their hands.
We have become separated from the very environment we were created to live amongst.
And with that separation, many people have lost confidence in their own connection to nature.
This is where I see my role as a naturopath.
Not to replace nature.
Not to override the body’s wisdom.
But to help reconnect people with it.
Every day in clinic I work with people from pre-conception through to the later stages of life.
I help them understand their bodies.
I teach them how their systems communicate.
I explain how nutrition, herbs, lifestyle, environment, emotions and life experiences can influence health.
And then I help them find practical ways to work with their body rather than against it.
In many ways, my Herbal Remedy Bar has become a modern-day walk through the garden.
Lined with more than 190 herbal medicines, Bach flower remedies and homeopathic preparations, it represents generations of traditional knowledge combined with modern understanding.
Each bottle tells a story.
A story of a plant.
A story of nature.
A story of the remarkable relationship between humans and the natural world.
No two people receive exactly the same formulation because no two people are exactly the same.
The art of natural medicine has always been about understanding the individual standing in front of you.
Natural Medicine Week is an opportunity to celebrate not only naturopaths and herbalists, but also the incredible intelligence found throughout creation.
It reminds us that nature is not separate from health.
Nature is woven into health.
Whether that is through the food we eat, the herbs we use, the sunlight on our skin, the movement of our bodies, the air we breathe or the quiet moments we spend outdoors.
As practitioners, we are privileged to walk alongside people and help them rediscover those connections.
For me, every consultation is an opportunity to help someone take another step back towards the garden.
Not necessarily a physical place.
But a way of living that recognises the wisdom, beauty and provision that has surrounded us all along.
As Natural Medicine Week 2026 is celebrated across Australia, I honour my colleagues who dedicate their lives to helping others through natural medicine.
And I remain grateful for the opportunity to continue doing the work I love every day.
Helping people reconnect with themselves, with nature, and ultimately with the Creator who designed both.
About Charmaine D – Naturopathic Herbalist
At Charmaine D Naturopathic Herbalist, natural medicine is about combining traditional wisdom with modern understanding. Through personalised naturopathic consultations, herbal medicine, practitioner-only formulations and the Herbal Remedy Bar, clients are supported from pre-conception through to healthy ageing with education, individualised care and respect for the body’s natural processes.