Herbstalk to Bring New England’s Herbal Community to Armory

Steph Zabel, the organizer of the day-long herbal wellness event Herbstalk scheduled to take place at the Armory, doesn’t remember the last time she used Aspirin or Tylenol.

“I’m not against it,” she said, “but I think there’s so much natural and herbal remedies available that can replace pharmaceutical drugs.”

Many of those alternatives, she said, will be featured in discussion at the June 9 event both in educational discussions and in the herbal market that the event will also feature.

Zabel, a lifelong plant enthusiast who works at Harvard University’s Herbaria, came up with the idea for Herbstalk last year and got to work on the planning in October. Perhaps because she’s had nine months to plan, Zabel was able to accomplish something that to herbal enthusiasts may have seemed impossible: gather some of the top thinkers in New England’s herbal community.

“Getting the herbal community together can be a bit like herding cats,” she said.

Those herbal thinkers who will lead discussions and classes include William Siff, a Western Mass. acupuncture guru and Boston-area aromatherapist Linda Patterson. The market will feature products from some of the area’s most recognizable herbal retailers, like Harvest Co-Op and Cambridge Naturals.

It might come as a surprise to some given its name that the event is not geared towards the marijuana community. Zabel said that when she speaks about herbs she tends to hear a few giggles, but pot isn’t on the agenda for the day. “It’s unfortunate that herb has that connotation,” she said. “It’s interesting because in the herbal community you have different types of people who have different connotations of what a herb is and what a drug is.”

Instead the event, expected to draw around 1,500 visitors, will focus on things like tea, preventative herbal health strategies, and  acupuncture. Clover will cater the event and Zabel is working to book bands as well.

Zabel is unsure if the event will serve more as a celebration and gathering for the herbal community, or if it figures to have more outsiders coming in to take in an educational experience. But, she said, it represents the “ideal event” for someone as passionate as she’s been about plants and herbs since childhood.