Welcome to Roots and Leaves, a blog about herbs. My name is Beatrix Jenness and I am an herbalist and massage therapist in Great Falls, MT. I became interested in herbs and plants as a child, growing up in the very different climates of Arizona and West Virginia. My family always had a big garden, and when I was about 10 I got my own personal little garden where I grew marigolds, radishes and watermelons (all my favorites!). I also learned about the wild flowers and plants surrounding me from my botanist father.
I started to study plants as medicine in 1988 when I met a fellow plant enthusiast who was particularly interested in herbs. I absorbed information on my own and through books and conversation until 1995 when I met Laura Batcha, a master herbalist in Vermont. I studied with Laura for over a year and learned to make tinctures, salves, decoctions, infusions, syrups, and various other herbal preparations–as well as receiving an intensive education in herbs and combinations for all the body systems.
In 2000 I moved to Montana to start an herbal retail store with my first herbal friend (the one I met in 1988). The Root and The Leaf, our beautiful store, was probably a greater teacher to me than any other I could have had. I not only learned more about herbs than I ever thought it was possible to know (and learned that there is more information out there than I can possibly ever learn!), but I also learned how to teach workshops, answer questions, help people find information about their ailments, and much much more. In 2006 my business partner moved on and I transformed the retail store into a different kind of business, from which I do mostly mail order and some herbal appointments as well as massage therapy. I’m working on creating a website, which should be online fairly soon–the URL is rootandleaf.com if you want to keep checking on it.
If you are in Great Falls and would like to visit The Root and The Leaf or order any herbs or ask any questions, you can call for an appointment 406-268-9500. You are also welcome to stop by at any time on the off chance of catching me…although I work only by appointment and so cannot guarantee that I will be here! The address is 410 Central Avenue Suite 301, Great Falls, MT 59401. Or you can email me at rootleaf@3rivers.net.
Thank you so much for stopping by, and enjoy reading this blog about roots and leaves!
Beatrix
April 27, 2008 at 6:34 pm
[...] are some new Great Falls bloggers added to the roster? First up is Roots & Leaves, created by Beatrix, who is a massage therapist and herbalist. Next up is The Crow’s Nest, from Capt Black Eagle, [...]