About Growing Wild
Growing Wild was created in 2012 by Lianna Vargas to host horticultural and art therapy workshops but has since evolved to encompass additional workshops and lectures in a broad spectrum of supporting fields such as herbal medicine, nature connection, and tradition skills and crafts.
We aim to bring education and connection with Nature to people in order to promote natural healing and growth. Additionally, Growing Wild’s Herbal Clinic provides space for personal health consultations through the use of herbal medicine and natural therapies.
About Our Philosophy
At growing wild, we really believe in the power of the natural world to help us heal and grow. All humans have an innate connection to nature, whether we acknowledge it or not, and this connection is at the heart of a balanced and healthy life. We believe that people need to connect with and learn from nature to really grasp what it is to be human, and how to exist in harmony with the world around us. This is at the foundation of all the services we offer at Growing Wild.
We found our calling with the medicine plants of these lands, and we believe that through our nature connection, and the use of natural and botanical medicines, people can learn to take better care of themselves.
By developing and nurturing connection, small acts can have profound effects on improving one’s state of wellbeing. We hope to help guide those looking, to a deeper connection to nature and themselves.
Our program offerings involve increasing this connection to nature and the natural world, and our awareness of it and the world around us. When we learn to calm ourselves and be still in the presence of nature, it is profound the insight and healing that may arise.
We take much care in the way and manner our medicines are prepared, ensuring to be in good relation with the land and plants we work with in our practice. We believe in reciprocity, and it’s necessity to attain a natural balance and harmony.
About Our Herbalist
Lianna Vargas, RH
Lianna Vargas is a Registered Herbalist with a passion for nature connection. She trained as a Clinical Herbalist through Diane Kent (MNIHM)’s Western Traditional Herbalist Program, and deepened her understanding and connection of the plant medicines through several years studying in the field with Michael Vertolli. She became a professional member of the Ontario Herbalists Association (OHA) in 2015 and has been in private clinical practice since, which is continually evolving.
Her focus has been on getting to know the local plants, connecting with Nature, and getting back to the basics in order to help forge a more sustainable future. She continually seeks to deepen her understanding and grow through engagement with the natural world. Lianna has many interests and skills that she has been developing alongside her training in herbal medicine, which she incorporates into her programs and events.
She will always do her best to help those around in whatever capacity she can.
Lianna is also a dedicated volunteer in the herbal community. She has served the Ontario Herbalists Association (OHA) in various capacities since 2012, including 8 years on the Board of Directors, and has also been an active director of the Canadian Council of Herbalist Associations (CCHA) since 2015.