Welcome to Phyllis D. Light’s website. A fourth generation Herbalist and Healer, Phyllis has studied and worked with herbs, foods and other healing techniques for over 30 years. Her studies in Traditional Southern Appalachian Folk Medicine began in the deep woods of North Alabama with lessons from her grandmother, whose herbal and healing knowledge had its roots in her Creek/Cherokee heritage. Phyllis’ studies continued as an apprentice with the late Tommie Bass, a nationally renowned folk herbalist from Sand Rock, Alabama, as well as other herbal Elders throughout the Appalachians and the Deep South.

Today, Phyllis has made it her mission to help keep the traditional herbal knowledge of the Appalachians available as a health tool today and as a resource for generations to come. One of the few traditional types of folk medicine native to North America, this herbal practice makes use of plants native to the Appalachian region and the deep South. It has its roots among the Native Americans who lived here, the Spanish and other Europeans who settled the area, the Scots-Irish who immigrated in great numbers and the African Americans who were brought here as slaves. Thrown together by the vagaries of global history, all of these groups contributed to a traditional medical system that has evolved from before the dawn of the industrial revolution.

Phyllis’s well-established reputation and knowledgeable expertise has allowed her to travel far afield of her Southern Appalachian home, lecturing and teaching about herbs, integrative and complementary healthcare and traditional folk healing techniques. Consequently, she has taught and lectured at herb schools, universities, medical schools, hospitals and health conferences. In so doing, she has acquired a wide range of experience with herbal energetics, clinical herbalism, and environmental issues, especially the effect of the environment on health and well-being. Central to her philosophy of health is a strong belief in caring for the environment and maintaining a deep-rooted respect for the Earth’s ecological systems. We have to care for the Earth if we are going to be able to care for ourselves.  When we fail to connect with nature, we also fail to connect with ourselves. She understands that this type of reverence for the natural world is a crucial tenet of folk medicine and is required for the health of the mind, body and spirit.

As a Practitioner and Appalachian herbalist, Phyllis has experience in both clinical and private settings including working in an integrative medical clinic. As a Consultant, Phyllis manages her own herbal consulting business advising businesses, schools, physicians and manufacturers. She considers herself a Southern herbalist with a passionate interest in Appalachian folkways. At the same time she is dedicated to maintaining traditional methods of natural healing and perpetuating herbal traditions that are in danger of being lost.

Phyllis is a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild,  a member of the American Folklore Society and the Herb Society of America. She hopes you will find this website both useful and enjoyable.