Nashville, IN
Sanctuary Steward: Susan Clearwater, RN

Green Turtle Botanical Sanctuary joined the UpS network in 1999, and consists of 5-acres amidst the rolling hills and woodlands of southern Indiana. Woodland gardens are home to goldenseal, bloodroot, blue and black cohosh, American and Chinese yam, trillium, wild ginger, and cranesbill. Sun-loving herbs are cultivated in the field gardens and include Echinacea, pleurisy root, blue vervain, feverfew, wood betony, elecampane, lavender, hyssop, wormwood, astragalus, isatis, motherwort, holy basil, horehound, senna, passion flower, scullcap, and many others.
Susan produces a healing salve comprised of 20 herbs in a base of olive oil, and also tinctures many herbs individually and in formulas for different health challenges. She markets these with the “Green Turtle Botanicals” label to local health food stores and uses them in her private holistic nursing practice.

Susan has been teaching medicinal herbalism for over 25 years. The newly constructed Sanctuary Room is now the gathering place for several educational opportunities. One-day medicinal herb classes, an apprenticeship program, and internship (for one person or a couple) are offered at the sanctuary from April through September. The focus of the classes are on cultivation (all students are encouraged to develop their own gardens at home and are given seeds and seedlings for planting), sustainable harvesting, creating numerous herbal preparations (teas, salve, tinctures, pills, cough syrups, liniments and poultices), and learning how to holistically use herbs for daily care and health problems. Herbal traditions from early Europe, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and Native American medicine are studied.

Caretaking a botanical sanctuary is a rich and fulfilling experience. Honoring and working with the medicine plants brings us close to our source, Mother Earth, and to people wishing to share in the beauty and grace of the plant kingdom.

For more information please visit us online at:GreenTurtleBotanicals.com

Submitted December 2013