the herbarium

! KEITH O’CONNOR  NATE BLAIS

It was a marriage made in “herbal heaven” for Jonathan Evans who today owns the Herbarium in

Chicopee.

“I met my wife while I was a talk show host at WREB radio in Holyoke. I still remember the day. We brought Kathy in on January 20, 1980 to share her knowledge of herbs with our listeners.

She was such a massive hit, not only with our listeners, but with me too,”

Evans said.

She began to appear as a regular guest on his show, but Evans noted it took her six months to figure out he was interested in her. They were finally married two years later. Kathy is Kathleen Duffy, who first

opened the Herbarium back in 1978 in Thornes Marketplace in Northampton as a way of offering people an alternative and complement to regular medical care. Calling themselves the area’s “natural apothecary,” the Herbarium several years later moved to a new space in Chicopee and today sells therapeutic and culinary herbs, spices, oils, vitamins, mineral and herbal supplements and gifts. They carry the largest selection of bulk herbs and spices in Western New England, and also formulate natural products and therapeutic teas.

A former critical care nurse for some 13 years, Duffy first became interested in the power of herbal supplements - which date back thousands of years - after seeing its effects on one of her patients.

“Kathy threw herself into learning the science behind the healing power of herbs and taking every class that she could. After seeing a similar shop in New York City while visiting with her sister, who was also a nurse, she decided to open her own,” Evans said. A medical herbalist since 1980, Duffy became a Certified Clinical Aromatherapy Practitioner in 1999 after two years of intensive study. In 2000, she was invited to be an aromatherapy instructor for RJ Buckle Associates. Since then, Duffy has taught aromatherapy in hospitals and other institutions throughout the United States and internationally. She was also on the adjunct faculty of the Allied Health Department at

Springfield Technical Community College.

An herb is a plant or plant part often used for its therapeutic properties and sold as tablets, capsule powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dried plants. They can be swallowed as pills, brewed as tea, added to bath water, and put on the skin as salves.

“As Kathy’s time became more consumed with consultations and teaching aromatherapy, she stepped away from the store she had started. Leaving my radio days behind me, I stepped in alongside my stepdaughter Andrea to help run the business,” Evans said.

“By that time I had already become quite familiar with therapeutic herbs from taking notes when my wife was on the radio and also taping her classes and programs. In addition, I studied and earned certification as an herbal information specialist through the American Botanical Council. Eventually my stepdaughter left to run her own venture and Kathy sold the business to me, which I now run with our daughter Jessica,” he added.

Evans noted they “don’t play doctor” at the Herbarium.

“We never diagnose or prescribe. If someone comes in and says, ‘I have this rash, what can I do?’ we tell them to go see a doctor. Then after they get diagnosed, they can come back and we will look through our information and find what is recommended to help them,” he said.

And just so people understand, the Herbarium offers the following disclaimer on its website and in the store:

“The FDA has not evaluated the statements on this website. No claims are made, by HERBARIUM, as to the medicinal value of any product. This information is for educating our customers about the traditional uses of herbs and supplements and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The customer is responsible for understanding the safe application of these products. Use of any or all of our products is not a substitute for professional, medical advice. For all medical care, contact your healthcare professional.”

Because his wife has been a nurse for over 50 years, Evans noted their operation has “a good reputation with the medical community.”

“They trust us. We are not alternative medicine, but complementary care. If someone tells their doctor that they would

prefer to try a natural remedy, and if that doctor knows anything about them, he may recommend them visiting us,” he said.

Customers have questions and the most often asked is “Does it really work?”

“After more than 40 years in the business, I can’t fool that many people for that many years. Yes, they really do work. We use them on ourselves, family members and even pets, and we know the companies we buy from and they know us because we have been to their laboratories and inspected their facilities,” Evans said.

He noted many of the products people see on infomercials or on the internet “are a lot of hype.” “They are overpriced and not of good quality. After 40 years in business, we know the companies we buy from and the quality of their products that we sell in our store,” Evans said.

In addition to therapeutic herbs and other natural products, the Herbarium also carries such items as essential oils, diffusers, incense, smudge sticks, salt lamps, tarot cards, gemstones and more.

In 2000, Evans earned the title of Reiki master/teacher and since has offered sessions for customers and training for those who want to learn more about the practice.

Reiki is a complementary health approach in which practitioners place their hands lightly on or just above a person, with the goal of directing energy to help facilitate the person’s own healing response. It’s based on an Eastern belief in an energy that supports the body’s innate or natural healing abilities.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends those thinking about using an herbal medicine to first get information from a reliable source. Because some herbs can interact with prescription or over-the-counter medicines, the NIH also says to tell your health care provider about any herbal medicines you are taking.

The Herbarium is located on 264 Exchange St. in Chicopee. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on Sunday.

For more information, visit theherbarium.com or call 413-598-8119.