By Dan Aceto

Staff Writer

When Elizabeth Peoples’ children get sick with a cough or cold, they don’t reach for the nearest bottle of drug store remedies.

They ask for elderberry syrup. 

Peoples, a certified herbalist who founded Mainely Herbs from her Scarborough home last year, has always had a passion for gardening. 

“Growing up, I always loved being in the dirt,” said Peoples, who last year decided to share her passion with others when she opened the doors of her 15-acre medicinal herb farm DreamTide on Spurwink Road, to the public.

Peoples has grown and harvested herbs for nearly 20 years.In addition to selling a variety of products, has hosted guest speakers and taught classes on how to grow and harvest plants and herbs. 

“One of my main reasons for opening the farm was to make people realize, ‘Wow this is in my own backyard, I can do this!’” said Peoples, whose goal is to raise more awareness of the medicinal benefits of herbs. 

“These days more and more people are becoming interested in getting back to basics. We are natural beings and plants are natural …  medicinal herbs are easier for our body to assimilate than synthetic drugs,” Peoples said. 

Although Peoples realizes some major health issues require use of prescription medications, she feels many minor ailments for which people nonchalantly pop pills can be alleviated by use of medicinal herbs. 

“It’s ridiculous how many people run to the drugstore these days. If people took more time to be aware of their surroundings or grow their own herbs, there could be a significant change in the mindset for how we treat our bodies,” Peoples said. 

Cape Elizabeth resident Greg Griffin has been a lobsterman for more than 30 years and recently began using some of Peoples’ products after years of suffering chronic aches and pains. 

The results astounded him. 

“I have a herniated Achilles tendon on my left leg which makes it hard to lean over and grab gear off the side of the boat. At one point I could not walk, and was taking up to four Aleves a day to help ease the pain. I told Elizabeth about my situation and she concocted a potion for me involving various herbs and castor oil and after wrapping my ankle in it night after night it loosened everything up and eliminated the pain completely. I was amazed,” Griffin said.  

Griffin also said he used a natural bug repellant made by Peoples called “Buzz Off” on a recent trout fishing trip and was equally amazed. 

“As the horseflies descended upon us, we were completely unharmed,” Griffin said. “It’s a lovely product that you’re able to use liberally knowing that it is herbal and safe.” 

Griffin admits he does have a sweet tooth though, and said Peoples’ homemade honey, which his daughter refers to as “liquid gold,” is simply to die for. 

So what are some medicinal herbs you can find in your own backyard? 

According to Peoples, the pine tree, also known as the “Tree of Peace,” was given to European settlers by Native Americans to help them survive harsh winters. It was beneficial because the needles are rich in vitamin C and the bark’s can be made into soothing creams and salves. 

Willow tree bark also can also be used. It contains salicin, which functions similarly to aspirin because of its anti-inflammatory properties and is where the now ubiquitous household product, aspirin, got its name. 

Have the flu? Peoples recommends the flowering plant Boneset. Looking for a liver cleanser? The perennial Yellow Dock will do the trick. Alternative hair conditioner? The oil of a Horsetail plant. And just in case you were wondering, dandelions taste great in salads. 

Although many plant and herb products can be found in larger retail stores, Peoples urges anyone interested in purchasing herbs to do their homework first. 

“Some countries have less stringent standards of care. I think there are some wonderful products out there, just make sure you get to know your sources,” Peoples said.

 Peoples said she would love to see more farms nationwide that support medicinal herbs so consumers don’t have to rely as heavily on drugstore medications. Peoples made sure DreamTide was certified organic after it was inspected by the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association.  

Peoples, who studied under herbalist Deb Soule of Avena Botanicals in Rockland for 10 years, also spent time honing her craft in Switzerland and the French West Indies where she learned from local “bush doctors.” 

Over time Peoples learned the art of wild crafting, or extraction of plants and herbs into oils and tinctures that allows for greater potencies to be developed and synergies, where multiple herbs are combined together to produce a unique effect.

Wild-crafting herbs isn’t Peoples’ only area of expertise; she’s also a practicing lawyer. 

“Both growing herbs and law are forms of counseling. The approach is similar in that each person is different and I’m trying to make their lives better,” Peoples said. 

For Peoples, one of the reasons she enjoys gardening so much is that it helps put her mind at ease, something from which she feels everyone could benefit. Although she believes medicinal herbs are not the answer to everything, she said she feels that with the current state of the economy herbs offer a relatively cheap and safe alternative to other medications.

Griffin, who hasn’t been able to afford health insurance in the past five years, thinks more people would be better off if there were more farms like DreamTide. 

“I think what Elizabeth is doing is absolutely fascinating,” Griffin said.

 For Peoples, it’s the simple things that are most inspirational. 

“To pull out a frame of honey and look at something these bees made that is so medicinally profound, is truly something special,” she said.