©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

‘Healer’ offers herbal remedies at newest shop in Chestnut Hill
by PAT STOKES

Maia Toll, owner of the Apothecary Garden at 8640-A Germantown Ave., discusses her philosophy about “holistic healing.” (Photo by Pat Stokes)

What a cool coincidence that I would be finishing an interview about a new plant-and-nature-based shop in the very day we celebrate the summer solstice (from the Latin: sol:sun, and sistit: stands still). On June 21/22 when the sun is directly over the center of the northern hemisphere at the Tropic of Cancer, the day seems never to end, and indeed is, for us, the longest day of the year. People who understand and respect the relationship of herbal plants to health also value in a very real way the effect natural phenomena such as these have on our lives in general. Such knowledge is in danger of being lost, but not entirely, as long as folks such as Maia Toll are around to protect it.

The shop in question is Apothecary Garden at 8640-A Germantown Ave., which means it’s in the corner building on Germantown, while the entrance is just a few steps down on Rex. The space is tiny, but the knowledge ensconced there is tremendous. Owner Maia Toll is the source of much learning about the products of the plant world.

Maia, delightfully enthusiastic about her work, tells how it all started. “No, I didn’t study this at college, took philosophy, English lit and the classics instead.” Sometime later, however, she fell ill, fighting a baffling chronic fatigue combined with low energy and other symptoms that her doctors could not diagnose. Friends suggested alternative specialists: acupuncturists, holistic healers, naturopaths and herbalists. In 1994, she began an herbal program along with dietary changes. Her gradual improvement led to a deepening interest in the natural approach to health, so she embarked on a long period of studying the subject on her own.

Then, more and more convinced, she traveled to Ireland to study at Brighid’s Academy of Healing Art in County West Heath with herbalist-teacher Gina McGarry. “It was a wonderful experience,” she says. “We went out into the fields, finding the herbs, picking them, gathering them into huge baskets, while at the same time brandishing a stick to fend off the cows.” When she finished the course, she was a certified herbalist. Later, she took advanced studies at Sage Mountain in Vermont under Rosemary Gladstar, another widely known herbalist. In addition to all of that she holds a certificate as a holistic health counselor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Now, Maia lives in East Falls and is married to Andrew Celwyn, operations manager for a chain of stores known as NALLA, Inc. Andrew’s business acumen has been helpful in planning the shop’s financial operation and his sister-in-law’s talents as art designer are evident in the attractive printed description and statement of purpose available on the counter.

So, what actually does Apothecary Garden offer? Teas, custom-blended botanicals (Webster: a vegetable drug prepared from bark, roots, herbs, etc.), tinctures (a diluted solution consisting of medicine in alcohol and water) and essential oils from the world of plants. There are skin care products, too, and fragrances as well.

The shop has been open for about three weeks. Maia says teas have been selling well and that people are coming in with what she describes as “amorphous” problems. She has learned that herbs build up the body’s resistance, providing certain nutrients that are not always found in the foods we eat these days.

Although Western medicine can claim to have the best diagnostic tools in the world, not all doctors have accepted or know enough about herbs to use them for healing. It would be fine if allopathic and alternative medicines could work together.

Maia sees herself as a healer rather than a shop owner. She is interested in the possibility of working with the Women’s Center at Chestnut Hill Health Care. Since many women today no longer wish to use estrogen hormone-replacement drugs, Maia would like to introduce doctors to the herbs that address the problem naturally. This concept combines the practical, everyday approach to healing with the long recognized plant-based natural and even somewhat mystical healing truths we have to a large extent left behind.

This tiny center of specialized information will expand quickly, I think. For more information, call 215-247-2110.