All about herbs - Eva the herbalist

Which herbs do you know? And how good do you know them? I bet you do not know as many as herbalist Eva Eisenmann. Her knowledge is all about the power of herbs, their effect, the processing and the passing on of her valuable knowledge. Maybe she knows the things which you wanted to know about herbs for a long time? 

What is so special about herbs? 

"About 17 years ago, I suffered from a tendosynovitis. I had read in a book of herbs that comfrey would soothe my symptoms. So I produced an ointment, which actually healed my inflammation. Since this time herbs do really fascinate me." And that's how Eva discovered the power of herbs and their effects on the human body. Since then Eva has been so fascinated about herbs that she trained as a TEH practitioner. TEH means Traditional European art of Healing and is all about the old knowledge of healing from the Pinzgau region, which has been declared immaterial UNESCO cultural hertitage in 2010.

Arnica and pot marigold

Arnica and pot marigold, two herbs, which do characteristically grow in the Pinzgau region and by which Eva is especially fascinated. "Arnica can be used for external application, for example when you have sore muscles or a sprained ankle. You can trink it as diluted tincture against a sore throat," explains Eva. She calls the pot marigold a "cure all herb". When you make a diluted tincture of the petals of pot marigold, it helps against stomachache. As an ointment, it helps against grazes and rough hands. While going for a walk, Eva finds a great plantain next to the way, she rips it along a vein and forms kind of natural earplugs. "This is especially helpfull against earache," she says. Her passion and knowledge about herbs make Eva to a realy herb lexicon. 

Farmers take care of our landscape

Eva has a high esteem for herbs as well as for our local farmers. "If our farmers did not take care of their alpine meadows and did not look after their animals, then all of our beautiful landscape would turn into woods in a very short time and the small plants and herbs would disappear. It must be pointed out that our local farmers are indispensable for the landscape, and that's not a natural course of action", Eva says. 

Eva's knowledge about herbs

If you want to meet Eva in person, it is very likely that you meet her in the garden of herbs at the middle station of the Asitz cable car. There she takes care of about 100 local medicinal herbs and plants, Alpine flowers, as well as of the trees and bushes along the Alpine plants way. While hiking, you have the possibility to observe, smell and be astonished by all the diverse herbs, which occure here in the Alpine region. If you are interessted in making ointments, tinctures and other herbal specialities yourself, you can visit a workshop or a herbal hike with Eva. "For me, the best thing is to pass on my knowledge about plants and herbs," she says with a huge smile on her face. But be aware of the fact that after such a workshop or a hike, you surely want a garden with herbs yourself at home!

Pictures: Florian Lechner