| Biography |
Norma Myers was a pioneering herbalist and medicine woman whose teachings bridged Indigenous knowledge, European herbal traditions, and a profound spiritual connection to the natural world. Born in 1919 and based in Alert Bay, British Columbia — on Cormorant Island off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island — she lived and taught alongside her husband, Carey Myers, a Kwakwaka'wakw hereditary chief.
As a young woman, Norma was diagnosed with cancer. Rather than accepting conventional treatment alone, she healed herself through a dedicated practice of whole foods and medicinal herbs. This personal journey became the foundation of her life's work: studying with both Indigenous medicine people and European herbalists, then sharing that integrated wisdom with others. She developed a deeply relational approach to herbalism — one that emphasized not just the chemical properties of plants, but their energy, spirit, and place within the living ecosystem.
Norma Myers served as Dean and Master Herbalist of Green Shores Herbal College. Her classes and gatherings were rarely held in lecture halls; instead, they took place outdoors on the land, in the forests and fields surrounding Alert Bay. Students from across North America traveled to live and study with her, often for weeks or months at a time.
She taught the practical preparation of herbal formulas alongside a spiritual practice of building personal relationships with plants, animals, and the environment. Central to her philosophy was conservation and reverence. She famously said: "I like to encourage a sense of conservation among would-be herbalists. To do this, I take people out into the woods, to feel the energy of the trees – the arbutus, the maples, all the different trees. I want them to feel that, because when people get closer to being part of the pattern, then they won't be so destructive."
This holistic view of health — rooted in the understanding that true healing comes from harmony with nature — helped shape a generation of herbalists during a time when plant medicine was far from mainstream. Her work introduced countless people to the rich medicinal flora of the Pacific Northwest and demonstrated how herbs could support detoxification, chronic illness recovery, and overall vitality.
Norma Myers left no published books, yet her legacy endures through the herbalists she trained and the countless lives touched by her medicine.
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| Notes |
Norma Myers' early teachings were instrumental in shaping the vision and foundation of the herbal reference system on forager.com and usbm.ca. As a direct student, the founder carried forward her formulas, her emphasis on plant energy, and her commitment to practical, accessible herbal knowledge. The extensive database of herbs and formulas owes its roots to the hands-on wisdom she shared in those Alert Bay gatherings.
Reference #11 in this library documents the course materials from her teaching. Her influence lives on in every entry that highlights not only how a plant works, but why it matters to connect with it ethically and spiritually.
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