herbal and hiking guide Maria Bachmann - Erl

THE WONDROUS WORLD OF HERBS
The herb and hiking guide Maria Bachmann from Erl

It's green, it's blooming, it's sprouting - with its rich flora, the Tyrolean mountain landscape is a paradise for all those who want to get to grips with herbs and their healing powers. If you keep your eyes open, you will discover these valuable plants along the way. Accompanied by Maria Bachmann, you can immerse yourself in the wondrous world of herbs and experience their unique effects during a hike or consultation.

DIVE INTO NATURE - time for herbs with Maria Bachmann
They are everywhere, in meadows and fields, in the woods, in the vegetable garden and on the spice rack - we are talking about herbs and medicinal plants. All too often we don't recognise them because our view is obscured, because we no longer see the treasures of nature: Herbal expert Maria Bachmann from Erl opens our eyes and imparts ancient herbal knowledge.

The path into the wondrous world of herbs
Herb hike. On a herb hike, you learn to look closely and recognise the treasures of nature that await us along the way. In addition to the effects of the herbs, practical tips on how to process the plants are also provided.

Herbal counselling. During a personal herbal consultation, you will find out how the power of herbs can be used individually. Herbal consultations take place either in Maria Bachmann's herb parlour in Erl, in the great outdoors or in the garden of the person interested.

Herbal cuisine. For customers from the hotel and catering industry, Maria Bachmann combines her knowledge of herbs with her love of natural cuisine. Together with the guests, she collects herbs that are then processed into a delicious herbal menu - from nature straight to the plate.

From herbal witch to phytotherapist
For thousands of years, mankind has sought ways and means to counter illness and hardship. The healing effects of herbs were discovered early on. People experimented with plants and used them in everyday life. The women who collected herbs and ancient knowledge were respected as healers or disreputable as witches. Maria Bachmann is also referred to as a ‘herbal witch’ and bears this title with pride: after all, the witches were wise women who gathered a great deal of knowledge.

As a phytotherapist, Maria Bachmann is trained in herbal medicine and knows the physical and psychological effects of herbs. Every medicinal plant works on several levels: On the one hand, the active ingredients reach our body - they can cure coughs, heal skin diseases, increase well-being - on the other hand, they have a meaning for the soul. There are herbs that promise clarity, strength or happiness. Body and mind always work together.

Understanding nature as a pharmacy
The effect of medicinal plants has been scientifically proven. Many herbs that can also be found in nature are now processed into medicinal products. Pharmacies and drugstores are full of herbal teas, ointments and other marketed products. But Maria Bachmann would like to draw our attention to the pharmacy that is right on our doorstep. Nature offers everything we need. Those who search in it can find not only nourishment, but also healing.

Everyone has an intuition for the things that are good for them. But we have forgotten to listen to it, we have forgotten to look closely. If you own a garden, then it is worth exploring this patch of earth: There are often other herbs and so-called ‘weeds’ growing alongside the desirable plants, which on closer inspection turn out to be ‘medicinal herbs’. Maria Bachmann is convinced that nature provides us with what we need. On her forays through the gardens, she often discovers unrecognised treasures of nature.

Preserving ancient herbal knowledge
Maria Bachmann also relies on people's intuition for her herbal consultations. Maria Bachmann has set up a herb parlour in her house in Erl. This is where she keeps the treasures she collects on her hikes and in her garden. The local medicinal plants are dried or soaked in alcohol to preserve their valuable active ingredients. The mother tinctures are neatly lined up in the herb parlour, with screw-top jars of dried herbs filling the shelves next to them. Touching the bottles and jars is encouraged.

If you feel drawn to a particular herb in nature or in the herb parlour, this can have a meaning. People often know much more than they realise: Maria Bachmann has labelled the jars and bottles with curved letters. Not only the names, but also the effects of the plants are explained. And so you can find out for yourself whether reaching into the shelf will bring you any realisation: If the text is accurate, you have chosen an herb that can be helpful.

Getting in touch with the herbs Maria Bachmann loves to go hiking with her guests to pass on herbal knowledge where it originates: In nature. If you would like to try your hand at herbal witchcraft, you can start straight away and process the herbs you find. Maria Bachmann gives her guests the tools they need to do this. It is important that the herbs are dried quickly so that their active ingredients are preserved. One indicator of this is their colour - if the plants appear grey, it is a sign that they have lost their strength.

How the herbs find their way to the person is less important than the fact that the person can come into contact with the herb. The herbs can be consumed as tea, burnt in an incense bowl or processed into ointments and sprays. In most cases, a carrier material is used, which is enriched with the active ingredients of the herbs, for example beeswax for ointments, alcohol for tinctures, but also vinegar, which is then used in the kitchen.

Integrating medicinal plants into everyday life
Maria Bachmann is particularly keen to integrate herbs into everyday life. People often only consult the herbal pharmacy when it is already too late, when they already have a cold, their psyche is acting up or other complaints arise. It would be much better to use herbs preventively, to strengthen the immune system, to promote relaxation and to strive for a healthy life in harmony with nature.

Over the years, Maria Bachmann has gathered many interested people around her who regularly set off with her to collect the treasures of nature. Once a month, she organises a herbalists' get-together in Erl and regularly guides guests through the mountains on behalf of the tourism association. For the hotel and catering industry, she offers guest hikes with fresh herb cuisine: In this way, nature's treasures are brought straight from the field to the plate. She also visits interested private individuals at home to take a tour of the surrounding area and point out any medicinal herbs that may be available locally.

Maria Bachmann will accompany you into the wondrous world of herbs. Make an appointment by dialling +43 699 18253364.