Letter from the President,
Diane Kent

October, 2005
I would like to start by extending a sincere thank you to those members of the previous OHA Board of Directors who, for various reasons, found it necessary to step down at the AGM this year. Kerry Hackett (past president), Celina Ainsworth, Barbara Anderson, and Christine Dennis have put a huge amount of effort into keeping the OHA a vibrant and effective association. We wish them success in their endeavours, and hope we may continue to benefit from their experience in the future.

The remaining previous Board members Marcia Dixon and Betty Donald  have been joined by John Harrison,  Danette Steele, Sheila Waller-Kellen, Arlo Yuzicapi Fayant and myself as your representatives on the new Board. I am excited by the enormous range of talents and experience that our Board members have to offer, and I look forward to working with them on your behalf.

No doubt most of you are aware that there are a huge number of issues facing the association. Our access to herbs is being challenged at all levels of government, our membership needs to grow, and our financial situation needs to improve. It is the hope of the Board that, with your help, we can tackle at least some of the problems we face.

With this thought in mind, please consider your gift list for the approaching holiday season. Membership in the OHA may be the perfect gift for friends or family. Do you know who has your previous edition of the Journal?

One issue which I would like to address immediately, is our need to improve communications with general and student members. Often, issues and opportunities arise, and we have been unable to contact many of our members, except through the Journal. We are currently setting up an electronic mailing process that we hope will remedy this. If you would like to receive information as it becomes available, please send your email address to with the subject line of ‘Contact’ or call us at 1-877-OHA-HERB (642-4372). This information will be kept solely for the confidential use of the association.

I would also like to mention an exciting event coming shortly. Chanchal Cabrera will be in Toronto on November 24th to talk about her experience and  research into the use of herbs in the treatment of cancer. This event should be of vital interest to any professional or student member, and is suitable for any general member who has some background in the medical sciences. Please check our web site and the advertisement in this issue of the Journal for additional details.

In closing, I would like to offer the following thoughts: Herbal medicine means many things to different people. Each of us will spend a lifetime defining and redefining our relationship with the healing world of plants, but one thing we all agree on is that there is strength in diversity. Much of our philosophy is built around the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of the plants we serve.

There have been many divisions within our community, and I feel that we often lose sight of the much greater ideals that bring us together. Every member of the OHA, both general and professional, has given some part of themselves to the love and preservation of the healing gifts of the earth.

Let us celebrate our differences, and embrace the fact that each of us brings new eyes, new joy, and new ways of experiencing this magical world of herbs.
Diane Kent