AT THE HEART OF ISLAND LIFE
From City Canopy to Mountain Medicine
Lucy Hawkins interviews Herbalist, Maeve Bace, at her beautiful finca outside Pollensa.
By Lucy Hawkins
16/03/26
For Maeve Bace, a life shaped by nature began in the woods of her Connecticut childhood and unfolded among the trees and green spaces of New York City, where she studied urban sustainability and spent years caring for the city’s urban canopy. A later calling to herbal medicine saw her graduate the three year Professional Herbalist Program at Arborvitae School of Traditional Medicine, changing the course of her life forever. Today, in the Vall de’n March in the north of Mallorca, she lives close to the land with her family, passing on her knowledge through private holistic health consultations, workshops and plant walks.
What are some staple herbs or plants you always keep in your kitchen, and why?
Oh, this is a tough question because I have so many!
I always have peppermint on hand (no shade to spearmint which I absolutely adore and have when seasonally available to me). Not only is it objectively delicious, but it is full of calcium, magnesium and potassium. It is a supreme herb for aiding digestion, for relieving muscle spasms, intestinal spasms, cramping, colds and flus and some coughs. It is also very cooling, which makes it an excellent choice for hot summer days, fevers, and some headaches. It is wonderfully soothing for the nerves. It has a strong downward action and can really help when we are feeling mentally anxious or have butterflies in our tummies. It is also a safe and effective herb for children, which is super important for me in this season of life- having two little ones at home with me. Personally, my favourite preparation is a tea. Enjoy a steaming hot cup of peppermint tea (or cold in summer) on its own or play around with combinations. I love adding cacao nibs for a ‘mint chocolate chip’ in a mug treat.
I also always have ginger root on hand. Not only do I cook a ton with ginger, but I drink it as a tea (typically fresh root infusion but the powder is great as well) several times a week- it is zippy and enlivening and keeps my digestion moving. Ginger is also great for colds and flus, menstrual cramps, migraines and digestion. It is widely revered for its ability to quell nausea. I keep a fresh rhizome in my car when we have guests in town to help with car sickness. I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve been winding our way through the Tramuntana and ginger has saved the day. Just nibble and suck on the fresh root and breathe- it’s a trick I learned in India many years ago and it works like a charm. One more comment about ginger is that it is very warming. When someone has a fever with chills- reach for ginger. A simple cup of tea is great but a ginger foot bath is nothing short of revelatory! Sometimes I give myself a ginger foot bath just to shake off the deeply chilling damp that sets in the bones during Mallorca’s winters.
I could not live without chamomile- it is so gentle and yet so effective. Another supreme herb for children- mine really enjoy it with a little splash of milk. it is incredible for soothing irritability, whining, restlessness, insomnia, teething and fevers and colds. It promotes digestion and soothes inflammation. It is also my go to for conjunctivitis (use topically- place a steeped tea bag over the infected eye or dip a clean washcloth in a strong brew of chamomile and rest on the eye). Here on the island we have Mallorcan chamomile (you can find it growing in rocky areas along the seashore). It has beautiful silvery leaves and is even more aromatic than the Chamomile most of us are accustomed to (Matricaria chamomilla). You can find it at many of the island’s farmers markets.
Spring is often associated with cleansing or renewal, how can herbs support the body during this transition?
The slow, quiet, inward energy of winter bursts outward in spring. In the spring all of nature begins its growth phase. Even here in Mallorca, where something is blossoming all winter, you see a surge of growth as spring approaches. The energy of spring is palpable to us all. Most of us know this feeling as spring fever.
Often towards the end of winter we can experience an accumulation of dampness and stagnation- much like a swamp. In order to support a smooth transition from the boggy stillness of winter to the busy, windy action of spring we want to support our detox pathways, particularly our kidneys, liver and lymphatic system. And one of the best ways we can do that is with our food.
Nature, in all of her wisdom, provides the plants that we need, when we need them. Eat the tender new spring vegetables popping up at the farmers markets. In spring the chlorophyll rich greens we missed during the winter are abundant again- eat them. Eat nettles. Eat lots of nettles!
Bitter is the flavour of the season. Do not kill the dandelions in your garden- eat them with abandon. Mustard greens are delicious and plentiful in fields and roadsides throughout the island. In the market seek arugula, endive, sorrel and chard. Beet greens and radish greens are also great this time of year.
Spring is the time to move our bodies. Movement is a critical part of our detoxification process. Gentle to moderate movement every day in spring is so beneficial, particularly if it is outdoors! For me it wouldn’t be spring if I didn’t have dirt under my nails. Get out and plant something to connect to the earth’s growing energy and to feel beautifully alive.
What is one simple herbal practice you wish everyone adopted?
I wish that everyone would adopt the practice of what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. Forest bathing is simply the act of moving slowly through nature, without company and without headphones, and soaking in nature. Forest bathing is proven to reduce stress, strengthen our immune systems and improve cognitive function. Listen to the bird song, smell the jasmine, touch the tall grasses, crunch the acorns under foot, gaze at the clouds. I truly believe that there is nothing more nourishing in this world than communing with nature. I have never once taken a solo walk in nature and not felt calmer, more stable and less worried than when I started. We are incredibly lucky to live on an island where we can go into nature and just breathe- just be- with little to no effort. I truly believe we would be a less anxious society if we all adopted this simple and delightful practice.
What plant has taught you the most?
What a great question. On reflection, I have to say it is not one particular plant that has taught me the most but an entire family of plants- trees. I spent much of my childhood perched high in trees and have long admired them for all that they do- the shade they cast, the habitat and food they provide for wildlife, the way they decorate hilltops and punctuate horizons…. But what I have most learned from trees is the importance of flexibility. When a building or a larger tree casts a shadow over a tree, it bends towards the sun so it can continue growing. When trees sway in the wind, the physical stress signals cellular growth of the cambium (the outer layer of bark)- resulting in thicker trunks. When strong winds blow, a tree moves and bends- often dramatically- to absorb the force of the wind. When a tree doesn’t move with the wind, when it stays stiff, limbs break off and trunks become uprooted. Trees have taught me that the most important thing we can do in the face of adversity is remain flexible. We must learn to move with the forces in life, or be broken by them.
Maeve offers one-on-one herbal consultations, plant walks and workshops online or in person in Mallorca.
Contact her at maevebace@gmail.com, WhatsApp: +1 646 715 7620, or through her website, www.clovercures.com