Deep South Center

Medicinal plants and their uses are the lifeblood of Southern Heritage here in the Appalachian Mountains. For generations, our people have had an intimate relationship with the plants and animals surrounding them in the hills and valleys of this botanically diverse region. Because of the diversity of the region, the more agrarian nature of its peoples and the blending of European, African and Aboriginal Indian cultures, the South has developed and retained a unique herbal tradition that cannot be matched by any other region of the country.

Whether it was a “Granny Woman” like Aunt Molly Kirby, who birthed every baby in Cherokee County and treated the people with herbs around the turn of the 19th century or, her student Tommie Bass who gathered literally thousands of medicinal plants for 88 years on the side of Lookout Mountain, there have always been herb doctors in every Southern community serving in many cases as the primary provider of “medical” help for those too poor too afford the services of a doctor or simply for those wanting an herbal “alternative”.

It is the goal of The Deep South Center For Herb Studies to pass along this unique approach to health and healing to its’ students. Our philosophy is that if a person wants to truly be an herbalist for their family, friends or community, it takes an intimate knowledge of the plant world to fully understand the craft. Classes consist of the standard classroom skills that any herb school has but what sets DSCHS apart from the others is the field time each student receives. Darryl Patton studied with Tommie Bass for 12 years as his apprentice. For Darryl and Tommie, 12 years studying consisted of going to to the woods with Tommie several days a week, assisting Tommie in gathering medicinal plants. These would then be taken back to Tommie’s shack and processed into the salves, tonics and formulas sought after by people from around the country.