Next time a cough or sore throat beckons, why not search your garden for relief?Naturopath and herbal specialist Kuni Frith-Black is a long-time believer of how herbs and plants from aloe vera to rosemary can treat common illnesses.Starting next week, she is to host Saturday herb classes from 11am to 3pm for nine weeks. Participants will learn about what their ancestors used to treat certain ailments, how to identify herbs in the wild and how certain plants can be used to improve a person’s beauty and health.Alternative health practices were worth looking into, she said.“People want to know what they can go out into their gardens to pick. Particularly with the rising cost of prescription medicines and doctors visits and hospital stays, people are interested in methods of prevention.”She has run the classes five times in the past, but noticed a “flood of interest” since starting her radio show on FM98 last October. Sometimes the phone lines are so jammed she runs out of time to answer all the questions.Most calls come from people wanting to know how to apply different botanicals to help heal ailments, like back or joint pain, she said.“People want to get back to what their grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to do. We have a very rich folk culture here in Bermuda and have four groups of people that help make up the Bermudian folk culture that we know today.“They are the West Indian community, the English community who are very big on complementary alternatives and homeopathy the Portuguese community and Native American community.”Mrs Frith-Black said leaves from plants such as Match Me If You Can have been used traditionally to treat a number of joint pain issues like arthritis, bruising and swelling, and even carpal tunnel syndrome. “They can be used on their own or soaked in a solution of white rum and rubbing alcohol,” she explained.Meanwhile, aloe vera can be used as a healing agent for burns and cuts and also helps with constipation and detoxifying the body.Mrs Frith-Black became interested in natural medicines in the 1980s. She was in her 20s when she suffered a reaction to prescription drugs and decided it was best to take a more natural approach to healing.She went overseas for treatment and the less evasive solution on offer was a medicine derived from a plant abstract. At that time it was still in its experimental phases, but she opted to try it.Over time the natural medicine worked, but she admitted that herbs and plants often take longer to get into the body and work with the system.“I developed an interest from there on and people would ask questions because I seemed to have information on certain things and it grew from there,” she said.She received a bachelor’s degree in counselling psychology and holistic studies from Vermont College, then continued her education at the Clayton College of Natural Health, a distance learning college that never held educational accreditation from any agency recognised by the US Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. It did not provide clinical training and was closed in July 2010.“It’s an ongoing learning process because you are learning about traditional therapies from around the world, not just locally,” she said.Through the herbs course she hopes to pass on some of that knowledge. “I want to educate people, so if people are interested in using botanicals as a method of staying healthy then this is a good way to educate yourself,” she said.“Some people will make a total lifestyle change [during the course], other people will cut out certain things, it depends on what the individual goals are.”She said she “strongly believed” in the power of homeopathic remedies and has seen some people come off harsh medicines, change their day-to-day habits and enjoy a better quality of life.Mrs Frith-Black said a natural approach was really important in today’s society considering the high level of chronic disease that exists in Bermuda — from diabetes and high cholesterol to heart disease.“We are seeing these chronic diseases affect people at younger ages than we would see [before]. It seems we are living on the edge when it comes to our health.“We are taking more risks and not investing in preparing home-cooked meals, everything is fast food. We ingest a lot of food substances that contain a lot of harmful preservatives and additives, colours and harmful colours and flavours.“Over a long period of time it weakens the immune system and helps to weaken the vital organs and puts a lot of pressure on the kidney and livers and these are the filtration systems of the body. [They are there] to get rid of these toxins that we keep introducing on a daily basis, so our health is constantly at risk.”For more information contact Mrs Frith-Black on 238-1227. People with medical concerns should consult their doctors.