Elliott can show you how to make medicine out of common wild plants, how to properly harvest a persimmon and use its seed to forecast the winter. He can explain the virtues of poison ivy and what might happen to you if you eat it. He knows ancient plant lore, plant riddles, and even songs about weeds and berries.
For many years Elliott earned his living as a traveling herbalist collecting and selling herbs, teas and old-time remedies. Along with healing plants, Elliott searches out old-timers and elders from various cultures. From these bearers of tradition, he has assembled an extensive body of knowledge of the botanical aspects of plants, their history, legends, and lore; their uses in various cultures, medicinal properties, food value, as well as other practical ways we can use wild plants every day.
His lively, informative herb and wild plant walks and plant oriented storytelling sessions are a special feature at many herb conferences, botanical gardens, wildflower pilgrimages and other events.
In 1976 Elliott published his first book about the under ground parts of plants. His was one of the two books entitled “Roots” that came out that year.
More than 20 years later Elliott’s Roots was revised, given a new cover, and re-issued by Healing Arts Press as Wild Roots. It is still in print today more than 40 years after it was first released. It is considered an “underground” classic!
The International Herb Association presented him with the Otto Richter Award honoring his work with herbs and useful wild plants.
