Greg Whitten’s farm produces herbs for Goulds Natural Medicine

Greg Whitten has been a medicinal herb farmer for four decades and grows herbs for Goulds Natural Medicine, a Hobart institution since 1881. And at 74, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Plant power: Greg Whitten’s 20ha property, in Allens Rivulet, southern Tasmania, grows herbs for Goulds Natural Medicine, a Hobart institution, run since 1881.

PEPPERMINT, licorice, lemon balm: Greg Whitten’s 20ha property sounds more like a lolly shop than a herb farm.

As tasty and tantalising as these plants are, Greg’s property — in Allens Rivulet, southern Tasmania — is actually part of a natural chemist, or apothecary to be precise.

Greg has been a medicinal herb farmer for four decades and since 2006 this property has grown herbs for Goulds Natural Medicine, a Hobart institution run since 1881.

“We grow 85 medicinal herbs here,” says the 74-year-old, who is a partner in Goulds alongside four naturopaths. “The most commonly known ones are probably echinacea, peppermint and camomile, and we have some unusual ones like golden seal and blood root.”

As intriguing as the 1ha growing area is, it’s in the drying shed and accompanying infrastructure that the farm gets really interesting.

It’s there that its annual production of about 1000kg of dried and 300kg of fresh herbs are transformed into teas, powders, and tinctures (creams are made in the Hobart apothecary) by seven staff, as well as the naturopaths (a requirement of the Therapeutic Goods Act).

While Goulds sells other brands, the herbs from the farm contribute to about 40 per cent of ingredients in their own products, while they also buy in herbs from around the world.

Herbal enthusiasm: Greg Whitten.

“Because of our climate here in Tasmania, we can’t grow everything so have to buy it in from other areas,” Greg says. “We have been doing trials in our greenhouse of subtropical species, like a particular asparagus that comes from India but it hasn’t been doing so well.”

Greg didn’t start out his horticultural career focused on therapeutic herbs. Rather, he became interested in growing food while living in the US in the 1960s before moving to Quebec, Canada, where he had 40ha, and where he even made maple syrup.

In the mid-’70s, he moved to a farm in Tasmania and began dabbling in herb production as a sideline diversification to his cattle production. In the ’80s, he established Southern Light Herbs, a company he no longer owns, but which still exists, based in Victoria.

“At that stage, I was making teas, such as camomile, peppermint and spearmint, and culinary herbs,” Greg says. “The quality was far superior to anything you could buy in shops. I realised the key was to treat them carefully to retain their colour, quality and essential oils.”

Greg admits he was initially sceptical about medicinal herbs “because I come from a science-based background”.

“At that time, there was not a lot of evidence into the benefits of medicinal herbs, but what convinced me was personal experience,” he says.

“My daughter had blocked ears, common in children, and she was recommended to have an elderflower tea, and within a few days, the problem had gone.

“Then I found a herbal support for a severe back problem. I’d been taking a conventional anti-inflammatory but then a GP with an interest in herbs suggested I take a tincture – a mix of a number of herbs such as St John’s wort, willowbark, devil’s claw and prickly ash — and within about 15 minutes, it started to give relief.

“I recently used it for my inflamed knee and it worked, but without the side-effects of a conventional anti-inflammatory.

“These days, I still use conventional medicines occasionally but, where possible, will try the herbal option first.”

In the mid-’80s, Greg moved to Swanpool, near Benalla, for five years where he ran a farm with a medicinal herb company, and 15 years later joined as a partner in Goulds in Tasmania.

He says there is more clinical evidence these days to support the effectiveness of herbs “but there are some for which there is no evidence”.

“That’s not to say they don’t work but they’ve not been adequately assessed, even though there’s a strong tradition — often centuries old — of using them,” he says.

With herbal medicines in part traditional, farm management too is old-school. Workers use scythes and sickles to harvest some of the herbs, air-dry leaves and flowers, use a mesh screen to process some teas, and even use a century-old chaff cutter to chop some stalks and roots.

The farm is certified organic and also uses biodynamic preparations, including 500, or cow horn manure, and other compost preparations.

He encourages beneficial predators such as ladybirds to battle aphids, and in instances of rust, he flames the stubble after first harvest.

Greg says farm management is generally hands-off.

“This way of farming is based on observation, not rushing to draw conclusions when a problem arises, but waiting to see the natural process. I’m prepared to be patient and not panic.

“If you get rid of some pests, then that has a flow on effect to beneficial predators. There’s a natural balance and it doesn’t always work to intervene.”

With his farm surrounded by bush, overlooked by Mt Wellington, at 74 he clearly has ample stamina to continue in the job.

“It still inspires me what we do, working with these plants, it’s a passion.

“But also the feedback we get from people is wonderful, that these herbs help others and make a difference, that’s one of the things that keeps me going.”

MORE

WHERE TO VISIT IN THE GRAMPIANS

NEW BOOK EXPLORES BUSHRANGER’S SEXUALITY

KEEPING DOCTORS IN THEIR TOWN