HANNAH JACOBSON-HARDY
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Hannah Jacobson-Hardy, founder of Sweet Birch Herbals, is a holistic health coach and community herbalist devoted to providing western Massachusetts with high-quality plant-based medicines that are locally grown and sustainably wild-crafted.
Hannah approaches her work with compassion and an open heart as she serves a wide range of clients. She also offers herbal medicine products and workshops throughout Massachusetts.
Hannah creates custom blended formulas and provides specifically tailored protocols that include nutritional guidance and lifestyle suggestions. All of her plant medicines are sustainably wild crafted and cultivated to ensure abundance for future generations.
EDUCATION
OUR PRACTICES
Sweet Birch Herbals is a community herbal medicine company located on three acres nestled in the hills of Ashfield, Massachusetts.​ At the farm, we grow over 100 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs for our products and for sale in our farm apothecary store.
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Everything is grown organically without the use of any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Our honeybees would certainly not approve of those practices and nor do we!​ Our chickens and goats, also fed organically, provide fertilizer for our fields each spring and fall. They appreciate the herbal treats and good lovin' from our farm in exchange for all the hard work they do. ​ Our practices are aligned with the moon, always asking the land to guide us, and listening for directions from the spirits of the land.
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We give thanks and bow our heads to the land stewards and ancestors who came before us.
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Our medicines are harvested after asking permission and offering gratitude. We grow a few varieties of tobacco for offerings to the plant spirits and animals of the land which give us life, a practice Hannah's teachers have shared with her since she began her studies as a medicine woman.
HANNAH'S STORY
My journey into herbalism and farming began when my mother plopped me down into the garden while she weeded the carrots and kale. By the time I was a teenager, the garden was the last place I wanted to be because it meant getting dirty and crouching over in the hot sun. But, in some roundabout way after leaving for college, I found myself craving the sweet smell of soil and ripening tomatoes paired with the aromas of basil and garlic in the kitchen while my mother made fresh pesto.
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I came home one summer and declared I was going to plant the entire garden. "Ok, Hannah," my parents said, "Sounds good to us." Digging the beds, planting the seeds, watering the parched Earth, it all felt like the only sane thing to me as I spent most of my time in classrooms, reading lofty books, and wondering how all this writing was going to get me a "real" job.
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I refused to go back to college after the first semester, which my parents did not answer as supportively as my gardening declaration. So, I negotiated with them. I will finish my undergraduate studies if I can transfer from the private school near NYC to our local UMass Amherst and study Sustainable Agriculture. They smiled and agreed to the proposition.
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It was at UMass that I discovered the power of herbalism. When I fell ill one semester, a friend who was studying to be a Clinical Herbalist offered her services with a comprehensive consultation, teas and tinctures. Within a few weeks my health was back to balance and my curiosity of natural healing grew to the point of directing my course of studies toward a program with a local herbalist.
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After 7 years of studying intensively while finishing my degree, it was time to launch my own business. I sat in the woods filled with sweet birch saplings one day, meditating on the name for my baby biz and suddenly a black bear walked across the path in front of me. The black bear is the keeper of the medicine ways, so I took it as a blessing.
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Sweet Birch Herbals was founded in 2014 inside my tiny home apothecary and eventually outgrew the kitchen pantry. I now have a small farm where I grow all the herbs and a few employees to assist me with the business.
IN THE NEWS
Sweet Birch Herbals is deeply committed to living in a world of justice, peace and equality for all people. I am deeply grateful for the medicine people of every culture that have kept their practices alive. I give thanks to all of my teachers.
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Black Lives Matter
No Human is Illegal
Love is LOVE
Woman's Rights are Human Rights
Water is Life
All Genders Are Whole
Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere
ALL PEOPLE ARE WELCOME HERE
I am committed to growing herbs on the land in Ashfield with the highest vibration of love and healing. When I purchased the 3 acres in December 2018, I offered a prayer to the land immediately upon arrival. I shared with the land that I release all ownership even though I will refer to it as "my home, my land" and the bank will consider me the "title owner." My home is on stolen land from the Indigenous Peoples (Pocumtuc, Nonotuck Mohawk, Nipmuc, and Mohican) and I apologize for any suffering, racism, genocide and harmful actions taken place here. I pray for forgiveness. My hope is to work in conjunction with the Spirit of the Land and listen to him (yes, he is a him I am learning) for guidance as I grow herbal medicines, raise goats, chickens, honeybees and food for the community infused with love, every step of the way toward a more just and peaceful world.
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With gratitude,
Hannah
TESTIMONIALS
"The Shamanic Session with Hannah made me feel connected to the stories of the past and how to take ownership of my story. I just feel more empowered, less afraid, and determined. Like I found my rooted strength." - A.C. Ashfield, MA
"I came to Hannah hoping to find some alleviation to the generalized anxiety disorder and depression symptoms I deal with more days than not, and which I've had most of my life. I am trying to take a more wholesome approach to healing instead of medication. Hannah's advice and the herbal tinctures she's made for me have helped immensely. Hannah listened genuinely and sincerely. I did not feel judged or embarrassed to share openly with her. She cares, and that means the world. To know my battle isn't over, but that I have Hannah there to help, is a huge relief." -T.S., Chicopee, MA
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“My choices tend to be natural and organic. However, for years I have been plagued by constant UTI infections and pneumonia, which visited me yearly and required major antibiotics. I have been using the formulas from Sweet Birch Herbals for three months and have not had one infection or cold. Hannah did a thorough initial intake with me and studied my history. She was helpful in also guiding my food choices to what would be most healthy. I feel she sincerely cares about my wellbeing and has made herself available for my questions. I believe I am receiving the very best direction and help to live a healthy life and a more positive quality of life.” – D. G., Easthampton, MA
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“I began to see Hannah in Spring 2014 in the final weeks of my recovery from Lyme disease. I had been working with a Naturopath and already had a formula to kill the spirochete, but I was still feeling run-down and depleted from my year(s)-long recovery. I said, "Hannah, I feel so sick but I am so tired of detoxing. Please, no more detoxing. Help me build my strength up. I think I'm actually alright, but reclaiming my body has taken so much out of me." She empathized and agreed, and built me a formula that would work nicely with the herbs I was already taking. She said, "I think I want to give you some heart strengtheners" and it almost made me cry. It had been a long time since I had thought of my heart.” -A.C., Holyoke, MA
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“I asked Hannah for an herbal remedy to help alleviate anxiety. She was nonjudgmental during the intake process, which made a big difference to me as talking about anxiety can be difficult. I believe the tincture that she gave to me has helped me focus on my studies and transition back to a full-time student lifestyle. Thank you for your wisdom, care and kindness, Hannah!” -A.C., Portland, OR
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“I contacted Hannah half a year ago to get help with a chronic, autoimmune condition. I was amazed at her amount of knowledge about herbal medicine and so happy that she is able to provide hand-crafted herbs herself. Her herbal concoctions have helped me immensely, as has her wise, nonjudgmental counsel about difficult emotions arising from the autoimmune condition and from living in our current climate.”
- J.H., Weehawken, NJ
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I have been a practitioner for over 30 years. I also have had many health challenges deeply affecting the quality of my life. I have worked with many practitioners. Hannah has been helping me using herbs, both a custom tincture I take twice daily and her amazing sleep tincture. She tunes in, she is connected to the Earth and Spirit, she is not in her head and I enjoy working with her. She is a support for me. I had one Shiatsu session which was wonderful. - R.J., Great Barrington, MA
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"When I went to see Hannah for life coaching, admittedly, I wasn’t exactly sure what life coaching was about. All I knew was that I felt I needed some fresh perspective on my business. After 3 sessions with Hannah, I now view it as one of the better decisions I’ve made. The thing I appreciated most about Hannah was that she didn’t tell me exactly what to do. Rather, she listened attentively, and through open dialogue, challenged me to listen to my own inner voice. That may sound simple, but as a solo business owner, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed and lose a sense of purpose in one’s work. Thanks to Hannah’s guidance, I’ve put together a clearer plan for the future that’s more aligned with my heart instead of my head. This is Hannah’s true gift as a life coach. She has a rare ability, with a wisdom far beyond her years, to guide you to your own inner wisdom, where the answers always lie. - C.F., Easthampton, MA
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My Plant Spirit Journey with Hannah was such sweet nectar for my soul. Before my session I was stressed and really judging myself for my moodiness and out of control emotional upheaval. I was trying to do too many things at once, so I was in this perpetual state of rushing and never completing things, then continuing to add new things to my plate. This was affecting my relationships and making me feel really angry over little things. This deep dive really helped me slow down and connect back to my heart center. It allowed me to have clarity again about what was important in my life. It helped me get out of my head and back into my heart/ -B.M., Haydenville, MA
