WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

‘Tis the season to be jolly. But for a lot of us, ‘tis the season for the flu, COVID, RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) and other illnesses. 

“As a child, I went to the doctor twice. I’m 60 years old and I don’t take any pharmaceutical medications. If I’m sick, I take an herb,” said Camille Lancaster. Her mother was a nurse, yet she didn’t believe in pharmaceutical medications “because she saw what medicine did to people.”  

Camille’s father, Rudolph Murphy, is a very active 91-year-old, due to healthy eating and living. “He’s an avid gardener and has about five gardens in his yard that he actively tends to every day. That’s why he’s still living, because he always ate food out of a garden. 

“We grew up living a good clean lifestyle. My father instilled that in us. As a child, we never went to any fast-food restaurants. We ate out of the garden,” said Camille. “We were eating whole foods before there was a Whole Foods. And we were eating organic before we knew what organic was,” joked Camille. 

Camille Lancaster has always taken her upbringing very seriously. During her 25 years as a hairstylist, she would make medicinal products and sell them to her clients. “I made pain rubs and all types of healing salves. I really enjoyed helping my clients stay healthy,” said Camille. 

In 2020, she opened The Green House Apothecary in Winston-Salem. “It was always my goal to help people understand how the body heals and how we can get healed with the natural things that God has given us. I wanted to bring awareness to people that they don’t have to suffer or get stuck on pharmaceutical medications.” 

The Green House Apothecary is plant based. “Plants have always been used as medicines long before the brand names hit the stores. I take herbs. They’re cheaper, more convenient, work much faster and it’s safer,” she said. 

I have arthritis and the prescription medicines I’ve taken have caused multiple side effects. So, I asked Camille what would work for me. “Essential oils like wintergreen, pine needles and cypress help with arthritis. They help thin the blood and reduce inflammation in the body,” shared the aromatherapist. 

Val Edwards shared her testimonial about how The Green House Apothecary’s magnesium cream relieved the extreme pain she suffered due to arthritis. “I had unbearable arthritis pain in my foot, I was having a hard time walking, and it gave me relief. My feet feel much better. So, I told my coworkers about the magnesium cream and now they use it.”

What about headaches? “Peppermint oil not only helps with headaches, but it also helps your breathing and with digesting your food,” shared Camille.

What I love most about Camille Lancaster is that she genuinely cares about people and their health. It’s not about the money. So, I challenged the wife of 22 years and mother of two and asked if there’s a healing plant in most everyone’s backyard. “Clovers! During the spring there’s clovers all over your yard. Clovers are a plant estrogen. When women are going through menopause, they have to take synthetic estrogen to keep them from having hot flashes. Well, a clover does the same thing. The difference between the synthetic estrogen and the clover in your backyard, the clover is made by God and it naturally knows what to do in your body, and there’s minimum side effects from that clover. 

“Dandelions grow in everybody’s backyard. Dandelions are powerful. You take the roots, chop them up and boil them. Then take the juice off of them and drink it and it cleans your liver and kidneys out,” said the herbalist.

‘Tis the season for the flu, pneumonia and COVID. The remedy? “Ginger shots,” said one customer. She drank a whole bottle to offset COVID and the pneumonia that was trying to invade her lungs. And it worked! 

Another customer shared how beetroot juice helped him during his radiation. “I started the beet juice daily and all the side effects from the radiation were gone. I was in disbelief! It was the beet juice. It worked wonders.’’ Bernadette Boddie said, “The Deep Sleep Tea Blend reduces my stress by keeping me calm and it helps me fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.” Camille added, “We do a lot of root and herb teas. Every type of plant that you can think of has a purpose. So, things that grow right there in your backyard can be used for healing and to maintain your wellness.” 

Although Camille shared the secrets to healing in our own backyards, not many of us are as active and ready to get down and dirty like her 91-year-old father, Rudolph. Fortunately, she did all the dirty work for us, with opening The Green House Apothecary. “A lot of people don’t like the taste and texture of sea moss. So, we took that same gel and fused it into a lemon aid so you can drink it and still get the same medicinal benefits. Our elderberry syrup keeps you from getting COVID. If you do get COVID, elderberry helps you heal faster. We make Ginger Shots, which helps boost your immune system. We look for alternatives to the traditional medicines that people are typically using every day.”

Camille said there is a place for pharmaceutical medications “when you’re in a trauma or life or death situation. So, I’m not knocking traditional medicines. But, for everyday wellness and longevity, and chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure, herbs and plants work much more effectively and are a lot safer. 

“I really love what I do because our communities suffer from a lot of chronic conditions that can be helped and eradicated if they give just herbs and plants a chance. And it’s right in their own backyard. These are things we’ve learned from our grandparents and great-grandparents,” she said. 

I never end an interview without asking to share a favorite quote or scripture. “Calling those things that be not as though they were. Romans 4:18. When someone comes to me and says that they’re sick. I’ll say, think of another word, because God didn’t call us to this earth to be sick. He called us to have abundant lives. Sickness is an illusion. So, whatever is going on in your body, call it another name instead of sickness. You always have to speak positivity over your life,” shared Camille. 

My phenomenal Person of the Week is Camille Lancaster. For more info, call 336-701-3353 or follow The Green House Apothecary on Facebook and Instagram.