About Me, the No-BS Herbalist

I Thought Healing Was About Fixing the Body. I Was Wrong.

I’m Amelia South — Clinical Herbalist, foraging instructor, author, coach, and the woman behind the No-BS Herbalist and Black Sun Farm. I’ve spent nearly 20 years learning about plants, food, the human body, and what it actually takes to feel well.

I started foraging wild foods in 2006, but my journey into natural health really took off in 2009 when I was pregnant with my first child. Like a lot of people who find their way into herbalism, I was looking for answers. What could I safely use? What actually worked? Why did one “expert” say one thing while another said the exact opposite?

So I started researching, experimenting, growing food, making medicine, and learning everything I could about how the human body works. After childbirth left my body physically damaged, it became personal. Over the years, I dealt with my own gut problems, hormone issues, chronic yeast infections, rosacea, weight fluctuations, thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, and alcohol overuse. I didn’t want someone else to simply tell me what to take. I wanted to understand WHY.

That question has pretty much driven everything I’ve done since.

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Plants Became My Life

I went through a seven-month farm apprenticeship in 2014 that taught me just about everything I know about farming. I started my mini farm in 2017, and by 2019 I was selling vegetables and eggs from a roadside stand. I built Black Sun Farm, formulated and sold herbal remedies, taught hundreds of people to forage, created herbal classes, wrote books, and eventually became a Clinical Herbalist.

I was the woman making applesauce from windfall apples, chewing plantain for bee stings, growing herb guilds around fruit trees, and learning every edible weed in my yard. Plants weren’t just something I knew about. They became a huge part of my identity.

And I still love that part of myself. I haven’t stopped being an herbalist or a forager, and Black Sun Farm is still my herbal products business, although these days I only make a handful of the remedies I’ve become known for.

I absolutely LOVE teaching people about the medicine cabinet hiding in their own backyard! I also love giving interactive talks and workshops that help an audience understand their bodies and minds so healing actually makes sense.

In the last two years, I realized something that changed the direction of my work: physical health was only part of the story.

When Knowing Better Isn’t Enough

Why do we keep repeating habits we consciously want to change? Why can we understand that something is hurting us and still reach for it? Why do certain situations trigger reactions that seem completely out of proportion to what’s actually happening?

In 2021 I went through a massive mental breakdown that changed my whole perspective from “there’s an herb for everything” to “you can become the woman you were always meant to be, and herbs aren’t the only answer.” I explain my entire mental and emotional transformation inside my memoir, Uncovering Amy.

I still believe deeply in herbal medicine. I also know that not every problem needs an herb.

Sometimes it’s your gut. Sometimes it’s nutrition, sleep, hormones, inflammation, or stress. Sometimes you already know exactly what you need to do, and the more important question is why you can’t seem to make yourself do it. Sometimes beliefs you formed as a child are still quietly influencing the adult you’ve become.

Those things aren’t separate. They’re all happening inside the same person.

That’s why when I work with someone, I want to understand the whole picture: your body, your history, your habits, your environment, your stress, your beliefs, what’s working, what’s not, and what all of those things might have in common.

I’m not interested in handing you a generic protocol, selling you a miracle cure, or making you dependent on me. Whether I’m teaching you to identify a plant or helping you understand patterns you’ve carried for decades, my goal is ultimately the same: I want you to understand yourself well enough that eventually, you don’t need me.

That’s what the No-BS Herbalist has become.

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Why Herbalism?

Doctors often struggled to provide the answers I needed, so I took charge of my own healing. My experiences have given me profound insight into women’s health and fueled my passion for helping others heal naturally.

My journey to health is ongoing—as is my learning! I have a shelf full of herbalism books and I listen to herbal podcasts and audio lessons regularly. I have completed several certification programs that have helped me become a better advisor for you. I’ve taken more courses than I have certificates for, but some are documented below.

My certifications include:

Heart of Herbs Herbal School

• Certified Clinical Herbalist

Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine

• Herbal Safety Course

The Health Sciences Academy

• Nutritional Therapist
• Advanced Skincare and Repair Nutrition Specialist
• Advanced Gut restoration and Nutritional Advisor

Alma Oasis

• Sylvotherapy Practitioner

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My Mission

If you’re here because you want to learn about plants, you’re still in the right place. I teach foraging and herbalism in person and online, and my books can teach you how to think about plant medicine instead of simply memorizing which herb is “good for” which symptom.

If you’re here because you’re tired of chasing symptoms and want help figuring out what’s actually going on, start with a private Consultation. That’s where we put the pieces on the table and start connecting the dots.

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Let’s Connect

Health shouldn’t be complicated, confusing, or covered in marketing glitter—it should be real, effective, and bullshit-free. I’m here to support your journey to health. Reach out for a consultation or follow me on social media for practical herbal advice.

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