Lauren Cooper operates one of the stalls at Blacksburg Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons and Saturdays. Herbal products (upper left and near basket) from her Greenstar Farm and Apothecary are part of her offerings along with organic produce from the farm.

Above: At Greenstar Farm and Apothecary in Blacksburg, a "super tonic" brews in a jar containing cayenne pepper, onion, garlic, horseradish, organic apple cider and vinegar. Top right: Lauren Cooper relies on many wild plants for harvesting her ingredients for herbal remedies, such as this ground ivy, which is used in cough formulas. Bottom right: Cooper rinses the roots of freshly dug up elecampane plants, commonly used in respiratory formulas as an expectorant and anti-inflammatory agent.

Cooper pours hot water over a dried mixture of nettle, red clover and mint to brew as a tea. Cooper considers the concoction a "liquid vitamin," a mild diuretic and also a detox agent.

Photos by ALAN KIM The Roanoke Times

Andrew Schenker, Lauren Cooper's husband, holds up a tray of skullcap seedlings that will be raised for using in herbal remedies. Cooper and Schenker met in 1990 while working as interns at an organic farm in Berkeley Springs, W.Va.

Above: At Greenstar Farm and Apothecary in Blacksburg, a "super tonic" brews in a jar containing cayenne pepper, onion, garlic, horseradish, organic apple cider and vinegar. Top right: Lauren Cooper relies on many wild plants for harvesting her ingredients for herbal remedies, such as this ground ivy, which is used in cough formulas. Bottom right: Cooper rinses the roots of freshly dug up elecampane plants, commonly used in respiratory formulas as an expectorant and anti-inflammatory agent.

BLACKSBURG -- Goldenseal. Jewelweed. Motherwort. Dandelion.

The names of healing plants call across continents and through the millenniums, up and down the spine of the Appalachian mountains, echoing even today along the paths of a terraced hillside off Jennelle Road in Blacksburg where herbalist Lauren Cooper helps keep the old healing ways alive.

"They become like people," Cooper said while planting some of the dozens of herbs she cultivates on her property and steeps or mixes into various teas, salves and tinctures for sale to a growing customer base at the Blacksburg Farmers Market.

Following the rhythms of the seasons, the co-owner of Greenstar Farm and Apothecary also often takes a harvest basket into her yard -- doubling as it does as an old-time medicine chest for her family -- to gather wild plants such as red clover, ground ivy and nature's powerhouse, the often-misunderstood dandelion.

For each plant, Cooper can list its traditional uses and tell the stories from around the world that have grown up along with it. Motherwort, "the woman's ally," is her favorite. It's been relied upon for generations to help calm jangling nerves, relieve menstrual symptoms and support heart health, according to Cooper.

From her home remedy recipes, Cooper has developed a catalog of more than 40 preparations that have become popular with shoppers at the farmers market and at Eats Natural Foods Co-op on South Main Street, where the owners stock Cooper's preparations along with a vast array of similar commercially made remedies.

"People know her products," said co-owner Becky Farnham. "When she's not available at the farmers market, people can get her stuff here."

As the weather warms, Cooper's jewelweed lotion has become a popular item among gardeners and hikers who've blundered into poison ivy, Farnham said. The store also carries many other items by Cooper, including tinctures, which are concentrated herbal extracts.

One of the customers is Vicki Nichols Goldstein, who for four years has patronized Cooper's apothecary and swears by Greenstar immunity tinctures to help fight off colds and other infections.

"You get that tickle in your throat, and you take a few drops three times a day -- a few days of that, and it really does make a significant difference," she said. "If I catch whatever I'm feeling early on, I can pretty much avoid getting sick. And this works with my husband and my children."

A native of rural southern New Jersey, Nichols Goldstein said her "grandpop" taught her a deep respect for the healing powers of nature, including wild herbs. The family would often hunt, fish and forage together in and around the forests of that state's Pine Barrens, immortalized by naturalist and author John McPhee in his book of the same name.

"I'm not anti-medicine," Nichols Goldstein said. "I just like sticking with local foods and herbs that have been known for centuries. It's a nice opportunity to get back to basics."

Wild herbs -- often called weeds by many gardeners and lovers of manicured lawns -- make up a significant part of Cooper's products.

"The biggest pests are the most medicinal," she said.

She's fond of burdock and poke, but especially of dandelion, which she says is useful in every part. She chops and roasts dandelion root in a toaster oven in her Virginia Health Department-certified kitchen for use in teas. The flowers make a delicate wine. And the fresh leaves make a nutritive tea or a good addition to a salad, she said.

Cooper, daughter of well-known Blacksburg birdwatcher the late Ken Cooper, says she got interested in herbs as a young woman working at a natural foods restaurant near New York City. In those days, Cooper said, she was living a late-night lifestyle with its attendant lack of sleep and lots of parties.

Her health started to suffer, she said. But doctors didn't offer her much. Then she met an herbalist who not only suggested she start using various herbal remedies, but also make changes in her lifestyle. It was that kind of holistic treatment that turned Cooper on to herbalism, and eventually organic farming, she said.

Cooper met her husband, Andrew Schenker, in 1990 while the two were working as interns at an organic farm in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. Since 1991, they've farmed their own land in Blacksburg, including developing a cornucopia of cultivated and wild-grown herbs.

Cooper said she has read and studied with other herbalists and experimented with healing plants to develop her products. She also takes on apprentices who want to learn to brew the old folk remedies. Cooper, a mother of two home schooled children, said she hopes when the kids are older to eventually attend an intensive "master herbalist" program. Several groups and organizations across the country offer course work in the field.

Besides a love of plants and an interest in folkways, Cooper said she taught herself to be an herbalist "to keep my family healthy." Because the family makes its living from seasonal farming, they can afford very little health insurance and try to avoid doctor visits as much as possible, Cooper said.

"Herbs have been used for thousands of years," said Dr. Michael Kennedy, a doctor of osteopathy with Family Medicine of Blacksburg. "And some of our medicines are based on herbs."

Herbal remedies "may hold potential for benefits," Kennedy said. "However, most of them have not been studied. So you're never really sure what you're going to get."

While many physicians are open to patients using nontraditional remedies, Kennedy said there are risks of which it is good to be aware.

First, know your sources, Kennedy said. Be careful of imported herbs or herbal preparations from unknown sources; some can be contaminated with pollutants or pesticides. Herbs can also interact with prescription drugs. For that reason, it's particularly important to tell your physician about any herbs you're using, so he or she can check for possible interactions.

To avoid serious side effects, people on the prescription blood thinner Coumadin, for example, should talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking any herbal preparations, Kennedy said.

Most of Cooper's herbs come from her organic farm, where not even the grass is treated with any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. She does buy some herbs from other sources but makes sure they are also produced safely, she said.

For her part, Cooper said she does not give medical advice to her customers and she does not practice medicine.

"I appreciate customers who know what they are looking for," Cooper said. "I tell them to do research if they like a particular herb."

She also points them to books and other sources to learn about herbs and folk remedies. When she brews one of her teas by pouring hot water over dried herbs in a quart-sized canning jar, the smell can only be described as intensely "green."

Sipped from a cup at her kitchen table, it tastes mild, even without sugar. They're not miracle cures, Cooper says. But using herbal remedies can support the body's natural healing powers.

"I would call them liquid vitamins," she said.