Restoring Balance | Comstock’s magazine

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From echinacea to valerian root, human beings have long relied on
herbs as a source of wellness. “We’ve had a continued and
never-ending relationship with botany and the plant world since
the beginnings of us,” says Sage LaPena, certified medical
herbalist with the Sacramento Native American Health Center. As
the practitioner for the organization’s Healing Ways Program for
the last three years, LaPena helps patients battling diabetes and
other health woes get control of their conditions through a
holistic approach that includes herbal supplementation, health
education and sometimes a little gentle prodding.

“We’ve had a continued and never-ending relationship with
botany and the plant world since the beginnings of us.” 

Sage LaPena, Medical herbalist, Sacramento
Native American Health Center

She serves a primarily Native American population, some of whom
are housing challenged, and many of whom are diabetic. One in six
Native Americans suffer from the disease, she says,
compared to a little over one in 10 in the general American
population. “It is a huge problem in Indian Country,” she
explains. “So that’s a huge facet of the work I do here.” 

LaPena is Nomtipom Wintu of Northern California and says she
started learning about plant medicine “as a child working with a
traditional person who was a California tribal ancestor and a
well-known Indian doctor.” She grew up in the Sacramento area,
attended El Camino High School and Sacramento City College, and
went on to study at the California School of Herbal Studies in
Sonoma County, where she is currently a rotating guest staff
member. “I thought everybody had this information that was part
of our culture,” she says. “I didn’t know how much had been
stripped away from so many people.” 

Typically, individuals who visit SNAHC are first seen by a
primary care physician, and then referred to LaPena for her
services as an option. “Someone with diabetes, for example, might
possibly be given a compound of bitter melon, gymnema and
cinnamon,” she says — herbs that can help lower blood sugar and
reduce carbohydrate cravings. But everyone is different depending
on their needs.

The patients she sees deal with a range of issues from anxiety
and depression to homelessness, so getting them to take the herbs
regularly can sometimes be an uphill battle. “Someone dealing
with housing challenges would not find it as easy to brew tea
from bulk tea,” she says. She’s developed a system that includes
automatic follow-up appointments and phone calls to check in and
make sure patients are staying on track.

Access to healthy food is also a major challenge for the people
she serves. “When people are living in group housing or going to
soup kitchens, much of the food available is filler food like
pasta. And of course, starches are a huge factor in diabetes,”
she says. Learning to grow your own food is one answer. “Even if
you have a small porch, you can grow food in a five-gallon
bucket,” she says. “Food sovereignty is at the forefront of
Indian Country.”

Through urban plant walks in downtown and Midtown Sacramento,
LaPena teaches participants about local native and non-native
plant species, many of which are medicinal. “Some of the
so-called weeds are some of the best plant medicines,” says
LaPena. “Some important natives one can find downtown or in
adjacent areas include black walnut, elderberry, willow, magnolia
and mugwort.”

“We have set the bar high for other (Indian Health Service)
clinics. I’m glad to set precedence of a higher standard of
care in the clinical setting for all, but particularly for
Native Americans.”

Sage LaPena, Medical herbalist, Sacramento
Native American Health Center

The Healing Ways Program also holds community meals throughout
the Sacramento area during the year. “We try to utilize our
(memorandums of understanding) with our community partners and
make the community meals as accessible as possible,” she
says. 

Her go-to plant? “Stinging nettles! They’re in the mint family.
It’s very high in minerals, iron, calcium,” she explains. “It’s
very good as an antihistamine, so you can take it in capsules or
tea for your allergies. Nettle soup — so yummy.” 

LaPena is excited as SNAHC prepares to open a new location in
November 2022 in South Sacramento, and she prepares to hire
an apprentice. “We have set the bar high for other (Indian Health
Service) clinics. I’m glad to set precedence of a higher standard
of care in the clinical setting for all, but particularly for
Native Americans.” 

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