Flower power

How resorts are harnessing the healing properties of native blooms

- WORDS STEPHANIE VERMILLION ILLUSTRATION BRYCE WYMER

TODAY'S WELLNESS SEEKERS don't stop at smelling the roses. They drink tea made from the plant and swear by rose-infused water to improve skin tone and minimise sun damage – then head back to the garden to harvest more healing blossoms.

Around the world, guides are helping travellers reap the benefits of native blooms. I was lucky to learn all about this field during a "wildcrafting" class with a natural herbalist in Canada's spruce-dotted Yukon territory.

For more than a decade, Jacqueline Clancy, a gardener and educator in Dawson City, has taught the art of wildcrafting to locals and travellers. The practice is part foraging, part healing. Wildcrafters collect plants to make tinctures and essential oils that offer multiple benefits, from minimising scarring to curbing headaches. During my visit, we made a salve from a common, yet underappreciated flower: the dandelion.