Each November, we pause to honor the birthday of our founder, Dr. John R. Christopher – a man whose life’s work made it possible for so many to reclaim their health with the simple plants growing all around them.
He didn’t set out to build an empire. He built a practice because he loved people. He taught mothers, farmers, grandmothers, and children to harvest medicine from their backyards. He showed patients how to treat themselves with humble herbs that grew underfoot – often for free. And those lessons still ripple through our lives today.
In celebration of his birthday, we’d love to share just a few stories that reflect his mission so clearly: that healing is possible, and that nature is already offering the help we need—right where we are.
Plantain: The Backyard Doctor
A man once arrived at Dr. Christopher’s office in agony. He had driven a chisel into his palm at work and, unable to afford a doctor, wrapped it in a dirty rag. By the time he arrived, the infection had spread – a red streak ran up his arm, and a lump the size of a baseball had formed in his armpit. He feared the worst.
Dr. Christopher listened and then led him outside to a patch of plantain growing in the front yard. The man laughed, he had been pulling it out of his own yard for years. Dr. Christopher told him to stop disposing of it and start using it.
He instructed the man to crush fresh plantain and apply it as a
poultice, replacing it regularly, and to drink a strong tea made from the same “weed.” No return visit needed, just follow the directions.
The man returned days later with a healed hand, no scar, and full mobility. He called the transformation “miraculous.” And it all started with the weeds in his yard.
Red Raspberry: The Flu That Didn’t Win
During a harsh flu outbreak in Montana, a mother of eight called Dr. Christopher in desperation. Two of her children were already sick, and the flu was lasting weeks in every home.
Dr. Christopher remembered the raspberry bushes behind her house and gave her simple instructions: gather the leaves and brew tea – lots of it. Give the sick children all the tea they can drink and nothing else until the illness passed. He also recommended the same procedure for the rest of the family, as a preventative measure.
By the next morning, the two sick children were completely recovered. And not one other member of the family got sick.
Marshmallow: Healing the Unthinkable
In Seattle, a man was wheeled into one of Dr. Christopher’s lectures. He had gangrene, and doctors were scheduled to amputate both legs at the hips the following week.
Desperate, he asked Dr. Christopher for help.
Outside the building, marshmallow was growing in abundance. The man’s caretaker recognized it – he had been digging it up as a “weed” all day.
Dr. Christopher instructed them to make gallons of marshmallow tea, soak the legs alternately in hot tea
and ice water, apply warm fomentations at night, and continue daily until full healing occurred. He was also to drink the tea and follow the mucusless diet.
A month later, that same man returned to another lecture – on foot. He stood, stomped his feet, and gave witness to a room full of people that his legs had been completely healed. All from
herbs growing wild around him.
What He Planted Still Grows
These stories aren’t just memories, they’re living proof of what’s possible when we return to the gifts of the earth. Dr. Christopher never wanted people to
depend on him. He wanted them to remember. Remember the plants. Remember the power in their hands. Remember that God gave us everything we need to heal.
So in this season of gratitude, we remember Dr. Christopher – with love, respect, and joy for the legacy he gave us. The herbs are still growing. The truth still lives. And we are still
learning from the plants in our own backyards.
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