GAHANNA, Ohio – Herbs have been around for thousands of years. Used in cooking, cosmetics, medicine, landscaping, decorating and fragrance, their popularity continues to grow as people discover the variety of uses and benefits.

Anyone looking to learn about herbs and their abundant applications can visit the Ohio Herb Center in Gahanna. Gahanna was recognized as the “Herb Capital of Ohio” by the Ohio General Assembly in 1972.

The Herb Center has called the historic Nafzger-Miller House in Gahanna’s Creekside District home since 2003. The Gahanna Visitors and Convention Bureau operates the nonprofit, which is staffed by two part-time employees and groups of volunteers.

The Center celebrates herbs through its gardens, classes, hands-on workshops, and herb-inspired merchandise.

Coordinator Amanda Ferguson, who’s been part of the Herb Center for almost 10 years, develops and instructs classes and workshops based on trends and what’s happening in the world of herbs.

“I like to throw it at the wall and see if it sticks, Ferguson said. “You just never know what is going to ignite someone – going to spark their interest – then we might have a hit class on our hands.”

Ferguson, who describes her teaching style as “hands-on experiential,” is bringing the energetic herbalism approach to her classes. Energetic herbalism looks to individualize herbal benefits by focusing on the interaction between the person and the herb.

“You hear everyone say they love lavender, it’s so calming, but it’s not calming for everyone,” Ferguson said. “It’s taking an individualized approach to how that herb interacts with each person – the energetics of the plant and how it’s interacting with each person on their molecular level, their biology, and their physiology.”

Classes with a strict emphasis on cooking with herbs have not been popular, according to Ferguson. She teaches what she calls kitchen herbalism.

“Like our herbal technique class, we do hands-on experiential – we might be making a sipping broth, herbal salts, and sugars, those sorts of things – it’s just not focused on all culinary,” Ferguson said. “That’s kind of the approach that we take.”

Another popular class looks at incorporating herbs into the landscape. Ferguson tries to get people to look at herbs in nontraditional ways – as ground cover, borders, or shrubs.

“I developed it because people don’t look at herbs as a landscaping plant,” she said. “Why wouldn’t you want to use something in your landscaping that benefits your family?”

Partial funding for the Center comes from a bed tax, a percentage of taxes charged to people who stay in area hotels. That was the brainchild of the Center’s founder, Jane “Bunnie” Geroux, who made the stipulation when she handed the Center over to the city of Gahanna before her retirement.

The funding source works because of the Center’s appeal as a destination.

“We attract people from all over,” Ferguson said. “We’ve had people come in from Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia – they come for tours and we have people who just drive in to take classes.”

Demand for herbs is high and continues to rise, while large-scale supply is having a hard time keeping up.

“There has been a huge shift in the need for people to be growing herbs on a wholesale basis for people like us because there are so many more people that are interested in utilizing herbs,” Ferguson said.

Part of that demand is driven by companies that market herbal remedies as a cure for a variety of diseases and health problems – something that Ferguson warns against.

“A lot of people are not studying herbs, they’re just thinking, ‘Oh, I can take this herb as much as I want, it’s safe, and it’s natural’ – but not all of them are,” she said. “So, it’s a cautionary tale.”

The Center also generates income from in-store sales of locally made merchandise.

“Because we are kind of the visitor center of Gahanna, I have honed in and tried to keep it local – by local, I mean, in the state of Ohio,” Ferguson said. “We’re trying to feature local businesses and sell those products. That’s what people are interested in – something that’s unique to the area.”

The annual Herb Day celebration in May is one of the early-season outdoor events in the community and features over 30 vendors and hosts over 4,500 visitors.

“We have long-standing vendors who come back every year, Ferguson said. “We try to run the gamut – I have a lady who makes birdhouses out of gourds, soap vendors, you name it – it’s just really fun.”

Visit Gahanna Executive Director Lori Kappes and her staff are always trying to think of new and better ways to market the Herb Center. But, due to her small staff, they are unable to take on additional events at this time.

However, conversations about future Ohio Herb Center events are still happening.

“We’ve talked about doing a harvest festival in the fall,” Kappes said. “That’s kind of one of those ideas that’s floating out there – it just hasn’t been implemented, yet.”