Women's History Month is more than a celebration of famous names or remarkable achievements.
It's an invitation to remember the women whose stories were never written down.
The grandmothers who quietly held families together.
The teachers who believed in us before we believed in ourselves.
The healers who shared plant knowledge from one generation to the next.
The mothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends whose influence shaped lives in ways history books rarely acknowledge.
Their stories matter.
And perhaps just as importantly, so do ours.
The Stories That Were Never Written
Historian Dr. Bettany Hughes has often observed that although women have always represented roughly half of humanity, their stories occupy only a small fraction of recorded history.
For much of history, women had fewer opportunities to publish books, hold political office, or document their experiences in ways that were preserved for future generations.
That doesn't mean their lives were any less significant.
Their history simply survived differently.
It lived through recipes.
Gardens.
Family traditions.
Songs.
Letters.
Quilts.
Herbal remedies.
And stories shared around kitchen tables.
Long before information was printed in books, wisdom was passed from person to person.
Many of those teachers were women.
The Women Who Raised Us
When we think about history, it's easy to picture kings, presidents, inventors, and explorers.
But history is also shaped in much quieter places.
It happens in classrooms.
On front porches.
In gardens.
In kitchens.
In hospital rooms.
In moments when one generation takes the time to teach the next.
Those moments rarely appear in textbooks.
Yet they shape who we become.
A Story About My Grandmother
To my grandmother, Bonnie Pelzer, may your story continue to live on.
Some of my earliest memories are wrapped in the scent of warm raspberries and Iowa sunshine.
Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Max lived on a farm where my grandmother cared for me while my mother worked.
Looking back, I realize she became one of my very first teachers; not only about plants, but about paying attention.
One summer afternoon, she handed me an old yellow plastic bowl that had already lived many lives.
It had gathered vegetables from the garden, carried fish from the pond, and now it would carry raspberries.
Together we walked toward the raspberry patch.
She knelt beside me and picked three berries.
One wasn't ready.
One had stayed on the vine a little too long.
One was perfect.
She handed each one to me and waited while I tasted them.
Without realizing it, she wasn't simply teaching me how to pick raspberries.
She was teaching me observation.
Patience.
Discernment.
Respect for the timing of nature.
For every berry that landed in my bowl, another found its way into my mouth.
By the time we walked back to the house, my fingers were stained crimson, my arms carried tiny scratches from the canes, and my heart was completely full.
That afternoon has stayed with me my entire life.
The Herbal Wisdom Women Carried
When I think about herbalism today, I often think about women like my grandmother.
Long before herbs appeared in scientific journals or commercial products, they were shared through experience.
Someone noticed.
Someone remembered.
Someone taught someone else.
Plants became part of family traditions because women preserved that knowledge through everyday life.
The raspberry plant is one beautiful example.
For generations, raspberry leaf has been traditionally prepared as a nourishing herbal tea and has long held a special place within women's herbal traditions.
Whether shared by midwives, grandmothers, or neighborhood herbalists, its story has traveled from one generation to the next through conversations rather than textbooks.
That, to me, is one of herbalism's greatest gifts.
It reminds us that knowledge grows through relationships.
We Are Still Writing History
Women's History Month isn't only about looking backward.
It's also about asking ourselves what stories we're creating today.
What traditions are we preserving?
What knowledge are we sharing?
Who are we encouraging?
Perhaps the stories future generations treasure won't be famous speeches or newspaper headlines.
Perhaps they'll remember the afternoons spent baking bread.
Learning a favorite family recipe.
Walking through a garden.
Picking raspberries.
Sharing a cup of tea.
Sometimes history is built in remarkably ordinary moments.
How Will You Celebrate?
This month, I invite you to pause and think about the women who helped shape your life.
Perhaps you might:
- Share a favorite story about a woman you admire.
- Record a family recipe or herbal tradition.
- Ask a grandmother, aunt, or parent to tell you a story you've never heard before.
- Write down a memory that deserves to be preserved.
- Teach someone younger a skill that was once taught to you.
Every story we preserve helps complete a history that was never fully written.
Final Thoughts
When I remember my grandmother, I don't only remember raspberries.
I remember feeling seen.
I remember being taught with patience.
I remember learning that paying attention is its own kind of wisdom.
Women's history isn't only found in museums or libraries.
It's found in gardens.
In family photographs.
In recipes stained with flour.
In handwritten notes tucked inside old books.
And in the quiet moments when one woman chooses to teach another.
Those moments become legacies.
The women who shaped us deserve to be remembered.
And perhaps one day, someone will tell your story too.
References
- Hughes, B. Why Were Women Written Out of History? English Heritage.
- Greathead, P. Raspberry: Herb of the Year and Herb of the Month. The Herb Society of America.
- Stuart, M. Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism.
Disclaimer
The information presented in this article is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Statements regarding herbs and dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning any new herbal regimen, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking prescription medications, or managing a medical condition.
About the Author
Hi, I'm Megan; a clinical herbalist, educator, and founder of MEGAN & CO. Apothecary in Spirit Lake, Iowa. I help individuals support their body's natural processes through personalized herbal formulations, nutrition, and traditional Western herbalism. My passion is empowering people with practical herbal knowledge while honoring both traditional wisdom and modern research.