By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

CALERA— Cameron Strouss is a clinical herbalist. She sees her clients at Deep Roots Apotheke and Clinic just like any wellness professional. The difference is, Strouss wild harvests and wild crafts the herbs that she uses in her practice.

Clients consult with Strouss with an issue, such as skin problems, constipation, food allergies, stomach disturbances or emotional issues, and together come up with a plan using herbs, supplementation and lifestyle changes to develop changes.

“That’s the joy of herbalism is that I have all these tools in my tool bag and some of them work on an energetic level or an emotional level and some of them work on a physical body level,” Strouss said.

About 150 tinctures and glycerides, or extracts, fill the bookshelves around Strouss’ office. Tinctures are alcohol based extracts, lasting between five and 10 years, and glycerides are glycerin based extracts, lasting about two years.

Strouss wild harvested about 75 percent of the extracts she has herself, and she combines these extracts to create specialized formulas based on a person’s personality and the chemical reaction she wants.

“You have to wear a few hats when you are working with herbs,” Strouss said. “You want to be addressing all those layers: The physical, the spiritual and the emotional. When you get a formula right for somebody, they call you the next day and they say, ‘Oh my gosh, what did you put in this because this rocks.’”

Her interest in herbs didn’t begin until Strouss had foot surgery when she was 16. She had tendonitis in her foot related to dancing, but the doctors did more than she asked when she was under for surgery.

“They really didn’t listen to me,” she said. “Nobody had really respected my body. They should have woken me up and talked to me about the surgery. That was really traumatizing for me and really foundational for what I do and why I do it.”

Strouss was also left with many complications. They put the cast on too tight while she was on painkillers causing hematomas and blood blisters, and she couldn’t feel the right side of her leg for three years.

By the time she was in college she had a lot of issues with insomnia, hormonal deregulations and her blood sugar. Her liver was also being taxed by the medication she was taking.

Then one day on a run, she noticed a plant and wondered when people stopped using them for health care. This began her journey into herbalism.

Strouss earned a biology degree from the University of Montevallo and worked with traditionalist folk Appalachian herbalist Darryl Patton and Thomas Easley. She interned with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Herb Pharm, and she managed All is Well Health and Inspirations in Andalusia before starting Deep Roots Apotheke & Clinic in November 2013.

“(I enjoy) being able to help people reclaim their lives, and they have to want to change too,” Strouss said. “It’s a lot more work on their part than it is on mine, but my goal is to get people informed and educated.”

Deep Roots has three locations in Calera, 10465 County Road 25, Harpersville, 71 Jackson St., and Birmingham, 2918 Montclair Road. Strouss is a lay natural health advisor and teacher who deals strictly in helping people to improve their general health and fitness through better nutrition, improved lifestyle, health habits and positive mental attitudes. She is not a licensed physician and cannot diagnose diseases, prescribe drugs or recommend treatments for specific disease conditions.

For more information or to make an appointment, visit Deeprootsapothekeandclinic.com.