March Program: Herbal Remedies in Halifax

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member

March 31, 2026

The Saksek Family at the March Program night. Photograph by Dylan Bowman.

Growing the Future

Did you know that many herbal remedies and pharmaceutical medicines have been around since about 3000 BC, spanning all the way back to the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians? According to Wikipedia, Sumerian cuneiform tablets recorded prescriptions for medicine. Ancient Egyptian pharmacological knowledge was recorded in various papyri, such as the Ebers Papyrus of 1550 BC and the Edwin Smith Papyrus of the 16th century BC (Wikimedia Foundation, 2026).

The earliest pharmaceutical texts were written on clay tablets by the Mesopotamians. Some texts included formulas, instructions via pulverization, infusion, boiling, filtering, and spreading; herbs were mentioned as well. Babylon, a state within Mesopotamia, provided the earliest known practice of running an apothecary (i.e., pharmacy). Those that treated the ill included a priest, physician, and a pharmacist, who tended to their needs (Wikimedia Foundation, 2026).

But those ancient medicines and techniques of healing have lasted for millennia, permeating right to our modern society. And though they often get lost in the shuffle of a million tons of advertising and medical industry advice, they often stand true today. That is what the Saksek Family from Tower & Tallow believe, having owned and operated a natural herbal business right out of the Halifax area.

Visitors enjoy the presentation of Tara and her husband Miles from Tower and Tallow in Halifax, PA. Photographs by Dylan Bowman.

Health in History

The program consisted of the Saksek Family describing their company's history, their connection to the community, and their work. They brought tools of their trade as well, including an aeroponic planter (a planter that, through a motor in the base, pushes water up to the top of the planter so that it rains down on the plants for more effective growing. See Miles showing it in the above photo), and several of their products that would be for sale after the program.

Most interestingly to me personally (as a nature guy myself and a former Boy Scout) was their description of the plants that they use on a regular basis, and what each of them do. Some that I had seen before like Prickly Lettuce, which is often found in one's yard, can be used to relieve some kinds of pain (HAHS does not claim to know medicinal cures for any ailments; do not try yourself without talking to a professional first).

The event brought out near-record numbers for the HAHS's general program evenings, totaling 50 visitors from both near and far in Halifax and the surround region. Once the presentation had concluded, the community bonded over their shared love of home, health, horticulture, and history.

With spring winding up, there's already that sense of liveliness and rebirth in the air. It comes in that whiff of fresh, cool air that rejuvenates and brings people out of their winter homes after a long hibernation. There was an even greater sense of it that Tuesday night when the community came together.

There are so many different kinds of history that bind us together, even things that we wouldn't think of. But in my mind, those are the kinds of histories that often mean the most. The small ones that come from our families and local businesses and towns. They are closest to us, and it means even more that we have the power to make history everywhere we go.

Visitors to the program enjoy the merchandise and company of Tower and Tallow as well as their fellow members of the community. Photographs by Dylan Bowman.

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Sources:

Wikimedia Foundation. (2026, March 13). History of pharmacy. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pharmacy