The Herb Spiral is a 1/16th of an acre medicinal herb mandala based on the principles of the Chinese 5 Element System water, wood, fire, earth, metal. In Western medicine the 5 elements can be equated to: the nervous system, the skeletal/muscular system, the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, and the immune system. The garden is structured to highlight the medicinal herbs most commonly used in both Chinese and Western herbal medicine, and also serves as a meditative space for students. Herbal instructors at UMass utilize the herb mandala to engage their students hands-on to further deepen skills in medicine making and plant identification.
