Senior Advik Singh vividly remembers falling off his bike and getting a bloody wound on his knee as a kid. Instead of reaching for a traditional bandage, his mom took him inside and applied turmeric directly to the wound.
At the time, he didn’t fully understand why, but it left a lasting impression on him. This early exposure to natural remedies sparked Singh’s interest in alternative medicine and eventually inspired his research into natural treatments.
Using this interest, Singh started a club that spreads awareness through creating infographics on social media.“Nature’s Medicine is a club dedicated to exploring and promoting natural remedies and healing practices derived from nature,” Singh said. “We create infographics on various remedies and spread it in school [and] social media and [we] plan on getting it to local farmers market stores soon.”
Nature’s Medicine is a club for students who are interested in learning more about health benefits, especially if they plan on going into the medical field in the future.
“It’s made me realize that leadership is both extremely difficult and yet super rewarding,” senior and co-founder Nathan Yap said. “It’s made my high school experience both more challenging and exciting.”
Despite the difficulties of school and other outside activities, this club has enhanced their abilities and allowed the officers to focus on the important purpose of the club, which is spreading awareness through health infographics.
“[Infographics] break down the information into simple, clear visuals, so people can quickly understand the benefits without getting lost in complicated details,” Singh said. “Plus, it’s a fun and creative way to get the word out about alternative health options.”
The creation of social media infographics spreads awareness online because lots of students have easy access to social media such as Instagram.
“l wanted to find a club that focused on medicine and how I can use everyday objects to benefit myself in a positive way,” senior and member Bear Lloyd said. “When I went to the first meeting, I really liked the purpose of the club so I stuck around and [I am] glad I did.”
The club is excited to expand on the club and do service for it and they are also looking forward to adding more members this year. The founders want students who have interests in creating infographics that are pleasing to the eye and also have information about health benefits.
“[Popular infographics are] benefits of turmeric, caffeine’s effects on the body [and] natural skin care solutions,” Yap said.
Many infographics have spread awareness on social media because many students in Allen High School can relate to these health benefits. Their main goal is for students to have remedies for everyday health issues they face.
“I want other people to learn about how they can better their health through simple methods and how different things affect their bodies,” Lloyd said.
They make them in order to make people feel encouraged to try those natural remedies. By doing this, they not only help students but allow them to learn more important facts that can help them in the future if they are going into the medical field.
“In the future, we plan to expand the reach of the club by getting our research to local farmers’ markets and setting up small booths outside stores like Whole Foods, HEB and Sprouts,” Singh said. “We aim to engage with the community directly by sharing our findings and educating people about natural remedies. I want to place our research in the herb aisles of these stores, so shoppers can learn about the benefits of various natural remedies while making their purchases. This way, we can bring our work to a broader audience and encourage more people to explore alternative medicine.”
This club’s sponsor is Abbey Boorman and the meetings are held in room F224 bi-weekly every other Wednesday. Their Instagram page is @naturemeddd.
