There is a wealth of natural medicine growing across the NWT, and Louise Beaulieu is doing her part to make sure people don't forget that.

The lifelong Fort Smith resident, who is of Metis heritage, regularly teaches her fellow residents about the many healing plants that can be found on the land.  

"I find that people are starting to get interested in it," she said. "[There's interest] in what we have here as resources for ailments, and medicine-wise."

Beaulieau began learning about the many medicines growing around the NWT from her parents and grandparents when she was young. However, it wasn't until she was diagnosed with cancer in the early 2000s that she fully understood the healing power of these wild medicines.

"I had gotten really sick and discovered that I had the Big C," she said. "I went through the medical process, which wasn't helping me. It got me more depressed and more into a position where I just didn't wanna be here.

"My parents stepped in, and my mom actually is the one that took all my prescribed medication away from me and said that I wasn't doing that anymore. She was gonna show me how to make my own medicine.

"[My parents taught me] what to pick out in the wilderness and how to process it, and how much to pick so that it would last me quite a while."

Beaulieu experienced noticeable benefits from the natural medicines she used during her illness, which is part of the reason she now strives to share her knowledge with others.

She regularly takes people out on the land to learn about the health benefits of the local flora, and did so as recently as Sept. 29.

"I do things firsthand, and give them the knowledge and the experience of testing it out themselves on-site, so they are familiar with what I'm talking about," she said. "I actually get them to taste it, to smell it, to know what they are facing in the wilderness, because there are a lot of similar plants that could be identical to what I show them out there, and could have a negative [effects] or different reactions."

There are a great many useful plants to be found in the wilderness, but one of the more common examples Beaulieu shows her students is wild mint. 

"You can basically find that where there's a little bit more of a moist ground than a dry ground, and it's very prominent here in the Fort Smith area," she said. "The use for that is for typically for the cold, pneumonias. It's also good for high blood pressure and stomach issues."

Another common find is a species of rhododendron called Labrador tea. 

"That pretty much grows everywhere around Fort Smith," Beaulieu said. "What that plant does is it gives you the resources [to fight] stomach illness, and it also helps you with issues like bladder infection, kidney infection."

Plants like wild mint and Labrador tea are also beneficial because they have few side effects, Beaulieu added, while users also avoid the high risk of addiction and overdose associated with many modern medications. 

"If you take too much of wild medicine, the only thing you'll probably get is an upset stomach," she said. 

Beaulieu's teachings have become quite sought-after around Fort Smith, and she's pleased whenever people seek her out to learn about the natural medicines available on the land around the community. 

It's a way for her to help her neighbours, and ensure people treat the territory's natural resources with the respect they deserve. 

"I actually feel very gratified that they're interested in the plants and knowing what the resources are and the uses of them," she said. "My full anticipation of showing them the environment that I live in is not only the process of using [the medicines], but also the respect.

"You have the respect and that for the plants."