Barbara Kura, FNP
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Medical Marijuana Prescriber
- Certified Medical Examiner
- Adjunct Professor of Nursing
I find plants and their medicine to be intriguing as well as offering a meaningful connection to the earth and what it means to be alive. Many years ago, I was first introduced to plants as medicine by my mother who is a pharmacist with subspecialty in Homeopathy. I remember as a child she would put a plantain leaf (Plantago lanceolata) on my scraped knees. She had me use the dandelion’s milky sap found in the flower stem to treat warts which worked like a charm. All this natural medicine was free and so accessible in my backyard.
In addition, I would spend hours with my mom as she made tinctures from whole bees (Apis mellifica). It was so fascinating to learn that homeopathic practitioners use apis when stinging or burning inflammations appear in all parts of the body, not just on the skin. It could be used for sore throats, mumps or urinary tract infections. She also made salves with crushed amber to be used for arthritic joints. I have been fascinated by plant medicine and homeopathy ever since. I became a nurse and later a Family Nurse Practitioner with the idea that I will treat patients holistically and practice preventative medicine. I graduated from Rutgers, the State of University of NJ and began working in primary care taking care of patients with various health conditions. Pharmaceuticals were the main stream of treatment in the clinics I worked in which made me realize that I don’t want to be a pill pusher. The pharmaceutical industry rakes big profits, side effects can be devastating and many patients are just getting frustrated by poor
outcomes. At that point I decided to get back to the basics of healing with plants. I went on to become a certifier for medical marijuana in New York State. Medical cannabis allowed many of my patients to get off opioids and sleeping pills and to have a better quality of life. In addition, I got trained in Biopuncture which is a method of injecting homeopathic solutions (eg. Traumeel) into regions of pain and inflammation helping patients avoid steroid shots and to recover from musculoskeletal injuries faster. I continue to promote and practice eating a well-balanced, primarily plant-based diet, believing that food is medicine.
I am currently in private practice with my husband Jacek Kura, practicing alternative medicine, which I love! In addition to that I am a Medical Director for a large public school system which allows me to impact youth as we talk about a healthy lifestyle and how plants can heal us inside and out. Being close to nature makes us truly alive, whole and connected.
In addition, I would spend hours with my mom as she made tinctures from whole bees (Apis mellifica). It was so fascinating to learn that homeopathic practitioners use apis when stinging or burning inflammations appear in all parts of the body, not just on the skin. It could be used for sore throats, mumps or urinary tract infections. She also made salves with crushed amber to be used for arthritic joints. I have been fascinated by plant medicine and homeopathy ever since. I became a nurse and later a Family Nurse Practitioner with the idea that I will treat patients holistically and practice preventative medicine. I graduated from Rutgers, the State of University of NJ and began working in primary care taking care of patients with various health conditions. Pharmaceuticals were the main stream of treatment in the clinics I worked in which made me realize that I don’t want to be a pill pusher. The pharmaceutical industry rakes big profits, side effects can be devastating and many patients are just getting frustrated by poor
outcomes. At that point I decided to get back to the basics of healing with plants. I went on to become a certifier for medical marijuana in New York State. Medical cannabis allowed many of my patients to get off opioids and sleeping pills and to have a better quality of life. In addition, I got trained in Biopuncture which is a method of injecting homeopathic solutions (eg. Traumeel) into regions of pain and inflammation helping patients avoid steroid shots and to recover from musculoskeletal injuries faster. I continue to promote and practice eating a well-balanced, primarily plant-based diet, believing that food is medicine.
I am currently in private practice with my husband Jacek Kura, practicing alternative medicine, which I love! In addition to that I am a Medical Director for a large public school system which allows me to impact youth as we talk about a healthy lifestyle and how plants can heal us inside and out. Being close to nature makes us truly alive, whole and connected.