Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 5, 1994                   TAG: 9408090065
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THERE'S HEALING IN HER ART

Echinacea, that is.

"We have a healer blooming in our midst," Bos says, pointing out that the pretty flower nodding at us from median strips and gardens in the New River Valley is echinacea, or the purple cone flower.

Bos, a Blacksburg artist, first became interested in the flower because of its aesthetic appeal. She said the vivid color and physical characteristics of the flower's pink drooping petals and upright seed head engaged her eye, so she developed a series of large, vigorous pastel and charcoal drawings of the plant.

The series, "Jan Bos' Recent Drawings: The Purple Cone Flower," goes on display Saturday and runs through Aug. 28 at Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center in Christiansburg.

"In this exhibit you will see 'in your face' flowers," Bos noted.

Bos said she hopes the drawings will challenge people to suspend their typical perspective.

"From where we stand, flowers are small and the landscape looms large," she explained, noting that she wanted to throw out that viewpoint in her work. Bos said the result is a series of drawings that shout, "Look here! The purple cone flower is important. It's beautiful. It heals."

Bos said her interest in the flower became even greater when she started learning about its healing qualities.

"The flower can also heal us with the chemicals and nutrients buried in its roots and leaves," she said. "Contemporary studies indicate that the purple cone flower is especially helpful to the immune system ...."

Bos noted that American Indians showed early settlers how to use echinacea for treating everything from snake bites to sore throats. "The healing benefits of herbs have been known to humans for centuries," she said. "Early records of Roman, Egyptian, Persian and Hebrew medicine indicate that herbs were used to cure practically every known illness."

"Perhaps it is time to reconnect with this ancient herbal remedy," she added, pointing out that the roots and leaves of the purple cone flower are grown and marketed in many forms: fresh, freeze-dried, as an alcohol extract, a liquid, a capsule, a salve or a tea.

Even if you aren't suffering from a snake bite or a sore throat, Bos said you might want to sample the echinacea tea the museum will be serving Sunday. The tasty medicinal treat is for the artist's reception to celebrate the opening of her exhibit. It runs from 2 to 4 p.m.

Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center is at 300 S. Pepper St. in Christiansburg.