Iceland review - 2016, Page 42

40 ICELAND REVIEW
HEALTH AND HEALING
IN HVERAGERÐI
Cucumbers and tomatoes hang ready to be harvested
from the vines in the greenhouse. Meadowsweet,
lady’s mantle, wild thyme, mint and basil are spread
out on tables in the drying room. The sweet smell of the herbs
wafts through the air.
The greenhouse, a garden, tea herb drying rooms and
chicken pen—which all lie by the river Varmá—are run by
NLFÍ (Náttúrulækningafélag Íslands, or the Nature Health
Association of Iceland) at the Rehabilitation and Health Clinic
in the hot spring town of Hveragerði, a 30-minute drive east
of Reykjavík. The food produced there is served at NLFÍ’s
restaurant. “There’s a great atmosphere here. It’s also a real
luxury having these nice healthy meals prepared for us,” says
volunteer Adriana Sanz from Portugal, who works at the
greenhouse.
The NLFÍ Rehabilitation and Health
Clinic in Hveragerði, South Iceland,
has been treating patients for over sixty
years. Zoë Robert and photographer
Áslaug Snorradóttir visited the clinic
this past autumn to find out more
about their approach to healing.