Australian ecologists, David Holmgren and Bill Mollison, first coined the term permaculture in 1978, encompassing holistic methods for planning, updating and maintaining environmentally sustainable, socially just and financially viable systems. For Mollison, "Permaculture is the philosophy of working with and not against nature, after a long and thoughtful observation." In this sense, herbal spirals are an excellent exercise to begin to understand some of the concepts of this culture, as it brings together various natural functions in a single element, making it more productive and healthy.
The spiral structure promotes the creation of microclimates in a small space, enabling the cultivation of species with different requirements of water, light, and nutrients. At the top, exposure to the sun is higher, causing the substrate to become drier as it drains to the lower parts. The lower, the moister the earth becomes. In addition, there are parts more shaded and others more exposed to the sun.
