Classes & Workshops
The IHS offers a wide selection of classes, hands on demonstrations, and herb walks for all level of interest and experience.
At each Workshop Session, there are at least 10 workshop topics to select as well as hands on demonstrations, herbal crafts classes, and herb walks. Topics include everything from “Mycoremediation, Mycofiltration and Mycoremedies; the Use of Mycelial Membranes to Heal Ecosystems” to “10 Basic Herbs for Home and Health”; “Natural Cosmetics and Skin Care’’ to ‘‘Cancer Support and Care with Herbs”. There’s something of interest for everybody and every level of interest! Though the IHS emphasizes herbs for health and healing, classes are wonderfully diverse and include home health care, shamanic practices and sacred plant teachings as well as clinical research and applications. In fact, the hardest decision you’ll likely make the entire weekend is trying to decide which of the wonderful and fascinating workshop(s) to attend.
The Herbal Nurses Path; CNE for Nurses
We are happy to be able to offer the Nurses Path again at the IHS. There will be at least two workshops at each session that nurses can take for CNE credits. Nurses Path Classes will be posted on the web by mid January. Please check back then.
VET TRACK For Veterinarians and Animal Lovers
This year at the IHS we are also happy to offer a special track sponsored by the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association. These classes are open to all participants of the IHS, but will be of special interest to veterinarians and others interested in the wholistic care of animals.
Please note:
- * Classes are listed in Alphabetical order by Teacher; starting with the International Teachers, followed by teachers from the U.S.
- * Herb Walks, Herbal Craft Classes and hands on demonstrations are not listed here. Please see IHS Schedule for full listing of classes.
- * For Teachers Bios, please see IHS Teachers
- * There may be changes to some of the workshops offered below; please check the IHS Schedule as it will be updated if changes occur.
Keynote Address
Paul Stamets
(www.fungi.com.).
Friday 8 – 9: Key Note Address: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World w/Paul Stamets.
As we are now well engaged in the 6th Major Extinction (“6 X”) on planet Earth, our biosphere is quickly changing, eroding the life support systems that have allowed humans to ascend. Unless we put into action policies and technologies that can cause a course correction in the very near future, species diversity will continue to plummet, with humans not only being the primary cause, but one of the victims. What can we do? Fungi, particularly mushrooms, offer some powerful, practical solutions, which can be put into practice now. Paul Stamets will discuss the evolution of mushrooms in ecosystems and how fungi can help heal environments.
Saturday 11- 1: Mycoremediation, Mycofiltration and Mycoremedies: the use of mycelial membranes to heal ecosystems w/Paul Stamets.
Paul’s work with mycelium shows how these largely untapped organisms can replace chemical insecticides; break down toxic wastes, including petroleum-based products such as diesel, dioxins, and numerous other toxins into non-toxic forms. Understanding mycelium's production of antibiotics is useful not only to compete with bacteria in nature but has also proven useful for preventing vectors of diseases that afflict animals, and ultimately humans. By building mycofiltration membranes, pollution from farms and factories can be reduced or eliminated, protecting downstream environments from toxins. Farmers, gardeners, green architects and ecological designers all can use these emerging mycotechonologies.
International Teachers ~
Rocio Alarcon (Ecuador/England)
Friday 8 -12 Pre Conference Intensive: Spiritual Bathing, Massage and Healing Ceremonies of Ecuador with Rocio Alarcon (Ecuador).
In this special intensive, Rocio will guide people through the experience of ‘spiritual bathing & massage’ using herbs, water, flower, and oils. These herbal baths are used to cleanse the spirit of negative energy and are also used for specific ailments. The properties of the plants and other ingredients can clean our negativities and make us feel more attractive and alive, ready to face the future with enthusiasm and positivism. Ancient healing ceremonies of the Andes will also be shared. Rocio is a gifted healer and is renowned throughout Ecuador & England for her healing gifts. Class will be hands-on/experiential.
Students need to bring a towel and quart water bottle
Saturday 2-3:30: Plants, Women & Shamanism
w/Rocio Alarcon (Ecuador/England).
Come, learn about traditional herbs used for healing and journeying. Rocio will give an introduction to women and shamanism using visionary plants to contact natural elements for healing mind, body and spirit. She will share about the sacred and healing uses of chocolate for hip and breast massage and will demonstrate teh use of the limpia ceremony which incorporates sacred herbs, prayer and water and is used for cleansing and healing rituals. This is a participatory workshop for women only, please.
Please note; this workshop is for women only.
Sunday 9-10:30: Plants and Shamanism: Practical Activities in our daily life w/Rocio Alarcon (Ecuador).
Rocio will share how shamanistic practices can support us against the stress and negativities that impact our daily life. She will share specific practices that use healing plants from our gardens and that are practiced in the Andes and tropical rain forest of Ecuador.
Brigitte Addington (Germany)
Saturday 11-1: Wild Food Arrangements from Germany w/Brigitte Addington (Germany).
In this workshop you will learn how easy it is to prepare tasty food that is rich in vitamins and minerals. Brigitte will fully immerse you into the visually pleasing dishes that she prepares, as well as treat you to the tastes of Mother Nature that promise to be healthy treasures. You will be inspired to add common plants, herbs and flowers to your weekly menu and enhance your relationship to nature as a true provider.
Sunday 11-12:30: The Wild of the Herbs and the Jewel in Every Stone w/Brigitte Addington (Germany).
Multiply the energy and healing properties of wild greens and precious stones-a powerful combination. Inspirations and gifts from Mother Earth. Get in touch with body, mind and soul.
Dr. Juan Almendares (Honduras)
Saturday 9-10:30: Interdisciplinary, Complimentary Approach to Understanding and Healing Trauma w/Dr. Almendares. (Honduras)
Millions of people in the world today suffer from trauma, a crippling condition which disables its victims and can haunt them for decades. In this workshop we will look at an interdisciplinary, complimentary approach to understanding and healing trauma. Dr. Almendares will share his experiences working with the Center for Prevention of Torture and alternative therapies used in the treatment of torture survivors. A compassionate doctor, humanitarian and torture survivor, Dr. Almendares is the founder of the Center for Prevention of Torture.
Inter/Adv
Sunday 11-12:30: Ecological Approach to Clinical Interview & Practice w/Dr. Juan Almendares (Honduras).
Dr. Almendares will present an ecological model of therapy and treatment which incorporates integrative health, vision and practice. Theory and practice of the clinical interview. Orthodox and alternative views. Will include instructions on how to do a clinical interview in a community setting.
Inter/Adv.
Isla Burgess (New Zealand)
Friday 8-12: Pre Conference Intensive: Developing the Plant/Person Relationship in Healing w/Isla Burgess (New Zealand).
Do we each have a plant ally? A plant that restores and maintains health? In this engaging Intensive we will explore a new theory on healing through understanding the role Chaos and Complexity Science has in health and how our perception of the qualities that plants possess can assist us in finding our plant ‘ally’. It is where a shamanistic view of the world meets Quantum physics. By actively engaging in “doing science differently we uncover a different aspect of nature itself”. (Henry Bortoft, Physicist and Goethean Philosopher).
All Levels invited
Saturday 11-1: Plant Directed Learning-Trusting Our Senses w/Isla Burgess (New Zealand).
A practical participatory workshop to discover how tasting, touching and smelling can uncover a plant’s secrets. Explore the importance to health of bitter, sweet, sour, salty and pungency as well as the sensations of astringency and sliminess. How can we check to see if a plant has alkaloids, saponins or salicylates? What are the ‘do not use this plant internally’ signs?
Sunday 9 –10:30: Deepening Our Relationship with Plants and Their Relationship with Us. w/Isla Burgess (New Zealand).
“To recognize a plant adds to the experience. To know about a plant adds to the experience. To know how and what it does furthers the connection. But to truly ‘see’ a plant is phenomenological magic”. Focusing on one plant, this participatory workshop will develop ‘seeing with different eyes’. This is a unique opportunity to connect with plants in a way that will surprise you.
Dona Enriqueta Contreras (Oaxaca Mexico) w/Maria Margarita Navar
Friday 2:30 -4: Traditional Uses of Medicinal Plants w/Dona Enriqueta Contreras (Mexico)
This workshop focuses on the importance of health in the traditional sense using qualities of traditional healing from the Zapotec indigenous perspective. Each illness has its beginnings and secondary unfoldings. We will learn to detect the root of illness at the psychosomatic level and apply medicinal plants in the context of shock, vibrational cleansing, anxiety, loneliness and sadness.
Intensive Saturday 2 – 5:30 Healing Traditions & Plants from the Medicine Basket of Zapotec Grandmother Enriqueta w/Enriqueta Contreras (Oaxaca) and Maria Margarita (Texas).
In this inspiring Intensive, Grandmother Enriqueta will give an overview of forty traditional medicinal plants used by the Zapotecan people of Oaxaca, Mexico, from the perspective of an herbalist and master midwife, with an impeccable record of over sixty years in practice without infant or maternal mortality, as well as, a veteran herbalist with over 200 plants, their uses, contraindications and applications at her hand, including the preparation of traditional herbal temascales (sweat baths) and post-partum herbal baths. Grandmother is a gifted healer, renowned in her country, and offers the traditional “limpia” or energetic adjustment to her community members with flowers, herbs, candles, bunches of basil, and profuse clouds of sacred copal. In this Intensive, Grandmother Enriqueta shares with us her knowledge of the healing plants known to her in her long-standing career as a master herbalist.
Sunday 9-10:30: Respectful Conversation with Plants and Trees w/ Enriqueta Contreras (Mexico).
Grandmother Enriqueta will share rituals and ceremonies she’s been taught by her elders for the proper gathering of medicinal plants for ceremony and healing. Offering copal, incense and prayer to the Mother Earth infuses the plants with their curative essence that we then offer to our patients.
Caroline Gagnon (Canada)
Friday 4:30`-6:30: Become a lymphomaniac! Understanding the Lymph System w/Caroline Gagnon.
The lymphatic system is undervalued by both Doctors and Herbalists. We will explore the brilliance of how our lymph works to assist other body systems; it’s affect on our body’s general terrain, and our basic constitution. We will look at the energetic, emotional and physiological effects of the lymph. Understanding the subtleties of the different lymphatic herbs and the role they could play in the treatment of many diseases and dysfunctions such as venous deficiencies, hepatitis, thyroid dysfunction, disease of the reproductive system, etc.
Intermed/Adv
Sunday 1:30-3: Understanding the Menstrual Cycle through the Yin Yang w/Caroline Gagnon (Canada).
Learn how to use the Yin Yang to dynamically view the rhythms, hormones and symptoms of a woman's monthly cycles. Thus helping us to understand the ways our bodies tell us about the imbalances that can originate in our emotional and physical body. We will also explore the energetic subtleties of the plants used for the menstrual cycle. Our goal is to embrace the intelligence and beauty of this monthly journey so that the symptoms become our allies guiding us toward our wholeness.
Intermed.
Julia Graves (Germany/France)
Friday 8-12 Pre Conference Intensive: Cupping for Herbalists w/Julia Graves (Germany/France).
Almost lost from the Western tradition of herbal and holistic treatment, Julia offers a hands-on cupping training from the Western and TCM point of view. Highly effective and relatively easy, this ancient art has a special healing effect that herbs or massage cannot duplicate. Once a household staple for common colds, muscle and back aches in traditional societies world-wide, it is now enjoying renewed interest. Revive your roots: in the old days, all herbalists knew to cup! Trained since her youth in the ancient European tradition, Julia teaches cupping as an integral part of what was once a holistic Western system of medicine and herbalism. The course has proven very informative for licensed acupuncturists and other health care professionals.
Please note: students will need to bring a towel & their own wool blanket to lie on, arnica massage oil, and if possible, bring your own hand pump cupping glasses which can be ordered from www.kamwo.com (Tae Keuk Bu Hang sets are high quality cupping glasses).
Saturday 11-1: The Language of Plants Part 1 - Doctrine of Signature Alive! w/Julia Graves.
Julia will present the idea, history, and logic behind the doctrine of signature. Part of all planetary cultures, and traceable in Western history since the ancient Egypts, and coming down to us via Paracelsus and the medieval great herbal masters, the doctrine of signature is the most artistic and creative part of herbalism. Learning to read the language of plants spelled out to us in their colors, shapes, smells, tastes, and environment, we can start to read in the book of Nature.
Intermed/Adv
Sunday 11-12:30 The Language of Plants Part 2 ~ Disease Signatures w/Julia Graves.
While most examples of the doctrine of signature cover organ patterns or images, images of the healthy state of the body, some signatures depict the state of ill health. Not surprisingly, we find the same colors and shapes pointing to the same diseases. Julia Graves will present a number of disease signatures, such as for injuries, epilepsy, and cancer.
Intermed/Adv
Christopher Hedley (England)
Friday 2:30 – 4: A Taste of Herbs w/Christopher Hedley (England).
Using organoleptic testing as a teaching and research tool, my partner and I have been developing tasting as a teaching tool for students of herbal medicine at all levels for 30 years now. We have found it to be a profound and powerful method for introducing people to the healing power of plants and for our increasing understanding of all aspects of the plants.
Saturday 2-3:30: The Story of Herbs w/Christopher Hedley (England).
Herbal medicine is a key part of the ongoing story developing between people and the plants they live with. Examining the themes of this story and their development over time helps us deepen our relationships with the plants we use and provides a firm ground for taking that relationship forward into difficult times ahead.
Sunday 1:30 – 3 From Birth to Death w/Christopher Hedley (England).
How the Galenic humoral model looks at life; from the Sanquine squalling of infants to the phlegmatic musings of elders and all the stages in between and how it can help us to better understand our clients and them to understand us.
Intermed/Adv.
Raylene Ha`alelea Kawaiae`a (Hawaii)
FRIDAY 4:30-6:30: Talk Story’ Healing Traditions & Hawaiian Wisdom w/ Hawaiian Elder Raylene Ha`alelea Kawaiae`a (Hawaii).
The Hawaiian culture has developed over millenniums and is rich, intricate, complex and filled with story and legend. Much of the teaching of cultural and spiritual values is done through sharing story. Raylene will talk story with us, sharing, asking questions, and opening our hearts/minds to a new way of seeing and being in the world.
Intensive Saturday 9-12:30: Hawaiian Spirituality and Hula as Way of Life with Raylene Ha`alelea Kawaiae`a (Hawaii).
Join Raylene as she shares the beauty and grace of the Hawaiian culture and its healing traditions. This Intensive will focus on Hula, a Hawaiian way of experiencing life through dance, songs, chant and storytelling. We will be learning about the traditions, practices and rituals of Hawaiian healing and hula. E Komo Mai, E Hula Kakou!
Come, Let’s dance hula! Please wear comfortable clothing and/or a loose flowing skirt or paeru. Bring a towel or blanket to sit on, a face towel and water to drink.
Sunday 11-12:30: The Bowl of Light w/ Raylene Ha`alelea Kawaiae`a (Hawaii).
The story of my Kupuna (ancestors) tells me that each of us was given a bowl filled with light. The question is, how do we keep it filled in the today’s world? An empowering “talk story” discussion, of Hawaiian values and walking the talk that will give you amazing insights into your own ‘bowl of light’
Paolo Luzzi (Italy)
Saturday 11-12:30: The Religious Symbolism of Plants in Medieval Tuscany w/Paolo Luzzi (Italy).
Review of religious meanings, legends and folk traditions related to the plants in Medieval Tuscany.
Intermediate
Sunday 9-10:30; Traditional Medical Plants of Tuscany (Italy) w/Paolo Luzzi.
Paolo Luzzi is the curator of one of the oldest botanical gardens in Italy and is extremely knowledgeable about the traditional medical uses and folklore of Tuscan plants. In this class, Paolo will share about plants that are still used in traditional Italian medicine (many of them familiar plants in the U.S. as well) and the folk traditions related to them.
Intermed.
From the United States ~
Mark Blumenthal (Texas)
Friday 4:30-6: Health Benefits of Tea w/Mark Blumenthal.
Next to water, infusions of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) are the most popular beverages in the world. Modern pharmacological, clinical and epidemiological research supports the main health benefits of this remarkable beverage, including its antioxidant, cardiovascular and chemopreventive (anticancer) effects. This presentation covers an impressive body of recent science on tea.
Saturday 11-12:30: Media Reporting & Misreporting of Herbs and Herbal Medicine w/Mark Blumenthal.
Too often, the media present negative results as being definitive proof of the lack of efficacy of a particular herb. This has occurred with Echinacea, St. John’s wort, Ginkgo and other herbs. This presentation will provide an update about clinical trials on key herb and phytomedicinal ingredients. As is often the case, the results of most of the trials are relevant only to the specific type of product tested and subject to the specific designs of the trial. Also, the media’s tendency to focus on negative outcomes of research and its impact on public perceptions will be critically reviewed and evaluated.
Saturday evening: Hilarious Health w/Mark Blumenthal.
Herbs are important, but laughter is still the best medicine. Every day, every week, every month, newspapers and magazines publish cartoons poking fun at our political system, our society, our lives, our values, quirks and foibles, us! Cartoons are a mirror on our culture. In this unique, light-hearted and humorous presentation herbal educator and advocate Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit American Botanical Council and editor of HerbalGram, will discuss these subjects as they are expressed in his extensive collection of health-related cartoons.
Bevin Clare (Maryland)
Friday 4:30 -6:30; A Live Clinical Session: Guiding the Client to Health w/Bevin Clare.
Herbal medicine in action! View a live clinical session with a client from start to finish. Begin with a comprehensive intake and interview followed by an assessment, the development of goals and strategies, and the plan. The skills and subtleties of clinical practice are best learned as applied, and this session will give the beginner or advanced clinician tools and techniques to use in their own practice.
Advanced.
Saturday 11 – 12:30: Medicinal Plants Beyond the Basics: A wild weed walk of the lesser used medicines w/Bevin Clare
Explore the forests, swamp and field around Wheaton College looking for the lesser used medicinal plants. We'll discuss their identification in the field, medicinal making techniques, and the application of these plants in health and in disease.
Doug Elliott (North Carolina)
Friday 2:30-4: Weeds for your Needs w/Doug Elliott
We will roam rich wooded areas of the campus focusing on the great variety of medicinal, edible, and otherwise useful wild plants - their botany, natural history and folklore, as well as their traditional and contemporary herbal uses.
All levels welcome.
Saturday 9-10:30: Weeds for your Needs w/Doug Elliott
We will roam rich wooded areas of the campus focusing on the great variety of medicinal, edible, and otherwise useful wild plants - their botany, natural history and folklore, as well as their traditional and contemporary herbal uses.
Saturday Evening: Weeds, Woodslore and Wildwoods Wisdom
Stories, Songs and Lore Celebrating the Healing Plants
Sunday 11-12:30: Adventures in the Bee Yard w/Doug Elliott
Long-time beekeeper, Doug Elliott, tells outlandish tales from the world of bees and beekeeping-- practical advice about how to treat a bee sting and how to catch a bee swarm — also what to do if you are high up in a tree and fifty thousand bees fall on your head! Find out what can happen when a swarm of bees invades a biker bar. Marvel at the astonishing, sexy details of the queen’s nuptial flight and lament the sad fate of those hapless, helpless drones. Find out that bees and humans have a great deal in common and how bees can teach us about ourselves and give us perspectives on politics and human society today.
Dr. Michael Friedman (Vermont)
Friday 4:30-6:30: Medical Herbalism and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease w/Dr. Michael Friedman.
An overview of pathophysiology and laboratory testing of thyroid dysfunction will be discussed within a holistic context of healing therapies. The use of botanicals, bioidentical hormones, nutrition, vitamins, minerals and lifestyle counseling as a restorative treatment approach towards healing for thyroid disease will be discussed. Case studies of patients treated for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Hashimotos Disease, Graves Disease, and Toxic Multi Nodular goiter will be discussed in detail.
Advanced
Saturday 2-3:30: Using Herbs as a Primary Treatment for Cancer w/Michael Friedman.
Advanced.
Cascade Anderson Geller (Oregon)
Pre Conference Intensive Friday 8-1: Wild Plant and Botan-Eyezing Walk w/Cascade Anderson Geller.
There’s never enough time for herb walking and/or botanizing at herb events, so we’ve added a 5 hour intensive with Cascade, one of the best botanizers/herbalists around. There are many famous herbs, trees, and shrubs to be found growing on the Wheaton campus and surrounding 200 acre woodland. Plan on walking about 2 miles, roundtrip, on trails through woods and fields. Emphasis will be on developing your botan-eyes and the details about how to harvest and prepare the plants in a reverent and sustainable manner.
Please note; this class will end at 1 and will include a picnic lunch.
Class is limited to 25 participants so register early.
Saturday 9-10:30: Formulating for the Digestive Tract w/Cascade Anderson Geller.
Knowing herbs by their constituent groups and therapeutic actions is key to having success and flexibility in formulating. This class will focus on effective simples and formulas, some even good tasting, for various conditions and episodes of the digestive tract. The lecture will include a slide show and demonstration.
Advanced.
Sunday 11-12:30: Herbal Parenting w/Cascade Anderson Geller.
This class will focus on herbs and remedies that have been effective for a wide range of children's needs, from sweet infant to surly, teen. Also top be addressed is how to make tough decisions about orthodox versus alternative remedies.
Intermed/Adv.
Kate Gilday (New York)
Friday 4:30-6: Forest Wisdom w/Kate Gilday.
Walk with Kate among the trees of the Wheaton College and awaken your senses with the fragrance of sassafras, white cedar and pines. Learn of foods and medicines the trees of the Northeast offer through the seasons. Hear tales of the evergreens and hardwoods along with the shrubs, forest floor herbs and flowers that grow in their protection. It is the woodland environment that nurtures some of the at-risk plants we use as herbalists-and where we can find a deep peace and healing.
Saturday 9-10:30: Addressing Chronic Illness with Herbs and Heart w/Kate Gilday.
This workshop will offer a comprehensive approach to restoring health and well-being through understanding one’s constitution, strengths and weaknesses, supporting immune function, tending heart and spirit, as well as addressing physical symptoms. From her perspective as a traditional western herbalist, Ayurvedic and flower essence practitioner, Kate will discuss specific herbs, foods, supplements and flower essences-and share case studies from her practice.
Intermediate
Sunday 9 – 10:30: Safe Herbal Support for Those Receiving Radiation or Chemotherapy w/Kate Gilday.
Many people face the decision and challenge of receiving aggressive treatments for cancer. These treatments often severely compromise the person’s immune system. We will speak of medicinal mushrooms, herbs, foods, essential oils and supplements that have been used by cancer patients with excellent results to safely build and support the immune system during and after these medical treatments.
Rosemary Gladstar (Vermont)
Saturday 2-3:30: An Herbalist on the Road ~ Traveler’s First Aide w/Rosemary Gladstar.
Herbal first aide remedies and tips from an herbal gypsy. When traveling it pays to be prepared. What favorite remedies do fellow traveler’s have to share? What goes into a traveler’s first kit? Rosemary will share her favorite remedies for healthy traveling and a sample traveler’s first aide kit peppered with stories of her travels, first aide along the route, and a colorful slide show.
Stewards of Healing Herbs ~ Planting the Future w/Rosemary Gladstar.
As plant lovers in all our many guises and forms, we can make a huge difference for the future of our healing plants. In this discussion, we’ll discuss simple steps we can do to help replenish and restore native gardens and help ensure the future of American herbalism and the plants our traditions are based on. Will include a lovely slide show of at risk native medicinals, their uses and how to cultivate these plants in your gardens, woodlands and meadows. Change the world one plant, one garden, at a time!
David Hoffmann (California)
Friday 2:30-4; Bringing Back the Green-The Evolution of Herbalism: Are We Prepared for the 21st Century? w/David Hoffmann.
A look at the diversity of herbalism in the US, how it has changed in the last 25 years, and how it might change in the next. Are we ready for climate change, globalization, etc., etc.?
Saturday 2-3:30: Herbs, ‘Natural Products’, and Cell Signaling w/David Hoffmann.
An introduction to the way plant constituents are revealing the complexities of the cell. What does this imply for the herbalist who works with whole plants and not extracted phytochemicals?
Sunday 1:30-3: Psychoactive Plants w/David Hoffmann.
What are they, where are they, how do they work, why do they work, and why are they vilified?
Aaron Jenks (California)
Friday 4:30-6: Ritual, Religion, and Divination; Sacred Uses of Sage (Salvia spp.) w/Aaron Jenks.
This talk will explore the sacred uses of Salvia species by indigenous American cultures, including the use of “nucchu” in Inca religious traditions; “mirto” in the ritual treatment of the folk-illnesses “susto” and “espanto”; and the use of “ska pastora” in divination and healing.
Inter/adv.
Saturday 2-3:30: Botany for Herbalists w/Aaron Jenks.
A class for herbal practitioners to expand their basic botanical knowledge and terminology of Plants. In this hands-on class we will learn to recognize the major plant families (with emphasis on those with many common medicinal species). This class will also focus on gaining familiarity with basic botanical terminology of plant morphology, i.e., the names of the reproductive/flower parts as well as vegetative structures (leaf shapes, growth habit, etc.). Armed with this knowledge we will learn to use keys to identify unknown plants; a fun, helpful, and even necessary skill required for accurate wildcrafting and in getting to know and identify the local, and frequently overlooked medicinal ‘weeds’ commonly found locally in urban and suburban habitats.
Intermed.
Sunday 1:30-3: Sage and the Nervous System w/Aaron Jenks.
The ethnobotanical and pharmacological evidence for the use of Salvia in the treatment of pain, anxiety, and insomnia. Sage species are especially indicated in nervous system complaints. My research explores the traditional use of these plants as well as contemporary pharmacological/biochemical research. The presentation will show photos of the plants (and hands-on samples where available) and describe their therapeutic application.
Inter/Adv
Chris Kilham (Massachusetts)
Sunday 9-10:30: Medicine Hunt ~ Adaptogens in China w/Chris Kilham.
Over the course of a two year period, Chris Kilham traveled from the remote Tian Shan Mountains in China's far northwest, to the forested border of Russia in China's northeast Heilongjoiang province, tracking down the adaptogens Rhodiola, Schisandra, and Eleuthero. He also saw the vast goji harvest in Ninxia. In this workshop you will learn about the origins, harvesting and cultures around these most highly valued of Chinese medicinal plants, and see spectacular images.
Sunday 1:30-3: The Shaman's Pharmacy w/Chris Kilham.
This lively experience takes the audience on a journey, through the world of shamans, and the plants, rituals and ceremonies that compose the shaman's landscape. The shaman moves back and forth between the phenomenal spirit worlds, acting as a guide, healer, doctor, therapist. Chris Kilham has lived and studied with shamans, and brings a vast array of stories, wisdom and powerful ideas, along with spectacular images of shamanic culture.
Phyllis Light (Alabama)
Intensive Friday 2:30-6: The Practices and Principles of Southern & Appalachian Medicine w/Phyllis Light.
The regional folk medicine of Southern Appalachia and the lower South is a combination of the European humoral system, Native American plant use, and African healing techniques overlaid with Scots-Irish folk medicine. In this Intensive, Phyllis will discuss the traditional causes of health problems, seasonal patterns and influences, spiritual/magical influences, and the influence of the land upon the medicine. The class will explore the Southern blood types: sweet, sour, bitter, salty; the blood patterns: high/low, thick/thin, weak/strong, good/bad as a way of assessing constitutional imbalances; and the elements; fire, earth, air and water. The principles of SAFM provide a practical method of viewing health and constitutional imbalances and offers a common sense approach for achieving or regaining health.
Intermed.
Saturday 11-1: Signs of the Times: Astrology for Health. Earth, Water, Air and Fire w/Phyllis Light.
The Signs in the Heavens and the four elements can serve as traditional guideposts for health and prosperity. The core principle of health astrology is based on assignment of Zodiac signs and heavenly planets to different parts of the body. Understanding the diseases that come under the influence of planetary changes and the herbs which fall under auspicious signs can be an integral aspect of a health plan. Join Phyllis in a discussion of the 12 signs/4 elements and their effects on the body and on health.
Sunday 9-10:30: The Art and Science of the Intake w/Phyllis Light.
In this class we will discuss: engaging client, setting boundaries, intake, assessment, developing a strategy, etc. Includes some business aspects of running a practice also. We’ll also discuss several theories of change which can be used to help the client make the necessary lifestyle changes to improve their health.
Practitioner oriented.
Kathleen Maier (Virginia)
Friday 2:30-4: Cholesterol – Getting to the Heart of the Matter w/Kathleen Maier.
Many people today are faced with challenging questions about their cardiovascular health. The medicalization of our hearts is taking away our confidence in our ability to sustain our own health. This class looks at the myths surrounding hypertension, high cholesterol and statin drugs. We will talk about cholesterol as our primary anti-oxidant for dealing with stress and look at the deep reaches stress plays in our world today.
Saturday 9-10:30: Entheogens and the Dying Process w/Kathleen Maier.
Shamanic plants have been used for millennia to allow traditional peoples access into sacred states of being. This class will look at the chemistry and practice surrounding hallucinogenic plants and see what they have taught cultures about the dying process, whether that is end of life or through life’s transitions .
Chris Marano (Massachusetts)
chris@clearpathherbals.com; http://www.clearpathherbals.com.
Friday 2:30-4: The Skinny on Metabolic Syndrome w/Chris Marano.
Perhaps the most epidemic of non-contagious diseases plaguing our culture, metabolic syndrome is a cluster of chronic disorders directly related to food and lifestyle choices, affecting the entirety of our systems, including menstrual irregularities. This presentation offers a run-down of the causes, symptoms, and simple choices we can make with lifestyle, herbs, healthy supplements, and food, including insight into the remarkably healthy Mediterranean diet.
Saturday 2-3:30: Qi & Blood, Shen & Essence: a Chinese Herbal Perspective on Deficiency Disorders w/Chris Marano.
A user-friendly explanation of the Chinese Vital Substances and how they relate to health and imbalance, with emphasis on deficiency disharmonies, including how they manifest, what symptoms to look for, and what herbs, foods and behaviors address them, including simple and effective qi gong exercises.
Intermed/Adv.
Sunday 11-12:30; Plant Medicines of Massachusetts and New England w/Chris Marano.
Chris will lead an herb walk, with emphasis on getting to know a few plants more deeply, their history, ecology, scientific and folkloric uses as medicine, first-aid, and food, as well as information provided through plants' physical language, how they “speak” to us through their color, aroma, taste, habitat.
Guido Mase’ (Vermont)
Saturday 9-10:30: Herbal and Natural Treatment Protocols for Men’s Health w/Guido Mase.
Therapeutic strategies that focus on adjusting patterns of excess, deficiency or congestion in the major body systems. Specific attention will be paid to conditions affecting today’s men of all ages. Herbs specific for men’s health will be discussed along with appropriate dosage and preparation.
Int/Adv.
Sunday 1:30-3: A History of Medicine in the United States w//Guido Mase’.
Herbalism has only recently become 'alternative'. It is upsetting to hear technological medicine described as 'traditional'. Learn the wanderings of health care in the United States through the 19th and 20th centuries, exploring the ascendance of homeopathy, eclectic medicine, and the criminal vagaries of 'regular' doctors and the AMA. An important 'back story' for herbalists – never taught at modern medical schools
Dale Pendell (California)
Saturday 2:30-4: Absinthe, the Genus Artemisia and the Lore of the Green Fairy w/Dale Pendell.
A look at the virtues of Wormwood, other members of the genus Artemisia, and the famous liqueur absinthe. Talk includes literary history, pharmacology, making absinthe, and wormwood salves.
Sunday 11-12:30 Mind Plants/Plant Teachers w/Dale Pendell.
All plants affect us, and all plants are teachers, but some of them are particularly articulate. Physically, the articulation is mediated through the language of neurotransmitters. Spiritually, the relationship is mediated through rituals and songs. We'll survey a few of the mind plant families, from "Phantastica" to"Excitantia," looking for clues of protocol.
Nancy Phillips (New Hampshire)
Friday 4:30-6:30: Ten Favorite Herbs for Family Health w/Nancy Phillips.
We’ll start off with a talk about the safety and toxicity issues of herbs, including general guidelines for using medicinal herbs alone or with other tips for ten of her favorite herbs. She’ll discuss multiple uses for each herb and demonstrate how to make them into herbal preparations.
Super class for beginners!
INTENSIVE Saturday 4-7; Herbal Preparations 101 w/Nancy Phillips.
Join Nancy, community herbalist and co-author of The Herbalist’s Way/the Village Herbalist
for a course on how to make your own herbal remedies. This hands-on class will jump start you into making excellent quality herbal infused oils, salves, medicinal strength teas, tinctures, liniments, herbal pills, and capsules. We’ll review the pros and cons of various methods and discuss some of the best resources available. This will be a `hands-on-learn-by-doing’ class. Lots of samples, recipes, and step by step instructions.
Great class for beginners!
Class size limited; register early.
Sunday 9-10:30: Keeping You and Your Microflora Happy w/Nancy Phillips.
One cannot be truly healthy without optimal digestion. Impaired digestion can trigger problems ranging from mild stomach upsets to life threatening imbalances. We will explore healthy eating habits, sample herbs, drink healing teas and discuss foods that all promote healthy digestion and help heal imbalances. Keeping plenty of friendly flora in our digestive tract is a must; Nancy will also demonstrate how to easily make and use foods that include healthy bacteria (yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.)
Michael Phillips (New Hampshire)
Friday 2:30-4: The Tree Doctor Is In w/Michael Phillips.
Come learn from the “herbal orchardist” how to build health and happiness for our tree friends. This wild weaving of holistic tree care involves fermented herbal teas to overcome disease, earth poultices to ward off blights, and general horticultural tips for structural health. Many trees offer medicinal gifts. . . and it’s high time we returned the favor! Michael Phillips, co-author of The Herbalist’s Way and The Apple Grower is generally regarded as an expert in heritage fruit trees.
Saturday 9-10:30: Herbal Medicine for Guys w/Michael Phillips.
Let’s be clear from the start: this is not your typical Men’s Health Workshop where the ladies discuss a guy’s shortcomings and what he could do better. This is one guy speaking to other guys (and daring ladies!) about “guy conditions” and what makes sense plant-wise to feel better. Herbal husbands learn much over the years about blunt wounds, aching joints, sore muscles, acid reflux, chronic cough, heart support, and how to improperly deal with stress. And whatever the medicine, we always include some humor to round out the dose!
Sunday 9-10:30: Wholistic Approach to an Influenza Pandemic w/Michael Phillips.
Michael will discuss how our immune system deals with virulent influenza and what can be done to support the right kind of immune response. We’ll look at readily-available herbs known for their anti-viral activity. Lessons learned from past pandemics point the way to homegrown remedies that are far more equalitarian than government solutions!
Matthias and Andrea Reisen (New York)
Friday 4:30 – 6: The Dirty Dozen w/Matthias and Andrea Reisen.
These are the roots that connect us to the earth mother and who we are. We will talk about 12 different roots, their uses and the magic of each. This class will include opportunities to feel and taste the herbs, and to experience their healing qualities. Growing, harvesting and drying each of the ‘dirty dozen’ will also be covered.
Beginner/Intermed.
INTENSIVE Saturday 9-12:30: A Grower's Invitation for the Cultivation, Harvesting and Drying of Medicinal Herbs w/ Herb farmers extraordinaire Matthias & Andrea Reisen of Healing Spirits Herb Farm and Jeff & Melanie Carpenter of Zack Woods Herb Farm.
This is the intensive for those interested in any aspect of producing medicinal herbs. Medicinal herbs have a unique appeal to the general public. They provide a sustainable livelihood for people wanting a connection to the land and community herbalism. Learn special techniques for the production of medicinal herbs and how to preserve the integrity and spirit of the plant. Experienced and successful herb farmers/growers will share soil building protocol, plant specifics, wildcrafting-growing dos and don'ts, drying techniques and marketing insights about herb production.
All welcome but geared toward Intermed/Adv.
Sunday 11-12:30: Spiritual Agriculture & Herbalism w/Matthias and Andrea Reisen.
How can we use the medicinal herbs to help us to move into a spiritual healing for the growing of our food and medicine? Join Matthais & Andrea of Healing Spirits Herb Farm as they share their experiences in growing plants with ‘spiritual intention’ to grow higher quality vegetables and more potentized herbal medicine.
Beginner/Intermed
Timothy Scott (Vermont)
Friday 2:30-4: Invasive Plant Medicine w/Timothy Scott.
Based on his excellent book Invasive Plant Medicine, Tim Scott demonstrates the ecological benefits and healing abilities of invasive plants. Contrary to conventional thought, these prolific plants are actually serving essential environmental needs by protecting disturbed areas, enhancing biodiversity, and revitalizing the land. While at the same time, these widespread plants are also providing inhabitants powerful healing remedies, which in many cases have documented medicinal uses for thousands of years, and are desperately in need today.
Beginner/Intermed
Saturday 2-3:30: Natural Healing for Lyme Disease w/Timothy Scott.
Tim Scott, L.Ac., Herbalist will be sharing his deep experiences with Lyme disease from a perspective as a health care provider, as one who was infected, as a researcher, and as an avid gardener and outdoorsman. Tim will sift through the confusing and conflicting information surrounding Lyme disease, its transmission, and its treatment, to provide a source of healing for those who suffer and useful knowledge for prevention of this devastating disease.
Int/Adv.
Sunday 9-10:30: Invasive Plant Walk w/Timothy Scott.
Let’s walk around the edges and into the disturbances to see if any of these so-called “invasive” plants have arrived, and try to understand why they might be here. The plants are growing where they do for a reason, and they are sending an important message, providing potent medicine, and revealing the intelligent nature of the plant world around us.
Ed Smith (Oregon/Thailand)
Friday 4:30-6 The Botanical Adventures of Herbal Ed w/Ed Smith.
A travelogue slideshow of Ed Smith's adventures while in search of medicinal herbs and herbal knowledge in the Peruvian Andes & Amazon jungle, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Vanuatu, etc. Ed will discuss the pharmacognosy & therapeutic uses of these herbs discovered in his travels: Maca, Dragon's Blood, Cat's Claw, Guggul, Bacopa, Gotu Kola, Turmeric, Vanilla, Black Pepper, Holy Basil, Green Tea, Ud wood, Andrographis, Cinnamon, Mangosteen, Kava, etc.
Saturday 2-3:30 Traditional Thai Herbal Medicine w/Ed Smith.
Pharmacognosy & Therapeutics of Herbs, Spices & Foods of Thailand. This slideshow lecture will cover the history of Thai Traditional Medicine, and how it is being incorporated into Thailand's modern healthcare system; Thai cuisine, spices, fruits and vegetables as medicine; Topical use of herbs in traditional Thai massage.
Dr. Michael Tierra (California)
Friday 2 – 4:30 The Art of Herbal Formulation w/Michael Tierra.
We will describe traditions of formulation and principles from all herbal traditions and strategies and methods of use.
Intermed/Adv.
INTENSIVE: Saturday 2-5:30 Pulse & Tongue Diagnosis w/Michael Tierra.
Pulse diagnosis has always been regarded as the confirming aspect of Traditional, Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic herbal medicine, this course will empower your ability to make an accurate pulse reading. We will also discuss and demonstrate Tongue diagnosis and its importance as a vital part of differential diagnosis. Tongue diagnosis is a very useful method to help determine the root cause of an illness and thus, a more efficient treatment strategy. Useful, for beginning through advanced practitionersand patients too. Learn how to recognize various tongue characteristics, what they mean, and how to treat them.
Intermed/Adv
Sunday 11-12:30: Ayurvedic Herbs and Formulas for Western Herbalists w/Michael Tierra.
Based on my latest book, The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs, these are herbs and formulas that everyone should learn to use.
Greg Tilford (Montana)
VBMS VET Track: Saturday 2-3:30: Holistic Animal Herbalism: Putting the Health Needs of Companion Animals into Real Life Perspective w/Greg Tilford.
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