DANDELION SEED CONFERENCE 2017:
HERBAL MEDICINE FOR COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL HEALING
HERBAL MEDICINE FOR COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL HEALING
2017 Dandelion Seed Conference Schedule
(Scroll down for class descriptions)
(Scroll down for class descriptions)
New this year: Integrative Sessions on Sunday 2:45-3:45
The world moves so quickly that even when we feel inspired and stimulated, we can forget to ease in and just be in larger ecosystem. On Sunday after lunch from 2:45-3:45, there will be an integrative period- an hour designed to give you space to integrate in yourself and community some of the knowledge and connections you have formed over the weekend. We encourage attendees, presenters and vendors to participate horizontally in some loosely guided opportunities to ground with yourself or connect with others amongst a weekend full of teaching and learning.
Sunday afternoon, there will be a few designated spaces you can spend time in, and you’re also welcome to take time to yourself or form groups and conversations on your own. If there is anything you would like to see happen or to facilitate in this period, please let us know, and we can help to find a space for it and announce it.
We will have designated spaces for:
Let a conference organizer know if you are interested in hosting another integrative space during this time!
The world moves so quickly that even when we feel inspired and stimulated, we can forget to ease in and just be in larger ecosystem. On Sunday after lunch from 2:45-3:45, there will be an integrative period- an hour designed to give you space to integrate in yourself and community some of the knowledge and connections you have formed over the weekend. We encourage attendees, presenters and vendors to participate horizontally in some loosely guided opportunities to ground with yourself or connect with others amongst a weekend full of teaching and learning.
Sunday afternoon, there will be a few designated spaces you can spend time in, and you’re also welcome to take time to yourself or form groups and conversations on your own. If there is anything you would like to see happen or to facilitate in this period, please let us know, and we can help to find a space for it and announce it.
We will have designated spaces for:
- Open art space/plant drawing/note fleshing out with Rose Opal in the Rose Room
- POC healing and connecting space with Marin Kyle in the Cedar Room
- Community Project Speed Dating with Sophie Geist of the Back Door Medicine Collective in the Mahonia Room
- Garden time with Sean Croke meet in the Longhouse Garden
Let a conference organizer know if you are interested in hosting another integrative space during this time!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13TH
9:00-4:00pm PRE-CONFERENCE INTENSIVE with LARKEN BUNCE Herbs and Somatic Practices for Stress, Trauma and Resilience click here to register for this class
4:30-5:30pm REGISTRATION
5:30pm OPENING CEREMONY with Katherine Weir and Ga Ching Kong
6:00-8:00pm KEYNOTE with T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss in the Mahonia Room
Indigenous plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: from ancient times to contemporary times
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14TH
8:30-9:00 REGISTRATION
9:00-9:30 INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION
9:30-11:00 CLASS SESSION 1
Remembering the beginning: Stories of Midwifery & Plant Medicine in Extreme Environments - Rhonda Lee Grantham in the Mahonia Room
The Bitter Truth about Digestion and Metabolism - Emily Peters in the Rose Room
Don’t Let it Bring You Down: Building Resilience with Herbs - Janet Kent in the Cedar Room
Handling Emergencies Well - Missy Rohs on the Back Porch
11:15-12:45 CLASS SESSION 2
Blending Teas with Westcoast Wild Plants - T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss in the Mahonia Room
Trans Health and Herbs - Larkin Schmiedl in the Rose Room
Plants and Death: Funerary Lore, Operative Magic, and Parting the Veil - Corinne Boyer in the Cedar Room
12:45-1:45 LUNCH: On-campus option at the Flaming Eggplant will be open from 12:00-2:30 on Saturday only! Vegetarian, Vegan, GF, meant, and fish options for $7 or less
1:50-3:50pm KEYNOTE with Larken Bunce in the Mahonia Room
Grief, Hospice, Resistance, and Hope: Our Work in Changing Times
4:00-5:30 CLASS SESSION 3
Demystifying FDA Regulations: cGMP and Recordkeeping Basics for Herbal Practitioners - Linden de Voil in the Mahonia Room
Garden Medicine: Top Herbs for Community Resilience and Emergency Preparedness - Orna Izakson in the Rose Room
Mitigating Trans Hormones Side Effects - S. Annah Shapiro in the Cedar Room
Plant Walk: Herbs for Grounding and Protection - Sean Croke meet on the Back Porch
7:00pm-11:00 pm*~* MOBILE HEALING SPACE GALA FUNDRAISER *~* WITH: LAVENDER COUNTRY, 2-STEP DANCING & LESSON, DJs, HERBAL BEVERAGES, TAROT, WREATH MAKING, RAFFLE PRIZES, AND MORE!!! @ 1002 Washington St SE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15TH
9:30 LONGHOUSE OPENS
10:15 -11:45 CLASS SESSION 4
The Spicerack Herbalist - Tania Neubauer in the Cedar Room
The Metal Element and Season of Autumn - Joyce Netishen in the Rose Room
11:45-12:45 LUNCH: We recommend packing a lunch! The Flaming Eggplant will not be open on Sunday.
1:00-2:30 CLASS SESSION 5
Nuestra raíces: Ancestral and Herbal Knowledge for a New Lexicon of Health - Lara Pacheco in the Mahonia Room
Let’s Get It On: Beyond Aphrodisiacs - Linden de Voil in the Rose Room
Dharma, Destiny, and Devil’s Club - Ga Ching Kong in the Cedar Room
Canoe Journey Herbalists: Honoring the Medicines of the Water & the Land - Rhonda Lee Grantham & co. on the Back Porch
2:45-3:45 INTEGRATIVE SESSIONS - Everyone is invited to participate in one of a variety of intentional spaces to discuss, create, and otherwise engage with fellow participants and the ideas this weekend has brought together - see top of this page for more details!
4:00-5:30 CLASS SESSION 6
Tongue Assessment for Western Herbalists - Larken Bunce in the Mahonia Room
Approaching Autoimmunity with Dietetics and Medicinal Herbs - Paul Bergner in the Rose Room
Herbalism as a Tool for Social Justice - Jen Stovall and Janet Kent on the Back Porch
Herbs for Grief and Death - Stascha Stahl in the Cedar Room
5:35 CLOSING CEREMONY with Katherine Weir and Ga Ching Kong
9:00-4:00pm PRE-CONFERENCE INTENSIVE with LARKEN BUNCE Herbs and Somatic Practices for Stress, Trauma and Resilience click here to register for this class
4:30-5:30pm REGISTRATION
5:30pm OPENING CEREMONY with Katherine Weir and Ga Ching Kong
6:00-8:00pm KEYNOTE with T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss in the Mahonia Room
Indigenous plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: from ancient times to contemporary times
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14TH
8:30-9:00 REGISTRATION
9:00-9:30 INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION
9:30-11:00 CLASS SESSION 1
Remembering the beginning: Stories of Midwifery & Plant Medicine in Extreme Environments - Rhonda Lee Grantham in the Mahonia Room
The Bitter Truth about Digestion and Metabolism - Emily Peters in the Rose Room
Don’t Let it Bring You Down: Building Resilience with Herbs - Janet Kent in the Cedar Room
Handling Emergencies Well - Missy Rohs on the Back Porch
11:15-12:45 CLASS SESSION 2
Blending Teas with Westcoast Wild Plants - T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss in the Mahonia Room
Trans Health and Herbs - Larkin Schmiedl in the Rose Room
Plants and Death: Funerary Lore, Operative Magic, and Parting the Veil - Corinne Boyer in the Cedar Room
12:45-1:45 LUNCH: On-campus option at the Flaming Eggplant will be open from 12:00-2:30 on Saturday only! Vegetarian, Vegan, GF, meant, and fish options for $7 or less
1:50-3:50pm KEYNOTE with Larken Bunce in the Mahonia Room
Grief, Hospice, Resistance, and Hope: Our Work in Changing Times
4:00-5:30 CLASS SESSION 3
Demystifying FDA Regulations: cGMP and Recordkeeping Basics for Herbal Practitioners - Linden de Voil in the Mahonia Room
Garden Medicine: Top Herbs for Community Resilience and Emergency Preparedness - Orna Izakson in the Rose Room
Mitigating Trans Hormones Side Effects - S. Annah Shapiro in the Cedar Room
Plant Walk: Herbs for Grounding and Protection - Sean Croke meet on the Back Porch
7:00pm-11:00 pm*~* MOBILE HEALING SPACE GALA FUNDRAISER *~* WITH: LAVENDER COUNTRY, 2-STEP DANCING & LESSON, DJs, HERBAL BEVERAGES, TAROT, WREATH MAKING, RAFFLE PRIZES, AND MORE!!! @ 1002 Washington St SE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15TH
9:30 LONGHOUSE OPENS
10:15 -11:45 CLASS SESSION 4
The Spicerack Herbalist - Tania Neubauer in the Cedar Room
The Metal Element and Season of Autumn - Joyce Netishen in the Rose Room
11:45-12:45 LUNCH: We recommend packing a lunch! The Flaming Eggplant will not be open on Sunday.
1:00-2:30 CLASS SESSION 5
Nuestra raíces: Ancestral and Herbal Knowledge for a New Lexicon of Health - Lara Pacheco in the Mahonia Room
Let’s Get It On: Beyond Aphrodisiacs - Linden de Voil in the Rose Room
Dharma, Destiny, and Devil’s Club - Ga Ching Kong in the Cedar Room
Canoe Journey Herbalists: Honoring the Medicines of the Water & the Land - Rhonda Lee Grantham & co. on the Back Porch
2:45-3:45 INTEGRATIVE SESSIONS - Everyone is invited to participate in one of a variety of intentional spaces to discuss, create, and otherwise engage with fellow participants and the ideas this weekend has brought together - see top of this page for more details!
4:00-5:30 CLASS SESSION 6
Tongue Assessment for Western Herbalists - Larken Bunce in the Mahonia Room
Approaching Autoimmunity with Dietetics and Medicinal Herbs - Paul Bergner in the Rose Room
Herbalism as a Tool for Social Justice - Jen Stovall and Janet Kent on the Back Porch
Herbs for Grief and Death - Stascha Stahl in the Cedar Room
5:35 CLOSING CEREMONY with Katherine Weir and Ga Ching Kong
Class Descriptions
Rhonda Lee Grantham - Remembering the beginning; Stories of midwifery & plant medicine in extreme environments
In the wake of every storm- from rural islands to urban jungles, from the blizzards of Standing Rock to the deserts of Sudan- human kindness and earth connection is always at the center of hope & healing. In this session, Rhonda will share stories of supporting Indigenous Midwifery globally in the face of extreme hardship & natural disasters- while finding allies and falling in love with the foods, medicines, and healing gifts of each land.
Rhonda Lee Grantham - Canoe Journey Herbalists: Honoring the medicines of the water & the land
Every year, the intertribal Canoe Journey invites Indigenous people to travel their ancestral waters- through all varieties of weather and sacrifice and unspoken challenge- as they honor the importance of community, sobriety, and traditional culture.
This past summer, the Canoe Journey Herbalists Project was born. For nearly a month, we traveled along the Puget Sound Route to BC, offering canoe journey participants everything from herbal first aid to wellness support to opportunities to learn & engage with plant medicines. We soothed the sore feet of our elders and the achey muscles of our canoe pullers. We engaged children in medicine making and healing, and supported pregnant and parenting families.
With the support of amazing herbalist volunteers and community donations- we treated hundreds and reached thousands- bridging the healing medicines of the land as we traveled along the waters. In this session, we will have a panel discussion on the project, discuss lessons learned, and invite others to participate in supporting the Canoe Journey Herbalists project, year after year!
Lara Pacheco - Nuestra raíces: ancestral and herbal knowledge for a new lexicon of health
Lara Pacheco, of Seed and Thistle Apothecary and Seasonal Wellness Clinic, will share from her Puerto Rican ancestral plant lore as a way to understand and stitch together the body, mind, and spirit connection that have been lost to our consumeristic culture’s perspective on medicine, the body and illness. Lara believes that connecting with our herbal ancestral narratives is a source of strength and resilience in the face of global ecological catastrophe. She also believes that those most marginalized by our patriarchal system will be the leaders in the emerging shift in consciousness and place. The real question is can we re immerse ourselves deeply into the web/womb of life through our stories and ancestral connections? We’ll also learn how it is possible to try and integrate ancestral guides into a herbalist practice. Join Lara, by gently immersing yourself in the deep vast ocean of ancestral knowledge and plant lore; since plants will help us lead the way.
Janet Kent - Don't Let it Bring You Down: Building Resilience with Herbs
Resilience is the ability to recover from stress and/or change. In these increasingly perilous and unpredictable times, this quality is essential. Unfortunately, the very conditions that necessitate this ability tend to wear us down over time and often lead to chronic illness. Overwork, constant stress and everyday oppression undermine our inherent capacity for resilience. This is apparent in the burnout experienced by many who fight for social justice and who work to create the world we want to live in. In this time of social and environmental upheaval, we must take care of ourselves if we want to stay in the fight. Plant medicine can help us in this work by supporting our own natural resilience and by lessening the impact of stress on the individual. Come learn the power of herbs to support the resistance.
Missy Rohs - Handling Emergencies Well
You know the herbs for wounds, the plants that stop bleeding, and the nervines to assuage panic. But do you know how to handle an emergency well? Do you have the skills and confidence to step up when shit goes down? In this class, Missy will cover the scene survey mnemonic and medic manners that are the foundational toolkit for responding to any emergent situation, whether in the wilderness, in the city, or at a protest. With these tools, situations can transform from overwhelming to manageable.
S. Annah Shapiro - Mitigating Trans Hormones Side Effects
This workshop will address using herbal medicine for the occasional side effects of hormone therapy for transgender and genderqueer people. We will talk about herbs to use care for common conditions in transition. We will also discuss the use of herbal medicine by some in the trans community to transition physically, the potential complications, and lack of good data on safety and effectiveness of these methods. This interactive workshop will address common health issues that arise in the first year of physical transition with hormones. Participants will learn tools and resources for treating common issues that come up on HRT and maintaining their optimal well-being.
Jen Stovall - Herbalism as a Tool for Social Justice (with Janet Kent)
Systems of medicine reflect the values and biases of the societies that create them. The American medical system is no different and in fact exposes the starkest injustices of the overarching socio-economic system. However, just as there is always a counter movement of resistance and mutual aid within any oppressive regime, herbal traditions counter the dominant system of wealth-based health care. Unfortunately, as plant based medicine becomes market commodity, the people’s medicine is at risk of becoming inaccessible to most. How do we avoid replicating the injustices of the dominant health care system? In this class we will discuss the troubling, violent foundation of conventional medicine in this country as well as the ways contemporary injustice in health care reflects and reinforces this history. We see the radical potential of herbalism to address this legacy. We will explore the growing movement within the herbal community to access this potential and discuss strategies for creating more just models of care.
Paul Bergner - Approaching autoimmunity with dietetics and medicinal herbs
Although autoimmune conditions may have different names, many of them have a common root and pattern of pathology. Conditions seemingly as unrelated as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpurea, and interstitial cystitis are seemingly unrelated conditions, in many cases they can be completely resolved with an identical generic autoimmune protocol, with patient-specific adaptations. Reducing the auto-antigenic load through elimination of food intolerances, restoring exhausted anti-inflammatory reserve with diet and supplements, restoration of the gut ecology and barrier integrity with herbal formulas and probiotics, and addressing psycho-emotional trauma with flower essences or homeopathy may benefit or cure the above conditions. We will discuss a specific protocol, and present case studies of a variety of cured patients.
Linden de Voil - Let’s Get It On: Beyond Aphrodisiacs
Take a deeper look at the roots and branches of common sexual function complaints, including low libido and inhibited sexual response. This workshop will cover sexual anatomy (in detail!), arousal response, herbal medicines and other resources to support sexual health and function for all genders. We will use an inclusive framework embracing a spectrum of sexualities and genders, and explore our expectations and understandings of sexuality in social context. Appropriate for all levels of interest/experience.
Linden de Voil - Demystifying FDA Regulations: cGMP and Recordkeeping Basics for Herbal Practitioners
Okay, so maybe we can't ENTIRELY demystify the FDA - but you can prepare yourself with knowledge of your cGMP responsibilities as a practitioner. If you harvest your own herbs for clinical use, make any of the tinctures you provide, or retail your tinctures, this workshop will help you understand your legal obligations and some simple ways to meet them. Presented by a clinical herbalist with extensive QC and regulatory experience in the herbal product industry.
T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss - Blending Teas with Westcoast Wild Plants
This workshop will consist of looking a variety of plants that grow in the Pacific Northwest Coast and how to blend different herbs together. The plants will be dried so there will be a ppt to view pictures of the plants and to see them as they look in their Wild habitats. Cease has been blending teas for close to 30 years and continues to find unique ways to blend commonly found herbal medicines we all see in our wanderings.
Tania Neubauer - The Spicerack Herbalist
Maybe you are just starting to learn about herbs, and you want to learn how to use the herbs that might already be in your kitchen spicerack. Or maybe you're at a friend's house, and they're not feeling well, and they're not an herb nerd like you – what could you rustle up to help them feel better? Or, maybe you work with very low income clients, who might live far from an herb store, and you want to empower them to take care of their health with the herbs most easily at hand? Many remedies can be found in the average kitchen. Come prepared to mix, smell and taste some of them.
Larkin Schmiedl - Trans health & herbs
How, as trans people, do we use herbs to support our health? How, as herbalists, do we support trans community & clients with plant medicine? This session will look at the limits and possibilities of 'natural transition,' and how to use herbs safely in conjunction with hormones. We'll look at the role herbs can play in mitigating potential health effects of hormone use, and cover helpful & adverse herb-hormone interactions. We'll look at supportive herbs for pre & post surgery, and flower essences to bolster trans people's wellbeing. This session will include time for us to learn from the wisdom in the room, so if you have stories, case studies, experiences, etc. please feel free to bring them along.
GaChing Kong - Dharma, Destiny and Devil's Club
Classical Chinese Medicine is very clear: when we live far away from our purpose, our Ming, sickness begins. The journey through sickness to wholeness is about re-membering Tao, the original face of our being. This class will explore the journey back to wholeness through the heart-kidney axis, and specifically the role of earth, and yi / intent, in the dance of somethingness and nothingness. We will feature hands-on acupuncture treatments and body work, to give life to how to move specific plant spirits, ajo sacha, bobinsana, hawthorne and devil's club, and their use in the treatment room through plant essence, song and dieta.
Joyce Netishen - The Metal Element and Season of Autumn
In the season of autumn we transition from the blazing light of summer to ready for the deep dark of winter. We ‘fall’ from the vitality and peak of life into the death and dying, the giving up and letting go of all that no longer serves us. We enter the void and return to essence. For some of us, this transition can be sorrowful and lonely and we can get stuck here. In this hands on workshop we will talk about Autumn and the Metal Element and discuss some plants and different ways to help us ease through the transition of the ‘Fall’ season. Together, we will ritually create a sublime elixir to soothe and inspire this sacred season inside of us and deepen our respect and connection to self… and the world. Please bring a clean 4 oz jar with you to take your elixir home.
Emily Peters - The Bitter Truth about Digestion and Metabolism
There are hundreds of bitter taste receptors that initiate a cascade of reactions throughout your body. Bitters are used to stimulate digestive juices, support the liver, regulate blood sugar, and even lower cholesterol! We can incorporate bitters into our daily lives to help support our digestive system and overall metabolism. Come learn when to use which bitters and why!
Stascha Stahl - Herbs for Grief and Death
Though death is an inevitable part of life, it does not feel easy. The dominant culture does not acknowledge or provide models with which we can deal with our grief. This class aims to provide some strategies to grapple with grief and sorrow surrounding the death of people in our lives. We will talk about what happens in our bodies physiologically and emotionally as well as herbs and flower essences to help ourselves and/or our communities build resilience in these increasingly tragic times.
Orna Izakson - Garden Medicine: Top herbs for community resilience and emergency preparedness
When a natural or political disaster hits, how will you take care of your own? In such situations, herbalists can expect to be on the front lines of health care. And just as people grew food-based “victory gardens” during wartime, herbalists can prepare with medicinal gardens to bolster self sufficiency and community resilience. The first half of this class puts forward criteria for prioritizing plantings on the home and community level. We’ll consider Permaculture principles, abundance and growth needs of different medicinal plants, common regional and emergency health needs, mapping and community organizing to avoid redundancy, and how to plug in if you don’t have garden space of your own. In the second half we’ll discuss specific medicinal plants for these purposes, including how to grow them and how to use them. While most examples will be based on what grows well in the Pacific Northwest, the concepts and many herbs will be applicable to other bioregions.
Corrine Boyer - Plants and Death: Funerary lore, Operative Magic and Parting the Veil
Historically plants have served in many traditional roles, to support those passing on and those left behind. Certain plants have a sympathy with death and the process of dying. This lecture addresses the topic of funerary plants and trees in the Northern European tradition. We will look at some ways in which these particular plants and trees were applied in the folklore of western Europe. We will also look to folk magic and the ways in which certain plants or practices were incorporated, alongside with working in the graveyard and with the Dead. The question of how these powers can be used today and applied will also be addressed. Personal insights, experiences and practices will be revealed.
Larken Bunce - Tongue Assessment for Western Herbalists
Traditional assessment methods, such as reading the tongue, face or pulse, are invaluable doorways to the inner terrain, giving us clues about qualities such as moisture and heat, as well as a sense of tension and overall vitality. We can also gain entry into the psychoemotional world of the client, allowing insight into a person’s world view and perceptions, as held in and expressed through the body. Assessing the tongue is especially useful for understanding the state of digestion, but also serves as a microcosmic mirror of all of the organs, as well as a person’s integrated function. We’ll learn some theory and then practice together, selecting potential herbs based on what we see.
Sean Croke - Plant Walk: Herbs for Grounding and Protection
Things are feeling hard/apocalyptic lately, especially looking at the political landscape across the country and across the world. The forces of repression are real and many of us are in states of heightened anxiety and fear, which are perfectly valid ways to feel. Getting out into the woods to meet up with the plants can be so helpful to tap us into something safe and strong, also many of the plants that grow wild in this landscape can help the body to feel calm or process heavy emotions/thought processes/attacks/etc. This walk will look at several of these plants that can be helpful for both energetic and physiological protection/grounding/clearing. Will include Mahonia, Thuja, Dicentra, Urtica, others.
In the wake of every storm- from rural islands to urban jungles, from the blizzards of Standing Rock to the deserts of Sudan- human kindness and earth connection is always at the center of hope & healing. In this session, Rhonda will share stories of supporting Indigenous Midwifery globally in the face of extreme hardship & natural disasters- while finding allies and falling in love with the foods, medicines, and healing gifts of each land.
Rhonda Lee Grantham - Canoe Journey Herbalists: Honoring the medicines of the water & the land
Every year, the intertribal Canoe Journey invites Indigenous people to travel their ancestral waters- through all varieties of weather and sacrifice and unspoken challenge- as they honor the importance of community, sobriety, and traditional culture.
This past summer, the Canoe Journey Herbalists Project was born. For nearly a month, we traveled along the Puget Sound Route to BC, offering canoe journey participants everything from herbal first aid to wellness support to opportunities to learn & engage with plant medicines. We soothed the sore feet of our elders and the achey muscles of our canoe pullers. We engaged children in medicine making and healing, and supported pregnant and parenting families.
With the support of amazing herbalist volunteers and community donations- we treated hundreds and reached thousands- bridging the healing medicines of the land as we traveled along the waters. In this session, we will have a panel discussion on the project, discuss lessons learned, and invite others to participate in supporting the Canoe Journey Herbalists project, year after year!
Lara Pacheco - Nuestra raíces: ancestral and herbal knowledge for a new lexicon of health
Lara Pacheco, of Seed and Thistle Apothecary and Seasonal Wellness Clinic, will share from her Puerto Rican ancestral plant lore as a way to understand and stitch together the body, mind, and spirit connection that have been lost to our consumeristic culture’s perspective on medicine, the body and illness. Lara believes that connecting with our herbal ancestral narratives is a source of strength and resilience in the face of global ecological catastrophe. She also believes that those most marginalized by our patriarchal system will be the leaders in the emerging shift in consciousness and place. The real question is can we re immerse ourselves deeply into the web/womb of life through our stories and ancestral connections? We’ll also learn how it is possible to try and integrate ancestral guides into a herbalist practice. Join Lara, by gently immersing yourself in the deep vast ocean of ancestral knowledge and plant lore; since plants will help us lead the way.
Janet Kent - Don't Let it Bring You Down: Building Resilience with Herbs
Resilience is the ability to recover from stress and/or change. In these increasingly perilous and unpredictable times, this quality is essential. Unfortunately, the very conditions that necessitate this ability tend to wear us down over time and often lead to chronic illness. Overwork, constant stress and everyday oppression undermine our inherent capacity for resilience. This is apparent in the burnout experienced by many who fight for social justice and who work to create the world we want to live in. In this time of social and environmental upheaval, we must take care of ourselves if we want to stay in the fight. Plant medicine can help us in this work by supporting our own natural resilience and by lessening the impact of stress on the individual. Come learn the power of herbs to support the resistance.
Missy Rohs - Handling Emergencies Well
You know the herbs for wounds, the plants that stop bleeding, and the nervines to assuage panic. But do you know how to handle an emergency well? Do you have the skills and confidence to step up when shit goes down? In this class, Missy will cover the scene survey mnemonic and medic manners that are the foundational toolkit for responding to any emergent situation, whether in the wilderness, in the city, or at a protest. With these tools, situations can transform from overwhelming to manageable.
S. Annah Shapiro - Mitigating Trans Hormones Side Effects
This workshop will address using herbal medicine for the occasional side effects of hormone therapy for transgender and genderqueer people. We will talk about herbs to use care for common conditions in transition. We will also discuss the use of herbal medicine by some in the trans community to transition physically, the potential complications, and lack of good data on safety and effectiveness of these methods. This interactive workshop will address common health issues that arise in the first year of physical transition with hormones. Participants will learn tools and resources for treating common issues that come up on HRT and maintaining their optimal well-being.
Jen Stovall - Herbalism as a Tool for Social Justice (with Janet Kent)
Systems of medicine reflect the values and biases of the societies that create them. The American medical system is no different and in fact exposes the starkest injustices of the overarching socio-economic system. However, just as there is always a counter movement of resistance and mutual aid within any oppressive regime, herbal traditions counter the dominant system of wealth-based health care. Unfortunately, as plant based medicine becomes market commodity, the people’s medicine is at risk of becoming inaccessible to most. How do we avoid replicating the injustices of the dominant health care system? In this class we will discuss the troubling, violent foundation of conventional medicine in this country as well as the ways contemporary injustice in health care reflects and reinforces this history. We see the radical potential of herbalism to address this legacy. We will explore the growing movement within the herbal community to access this potential and discuss strategies for creating more just models of care.
Paul Bergner - Approaching autoimmunity with dietetics and medicinal herbs
Although autoimmune conditions may have different names, many of them have a common root and pattern of pathology. Conditions seemingly as unrelated as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpurea, and interstitial cystitis are seemingly unrelated conditions, in many cases they can be completely resolved with an identical generic autoimmune protocol, with patient-specific adaptations. Reducing the auto-antigenic load through elimination of food intolerances, restoring exhausted anti-inflammatory reserve with diet and supplements, restoration of the gut ecology and barrier integrity with herbal formulas and probiotics, and addressing psycho-emotional trauma with flower essences or homeopathy may benefit or cure the above conditions. We will discuss a specific protocol, and present case studies of a variety of cured patients.
Linden de Voil - Let’s Get It On: Beyond Aphrodisiacs
Take a deeper look at the roots and branches of common sexual function complaints, including low libido and inhibited sexual response. This workshop will cover sexual anatomy (in detail!), arousal response, herbal medicines and other resources to support sexual health and function for all genders. We will use an inclusive framework embracing a spectrum of sexualities and genders, and explore our expectations and understandings of sexuality in social context. Appropriate for all levels of interest/experience.
Linden de Voil - Demystifying FDA Regulations: cGMP and Recordkeeping Basics for Herbal Practitioners
Okay, so maybe we can't ENTIRELY demystify the FDA - but you can prepare yourself with knowledge of your cGMP responsibilities as a practitioner. If you harvest your own herbs for clinical use, make any of the tinctures you provide, or retail your tinctures, this workshop will help you understand your legal obligations and some simple ways to meet them. Presented by a clinical herbalist with extensive QC and regulatory experience in the herbal product industry.
T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss - Blending Teas with Westcoast Wild Plants
This workshop will consist of looking a variety of plants that grow in the Pacific Northwest Coast and how to blend different herbs together. The plants will be dried so there will be a ppt to view pictures of the plants and to see them as they look in their Wild habitats. Cease has been blending teas for close to 30 years and continues to find unique ways to blend commonly found herbal medicines we all see in our wanderings.
Tania Neubauer - The Spicerack Herbalist
Maybe you are just starting to learn about herbs, and you want to learn how to use the herbs that might already be in your kitchen spicerack. Or maybe you're at a friend's house, and they're not feeling well, and they're not an herb nerd like you – what could you rustle up to help them feel better? Or, maybe you work with very low income clients, who might live far from an herb store, and you want to empower them to take care of their health with the herbs most easily at hand? Many remedies can be found in the average kitchen. Come prepared to mix, smell and taste some of them.
Larkin Schmiedl - Trans health & herbs
How, as trans people, do we use herbs to support our health? How, as herbalists, do we support trans community & clients with plant medicine? This session will look at the limits and possibilities of 'natural transition,' and how to use herbs safely in conjunction with hormones. We'll look at the role herbs can play in mitigating potential health effects of hormone use, and cover helpful & adverse herb-hormone interactions. We'll look at supportive herbs for pre & post surgery, and flower essences to bolster trans people's wellbeing. This session will include time for us to learn from the wisdom in the room, so if you have stories, case studies, experiences, etc. please feel free to bring them along.
GaChing Kong - Dharma, Destiny and Devil's Club
Classical Chinese Medicine is very clear: when we live far away from our purpose, our Ming, sickness begins. The journey through sickness to wholeness is about re-membering Tao, the original face of our being. This class will explore the journey back to wholeness through the heart-kidney axis, and specifically the role of earth, and yi / intent, in the dance of somethingness and nothingness. We will feature hands-on acupuncture treatments and body work, to give life to how to move specific plant spirits, ajo sacha, bobinsana, hawthorne and devil's club, and their use in the treatment room through plant essence, song and dieta.
Joyce Netishen - The Metal Element and Season of Autumn
In the season of autumn we transition from the blazing light of summer to ready for the deep dark of winter. We ‘fall’ from the vitality and peak of life into the death and dying, the giving up and letting go of all that no longer serves us. We enter the void and return to essence. For some of us, this transition can be sorrowful and lonely and we can get stuck here. In this hands on workshop we will talk about Autumn and the Metal Element and discuss some plants and different ways to help us ease through the transition of the ‘Fall’ season. Together, we will ritually create a sublime elixir to soothe and inspire this sacred season inside of us and deepen our respect and connection to self… and the world. Please bring a clean 4 oz jar with you to take your elixir home.
Emily Peters - The Bitter Truth about Digestion and Metabolism
There are hundreds of bitter taste receptors that initiate a cascade of reactions throughout your body. Bitters are used to stimulate digestive juices, support the liver, regulate blood sugar, and even lower cholesterol! We can incorporate bitters into our daily lives to help support our digestive system and overall metabolism. Come learn when to use which bitters and why!
Stascha Stahl - Herbs for Grief and Death
Though death is an inevitable part of life, it does not feel easy. The dominant culture does not acknowledge or provide models with which we can deal with our grief. This class aims to provide some strategies to grapple with grief and sorrow surrounding the death of people in our lives. We will talk about what happens in our bodies physiologically and emotionally as well as herbs and flower essences to help ourselves and/or our communities build resilience in these increasingly tragic times.
Orna Izakson - Garden Medicine: Top herbs for community resilience and emergency preparedness
When a natural or political disaster hits, how will you take care of your own? In such situations, herbalists can expect to be on the front lines of health care. And just as people grew food-based “victory gardens” during wartime, herbalists can prepare with medicinal gardens to bolster self sufficiency and community resilience. The first half of this class puts forward criteria for prioritizing plantings on the home and community level. We’ll consider Permaculture principles, abundance and growth needs of different medicinal plants, common regional and emergency health needs, mapping and community organizing to avoid redundancy, and how to plug in if you don’t have garden space of your own. In the second half we’ll discuss specific medicinal plants for these purposes, including how to grow them and how to use them. While most examples will be based on what grows well in the Pacific Northwest, the concepts and many herbs will be applicable to other bioregions.
Corrine Boyer - Plants and Death: Funerary lore, Operative Magic and Parting the Veil
Historically plants have served in many traditional roles, to support those passing on and those left behind. Certain plants have a sympathy with death and the process of dying. This lecture addresses the topic of funerary plants and trees in the Northern European tradition. We will look at some ways in which these particular plants and trees were applied in the folklore of western Europe. We will also look to folk magic and the ways in which certain plants or practices were incorporated, alongside with working in the graveyard and with the Dead. The question of how these powers can be used today and applied will also be addressed. Personal insights, experiences and practices will be revealed.
Larken Bunce - Tongue Assessment for Western Herbalists
Traditional assessment methods, such as reading the tongue, face or pulse, are invaluable doorways to the inner terrain, giving us clues about qualities such as moisture and heat, as well as a sense of tension and overall vitality. We can also gain entry into the psychoemotional world of the client, allowing insight into a person’s world view and perceptions, as held in and expressed through the body. Assessing the tongue is especially useful for understanding the state of digestion, but also serves as a microcosmic mirror of all of the organs, as well as a person’s integrated function. We’ll learn some theory and then practice together, selecting potential herbs based on what we see.
Sean Croke - Plant Walk: Herbs for Grounding and Protection
Things are feeling hard/apocalyptic lately, especially looking at the political landscape across the country and across the world. The forces of repression are real and many of us are in states of heightened anxiety and fear, which are perfectly valid ways to feel. Getting out into the woods to meet up with the plants can be so helpful to tap us into something safe and strong, also many of the plants that grow wild in this landscape can help the body to feel calm or process heavy emotions/thought processes/attacks/etc. This walk will look at several of these plants that can be helpful for both energetic and physiological protection/grounding/clearing. Will include Mahonia, Thuja, Dicentra, Urtica, others.