HerbRally

Imagine you are walking through the forest near your home. As you look around you, you start noticing the plants growing nearby. Imagine knowing each of these plants; understanding how to use them, when to harvest them and which parts to use. Envision being able to make these plants into medicines such as salves, oils, pills, syrups and tinctures. How would it feel to help others use these herbal medicines for healing purposes? These are the skills of an herbalist. Are you ready to follow the path less traveled? Are you interested in deepening your connection with plants and the earth? It is time to get excited about plants and awaken your passion for natural healing! Green Path Herb School empowers students to use medicinal plants for themselves, their families and as professional herbalists. We offer several herb programs designed for the beginning student to the advanced practitioner. Join us on a journey of exploration of medicinal herbs and natural remedies! Students foster a life long relationship with herbs as we explore the healing power of plants and the study of herbal medicine. We offer classes in Missoula, Montana and have upcoming online classes as well. Our offerings include community herb classes, herbal workshops, wildcrafting trips, online herb certificate classes and programs, a school for training professional herbalists, herb books and lots of free herbal information! Our three main courses are Herbal Foundations an Herbalist Certificate Program and a Clinical Program. GREEN PATH HERB SCHOOL

Menstruation, typically a taboo subject in our culture, can be a rich source of information about health and well-being for both women and their practitioners. But what is normal menstruation? Join herbalist Elaine Sheff of Green Path Herb School to take a deeper look at how to interpret the fertility cycle by creating a menstrual map. This class focuses on hormonal balancing, as well as addressing herbal actions including reproductive antispasmodics, emmenagogues, hormone balancers, phyto-estrogens, progesterone encouraging herbs, uterine astringents, and reproductive tonics. *This class was recorded at the 2015 Midwest Women's Herb Conference. The author of several books on herbal medicine and healing, clinical herbalist Elaine Sheff has been passionate about sharing herbal knowledge for over 25 years. Her latest book is Naked: Botanical Recipes for Vibrant Skin and Healthy Hair Naked: Botanical Recipes for Vibrant Skin and Healthy Hair. Elaine is the Co-Director of Green Path Herb School, located in Missoula, MT, where she strives to inspire and empower students and clients to remember their connection to the earth, the plants and their own healing process. As a certified Instructor of the Natural Family Planning and Fertility Awareness Methods, Elaine has helped many couples to avoid or achieve pregnancy naturally. An artist and writer, Elaine has written numerous articles about her family's journey with epilepsy and a special needs child. You can often find her bent over an herb in her garden or marveling at small flowers in mountain meadows with her husband and sons. Elaine's workshops have been featured at conferences including the Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference, Montana Herb Gathering, Northwest Herb Symposium, Midwest Women's Herbal Conference, Spokane Herbal Faire, the Ecoexpo and the Mountain West Herb Gathering.

Today we're talkin' about about Vata! Amanda Stanley is our instructor for this episode. She is an Ayurvedic herbalist, yogi and reiki practitioner. I loved gaining new insight in this system of herbalism. She has a wonderful way of weaving the philosophy of Ayurveda with practical health practices we could all stand to implement more of in our daily lives. I got a lot out of this episode and I know you'll come away inspired! Thanks so much to Amanda for sharing her wealth of knowledge. If you'd like to reach out to her, you can find her here: Facebook JupitersLabyrinth.com Herbalist Directory RESOURCES What is Ayurveda? Discover Your Dosha Type

Today's episode I'm talking about an upcoming event here in my hometown, Eugene, OR. New Orleans based herbalist Jen Stovall is on a west coast teaching tour and she'll be making a stop here next Saturday, September 30th, 2017. She'll be teaching the six hour intensive "Tools for Working with Addiction". If you've ever wanted to study with her, this event is not to be missed! REGISTER CLASS DESCRIPTION Substance use and addiction are pervasive in our culture. As herbalists we need as many tools as possible to address the needs of clients struggling with these issues. This daylong class offers you three practical tools you can use when treating substance use and addiction: herbs, supplements, & ear beads. In this class, we will explore ways to provide support to clients who want to quit, as well as those who choose to keep using, review the way specific drugs affect certain body systems, and explore how herbs can mitigate these patterns of imbalance. We will focus primarily on the effects and treatment of opiates, alcohol, pharmaceutical sedatives and pain reliever use but will also touch on stimulants. You'll learn about the history and benefits of the NADA Ear Acupuncture Detoxification Protocol as well as how to use ear beads to stimulate one of the points in lieu of acupuncture needles. Throughout the class, you'll be introduced to the basic concepts of harm reduction and trauma informed care as we consider how these models can improve our quality of care. Used together these modalities provide a powerful approach that may be used to support your clients, friends, family, and wider community when addiction is a factor in restoring balance. The true cost of this class is $60 but we are offering a sliding scale of $45-75 with a $20discount for OM volunteers. Wondering where you might fit along this scale? Read below for some ideas! OM volunteers, contact Mason or Tree for a discount code. ••••••••••••• Sliding Scale Info: We leave this up to you, but here are some helpful hints. You might pay near the high end of the sliding scale if: ~ you have a job with dependable hours and have no dependents ~ you regularly (once a year or more) pay for airline travel for recreation ~ you pay to eat at restaurants (ie not fast food) regularly (once a month or more) ~ you pay to drink at a bar on the regular (once a week or more) You might pay near the low end of the sliding scale if: ~ you are currently unemployed ~ you have a job but care for many dependents and doing so is a strain on your budget ~ you are a full-time student ~ you are a full-time organizer/activist (this list has been adapted from bearteachesyoga.com, thanks, Bear!) BIO Jen Stovall works as a Community Herbalist & Health Educator, using a blend of Southern Folk Medicine, Western Herbalism, and harm reduction in her classes and with her clients. She is co-owner of Maypop Community Herb Shop in New Orleans and has a BSN-RN & a NADA Ear Acupuncture Detox Specialist & Trainer license, both of which inform her herbal practice. She has found herbalism to be both a potent tool for pursuing social justice in the world, and a powerful manifestation of the ethical and ideological path she walks in her personal life. She believes that health care should be accessible to everyone and that the most powerful strategy for this is educating and empowering people to choose their own path to health. She is constantly renewed and inspired by witnessing the magic spark that occurs when people are introduced to plant allies through consultations, herb walks, medicine making, & health education.

In today's episode we hear from Charis Lindrooth as she informs us all about the upcoming event, the MidAtlantic Women's Herbal Conference. September 30th - October 1st Kempton, PA Keynotes with Rosemary Gladstar and Susan Leopold! Learn more about using, identifying, preparing and growing herbs for yourself, for your family or to help others on their healing path. Connect with like-spirited women, laugh, sing, dance and be inspired by a great line up of teachers and by each other. Take the day to stretch your mind, enjoy the outdoors and get a rest from day to day stress. Over 20 workshops on women's health,herbal medicine, gardening, and plant identification. Activities include basket making, fermentation basics, drumming, singing and dancing! Food offered by local women vendors. Vegan and gluten-free alternatives. Meal tickets are catered by Hive Local Food and include organic, locally sourced, gluten-free and both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. For more info and to register you can CLICK HERE.

Today's episode we hear from Erika Galentin MNIMH, RH (AHG) of Sovereignty Herbs in Athens, Ohio speaking on Demystifying Herb-Drug Interactions. Many people get very frightened when they think about herbs and drugs interacting with each other. Some even may feel defensive about the idea that pharmaceutical medicine so easily puts herbs in the hot-seat. In this episode you will be introduced to the means by which herbs and drugs may interact with each other, for better or for worse. You will also learn skills for easier interpretation of scientific research behind these interactions. Also, just a heads up, this episode does contain a bit of colorful language. It's nothing too crazy, though. You've been forewarned! If you'd like to obtain Erika's slide for her presentation you can contact her directly at office@sovereigntyherbs.com. I had the pleasure of attending this class at the 2017 Chesapeake Herb Gathering. I recorded it on my phone so the audio quality isn't 100%. That said, it was such an amazing class packed full of important info Erika and I were both really excited to share it with the community. If you're on the east coast and looking for a great annual herbal event you gots to check this one out! Molly Meehan of Centro Ashé and her team throw a heck of a gathering. Show Erika and Sovereignty Herbs some love on the socials! Facebook Instagram Erika's clinical education, experience, and knowledge are based in both science and tradition. Much of her herbal and clinical rationale is derived from the past and present Physiomedical philosophy, with utmost faith placed upon vix medicatrix naturae, or the healing power of nature. She sees the human body as possessing a vital integrity and intelligence with inherent integrative, reconstructive, and resistive, tendencies. She does not see it as a broken-down machine, lacking the savvy for self-repair; given the right set of circumstances, the right nutriment and encouragement, the human body, your body, is capable of amazing things. RESOURCES Hierarchy of Research Clinically Relevant Herb-Drug Interactions with Bill Gurley Herb, Nutrient and Drug Interactions by Jonathan Treasure

Katja and Ryn are back! This time to discuss the winter syrup that they make annually for the upcoming winter season. They always are sure to include elderberry, however they mix it up with various other plant allies depending on what they find growing around them. Be sure to tune in to learn about the formulation they made for this year. They also delve into the properties of the many different plants they included. This was a fun and informative episode. We hope you enjoy it! You can visit Katja and Ryn online at CommonWealthHerbs.com. They have many fantastic resources, including both an in-person apprenticeship and online school. Go show 'em love on the Facebooks! www.facebook.com/commonwealthherbs If you enjoyed the episode, an iTunes ranking and/or comment would be most appreciated! Please share the episode with all of your herb lovin' friends. Thanks, y'all! RESOURCES Where Do Camels Belong, Ken Thompson Invasive Plant Medicine, Tim Scott A blog about Loosestrife Hudson River Study Ginger Chamomile Cookies

Join Lauren with Midwest Women's Herbal as she discusses their upcoming fall event Mycelium Mysteries: A Women's Mushroom Retreat. October 6th - 8th, 2017 Almond, WI This event looks just FANTASTIC! Here's what it's all about... This weekend-long, women's retreat will focus on understanding fungi as the Grandmothers of our ecosystems. Workshops will be offered at the beginner through advanced levels, and include topics in wild mushroom skills, fungal ecology, fungi and human health, and ethnomycology. This is a place to share knowledge and get comfortable with using our mycological skills in a supportive, fungal community! Check out THE PRESENTERS HERE. The keynotes are going to be awesome: Mycophilia - a story of community, and how mushrooms can be the window by which we can understand nature, and ourselves, in a deeper way . ~ with Eugenia Bone, author and food journalist Fungal HERstory - explore with us the connections between the feminine and the fungal, in mythology and in science, from cultures all around the world. ~ with Alanna Burns & Mara Fae Penfil. For more info on this event and to register, here's the link: www.midwestwomensherbal.com/mushrooms Thanks to Lauren and Midwest Women's Herbal for taking the time to share this wonderful event that they are hosting! I hope y'all are able to make it.

On today's episode I narrate herbalist Ruthie Hayes monograph on Tulsi (AKA holy basil). Here's a sampling from her monograph which you can find here: www.herbrally.com/monographs/tulsi-rh Herblore + Tradition: Tulsi is native to India and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for well over 5,000 years. It is the most sacred of plants in Hinduism, essential in the ritual worship of Vishnu and Krishna. Tulsi is believed to be the earthly incarnation of the Divine Mother, Tulasi, and the doorway between heaven and earth. A tea of the leaves is often given to the dying to guide their soul from this world to the next. The wood of the tulsi plant is used in the making of mala beads which are used in meditation and prayer. Traditionally, the mala consists of 108 beads, one for each time the mantra or name of the deity is prayed or chanted. In sacred places, tulsi can be seen growing in its own altar where offerings and prayers can be made to the plant. There are strict rules for harvesting tulsi leaves, and forgiveness from the plant must be asked first. The powder of the root in milk, ghee, or as a decoction was a treatment for malarial fever, bug bites, and to increase sexual stamina. It has also been used traditionally to remedy the cognitive effects of excessive cannabis use. The seeds mixed with water, juice, or milk was a traditional remedy for low energy and stomach/digestive problems. Tulsi is also a popular herb in Thai cooking. It's used as a potherb, in making cheeses, liqueurs, in salads, rice, jellies, and a sherbert is often prepared from an infusion of the leaves. For more monographs (40+ as of now) please visit: www.herbrally.com/monographs You can visit Ruthie online at MotherHylde.com. Let us know what you thought of the episode! Thanks so much for listening. Please share this if you feel so inclined :)

On today's episode we'll hear from Portland, OR counselor and herbalist Jon Keyes. He teaches us about the connection between mental health and gut health as well as the connection to trauma. Jon also covers various protocols we can use including herbal allies. This is a super important episode! I gained a lot of insight and I hope you do as well. Please share if you know someone who would benefit from this info. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Jon! Resources HearthsideHealing.com HerbsForMentalHealth.com Herbs for Mental Health Facebook Group