Little – known, Indigenous Herbal Allies with Matthew Alfs

Although many of us are familiar with herbal superstars like echinacea, ginkgo biloba, hawthorn, garlic, turmeric, and ginger, it is a fact that many local wild plants not currently available on the herb market possess remarkable healing powers. In this lecture, local clinical herbalist Matthew Alfs, M.H., R.H. will show color photographs of some of these plants and discuss their healing applications as utilized by Native Americans, folk herbalists, and by Alfs in his own clinic (the Midwest Herbs & Healing center in Roseville).

Matthew Alfs, MH, RH (AHG) has been an herbal clinician and educator for almost twenty years. He has taught herbal medicine at both universities and colleges in the Twin Cities area and has lectured to many organizations, associations, and groups on the subject, both locally and nationally. Numerous articles of his have been published in both journals and magazines (incl. Journal of the American Herbalists Guild, Medical Herbalism, Journal of the American Chiropractic Association, and Herb Quarterly). Matthew is further the author of the widely-acclaimed books Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants of the Midwest (2d ed., 2013) and 300 Herbs: Their Indications and Contraindications (2003), as well as a 1500-page curriculum on herbal medicine for the Midwest School of Herbal Studies (www.midwestherbalstudies.com), a forum for herbal education that he founded in 2003 and directs to this day.