Making Botanical Body Creams

Date: September 21, 2022
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Seward coop friendship location, in the community room, 317 E 38th St, Minneapolis, MN 55409 (will also be virtual)
Teacher Name and Titles: Jessie Belden
Belden, Jessie
Description: This informative and wildly inspirational demo will walk you through the basics of making shelf-stable, completely natural, medicinal oils to then turn into your own sumptuous botanical body creams. These creams are so light and pure ~ you could eat them~ and some clients have! Jessie has over a decade of experience of making and selling botanical body care, and is eager to walk you through the process.  
 
Bio: I am a loving, fiery, free-thinking human. Mother of four. Loyal friend and lover. As a small child, I always felt most at home in nature – most children do when left to their own devices. My first herbal experiences that I can remember were in preschool, collecting plants, flowers, stones, and stirring up my concoctions with sticks. I still work very much in that way.

My first herbal ally was Cedar. I spent most of my formative years in the woods of my backyard alone. Imagination running wild. In high school, Environmental Science class, we did a unit on “how to use a plant key,” and I bought my first plant ID book. My herbal medicine journey then spiraled out from there, primarily in learning to identify local edible plants. In the autumn of 2009, I began my studies with Rosemary Gladstar and Sage Mountain. This completely colored my world then and now. I learned the art and science of working with clients, crafting herbal body care products, and the magic of making medicine.

I then began my own herbal product line called “LoveStrong Apothecary,” which later morphed into Herban Vagabond Apothecary. In the fall of 2012, I began apprenticing under previous Medicine Tree owner and acupuncturist, Dina Goodwill. I apprenticed with her up until buying The Medicine Tree Herbal Pharmacy from her in the summer of 2017 until 2021.

In 2014, I began facilitating the Herban Roots Apprenticeship, which is a 6-month foundational herbalism intensive. I have found my calling in this branch of teaching that invites deeper connection with both plants and people. I have studied with and been wildly inspired by herbalists; Jim McDonald, Kiva Rose, Matthew Wood, Stephen Buhner, Lise Wolff and Sajah Popham, to name a few. My personal brand of herbal medicine work is one part community herbalist, two parts medicine maker, a dash of herbal clinician, and a whole lot of love and magic.

If you are interested in working with a grounded and passionate herbalist, having a custom medicinal formulation or body product made, or want to learn more about Flower Folk Apothecary or my Herban Roots Apprenticeship, let’s schedule a consult and connect!