Watch past meetings on YouTube at your convenience! Also, subscribe to our channel, and share it with those who you think will enjoy the content as well.
Description: A book, a teacher, a podcast, or a YouTube video says a particular herb is “for headaches.” Or even better, there is a list of herbs that are all “for headaches.” Do we use the whole list? Make a combo…based on what? Lise has treated headaches – and migraines – for 30 years, in practice. She will share her years of experience so that you can be more precise when helping yourself and others with this common, sometimes acute and sometimes chronic, malady.
Instructor Bio: Lise Wolff, MSc in Herbalism, RH-AHG, has been teaching and practicing drop dose herbalism in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the last 30 years. She harvests her pharmacy from weeds that grow prolifically and loves to share her knowledge with students of all levels. Her lectures are based on actual case histories, with a focus on actually using the herbs in real life.
Description: Different from our usual herbal-focused presentations, Charlie will be leading an interactive session around the concept of vibrational water. Attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a cushion or other type of seat if they would like to sit on the floor with her. Chairs will still be available for those who do not want to sit on the floor. In Charlie’s words: I will share with the group how important the water we consume is for our vitality. How most of us are completely mineral deficient because our land is also mineral deficient, and that in general, we are a dehydrated society, which leads to much of our disease. I will demonstrate how to change the structure of water in a way that supports healing at the cellular level. We will do this as a group with meditation, sound, and intention. I will talk about others doing work in this field, including some that I have worked with personally. I will bring different kinds of water and sound devices to share the frequency shifts and we will do multiple proofings to confirm our work together. In 2000 I made vibrational water: I was working with scientists and chemists around the country and they were blown away by the efficacy of the product and how long it held its frequency. My product was featured on Good Morning America as “the must have,” going into the New Millennium. I was also featured in Vogue and Self magazines.
Speaker Bio: My Name is Charlie Wagner I am an alchemist in the natural world and life in general. I have studied under Lise Wolff in her Three Seasons program. I am a distiller, I distill essential oils and hydrosol. I formulate beauty products for the natural world around me and support small communities of growers and makers around the world. I have a passion for cooking, nutrition, wellness, and beauty. This has taken me all over the world to learn from masters and combine this wide range of interests into a formula for living a healthy, vibrant life. I love to learn, experiment, master, and ultimately share my experience and knowledge. Thank you for this opportunity.
Free for NCHG members to attend, or $10 per person for non-members.
Description: Peach leaves, twigs, and bark, are part of a comprehensive materia medica for many herbalists. Of course, the fruit is also just plain delicious and so refreshing! Come join us on a field trip to Stone Creek Farm to see the system that caused peach trees to fruit over the last 12 years, nine years successfully on this property using organic sustainable practices. NCHG board members can point out other wild herbs growing on the property along the way. Peaches may also be available for sale depending on the timing of certain trees.
Speaker Bio: Dan Sheild, Stone Creek Farm, is a farmer in Taylors Falls Minnesota specializing in growing stone fruit. Since 2010, Dan has successfully grown Peaches in the harshest conditions, surviving -35° with his cold weather peach protection system. With over 40 varieties of peaches in review, desiring to find a template for this region, his research makes growing peaches in the upper Midwest, a viable commercial consideration, bringing a new crop to Minnesota, and cutting 2000 miles off of the carbon footprint. His system lends itself toward organic growing in unthought of areas for a better future. Dan is a member of the Land Stewardship Project, Minnesota, fruit and vegetable growers association, North American Fruit Explorers, and a board member in the Organic Fruit Growers Association.
Description: In this presentation by a clinical herbalist in practice for 27 years, you will learn about the amazing healing potential of little-known, locally-sourced medicinal plants that are not typically available on the market. The speaker will share information on how to identify these plants (aided by color photos he has taken that will be projected as slides), where to find them, and how to harvest and prepare them for use. He will also relate experiences of how he has implemented these plants to help people to heal. Detailed descriptions, historical uses, and scientific studies on these plants are further available in the speaker’s three books on herbal medicine, (1) Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants of the Midwest, 3rd edition of 2020, (2) 300 Herbs: A Materia Medica & A Repertory, 2nd ed of 2020, and (3) Diary of a Country Herbalist, 2017. Matthew will have copies of these books available for signing and purchase after the presentation.
Speaker Bio: Matthew Alfs, MH, RH (AHG) is a clinical herbalist who has been in practice since 1997. He obtained his Master-Herbalist (M.H.) diploma from Wild Rose College of Natural Healing (Calgary, Ontario) and followed that up with training in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in MN. In 2002, he was awarded a peer-reviewed, Registered-Herbalist (RH) credential by the American Herbalists Guild for educational and clinical excellence, a status currently held by less than 300 persons in the entire country. After having practiced at the first integrative clinic on a medical campus, the Natural Care Center at Woodwinds, from 2001-2003, he founded an integrative-therapies clinic in 2004 (www.midwestherbsandhealing.com) that he directs to this day. Altogether, Matthew has seen almost 10,000 different clients, compassionately helping them along the way to vibrant health. He has also delivered over 300 lectures to a wide variety of institutions and associations (including many hospitals) and has taught herbal medicine at two different universities and two different colleges. In 2003, he founded his own school of herbal studies, Midwest School of Herbal Studies (www.midwestherbalstudies.com), an AHG Member School and a Partner in Education with United Plant Savers, based upon a 1500-page curriculum and two large books on herbal medicine (300 Herbs and Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants of the Midwest) that he wrote. He has also been featured on television and radio and has been published in over a dozen different journals and magazines, including Medical Herbalism, Journal of the American Herbalists Guild, Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation, Herb Quarterly, Natural Products Review, and Journal of the American Chiropractic Association.
Description: Join us on a plant walk through Theodore Wirth Park with Sam Thayer, to see what plants we can identify this time of year with both culinary and medicinal applications.
Speaker Bio: Samuel Thayer is an internationally recognized authority on edible wild plants who has been teaching workshops and classes for three decades. He is the author of four highly acclaimed, award-winning books on edible wild plants. His first book, The Forager’s Harvest, has sold over 250,000 copies. His most recent, Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America, is the winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for best nature guide of 2023. Born in Wausau, Wisconsin, Samuel began gathering wild food in early childhood. At the age of 18 he built a log cabin and began pursuing his dream of homesteading, foraging, and studying Nature. Today he lives in Northern Wisconsin with his wife, Melissa, and their three children. Besides teaching and writing, Sam runs a small organic orchard featuring apples, native fruits and berries, and edible native ground covers; he also harvests wild rice, makes maple and birch syrup, and hickory nut oil.
Join us for a fun evening at Lake Monster Brewing in St Paul to share plants from our gardens, seedlings or splitting some of your plants. We’ll reserve a table. Look for a sign with NCHG!
WHEN: May 15 at 5:30PM
WHERE: Lake Monster Brewing
550 Vandalia St #160,
St Paul, MN 55114
Don’t forget to bring a sweater. It can get cold this time of year.
Description: Join a fascinating talk exploring how the ancient wisdom of plants converges with the cosmic dance of the stars. We’ll delve into the energetic qualities of herbs and their alignment with astrological principles and explore the interplay between heavenly bodies, human bodies, and earthly herbs to offer a unique perspective on health and wellness.
About the speaker: Laura is an energy shift expert who helps her clients get unstuck and into the flow of life. In search of the keys to healing, Laura slept in a cave in Tibet, breathed for 45 minutes in ice water, and walked on fire seven times without being burned. She is Master and Teacher of Unlimited Body and Unlimited Breath, an Advanced Practitioner of Flower Essences, and a certified Western Herbalist. She studied Tarot, Hellenistic Astrology, and holds a Master’s degree in Human Development from St. Mary’s University. Laura has practiced for over 25 years and teaches both locally and nationally. Laura is the author of the book, Unveiling Tarot; 78 Catalysts for Personal Awakening.
Description: Come learn about some of Linda Black Elk’s favorite edible medicinal plants. She will share stories, personal experience, and other information about ways to work with plant relatives as both food and as medicine. She’ll also share some of her go-to recipes! Please RSVP to nchgbod@gmail.com to secure a spot as space is limited. Carpooling is also highly encouraged, as there are fewer parking spaces at the venue than seats in the room, and we are expecting a big turnout!
Speaker Bio: Linda Black Elk is an ethnobotanist and food sovereignty activist specializing in teaching about culturally important plants and their uses as food and medicine. She is eternally grateful for the intergenerational knowledge of elders and other knowledge holders, who have shared their understandings of the world with her, and she has dedicated her life to giving back to these peoples and their communities. Linda works to build ways of thinking that will promote and protect food sovereignty, traditional plant knowledge, and environmental quality as an extension of her work as a gardener, forager, fisher, hunter, and gatherer. Linda and her family spearhead a grassroots effort to provide organic, traditional, shelf stable food and traditional Indigenous medicines to elders and others in need. Thus far, they have fed and healed thousands of people. She has written numerous articles, book chapters, and papers, and is the author of “Watoto Unyutapi”, a field guide to edible wild plants of the Dakota people, which is now out of print. Linda proudly serves as the Educational Programs and Community Engagement Leader at NATIFS, a Native-led nonprofit in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She also sits on the board of Makoce Ikikcupi, a Reparative Justice project on Dakota lands in Mnisota Makoce. When she isn’t teaching, Linda spends her time living in a traditional Dakota earthlodge while foraging, hiking, hunting, and fishing on the prairies, woodlands, and waters of Turtle Island with her husband and three sons, who are all members of the Oceti Sakowin – the Seven Council Fires of the Lakota.
Description: to come soon
Instructor bio:
My focus is not just in classic Chinese Medicine. Herbs and essential oil we envision for use is a universal herbal method used by natives, Rasta, Dutch, Greek, Italian and a fleet of aboriginals and Aborigine communities. It is important to search the world to find the best herbs to do the job right! Acquiring accurate knowledge and understanding the science of every herb used helps me design my products to target specific diseases. For now, such methods enable me to find the closest gift to a cure. Hopefully someday we all find the cure that may heal the world.
Description: Did you know that many of the evergreens that inhabit our landscape have edible and medicinal properties? Learn how to safely forage them in this month’s presentation by Maria Wesserle of Four Season Foraging. Together, we will go over identification, harvesting, and preparation of edible evergreens while avoiding toxic varieties. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
Presenter bio: Maria has been gathering wild edibles since 2004 and loves sharing this skill with others. She has spent over 10 years teaching foraging and other nature programs at various organizations in the Upper Midwest. In 2017, Maria founded Four Season Foraging to offer monthly foraging workshops, creating a space where people can learn to interact with urban and rural wild places in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Empower yourself with easy to learn steps to take to promote the health of your breasts. The lymph’s role in breast health will be highlighted. Handouts will be provided.
Meet Katherine Krumwiede
Katherine earned a Master of Oriental Medicine from the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, MN. She has been in practice for 17 years now, and it is tremendously rewarding to help people get back to their best selves – with a smile on their faces and a sparkle in their eyes once their pain has been resolved, their depression lifted, and they’re able to digest and enjoy their food.
http://diamondstoneom.com/about/
Hi! I am Betsy Nelson – freelance food stylist, recipe developer, cooking teacher, Ayurvedic chef and certified herbalist. Why do I wear so many hats? I have always loved learning and exploring how our food relates to our health and well being.
I have always been interested in food, especially plants that are the sources for nourishing our bodies, as well as our minds and spirits. I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Psychology and Studio Arts, which may seem like an odd background for a food person, but I find the process of cooking to be very much a creative process and a great way to connect with others. I have continued my education studying Ayurveda and Western herbalism with a variety of local and national teachers, as well as completed/participated in a Wellness Coaching Program through the Mayo Clinic. Teaching cooking classes to learn how to incorporate foods and herbs for supporting our health as well as foraging for wild edibles, is a passion of mine and I love to take people on walks in the woods to go out and see what nature has to offer!
Autumn is the time for us to hunker down and get back to our roots and nourish ourselves. Betsy will talk about some ways to work with roots in cooking and tea and bitters making. We will do some ’show and smell’ with some common roots found in our area and sip on some roots teas.
Recipes:Autumn Roots BittersThe roots in this sipper are bitter but also aromatic and helpful for digestion. When I serve this to guests after a meal they are delighted with the flavor and surprised to learn what is in it. I think that is part of the mystique of roots. Feel free to get a little in touch with your inner witch and try some other combinations. A little fresh turmeric root can sub for the yellow dock root, if you like. Dried roots can work as well, just use about 1/4 the quantity for the recipe. Licorice root is nice if you like that flavor, although I wouldn’t over-do it, especially if you on blood thinner medication or have high blood pressure. Sometimes I toss in a couple of star anise, a cinnamon stick, some cloves or a little orange zest. Let your palate and intuition be your guide!4 ounces brandy1 ounce maple syrup1” vanilla bean, split1 slice burdock root1 slice yellow dock root1 slice elecampane root6 slices roasted dandelion root (or raw, up to you)1 slice ginger root1 slice turmeric root(optional)1 star anise pod (optional)1/2 Ceylon cinnamon stick (optional)Add all ingredients to a 6-8 ounce jar or bottle. Label and date the container. Let it infuse for 6-8 weeks and strain through a fine strainer or coffee filter. Taste and add more maple syrup if you like. Will keep for at least a year in a well-sealed bottle at room temperature.
Witchy Roots SyrupRoots like burdock, dandelion, elecampane and ginger are great for the digestive system and this witchy concoction is a sort of DIY root beer that is wonderful enjoyed as a soda or a cocktail. Dried roots can be found at herbal shops or online, or even in your own backyard.Makes 1 ½ cups syrupRoots Syrup:2 Tablespoons dried burdock root*1 slice dried elecampane root*1 Tablespoon roasted dandelion or chicory root*1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root½ teaspoon dried licorice root or star anise pod½ vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste1 cup water½ cup maple syrupSimmer the roots and vanilla bean in water for 5 minutes and steep for 25 minutes. Strain, add maple syrup and chill. This syrup is delicious added to drinks and also when drizzled over vanilla ice cream.For the drinks:Wild Root Beer: Pour ¼ cup roots syrup over crushed ice and top with fizzy water or gingerale
Many local and available plants are incredibly effective remedies for healing and easing the pain of arthritis, sprains, strains, tight muscles, whiplash, bone breaks, repetitive stress injuries and so much more. Come learn what, where and how to use these effective and simple remedies.
Come Saturday night for a pizza party, plant discussion and camp out. On Sunday morning we will help Tony harvest Poppies, and at 2:00pm we will have a tour of his farm with more plant discussion.
Join herbalist and expert grower, LuAnn Raadt, for a tour of her extensive medicinal herbs garden and adjacent wild area, followed by a short tutorial on tincture-making, with an opportunity to harvest and make your own medicine. If you wish to gather and make herbal remedies, bring your necessary supplies. (Beginners: plan to bring a small jar with lid, scissors, skewer and vodka or other menstruum of your choice.) LuAnn accepts donations for the garden in exchange for harvesting. Afterward, we will head to Keepsake Cidery for a drink, lunch and some socializing.
The medicinal herbs garden is located on the north edge of Northfield at Open Hands Farm (4151 320th Street West, Northfield, MN 55057).
Keepsake Cidery is located 7 miles south of Northfield off Highway 3 (4609 135th Street East, Dundas, MN 55019).
Bring your extra plant babies to swap and share with fellow herbalists and growers. We will have a table outside at Lake Monster Brewing. Grab a drink, look for our sign to find us, and spend some time chatting about plants.
Garden plants have a long history in herbal medicine. Join us to travel back in time and learn about the historical secrets of plants growing in the garden from Herbal Practitioner, Nutrition Educator, and Master Naturalist, Connie Karstens. Historically, storytelling played a vital role in remembering long lost information. This class will delve into the stories of garden medicine. We will explore Folk stories, European traditional uses, Renaissance era, Medieval times, and Native American uses. Don’t miss this inspiring opportunity to learn more about plants and their secret uses.
Bio: Connie Karstens is a clinical herbalist and a holistic nutrition educator. She holds a BA in Biology and a MS in Health & Nutrition Education and taught college nutrition for 14 years. She also is the owner of a specialty store and wellness center, the Lamb Shoppe, located on her farm. The store features natural foods, organic produce, grass fed meats, healthy personal care items, medicinal herbals, and unique local products.
Connie offers private wellness consultations and teaches classes and workshops that incorporate whole foods nutrition, herbal medicine, flower essences, essential oils, and other natural remedies to support and build overall health and re-balance the body. As an herbalist, she gathers and prepares local plants used in her herbal pharmacy. Connie works to balance health for clients of all ages and a wide range of problems including digestive issues, skin conditions, autoimmune disorders, ADHD/ADD, anxiety, stress, fatigue, depression, sleep issues, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, balancing blood sugar levels and much more.
Class Description:
Chef Lachelle and Certified Herbalist Eva have joined forces to create Natural Roots Wellness and the Elixir Kitchen where you can join them to explore the world of plant remedies and nutritional healing. In this session, they will discover what tonics, tinctures and fire ciders are and focus on the herb, rosemary and its many attributes and benefits. Learn about their personal journeys to plant healing as Eva walks us through the preparation of fire cider and rosemary tincture. Chef Lachelle will prepare a seasonal salad with Rosemary’s Fire Vinaigrette, a combination of fire cider and rosemary infused oil curated by Natural Roots Wellness. We will conclude the session with a bonus conversation about natural yoni care and womb health.
Bio for Chef Lachelle Cunningham: Chef Lachelle has been a dynamic force on the Twin Cities’ food scene and is known for cooking globally inspired comfort food that thwarts unhealthy stereotypes and fuses in global flavors. She began her culinary career by launching Chelles’ Kitchen in 2012 and soon became known for her work as the founding Executive Chef of Breaking Bread Cafe (2015) in North Minneapolis, where she received many accolades for her food creativity and social justice work. In 2018, Chef Lachelle began building Healthy Roots Institute, with a mission focused on healing and social justice through food education, culinary arts and entrepreneurship. Through Healthy Roots Institute, Chef Lachelle curates cooking workshops and retreats, teaches culinary arts, food business classes and also provides human resources, menu development and operations consulting to local restaurants and food service establishments. Her greater vision is to grow Healthy Roots Institute for greater capacity to impact people through food, culinary education and entrepreneurship. To learn more about where Chef Lachelle’s vision is headed, you can read this recent article in the Mpls/St. Paul Business Journal and visit the Healthy Roots Institute website.
Bio for Eva Nyrie Garrett, Naturopath & Master Herbalist:
Eva Nyrie Garret, a North Minneapolis native, has worked at AT&T for the past 20 years. In 2012, she began working for the nonprofit food justice organization, Appetite for Change, where she assisted in cultivating and managing the northside community gardens, Farmers Market and Community Cooks programs. Working with Appetite for Change helped to deepen Eva’s love for gardening as she became known in her community as Farmer Garrett, providing produce through CSA’s from her own backyard. In becoming an avid gardener, she also grew a deep connection with herbs and in 2020 obtained her Master Herbalist certification and launched her herbal business, Natural Me Apothecary where she creates healing products that cleanse, nurture and treat ailments. In October of 2022 Eva became a certified Naturopath. She will use this certification along with her herbalist certification to further assist communities.
Come listen to Rachel Banken share her story of the ups, downs, twists, and turns of building and growing her business, Well Rooted Teas. Her talk will also include a tour of The Good Acre where she stores and blends her teas. Come with all your questions about running a small herbal business!
Herbalists and healers, we are excited to bring to you our first pass at a public presentation of an oral history/life story project we have been doing with some regional herbalists and other “plant people” over the last nine months.
We have been slowly working to compile 40+ interviews with people who practice and use plants for health into an online digital database and StoryMap. Using StoryMaps to present overlapping stories of these place-based, plant-based practices, we find this project helps us visualize and explore some of the surprising social overlaps and historical context of the incredible wealth of plant people living in this region (including you!) This presentation will include an overview of the project thus far, a walkthrough of the map in its current stage (and how to access it!), and a discussion of some of what we’ve found. We’d also love to talk with you about your thoughts on this project, as well as whether you’d like to participate as an interviewee, or if you have suggestions of folks we should talk with!
Bio: Hello. My name is Dr. Andrew John Lucking. I am the director of the Minnesota Naturopathic Medicine Clinic. The Minnesota Naturopathic Medicine Clinic is a family service clinic. We offer healthcare committed to recognizing the needs of an individual patient, in which each patient is an active participant on the pathway to optimal health.
I was born in Benson, MN and come from a long history of medical, religious and legal professionals. I am a 1989 graduate of Bastyr University, a four-year medical school in Seattle, WA. Bastyr university is one of four fully accredited universities in the United States offering a doctoral- level program in Naturopathic Medicine. Bastyr is considered the most prestigious of the schools.
In 1982 I graduated from North Dakota School of Pharmacy with a BS degree in health services management and a minor in chemistry. While an undergraduate, I conducted research in a host of subjects including botanical pharmacognosy, environmental and food allergies and the immune system. Upon graduating from NDSU, I began working with Anchorage Neuro-Spinal clinic in Anchorage, Alaska. There, I performed exams, interpreted X-rays, and did massage therapy, all while earning a certificate as a radiographic technician.
With a solid medical and science background, I combine conventional allopathic (M.D.) medicine and chiropractic services (D.C.) with the healing virtues of Naturopathic medicine (N.D.). In addition, I have developed a body of work technique, combining seven different types of massage into a single comprehensive design. I have treated many persons for whom conventional allopathic treatments had not been successful.
I am also the founder of the Minnesota Holistic Center, an organization which provides seminars, lectures, community and adult education and natural health care. In addition, I belong to the Minnesota Naturopathic Association and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
I have appeared numerous times on TV at radio and in print (WCCO, K FAI, Public Access TV and The Southwest Journal, February 1994).
Liz Johnson Bio: Herbalism is both an ancient and a modern healing art exploring the inner secrets of herbs and how they work with the body to enhance health.
All around the world herbalism has been practiced for millennia. Many healing traditions have collected empirical knowledge about herbal healing for untold centuries. Studying these traditions and bringing ancient knowledge from around the world together into one practice has been a life long process for me.
Herbalism is also a modern healing art exploring the inner secrets of herbs and how they react to the body and with medications. Using scientific studies to enhance the traditional knowledge of herbalism and using the theoretical models of herb to drug interaction results in a more cautious and safe approach to herbalism.
Blending knowledge from healing traditions and modern research is the heart of my practice—Medicinal Herbalism.