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Ross Rentea, MD, from the Lili Kolisko Institute will discuss a Goetheanistic View of the Plant World. The concept of metamorphosis was introduced by the German scientist and poet Goethe (19th century) and then greatly expanded by Rudolf Steiner, PhD (20th century). New observations and subsequent experimentations have elucidated more of the practical importance of this discovery for the better understanding of the laws of the organic world as well as for the production of new herbal remedies.
Ross Rentea, MD, has been practicing anthroposophical medicine in Chicago since 1983. He graduated from the Univ. of Chicago Pritzker School of medicine in 1976 and after residency did intensive training in anthroposophical medicine in European anthroposophical hospitals. He is a member of the Anthroposophical Society, the Academy for the Advancement of Medicine and the Physicians Association for Anthroposophic Medicine. He has lectured nationally and internationally, published scientific research articles and published recently (2017) the book “Childhood Illnesses and Immunizations”. He is a co-founder of the True Botanica Company www.truebotanica.com (manufacturer of anthroposophical supplements and remedies) and the Lili Kolisko Institute for Anthroposophical Medicine www.koliskoinstitute.org, dedicated to education of and research in anthroposophical medicine.
The MN SEED Project was created in 2020 to encourage growers to save seeds. In 2021 our project focused on native plants and preserving regionally adapted seeds while creating a local seed economy and community of practice around seed saving skills. Courtney will discuss seed-saving basics you can apply to your garden and share the results of the 2021 project.
About the presenter: When she was a toddler, Courtney Tchida‘s family often found her munching on peas in the garden. It seems she was destined for a career in growing food! With a degree in Environmental Horticulture, a master’s in Agricultural Education, and a certificate in Permaculture Design, Courtney loves teaching others how to grow sustainably and have success (and fun!) in the garden. Her favorite plant? It’s a tie between white Dutch clover (which she calls “magic”) and giant ground cherries (because they taste like passion fruit).
As all of us know, the resources of the Earth are being used by human beings (especially the wealthy consumer nations) at an unsustainable pace. This is as true in the herbal domain as in all others. That was the underlying inspiration for the foundation of United Plant Savers. This lecture offers an overview of the ecological problems and solutions facing the modern herbalist.
While there are important laws governing this field, we never want to forget, at United Plant Savers, that the herbalist should be in right relationship with the plants, in whatever way each person experiences that relationship. We emphasize individual responsibility. That is not possible without an understanding of the problems and solutions––and that means education.
We need to know about wild plants and the communities in which they live, as well as the stresses that herbal and non-herbal users place upon them. For the individual herbalist this can include planting, identifying and supporting plant sanctuaries, sustainable use of wild herbs, understanding the specific guidelines and laws that increasingly govern the field.
About the Presenter
Susan Leopold, PHD is the current Director of United Plant Savers and she is deeply passionate about the At-Risk herbs and how to source plants ethically for small apothecaries, companies and herbalists. She is an advisory board member of the American Botanical Council, a board member of the AHPA Herb Research Foundation, and advisory member of the Sustainable Herbs Program.
Together, we will gently consider the plants which facilitate and further the process of integrating, releasing, and transmuting trauma.
In this often harrowing work, the plants mend us by bringing us back into our bodies and reviving our broken spirits.
In soothing and mending these deep wounds, plants such as wise tulip poplar, shy violet, and unassuming cleavers represent the gentle giants with the wisdom to heal unspeakable hurts.
Together, through gentle story and case study, we will survey the herbal allies which open tightly-closed eyes, soothe battered hearts, mend jagged edges, and accompany us into the darkness to retrieve the light.
Amanda Nicole is a daughter of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She listens to the trees, sits with the land, and gathers medicine messages to share. As an author, poet, teacher, herbalist, mother of six, and Divine Daughter, it is her delight to hold space for others as their eyes and ears open to the Beauty and Medicine that is All Around Us. In 2010, Amanda purposefully began her journey with the plants. She studied herbalism at Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine with Teresa Boardwine in Rappahannock County, Virginia, was blessed to continue her studies by sitting at the feet of Matthew Wood, and completed an herbal apprenticeship with Ashley Litecky Elenbaas of Sky House Herbs. Deeply grateful for her teachers, Amanda is blessed and held by the spirits of her Choctaw (Chahta) ancestors as she offers the sacred medicine of Spirit and Earth through classes, consultations, ceremony, the written word, and song. Her book, Flowers for a Girl: Plant Medicine & Sexual Trauma, is a poetic telling of her healing journey with the plants as teachers and companions. You can hear the plants speak through Amanda by listening to her podcast, Whispers: Plant Spirit Medicine. Loving books, chocolate, soft beds, warm baths, and the Tulip Poplar tree, Amanda is happiest sitting under a tree, surrounded by wildflowers, dusted with dirt, or immersed in wild water. She invites you to visit her website: www.alchemillas.com
Join the guild as we show how to make bitters, herbal salves, and herbal lotion bars.
Mushrooms have been used in Chinese Traditional Medicine for over 2000 years. Western science is finally starting to study medicinal mushrooms and their potential for promoting health and healing. Come and learn about these amazing mushrooms, that may become the medicines of the future. We will explore the history of these mushrooms and examine the evidence for their use as immune system enhancers, cancer treatment, memory improvement and more.
Many medicinal mushrooms grow wild in Minnesota. We will discuss how to identify these mushrooms, where to find them, and how to prepare them. The instructor will bring in specimens of some of some medicinal mushrooms for hands-on examination.
Downloads:
Medicinal Mushroom Descriptions
Mushroom Field Guides and References
About Ron
Ron is a past president of the Minnesota Mycological Society, having served four years in that position. He was an editor of the MMS newsletter, “The Toadstool Review.” Ron is an amateur mycologist, who has been studying and enjoying mushrooms for over 25 years. Mushroom cultivation is one of his special interests. Ron was Chair of the Cultivation Committee of the North American Mycological Association. He has given many presentations and workshops on mushrooms at nature centers, museums, schools, and garden clubs. He was a recipient of The Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award by the North American Mycological Association.
Botany Plant Walk: Herbalism in Eco Restoration
In this plant walk/talk we’ll take a close look at some native prairie plants that grow well in the city and discuss what herbalists should know about native plant communities, including why herbalists are critical to efforts to preserve biodiversity. We’ll also talk about commonly used medicinal plants that are invasive and how to take proper care to keep from spreading invasive plants.
Bio
Sara Nelson took a temporary detour from herbalism to study Conservation Science at the U of M, where she is a master’s student. She has worked as a field botanist for the Minnesota Biological Survey, studied tropical ethnobotany in Costa Rica, created the zine Weeds of Minneapolis, serves as the cacao farmer liaison for Squash Blossom Farm Chocolate, and is the founder of the Corcoran Pollinator Project, a neighborhood group dedicated to creating urban pollinator habitat.
Here are some resources she shared:
Wednesday, July 14th for a Guild Picnic.
6:30-8:00 PM
Picnic Area near the Wirth Lake Public Access
3130 Glenwood Ave, Golden Valley, MN 55422
- Wirth Lake Public Access
https://goo.gl/maps/FHzfp4EQUbnNgWaB6
No formal program, just community and nature.
Bring your own everything – chair or blanket; food; beverages; conversation … and let’s have some herbal community time!
This is a great time to catch up with old friends, meet new friends, relax, swap plants, share herbal products, or for show and tell.
Watch the sky and your email for weather updates.
PLEASE NOTE the current MN state guidelines as of 7/12/2021:
People who are not vaccinated, including children, are not required to wear face coverings indoors or outdoors by state executive order, but are at risk for getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommend that anyone who is not fully vaccinated continue to wear face coverings indoors in businesses, public settings, and when around people from other households, as well as outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained.
Join chef Alan Bergo as he discusses easy ways to weave foraged foods into your daily cooking.
Alan is a chef from Minnesota who’s been cooking since he was in his teens, working his way through kitchens in the Twin Cities. He was sous chef to Lenny Russo at St. Paul’s fabled Heartland restaurant, with it’s daily changing tasting menus sourced from ingredients from 200 miles of Minnesota, Executive chef of The Salt Cellar, and finally, at Midwestern farm to table cornerstone Lucia’s, before it’s closure in 2016.
Now he has his own website, Forager Chef, that gets millions of visitors a year.
What better way to assist healing from acute or chronic pain, than to have a deeper understanding of the mechanism and benefit of pain?
We will explore the pain pathway from the origin at the source, to the recognition in the brain.
We will also discuss self-care, the myriad of methods to interrupt the chronic pain pathway, and how each works including herbal medicines. Indications and contraindications will also be shared
Here is a PDF file on the Physiology of Pain that you can download.
More info coming soon.
About Herb Pharm
They began back in 1979 when their founders, Ed Smith and Sara Katz, set out to make extracts the right way. They set out to make liquid herbal products that were effective and undistorted, to avoid the temptation to manipulate nature, and to do it in ways that made their community and their environment stronger. This mission and their values have propelled Herb Pharm forward ever since.
Description: Stress, distraction, deficiencies, hormones and overly-busy lives can all play a role in lowering libido and decreased functioning. Learn which herbs, foods, fats and essential oils can help keep the mojo flowing. Recipes for cordials and some thoughts on intimacy.
Register in advance for this webinar using this LINK.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Margi Flint B. Sc. is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild~ Herbal Mentor, An Adjunct Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine since 1994, North Shore Community College since 2003 and Mass College of Pharmacy for their Master’s program. She lectures at herbal symposiums as well as medical institutions around the States and lectures internationally. Many area doctors refer clients to the office. Her classes at Earthsong Herbals range from beginner programs to advanced herb and practitioner classes.
More? She continues to practice as a certified Polarity and Reiki Therapist and attends births on occasion. “I just love the human body!”
Around the world, for thousands of years before Echinacea was used ad nauseum, many easily available herbs, foods and lifestyle habits encouraged people to stay robust and strong throughout the winter months. This class will cover many of the easily available folk remedies, foods and herbs to keep you healthy throughout winter.
The world (and likely your current kitchen) is filled with simple but powerful helpers to keep our body robust and healthy in the winter.
In this class you learn how to prepare and use remedies that you already have around you in:
• the “weeds”
• cultivated vegetables of the fall
• trees
• your kitchen
That means – you don’t have to buy a single additional item – although elderberry is pretty darn useful!
This class will remind you of all that you already have, that can support your health, during the winter and any other time, for people of all ages!
Come learn about the history of herbal medicine in the scope of history of medicine more broadly, and the absence of histories of herbalism in academic history. Macey and Emily will share why they think history is important for herbalists, and why they really want to work with herbalists to write better histories!
You can find the slides from the webinar HERE.
Macey (Margaret) Flood received her BA in Liberal Arts in 2007 from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. She is currently a graduate student in the Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine at the University of Minnesota, where she studies the history of botanical medicine in the 19th- and 20th-century United States. Her work is supported by a fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Macey is a trained herbalist and Reiki practitioner. She lives in South Minneapolis with her son.
Paige Swanson is an herbalist and the owner of Tandem Herbals. She has been using herbs for 20 years, but is a perpetual student and received her formal herbal education through the Midwest School of Herbal Studies. She is passionate about foraging and making herbal remedies from plants that are not available on the commercial market. She also enjoys growing as many of her own herbs as she can at home and at an herb garden in Northfield.
Learn about the metaphysical mechanics of excess weight and holistic weight loss approaches including herbs and flower essences.
- Natural Flea, Tick, and Mosquito Repellents
- Basic Supplements for Dogs and Cats
- Raw Feeding Details
- How to Feed Raw
- Recommended Reading List
- A Modern Horse Herbal, Hilary Page Self
- Herbal Horsekeeping, Robert McDowell
- Herbs for Pets, Gregory Tilford
- Animals in Their Element, Cyrie Barnes
- I’ll Be Home Soon, Patricia McConnell
- Don’t Leave Me, Nicole Wilde
- Pet Fooled – a documentary about the unregulated pet food industry and its negative effects on pets’ health
- Raw Delivery local natural pet food
- Rah Raw resource for raw dog food in Osseo
Herb Walk – Meet at Lake Harriet Rose Garden
Herbalist and food stylist Betsy Nelson will teach some easy ways to weave foraged foods into your daily cooking.
Please have these (optional) materials for a mindful tasting experience and to enhance your experience of this online presentation: (PDF of list)
+ Please have 1 teaspoon fresh or dried rose petals
+ A couple fresh dandelion leaves, washed
+ 1 sprig of Creeping Charlie, with flowers, washed
If you can find any of these nutritious wild edibles, please gather a few and have them with you to taste and learn about during the lecture:
+ Dandelion greens (Taraxacum officinale)
+ Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea)
+ Violet leaves (Viola spp.)
+ Lambsquarter (Chenpodium album)
+ Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
+ Plantain (Plantago major)
+ Wood Sorrel (Oxalis spp.)
+ Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
+ Yellow dock (Rumex crispus) leaves
Chinese herbology centers around its use of formulas, which use multiple herbs in concert to treat the person as a whole. In this class, you will learn the basic principles around selecting herbs based on diagnosis, modes of delivery, and how these formulas may be used to treat female infertility and common gynecological issues.
Molly Kubinski is licensed in acupuncture by the State of Minnesota Medical Board. She is board certified in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), and is a Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM). Molly earned her Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Roseville, MN, and received her Bachelor’s degree in French literature from the University of Minnesota.
During her time at AAAOM, Molly spent her time in the student clinic treating expectant and post-partum mothers, as well as couples trying to conceive. This became the foundation of her fascination and passion for Traditional Chinese reproductive medicine and reproductive health strategies. An ardent practitioner of Shaolin kungfu, qigong, and meditation, Molly believes that good health is our birthright and strives to combine ancient and modern knowledge in a way that helps people actively take part in their own healing. Molly lives in St. Paul, MN where she practices at Selby Acupuncture and teaches Shaolin Qigong and Kungfu.
**Huge thanks to the Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism for generously hosting our online meeting this month.
Saving the Planet, One Herb at a Time with Jane Hawley Stevens, winner of the 2020 MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year Award.
As earth stewards, our dedication to healing plants maintains a culture, tradition and knowledge that benefits both people and the planet. Certain plants resonate more with specific events and periods in life. Jane will discuss some of the herbs that are important for 2020: Elder, Echinacea, Boneset and Red Sage, focusing on how developing a relationship with these plants based on mutuality and respect heals both us and the planet.
visit fourelementsherbals.com
Congratulations to Jane Hawley Stevens and David Stevens of Four Elements Organic Herbals won the MOSES 2020 Organic Farmers of the Year
Fasting should not be used as a last resort. It should be employed as the first mode of treatment before a physician starts you on medication for almost any chronic condition.
— Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Fasting and Eating for Health, NY: St. Martin Griffin, 1995
Learn about the varieties and immense benefits of fasting. Sal will give a brief, historical context for fasting and discuss three different types of fasting: a water fast; a fast that targets two organ pairs; and a monofast, where a person eats just one type of food.
Sal Salerno is a licensed acupuncturist registered by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). He completed his training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) at the Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Roseville, Minnesota. He is also a certified practitioner of Shiatsu and is skilled in the arts of cupping, moxibustion and auricular (ear) therapy. Sal’s post-graduate work involved a series of mentorships with Five-Element and Japanese style acupuncture practitioners. He uses a Five Element approach in his acupuncture practice. In this method of acupuncture, needles are not retained, and moxa is sometimes used on acupuncture points before they are needled, “warming the house for the guest.” Balancing the meridians and treating the person as a whole are integral aspects of the Five Element method. In addition to this Five Element approach Sal utilizes Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in his treatments if indicated. Clinical experiences include treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain including neuropathy, palliative care, and supportive therapy for patients with cancer. He treats a wide range of conditions, specializing in the treatment of autoimmune conditions, allergies, digestive issues and nutrition, endocrine imbalances, insomnia, psycho-emotional issues, and addiction.
Applying a comprehensive framework, formed through my many years of research and clinical practice, I am able to provide my patients with thoughtful and effective care for a diverse and complex range of health concerns.
The Story of the Health Freedom Movement in Minnesota
Minnesota has a favorable legal environment for health care practitioners who are unlicensed, such as most most herbalists, homeopaths and traditional naturopaths are. That is because of the legislative reform efforts of activists to who pushed back against the repressive actions of the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice in its efforts to shut down Helen Healy, ND, who, in 1995 was arguably the state’s most prominent naturopath. In 1995, Helen Healy was charged with the “practice of medicine without a license” because she was caught in the snares of the state’s overly-broad definition of the practice of medicine. Activists not only got the Medical Board to back off in its efforts to shut down Helen Healy; they also worked with an attorney, Diane Miller, to formulate a legislative reform bill that would carve out a “safe harbor exemption” within the unlicensed practitioners could safely do, helping their clients, without being accused of the practice of medicine without a license. After several years of intense grassroots educations and lobbying, the activists and their allies in the legislature succeeded and the Alternative and Complementary Freedom of Access bill passed both houses and was signed into law in May of year 2000 by Governor Jesse Ventura.
Leo Cashman is one of the leaders who co-founded the non-profit organizations that spear-headed the educational and legislative reform efforts. He continues to be active in those non-profits today and he also has served on the boards of two national non-profits that also promote “health freedom” around the country and that work nationally on behalf of various aspects of health freedom — parental vaccine exemptions, freedom of access to supplements as well as passing of safe harbor exemptions laws for unlicensed practitioners. Leo will present a power point presentation that shows who the players were 20 and 25 years ago, who they are toward and we will discuss what the ongoing issues are for the practice of health care and health freedom today. How must we be vigilant to protect our freedom today?
Leo Cashman is the executive director of DAMS, Dental Amalgam Mercury Solutions, a non-profit educating the public on health issues in dentistry such as dental mercury, root canals, dental material choices and fluoride. He also serves on the boards of two Minnesota health freedom non-profits (one is 501(c)(3) tax exempt and the other is 501(c)(4),and two national non-profit organizations (one is 501(c)(3) and the other is 501(c)(4)). His college degrees are in physics and math, and he has tended to work in the administrative and accounting roles in the non-profits he is part of.. As a writer and speaker, he has often dealt with health issues and abut health freedom. He currently lives in St Paul, and his DAMS office number is 651-644-4572.