Since the days of my childhood, stirring cauldrons and whipping up potions in the make believe kitchens of my tree fort or the tall grass up on the neighbors hill, I have appreciated the mystery of dinner coming from the garden, the forest, or the bramble at the edge of the orchard, long before I understood the alchemy of food as medicine.

As a young mama, the concept of finding a first aid kit or a salad in our front yard turned me onto the world of wild weed wildcrafting. These explorations deepened with my massage therapy practice and further studies of what to eat, where to look, how we heal and why plants will save us all.

Deepening my understanding was matched by a growing respect for ancestral wisdom and the quiet but powerful plant spirit medicine all around us. The ways medicinal plants work to get our attention speak directly to my heart. I started to pay attention to what “invasive species” like Elaeagnus umbellata (Autumn Olive) or Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard) and “annoying species” like Urtica dioica (stinging nettles) might be trying to offer us [Nutrient Density! Relief from inflammation! Nervous system support!]. I am intrigued by the seemingly endless gifts that medicinal plants shower us with and I offer myself to be in service to plants and people.

I have studied folk medicine and family herbalism for many moons both formally and informally, and will be an enraptured student for life! Though I am no expert or encyclopedia, I am quite fond of those who are, who have taught me in person at workshops, immersions & apprenticeships, in online classes,  or through their books and audio influence. I owe a great karmic debt to this lineage of wise counsel and wild (wo)men that follows:

(photo credit J. Stoltz)

The Bees! Yes, just watch them do their thang and you will understand. The pollinators are the life bearers of the plant world and therefore of us! Bees have taught me stillness, trust, instinct, duty and loyalty.

Clayton College of Natural Health

Hygeia College

Womens Herbal Wisdom Summit

Wise Woman Way

Utah College of Massage Therapy

Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Herbal Academy of New England

Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine

 

Jeannine Parvati Baker

Rosemary Gladstar

Susun Weed

Sharon Jones

Jackie Rushton

Kami McBride

Thomas J Elpel

Juliet Blankespoor

Richo Cech

Michael Moore

Maude Greive

Laura Larriva

Aviva Romm

Michael Tierra

Dr Christopher Hobbs

James Green

Joyce Wardwell

Marlene Adelmann

And You!

You have been my teacher, too. Wanting to provide you and your loved ones with quality crafted blends has taught me to pay attention and listen to the whispers of the medicine all around us.

(Photo credit L. Larriva)

I bow to all my teachers;

past, present and future.