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Enlivening the practice, art and culture of folk herbalism

Subscribe, Submit Your Work, Advertise

The new nexus of the folk herbalism resurgence. Paul Bergner

The most beautiful magazine ever... bar none! Phyllis Light

Welcome To a brief Sample Look at Plant Healer Magazine, the quarterly journal of the new Folk Herbalism

resurgence... with details on membership, a list of departments and columns, a few pages of graphics and layout

to give you a feel for this unique publication, and even some complete articles by Paul Bergner and others.

Plant Healer Magazine is the online Quarterly for herbalists that everyone seems to be talking about... over

200 exciting, full color pages per issue, filled with stunning photography and illustrations, thought provoking

and empowering columns and information packed articles. Plant Healer exists to inform and inspire you -- the

many thousands of impassioned students and practicing herbalists of absolutely every age and level, plant and

nature lovers of all kinds, and everyone taking responsibility for theirs and their familys basic health care... a

grassroots approach to the study and use of plant medicines, emphasizing folk herbal culture and community.As a subscribing member, you will receive a special code giving you access to your own personal members

page on the Plant Healer site, where you can login to download not only the current edition of the journal but

also all the back issues, in full color PDF form. Youll also have access to exclusive, regularly rotated gifts such

as teaching aids and exclusive articles by Kiva and other allied teachers, color art posters by Jesse Wolf and

others thats suitable for framing, discounts on upcoming events and courses, audio and video recordings of

TWHC classes and concerts and more.

To Subscribe or To Download Submission Guidelines please go to:

www.PlantHealerMagazine.com

The Most Effective herbs Treating Clients Medicine Making Wild Foods GatheringWhole Foods Recipes Simplified Botany for Herbalists Constitutions & Energetics

Special Features for Kids and Parents Case Studies Botanical Support in Midwifery

Healing Traditions Interviews With Leading Herbalists Plant Conservation. Herb Gardening

Plant Art & Plant Illustration Herbalist Fashion andHerbalist Fiction

with columns and articles by leading herbalist authors including:

Paul Bergner Kiva Rose Christa Sinadinos Matthew Wood Susun Weed Juliet Blankespoor

Aviva Romm Virginia Adi Robin Rose Bennett Katja Swift Sean Donahue Kristine Brown

Phyllis Light 7Song Jim McDonald Sam Thayer and Rosemary Gladstar


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-Jesse Wolf Hardin


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Columns & Departments Include:

! ! ! Jesse Wolf Hardin: The Healing Journey: Explorations & Meanders! ! ! ! ! ! Paul Bergner: The Herbal Rebel: Vitalist Teaching & Radical Thinking! ! ! Seeing Folks: Case Studies & Therapeutics! ! !Plant Allies

!! ! ! 7Song: Botany Illuminated! ! ! Matthew Wood: EarthWise: The Practice of Western Herbalism! !! Jim McDonald: Foundational Herbcraft! Traditions In Focus ! ! ! ! ! !! ! Herbal Garb & Folk Fashion! ! Aviva Romm: Birth Roots - Herbs for Midwives! ! ! ! !! ! ! Kristine Brown: Herbal Sprouts: Kids As Herbalists!! ! ! !! ! ! Im An Herbalist Too!: Articles For & By Kids ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! Into The Forest: Foraging and Wildcrafting!! ! ! Sam Thayer: The Forager! ! !From The Hearth: Traditional Foodways & Recipes! ! ! Distillation: Medicine Making! ! ! Susun Weed: Wise Woman Ways! ! ! !! ! ! Plant Healer Interviews! ! ! Cultivation & Propagation! ! ! Advocacy & Activism!! ! ! The Gathering Basket: A Basketful Of Meaningful Miscellany! ! ! Jesse Wolf Hardin: The Medicine Bear: A Novel of Plant Medicine! ! !! ! ! Kiva Rose: The Medicine Trail: Wild Rambles, Tales & Wanderings


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A group of 30 students is sitting in an upper-

montane Rocky Mountain grove of

Aspen and Ponderosa Pine. All

around them is a plant with whiteumbels. They are new incoming

students to our school on the

fourth day of class. It is their third

day in the field, learning how to

look at plants, learning how to

love plants. We examine

the plant, try to memorize

its features, and then sit in

silence with it for twenty

minutes. The students donot know the plant name,

its uses, or anything other

than their observation of it.

At the end of the twenty

minutes, they are deeply

moved. Deeply emotional.

They feel the power of this

plant, hard to describe in

words, other than just

p o w e r f u l s t r o n g

w i s e p o w e r f u l l y

feminine (their words).

They feel that something

new has opened in them

because they have met this

plant and sat with it. I ask

them to identify the

G r a n d m o t h e r o r

grandmothers of the stand.

They know what I mean without further explanation

The students agree that one plant

out of dozens, is the Grandmother

I instruct the teacher of the class todug under the side of the plant and

cut a pinkie-sized piece of root

from the Grandmother, to show

the students how to take medicine

without harming the plant or the

stand. They are upset. The

roots are in rocky soil, and

do not yield to the teacher

easily. There is a struggle

I t takes almost f iveminutes to cut a smal

piece of root. We pass

around. Some students are

weeping. Others have

horrified looks on their

faces. One is enraged

Anot he r t h i nks t ha t

perhaps she has come t

the wrong school because

of what we have done to

the plant. It takes a half-

hour in class the next

m o r n i n g t o p r o c e s s

emotionally what has

happened. And I am very

satisfied, satisfied that in a

matter of four days I have

transmitted to a group of

30 strangers a true sense of

Cultivating Intimacy

With PlantsListening Instead of Talking,

Loving Instead of Taking

By Paul Bergner

Photos by Kiva Rose


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unconsciously pulled a flower off a plant,

and in the same moment, my other hand

brushed a thorn on another plant. Once,

against the instructions of spirit, I took

some branch tips from a Western Red

Cedar. I immediately felt guilty, and for

the next entire year, I felt a heartbreak,

that my love relationship with Cedar was

injured. Finally a year later I was back in

the same place, meditating, praying for

forgiveness, and when I opened my eyes,

I saw blown down cedar tips all around

me. All along the trail. I told the story to

my students that year, and then and ever

since, my students have refused to cut a

branch from a living cedar tree, and have

waited for blow-down or a fallen tree to

take their medicine. We have learned and

developed ways to take the medicine that

other plants give away. After one week-

long student trip to Mt Hood, I prepared

to leave camp, and Spirit told me to get

down on my hands and knees and draw

every plant in that camp before I left. It

took 3 days. By the end of that time I had

drawn and fallen in love with more than

80 plants. Eventually I repeated this

process in many areas of the West, and Ihave now met deeply and fallen in love

with many hundreds of plants. Not just

medicinal plants. Not use useful

plants. Not just plants that are good for something.

Plants on their own terms, with their own life, with

our shared life and love. These were my authentic

instructions, and I followed them for the next twenty

years. Why I was being led on this unusual path for

an herbalist was a mystery to me throughout this

time, and embarrassed I hardly told anyone about it.An herbalist is supposed to be a medicine-maker

after all.

Not long ago, the summer before we visited the Osha

patch above, the instructions changed. Simple and

direct. Spirit said: Now harvest. Make medicine.

Teach how to harvest. I understood my training

when I spent some time that summer with Howie

Brounstein of Oregon, a master of plant

identification and wildcrafting. He said the first

lesson of wildcrafting was knowing how to not pick

the plant. I understood that I now have post graduate

education level not-picking skills. And the power

and insight that has come with it. My specialty now

in what I teach is to show how to take medicine from

a plant without killing or otherwise harming it.

This could easily be an essay on ethical wildcrafting

but it is not. It is an essay about listening rather than

taking, loving rather than getting, about stopping

your hand as it reaches out to take a plant, about life

long commitment to the natural world, and about

craving true guidance and Calling with the same

intensity as the wanting of water, food, or air.

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Osh, Ligusticum porteri, fruiting inflorescences


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1. Clients are experts on what ails them, and if youlet them, they will tell you.

Your job is to be there, tolisten, and to offer advice andherbs. Don't interrupt. Takenotes instead, and ask yourquestions once the client hasfinished what he/she's goingto say.

If they talk about one or the other diagnosis you'venever heard about before, ask them about it. They'lltell you; you're a

herbalist, after all,not a doctor. You'renot supposed toknow all thatmedical terminology.

2. Don't focus on thediagnosis, focus onthe person and theirsymptom picture.

For instance, doctorshave about 100different diagnosesfor rheumatism. Ithink there's aboutfive different causesfor rheumatism. I seeall the multitude of diagnoses as a medical way ofsaying "I have no idea why you have rheumatism soI'll make a list of all your symptoms instead".

3. It's a very good idea to have an intake form. I useMichael Moore's (http://www.swsbm.com Herb

Manuals: Intake Form, p. 1 &

2), but any form that will letthe client mark various bodily functions and theirregularities will work as astarting point for yourconversation. (It's even better

if you actually know what those variousirregularities mean, in terms of physiologicaimbalances.)

The intake form will

help you geti m p o r t a ninformation fromyour client beforeyou shoo them outthe door, happy tohave been of helpIt's a teensy bitawkward to hearthings like "Oh yesand my leg will be

amputated nextweek" or similarwhile you're sayingyour good-byes.

4. You shouldabsolutely count

treating family and friends as herbal experience

Friends and family shouldn't tell you their mostprivate secrets (clients should, though. And you

Wisdom for Beginnersor Tips, Hints and Wise Words for HerbalistsWho Are Just Starting to See Clients

by Henriette Kress

Arnica cordifolia Rosalee de la Fort
http://www.swsbm.com/http://www.swsbm.com/http://www.swsbm.com/


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Southern herbalists have long recognized thedevastating health havoc wreaked by an infestationof parasites, those little critterswhich depend upon a host (toooften the human body!) fornutrition and protection.

B e c a u s e s y m p t o m saccompanying an infestationmay progress slowly, parasiteinfection is often overlooked bypractitioners as a source of chronic illness. Andparasites come in all shapes and sizes. Some arevisible to the naked eye while others are so tiny theycan only be viewed under amicroscope.

Parasites common to the United

States include roundworms,tapeworms, pinworms, flukes,and assorted bacteria andviruses. They are generallytransmitted through food,especially in undercookedmeats, through contaminatedwater, hand contact with aninfected individual, pets orfarm animals, and going barefoot in the outdoors can

also make you vulnerable.Water borne sources of parasitesinclude contaminated bottledwater, outdoor streams, saunasand swimming pools. Despitewhat you might think, chlorine does not kill mostparasites and most filtering systems do not keepthem out. In a study carried out by the University ofVirginia in 1997 and funded by the CDC, researchersfound that the little pests were still actively theirnasty selves after 2 hours of continuous exposure to

household bleach. Still, good hygiene practices, likehand washing, can help reduce the risk of infectionfrom many sources such as pets and farm animals.

Parasites can cause fever and abdominal pain,hinder absorption of minerals and lead to symptomsof malabsorption such as anemia. They can alsocause diarrhea, eczema, joint or muscle aches andpains, restlessness, sleep disturbances, allergies, theinability to gain weight or the inability to lose

weight, leaky gut syndrome, mental fog, skinproblems and rashes, hypoglycemia and itchy nose,

skin or anus. Parasites, as agroup, are shocking versatileand can infest the smalintestines, lower bowel

thyroid, liver, pancreasappendix, lungs, lymphatictissue and vaginal tissue. Thesymptoms of a parasitic

infection resemble the symptoms of many chronicillness such as fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, anddiabetes. When in doubt I do not hesitate to suggest

a parasite cleanse.

Parasites have a complex lifecycle that progresses

through several stages eggs, larvae and adult. Theycan remain in any of thesecycles for lengthy periods oftime, patiently waiting unticonditions are just right forthem to resume growthParasites tend to reproducearound the full moon so aparasite cleanse is mosteffective during the week

before full moon or durinthe waxing moon cycle.

An accumulation of toxinsand waste materials in the

colon presents the perfect environment or breedingground for parasites. Elders taught me that the firststep in eliminating parasites should be the removaof these wastes. Fiber can help cleanse the colon andremove the toxic build-up on which parasites thriveA cleanse also encourages healthy peristalsis and

acts like a broom to sweep the intestines clean oftoxins and pull the parasites from the lining of thedigestive tract. At that point, anti-parasite herbs willhave a greater effect.

Parasites also flourish in a sugary environment. Soavoid processed sugars, processed grains, especiallywhite flour, alcohol and dairy products. Eat a diethigh in plant fibers with well-washed fruits andvegetables.

Parasites

& Other Infestations:Southern Appalachian Herbal Treatment

by Phyllis Light


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Botanical Name(s): Aralia californica (A. racemosa hasmany similar uses)Common Name(s): Elk clover,California spikenard, California

ginseng, False sarsaparillaFamily Name: Araliaceae

DescriptionPart(s) Used: The roots and the berries are used for most preparations, and should be prepared separately. The leaves can be used intea.

Aralia has large pinnate,compound leaves with three

leaflets in a group. The rootsand leaves have a pungent,sweet aroma. The flowershave a light, white color; theygrow in umbel-like clusters.The immature fruits arewhite and mature into adeep, purple-black colored berry. The berries mature inSeptember or October andcan be harvested in the fall.

Make sure to leave many berries as seeds for the nextyears growth.

The root grows from one to four inches wide andhas a light to medium brown color. When the root iscut it oozes a thick, sticky, whitish-yellow resin. Likeall members of the ginseng family, each year ofgrowth is represented by a leaf scar. Count thenumber of scars to learn the age of the plant.

The roots can be harvested in late fall, winter, orearly spring. Harvest after the berries have matured a

dropped so that the seeds canspread.

Habitat and Locality:Aralia californica is one of the

largest herbaceous plants growing in NorthAmerica. Its native habitat is Northern Californiaand Southern Oregon. It can be found growing in

the shade on the banks ofsmall streams that are fedfrom snowmelt in the

mountains.

Aralia root can be cultivatedfrom the seeds, if you canfind a source for themWhenever I harvest the wildroots, I save the root crownsand replant them in soil mixAfter a month or two (withfrequent watering), the rootsare ready to transplant.

Every Aralia planted in mygarden was started from root crowns; Ive replantedmany established root-crowns in their native habitatas well. It is a wonderful way to recycle roots youveharvested and to keep wild stands from beingdepleted. The plant requires partial shade andfrequent watering for optimal growing conditionsThe leaves will burn or turn yellow when they areover-exposed to sun.

Aralia(Elk Clover, California Spikenard)

Text & Photos

by Christa Sinadinos


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! ! Overview

In the next few segments of Botany

Illuminated we will focus on one of themost commonly encountered plantfamilies; the Asteraceae (also known asthe Compositae or Sunflower family). Itis an intriguing family worth the effortto know. For starters, it is the biggestfamily with the largest number of individual specieswith approximately 24,000. This means that thisfamily comprises about 10% of all the floweringplants (angiosperms) on earth, pretty darnremarkable. (Side note: believe it or not, the secondlargest family is the Orchidaceae, family of theorchids, more on them another time) Wherever youare, you are likely to come across a number ofspecies from this family. And as I write this article inlate autumn in the Northeast, it is the last family to

put on a showy display with the goldenrods andasters.With the sheer number of species it

means that anyone interested inlearning the plants around them musget to know the Asteraceaes botanicalidentifying characteristics. The goodnews is that as a family, there are oftenobvious shared features making it one

of the easier families to learn to recognize.The other name for this family is the Compositae,due to the multiple flowers per flowerhead(inflorescence). This is the most unifying feature

(there are exceptions of course) but once you canspot the many flowers tightly packed togetherappearing as one flower (imagine a sunflower here)you are on your way to learning the Asteraceae.

The Asteraceae

Part I (of II)Text & Photos

By 7Song


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Photography by 7Song

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Due to the huge number of species, the Asteraceae(as with other large plant families) is divided upinto tribes, a category between family and genus.This article will stick to just genera and species, buttribes are commonly used to make Asteraceaeidentification easier by further dividing this verylarge family.

The basic premise on which the Asteraceae is built ishaving many flowers clustered tightly togetherlooking like a single flower. This favors cross-pollination as pollinating insects land on thisflowerhead and move pollen from one flower toanother. This way the seeds from the individualflowers will be genetically diverse as they are beingpollinated from a nearby flower, and not bythemselves. This diversity leads to success inspreading ones self around, and creating more

diversity over time, which is why there are so manyCompositae family members throughout the world

Identifying the Asteraceae

When I describe to people how an Asteraceae floweris not one flower, but many flowers appearing asone flower, they often dont believe it at first. It ishard to imagine each petal-like piece being anindividual flower. But let me conjure this image foryou. Imagine a dandelion flower (see accompanying

photo) now imagine that each petal in thedandelion is a separate individual flower. Not apetal or part of a flower, but a fully-functioning trueflower, sitting amongst many other very similarlooking flowers. This is what you are looking at;each one of these flowers is a stand-alone flower.Once you understand this one aspect, than you areon your way to being able to spot one of the manyAsteraceae around you.There are other parts of the Asteraceae inflorescence

that are important to know and this first article willpoint out just a few of these features. First, all of theflowers (sometimes called florets due to theirdimunitive size) sit together on top of a commonpiece of plant tissue, called the receptacle (seephoto). In the photos with receptacles you will alsosee the achene, the fruit of the Asteraceae. Theachene contains the seed, (reminder; botanically the

fruit of a plant is the mature ovary which containsthe seed(s), compared to the common usage of fruit

as a type of edible sweet food). An unshelledsunflower seed is an achene, as is a dandelion seedSo the achenes sit on the receptacle.Heres where it gets more complex. There are twomain types of Asteraceae flowers;ray flowers, anddisk (or disc) flowers. Asteraceae inflorescences

(flowerheads) come in three main types, those withonly ray flowers (ligulate), those with only diskflowers (discoid) and the third type with ray anddisc flowers (radiate). (See photos). Ray and diskflowers share many similarities but due to thedifferences of their respective corollas (petals) theylook different. Future articles will discuss thesedifferences as well as other aspects of theAsteraceae.

Summary

There is much more that will be covered about thiscommon plant family, but for now here are some ofthe important points:

1. It is the most common plant family worldwide,hence the importance in learning to identify them

2. The Asteraceae inflorescence (flowerhead) ismade up of many individual flowers clusteredclosely together, often resembling a single flower.

3. This arrangement allows for cross-pollinatingby visiting pollinators.

4. The individual flowers are often called floretsdue to their small size

5. The receptacle is the piece of plant tissue that althe florets sit on.

6. The achene is the fruit (mature ovary) of theflorets. It contains the seed and sits on top of thereceptacle.

7. There are two main types of flowers, the rayand the disk.

8. There are three main types of inflorescencesthose with just ray flowers (ligulate), just diskflowers (discoid) and both ray and disc (radiate)

9. Learning to identify a plant as an Asteraceae ispretty simple once one understands some of thebasic characteristics that make up this family.

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There are a number of different ways in whichrelaxation affects the cardiovascular system. Boththe heart structures and thevessels can become relaxed.Because the veins are the morepassive half of the vascular circlewhen there is relaxation in thevessels the blood tends to sit onthe venous side. This is whyvaricosities and hemorrhoidsoccur in veins, not in arteries.These are the most simplestructural changes associatedwith cardiovascular relaxation."When the venous stasis is generalized there is ageneralized surplus of blood in the veins, resultingin turgid or varicosed veins. As the veins expandsome of the valves used to keep the blood fromslipping backward in the veins areblown out, producing varicose veins(if near the surface) and spiderveins if deeper in the tissue. It ishard for the blood to be pumped back up from the feet to the heart,

producing a back pressure on theheart which often results in high blood pressure and heart disease.Other areas which depend upon thevenous circulation can also beadversely affected. The portal veincan become turgid and full, resultingin ballooning out of hemorrhoidaltissue and congestion of the liver.The lungs also receive their bloodsupply through the veins, since the

usual order (arteries out of the heart, veins back toit) is reserved for these organs. Thus, asthma is

associated with passive venouscongestion. Finally, the side ofthe heart which is moreintimately conjoined with thevenous vasculature the rightside is prone to structuralrelaxation, stretching, anddystonia. In stimulatingastringents like Aesculushippocastanum and Collinsoniacanadensis we all of this

phenomena varicose veins, hemorrhoids, high

blood pressure, swollen liver, asthma, adistention of the right side of the heart.

This condition was called passive venouscongestion or venous stasis in the old American

medical literature. In Europeanmedicine this is still recognized as amajor cause of high blood pressureand heart disease and isdenominated hypotonia this hasan unrelated meaning in America

The major formulas for thiscondition in Russian herbalisminclude hawthorn and sweeteverlasting, both of which arenutritive and mildly astringent(Zevin, 1997, 173)."In women there frequently will also be menstrual problems due stagnation in return blood flowBecause it takes a lot of energy to

Energetics of TheCardiovascular SystemPart 4 of 5

Cardiovascular Damp/Relaxation

By Matthew Wood

Exclusive Plant Healer ExcerptsFrom His Unpublished Works


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Witch Hazel


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attended conferences based on carrying Westernherbalism forwards, the more I realised that we dohave a tradition. A strong and rich tradition. Itsjust... non-traditional.

What comes to mind when you think of the East? Ithink of things like ancestry, tradition, reverence,

ancestor worship, meditation, respect for elders, andeven more than that I think of unity. One-ness. Allindividuals being part of a greater whole. Nowthink of the West. What do you think about?Progress, change, evolution, science, rationalthinking. The roar of individuation as every egowants to leave its mark. One-ness means a differentthing in the West. It is the one of the solitary-- thelone wolf-- not the one of unity. Where the East hasits face turned peacefully to the past, we in the West,with our brows furrowed, plough ahead into the

future. Eastern herbal traditions live in reverence totheir elders. There are sifus and gurus and lineagesthat can be traced back to men who over the yearshave been ascribed with almost god-like powers.Here, we have the individual. The herbal rebel. Ifthe motto of the East is I am one of the many thatmake the whole then that of the West is I emergefrom the many-made-whole as one.

Its easy to see how it doesnt look like a tradition:our lone wolves are all so different. Some of us

sound like scholars, and some like new age hippies.Some of us use flower essences,and some laugh at them. Some ofus love working with psycho-emotional issues and others likepatching up wounds. Some usecrystals, some use river rocks,some advocate running aroundnaked under the full moon andothers wouldnt dream of suchnonsense. Some people use an

ayurvedic constitutional model,some use TCM, some use Westernenergetics, some use Westernscience, and some make up theirown. Theres a huge spectrum ofdifference in what we do, how wepractice, how we see a patientand the models that we use.And of course there is! Each of us

has a different background of leaning, havingpicked up information and inspiration fromdifferent people, books and places. Its the Westernway to build on whats come before us, to take thetools and knowledge weve been handed and makeit our own. Yes, I think its easy to look at this mish-mash of people and say thats not a tradition, but I

think that mish-mash advocates a closer lookthrough different eyes. Eyes that see tradition not assame-ness but as a current.

Our tradition is our individuality. Our one-ness.

Our rebellion.

Our tradition is the roots that bind us even as weforge ahead alone. Its the way of the Western man(and woman) to build on whats come before, tointegrate not to exclude. And thats what we do

Constantly. Our knowledge in the Western HerbalTradition doesnt come from one central canon, ordescend from one great master. Each one of usindividuals is composite of our teachers andmentors, of the books weve read and the plantsweve bonded with. Not a single one of us practicesthe same medicine, and nor will we in the futureWe Western herbalists are like a mycelial networkThe body of the teachings lies unseen spread acrossthe surface, and then every now and then in theright conditions one of us pops up out of the soil

bringing our own history with us into practice.

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fashion: [faSHn] noun

Were launching a series of

yes, youre hearing me right herbal fashion articles.

If you are at all like me, yourfirst and well practiced reactionmay be aversion at the thethought of anything soseemingly superficial andcommercial as concern over how one dresses ordecorates themselves. This aversion is likely inresponse to the top two contemporary definitions of

the word as spelled out in the dictionary, whichingloriously include 1. a popular trend, esp. instyles of dress and ornament or manners of behavior, such as his hair is cut in the latestfashion; (how bloody conformist!) and 2. theproduction and marketing of new styles ofgoods (how deep! how meaningful!). No wonderwe bristle at the sight of the underfed models on thecovers of so called fashion magazines, turn away indisgust at the backwards baseball caps and plastic-sequined nylon club skirts that may happen to be

the uniform of normality at a given time, chafe atthe idea of being expected to adopt certain modes ofdress just to fit in with the people around us, andmay lean towards organic material, hand craftedand highly personal or individualizedcommunications or demonstrations instead.

Such demonstrations have long been adistinguishing feature of alternative culture, thecounter-culture by any name and in any era or time

period. Against the perpetual current ofconformism, the individual swims: the bone pierced

barbarians as they were called

derisive of the starched redmini-dresses and matchingbreast plates of the machine-likeRoman legions. TheHighlander clans that cleaved totheir very own signature plaidsas even more so theiroccasionally rogue sons that

insisted on leggings instead. The leather clad andfur trimmed frontiersmen, all setting their caps orfeathers in particular ways in order to stand out

from one another, bushwhacking the white trouserwearing Redcoats marching without a single natty bow out of place. The greasers, as they proudlcalled themselves, adopting wife-beater sleevelessteeshirts and faded skin-tight bluejeans to avoid thecreased poly suits of their uncool parents. Thehippies I grew up with as a young runaway,marvelously individualized and colorfullyexpressed, along with their children who maychoose to express a darker side with spiked collarsand outfits of mourners black, or to do the

perceived opposite of their parents by saving up forthe look of tailored muslin suits.

Such derivation and individuation is not alwayspleasant or of interest to my critical eye, but eventhe most disastrously arrayed can be said to dressmore distinctively than the masses, usually in waysthat represent how they feel about themselves evenif not always their true or inner natures. It is thattrue nature that we best seek to evoke, as we select,

A Mt. Mans IntroductionTo Our New

Herbalist Fashion Column

by Jesse Wolf Hardin


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skewer, recombine and renovate materialsof choice and happenstance to create andre-create our own signature style. Leatherfor the ruralist, the Paleo diet town-parktracker, the cowboy or cowgirl at heart.Lace or silk for the steampunk plantdelver, organic hemp for the vegan, the

localvore activist, the fashion gadfly. Forthe herbalist, this could mean N.Y. blackor California pastels, depending on theirreflection of ones region, predominateweather or ruling mood. The earthy andcomfortable skirts of Appalachianhousewives, bespeaking a valuedinformality, sensibility and modestysetting clients at ease. Low necked garb, barely containing an animal sensualityunreduced by both happy marriages and a

strong plant and work focus. Goddessygarments that drape and gather, ripple inthe wind and call forth circle and song.Or Levis making their statement about thepracticality of the wearer, a canvas workapron marked with what seems to begreen chlorophyl stains.

In its Middle English usage, fashionmeant to make/create an appearance, anduntil the 1500s it was still something that

one did rather than what one subscribed toor went out and purchased. Folksfashioned how they looked, tocommunicate without words their origins,leanings, predilections, preferences andpriorities, sensibilities and tastes, lifestyleand lifes work. Hence the farmers utilitarian scarfaround the neck, the indicative leather bottomed britches of the horse trainer, the dancers bangles,and the doctors pocket protector with its array ofpens and assorted medical utensils. And most

crucial to us of all definitions, may be the wordfashions earliest, from the ancient Latin facere,meaning doing and making... as we each makeour appearance and dress increasingly organic andelemental to who we are in whole, and anexpression of not only how we wish to be seen andknown, but of what we do and therefore are.

Through the course of at least four Plant Healerissues, we will have bit of fun exploring just a fewsuch representative expressions of the herbalpractitioner, the practical and the decorative thatmark us devotees of not only a healing practice but

of beauty: ever so useful Pixie Pockets & Tool Belts,Herbalist Tattoos (send us your photos orsuggestions!), Kiva modeled Feral Fashion, and beginning with a celebration of kilts for planpickin wild woods roamers.

Be yourself... and let your herbal flag fly.

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SaraLisa, 30 a year-old woman, is calling you on thephone. She is fourteen weeks pregnant and in emotionaldistress. Three weeks ago she had a

few days of spotting so she went to hermidwifes office for an evaluation. She

had an ultrasound that showed thather baby had probably died at about 11weeks of pregnancy. The midwife andback-up obstetrician told her she couldwait a couple of weeks to see if the

miscarriage happened naturally. Now they arerecommended a dilatation and curettage (D&C), but Saradoes not want to have this procedure

performed. She would rathermiscarry in the privacy of her ownhome instead of in a hospital

operating room where the D&Cwould be done. The doctor told herthat she is at risk of hemorrhageand infection. She has not had any

further spotting and she is not

having contractions. She is a friendof a friend and is requesting yourassistance as an herbalist incompleting the miscarriage. She

has no major medical problems. What do you do?

Miscarriage is a life event that most of us willencounter amongst our women friends, relatives,and clients. In my practice, the above phone call isnot uncommon. In fact, I receive more thank yousand miscarriage stories than any other type fromfolks who have read my books and attended myclasses and have learned how to help themselves orsomeone else through a miscarriage naturally andherbally. A lot of what I offer is emotional support

through my writing and words, but I also try toinspire body-confidence and intelligent

commonsense decision-makingI also provide information onthe herbs that can help, andwarning signs to look out forMany women have written tome about feelings ofabandonment by their midwifeor doctor who was unable to

recommend anything other than a D&C fortreatment, and many herbalists and naturopaths

have written, seeking my helpin working with a client/patient in the midst of amiscarriage or to thank mefor protocols theyve puttogether based on whattheyve learned using my books, to help someomiscarry without medicaintervention. Women andpractitioners have describednatural miscarriage as asacred process that allowed

completion and resolution, rather than the traumaand grief so many find themselves with after amedically managed miscarriage.

Miscarriage can cause even seasoned midwivesherbalists, and naturopaths to feel uncertain aboutwhat to do and how to help or even afraid ofgetting involved in miscarriage care at all. Whilemiscarriage requires healthy respect, it is notsomething to be afraid of and it is an area wherewomen greatly need help and guidanceand where

Miscarriage:Supporting Women Through EarlyPregnancy Loss, Botanically

By Aviva Romm

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The holiday season is here and with it comesfestivities of lights, evergreentrees, stockings and gifts. Livetrees are a special way of enjoyingthe holiday season and becomethe gift that keeps on giving sinceyou can plant them and let themgrow in your yard. If your family likes the idea of areal tree for the holiday season, consider purchasing

a live tree (a treethat has his root ball intact forplanting) fromyour local nursery.

Often, it is thesame price or lessthan a cut tree andyou spare thetrees life! Youllalso have the treeto harvest fromyear after year,provide homes for birds, squirrelsand other critters

and return a treeto the earth. If youdont have roomto plant a tree anddont have any

friends or relatives who have room to take one,dont worry, you can still make valuable use of yourevergreen tree!

Whether your tree be pine, spruce or fir, he can beharvested for medicine. All are rich in vitamin C and

from the Pinaceae family. These evergreen trees area n t i s e p t i c , w a r m i n gdecongestant and aromatic. Alhave an affinity for therespiratory, nervous andendocrine systems. Before youpurchase your tree, verify with

the folks running the tree lot that the trees have not been sprayed with chemicals. This should not be a

Evergreen, Ever-GivingText and Photos

By Kristine Brown


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Order now for delivery by the holiday... for your favorite youngn of any age!And be sure to give us their name so Jesse can sign a copy to them special!


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I Love Nettle Vinegar!

Minerals are important to keep your

body healthy. A great way to getyour minerals iswi th Nett leVinegar. It hasiron, which isgood for your blood. It also hascalcium, which isgood for your bones and teeth.But the best thing

about it is that ith e l p s w i t hgrowing pains.Growing painshappen whenyour body doesnthave enoughminerals to buildbones and muscle.So if you havegrowing pains,

you need NettleVinegar!

Nettle Vinegartastes surprisinglygood! It has aflavor like saladwith your favoritev i n e g a r ydressing.

And its easy to make! Heres how youdo it:

Ingredients

Fresh or Dry NettleIf you use freshNettle, try harvestingsome with your barehands. If you arevery calm, she wontsting you! But thistime of year, you willhave to get dried

nettle.

A p p l e C i d e rVinegar. Its best toget raw apple cidervinegar because ifyour vinegar ispasteurized, all thegood bacteria isdead.

If you want to have bonus minerals, youcan add seaweed. Ifyoure not a seaweedfan, just use plainNettle. But youshould try it at leastonce, its pretty goodIn our last batch, weused Kelp.

Nettle Vinegar

By Amber Swift


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Instructions

Fill a jar with Nettle, then pour inthe vinegar almost to the top. Leavea little room in case the leavesexpand and you have to add morevinegar. Put a lid on the jar nice andtight, and leave it to sit for 2-4weeks.

You should shake your vinegaronce in a while. Shaking your jarwill make sure that the vinegar getsthrough all the Nettle, and noclumps of Nettle are stickingtogether without vinegar. Whenyou shake the jar, you can also giveyour energy to your Nettle vinegar,so that it comes out extra good.

When youre ready to use your Nettle vinegar, youneed to strain it out. If you have a small jar, youcan use a tea strainer to catch the Nettle when youpour out the vinegar. If you have a large jar, use abig strainer or a french press.

You should take a shotglass full every day to make

sure you dont get growing pains. If you really likeit, you can take more its good for you! If it feelsburny, you can mix it with water or take it whenyoure eating food.

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If we choose to use plants as medicine, we then becomeaccountable for the health of thewild gardens. We begin a co-

creative partnership with theplants, giving back what we receive-- health, nourishment, beauty and

protection. We have reached a timein history when ignoring this relationship with the

resources we use would be disastrous." " -Rosemary Gladstar" " Founder of United Plant Savers

Herbalism can be simply summarized as the studyof medicinal plants.

But for me, the path to becoming an herbalist hencompassed much more. It hasinspired me to recognize my co-

creative partnership with the earth. It has changedmy whole outlook on life and led me towards livingmore intimately with the earth and as a result it hasled me to take more and more responsibility for myactions.

Revitalizing Our Wild Gardens

Text & Photography byby Rosalee de la Fort


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We live in a world where the consequences of whatand how we consume is hidden from us. We dontsee the children and women who work 18-hourshifts and get paid next to nothing to sew ourclothes. We dont have to walk by a landfill everyday to see where our garbage ends up. We canteven imagine the price that is really being paid for

oil and most of us dont have to live with the horrificconsequences of nuclear power... yet. Instead, mostof us in the developed world can spend ourweekends at the mall, put the garbage on the curbson Tuesdays, fill up the gas tank (while complainingabout the cost) and flip on a light switch withoutever having to recognize or take responsibility forthese actions.

Luckily, we live in a transitioning world wheremany of us are waking up to the fact that business

cannot continue as usual.

Herbalism, for me, has been a part of this waking upprocess. It has given me new eyes to questioncultural myths, leading to new paradigm shiftswithin my own reality.

In my world, the study of plants goes well beyondthe mechanical motion of ingesting herbal materialwith the hopes of alleviating health complaints(although that is pretty cool!) Instead, it has opened

my eyes to my role on this earth and the recognitionthat I can directly rely on my surroundings formedicine and to feed, clothe and shelter myself. Byharvesting and cultivating with my own two handsI can rekindle this lost partnership between humansand the earth we reside on. After many years of being a radical activist, reclaiming this heritage ismy most revolutionary act.

Inherent to the study of plants for medicine is thegrowing awareness of how our actions directly

affect the health of this planet we call home. Asherbalists we know we rely on the green livingcreatures outside our doors (as opposed to mostpeople who get their food from a box and theirmedicine from a bottle). This reliance makes us moresensitive to their demise.

Wildcrafting plants for our food and medicine is adirect link to expanding our awareness around thehealth of our environment.

Mention echinacea or false unicorn root to acompassionate group of herbalists and many wilshake their head sadly at the devastating loss peoplehave inflicted on these precious plant populationsIn a reaction to the over-harvesting of plants Iveheard more and more herbalists ask the question ofwhether or not we should wildcraft medicinal plants

at all. But discussions about wildcrafting deserve togo well beyond the black and white argument ofshould we or shouldnt we.

In this article I am going to address the culturalmyth that the wilderness thrives when untouched by humans. Ill then discuss the consequences of ahands-off policy and give my call to action forherbalists to be stewards of the earth by activelyvisiting, harvesting and cultivating wild areas.

Cultural Myths

In a fearful reaction to decreased plant populationsIve heard several herbalists advocate that all of ourharvested plants should come from cultivatedsources.

Cultivation is an interesting topic. The ethno-ecological book, Keeping it Living (Deur and Turner)focuses on the ways natives on the northwest coastactively cultivated and managed the land. Oneexample is given of Europeans arriving in the areato find beautiful open land with a park-likeappearance. To their untrained eyes they assumedthese wild lands were untouched so they used thejustification that the natives were not using the landas a means of taking it for their own uses. Howeverafter just a few years of european ownership,pristine wild lands became a jungle of overgrownshrubs and fallen trees which was more prone tosevere fires and other natural disasters.

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We now know the natives were cultivating andmanaging the land in a way that supported thehealth and abundance of the plants and trees thatexisted there. It was not their way to walk into anarea, rip up everything that was found growingthere already, in order to plant rows of grains.Instead, they pruned shrubs like willow in order to

cultivate nice long shoots for making baskets. In thefall they burnt the hills to keep shrubs down andfavor the growth of edible and medicinal foods.

As Europeans took over the lands the tending of thewild ceased. Shrubs grew, making it difficult forlower lying plants to grow. Cattle was put out,resulting in compacted soil and overgrazed lands.Over a short period of time the productivity of theland decreased and many couldnt understand why.

When my husband and I moved to the MethowValley we were thrilled at the wildcraftingpossibilities. This valley used to be the home of theMethow people who lived here year round, relyingon local plants and animals for food. Since the areahadnt been harvested in 50-100 years we thoughtthe wild plant populations would be abundant. Butas we explored our valley more and more we weresurprised to find that the important edible plantsseemed few and far between. How did peoplesurvive on the meager supply of plants?

It was because of this question and our search foranswers that we became aware of ethno-ecology.The idea that our direct involvement in harvestingand care taking the lands around us could result inhealthier forest and more abundant edible andmedicinal plants transformed our views of ethicalwildcrafting.

Often times I hear ethical wildcrafting described astaking a small percentage of plants found in the

wild and picking up garbage on your way out. Thismay be adequate but, as herbalists, we have theability to make changes far more radical thanminimal impact on plants and fewer beer cansfound along the trails. Indeed, we can activelycultivate our wild spaces to increase bio-diversityand the overall health of ecosystems.

An example of this is one of my favorite edibleplants: yellow bells, or Fritillaria pudica. Also called

rice root, the bulb of this plant contains numerousrice-like plant bulblets. If these bulblets stayconnected to the original bulb they do not become anew plant. However, if they are separated and thenspread around they will grow into a new plantThus, by harvesting this plant and spreading the bulblets around you can increase its numbers 2

fold. Also, the act of harvesting the bulbs helps toaerate the soils, furthering allowing for more plantgrowth.

Ethno-ecology shows us that the act of leaving theland untouched is detrimental to particular plantpopulations and the ecosystem as a whole. We canstart to understand that, just as plants have evolvedtheir reproductive system alongside pollinatorsthey have also evolved alongside humans and arethus expecting to be tended and dug to promote

their growth. By removing ourselves from theequation we are depriving the plant world one oftheir allies. Recognition that we are only as healthyas the earth around us can inspire us to go out intothe wild and help the plants grow to their fullpotential.

Herbalist As Stewards

By harvesting our own plants for food and medicinewe can make a much stronger positive impact on the

earth than by simply ordering our plants via UPS oreven harvesting them from our raised beds in thebackyard.

Dont get me wrong. I adore cinnamon (shipped tome via UPS) and I love every moment spent in mygarden. However, the longer we stay confinedwithin our own personal piece of property thequicker we lose the diverse ecosystems foundbeyond our immediate sight.

Besides increasing the health of the lands around us by actively tending the area by pruning, thinningdigging and aerating we can also become thewatchdog of these areas. We can do our best toprotect it from harm, alert authorities to illegal useof off road vehicles, publicly question the use ofdangerous herbicides, and protect sensitive areassuch as wetlands from commercial development.

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By visiting our gathering areas regularly we canbecome aware of the needs of the plants we rely onand we can form a deep connection with them.Because, really, the best people to protect the landare the ones who have a deep connection to it.Otherwise, the latest clearcut or strip malldevelopment is another news clip we hear in the

background as we are opening our freshly deliveredbox of herbs from UPS.

How Do We Tend The Wild?

One of the most importantdiscussions herbalists or evenwild food enthusiasts can haveis how do we cultivate our ownwild gardens through theprocess of wildcrafting?

Good question. Like so many ofthe ancient ways, we have lost alot of this information.However, by using our intellectand awareness we canundoubtedly rediscover theseways. While I certainly donthave all the answers I will sharewhat has helped me so far.

One of the most important toolsI have come across forrelearning to walk withpresence and awareness on theearth is the Kamana program by the Wilderness AwarenessSchool. When I started theintroductory program I was acity girl who had beensurrounded by four white wallsand concrete for most of my life.

The only interactions I had experienced in theoutside world were limited to the occasional carcamping and trail hiking.

For me, the Kamana program is like an inspiringfield guide to being a member on this earth. Itteaches awareness of surroundings, the language ofbirds, how to walk, how to listen and how to engagewith the outside world every day. It taught me how

to form a strong sense of place, to really know mysurroundings.

I believe that it is through the art of awareness andthe art of listening to the earth that we willrediscover the art of tending the wild. Becausetending the wild is less about our own agenda and

more about knowing how to listen to the area toknow what needs to be done.

Another step in this process is to intimately knowthe plants you are harvestingKnow their growth cycle, theirmethods of reproduction, whatthey look like when they arehealthy and what they look likewhen they are not. I recentlytook a class with Howie

Brounstein in which he said hehas an hour and a half lecture just on the ethical wildcraftingof oregon grape root. Thatsright, an hour and a half tolearn how to harvest a singleplant.

Besides intimately knowing theplants we want to harvest weneed to know the habitat they

grow in. What is the ecosystem?What plants are native? Whicharent? What animals passthrough here? What humanspass through here? What didthis land look like 10 years ago?50 years ago? 200 years ago?How does this land thrive?Answers to these questions willbe different in every eco-system

In my neck of the woods, downed

trees and branches can fill a forest, inviting severeforest fires. On the western side of the mountainsdowned trees can become nurse logs, revitalizingand nourishing the land where they fall. While bothof these scenarios are forests, care-taking theminvolves different methods.

I keep extensive records of areas where I amharvesting from. This helps me to remember thenaturally changing landscape (like how things

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change from year to year) as well as to be consciousof how my actions are effecting the area (for betteror for worse). I have a full listing of my record-keeping sheets available as part of my 6-partwildcrafting article at HerbMentor.com.

We also have a lot of experts in our midst who can

surely answer questions and provide their personalexperiences for our learning. Our own Jesse WolfHardin is a prime example of someone who tendeda ravaged piece of land and then nurtured it back tohealth. People with this kind of knowledge can beencouraged to speak at our herbal conferences andwrite articles for our herbal community, helping uslearn new ways of interacting with the land aroundus.

Some of you may be thinking,

What about those who donthave access to wild lands? Alot of these principles can beapplied to ecosystems withincities such as parks. Tendingthese green areas is importanttoo! In Seattle there was asuccessful movement to banherbicides and pesticides fromcity parks, especially thosewith playgrounds for kids. By

banning harmful chemicalsand introducing medicinaland edible plants to city parks,we can create our own urbanjungles to tend to.

Even if you do have access to wild lands it may beillegal to wildcraft on public or federal land. Itsimportant to know what land you are on and whatthe laws are (and, depending on your actions, whatthe consequences are for disobeying those laws). In

our area, affordable permits are offered for thoseharvesting on a small scale.

Another resource are the people employed instewarding these lands (US Forest Service, BLM,park rangers, etc.). These people undoubtedly havediverse opinions on land management. Seek outthose who also see the benefits of tending areas andopen the conversation (cautiously).

We recently led a plant walk which was attended byour fish and game warden. We discussed a lot of thesame ideas expressed in this article and honestlywerent quite sure how he was going to react to ourrousing cry for more wildcrafting. After the walk wechatted with him and found that we agreed on mostthings. He told us that people often get confused

about conservation and preservation. Many peoplein the environmental movement want to preservethe lands. Preservation is the act of keepingsomething unaltered or unchanged. I am probablynot the first to tell you that nature is constantlychanging. This need to preserve things unchanged isa cultural story, one I think has evolved from onlyseeing the destruction humans can do. I hope thisarticle has shown that there are different ways of

being on this earth.

Once youve gained someknowledge about tending thewild such as sustainableharvesting methods, healthyecosystems, etc, I encourageyou to go out and experimenton small scales. Mark off apiece of land that you want tocaretake. It doesnt have to be big. Start with one tree evenRecord your efforts. What did

the land look like before?What is your vision? What isyour process? What were theresults? Take photos. Sharewith others.

My husband and I are currently working on ourown experiments with tending the wild. I lookforward to sharing our stories.

Envisioning Our Roles As Herbalists

For some people, herbalism may simply be thestudy of medicinal plants. But I believe that we, asardent plant lovers, have the ability to raise an armyto swarm back into our wild places, reclaim ourheritage as active members in partnership with theearth, and restore the vitality there.

Most of the current conversations I hear aroundwildcrafting these days are focused on the fear of

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over-harvesting. I would love to see this be only aportion of the conversation and increased focus onthe active care-taking of our forests, meadows,riverbanks, plains and deserts. How do we, asherbalists, tend the wild? How can we activelyengage in our surroundings to increase the health ofthe area as whole?

In my world, wildcrafting is one of the most sacredrites of humans. I believe that not only do we havethe right to wildcraft but we also have theresponsibility to do so; responsibility to activelyengage in the lands around us, to promote theirhealth and diversity, to reclaim our human role ofpartnership with this earth.

But setting aside responsibility for a moment, wecan also appreciate that we wildcraft for the joy of it.Moving through the forest and prowling the forestfloor for food and medicine can remind us what it isto be a human on this earth. We are inspired tointeract more deeply with the earth to really involveour senses. Foraging through the forest floor we getdirty, hot, cold, wet, we lose our breath, both at theexertion of harvesting roots and at the beauty

around us; beauty that touches our soul andreminds us of the magic and sacredness of life.

And when weve come home, processed ourprecious plants and then used them as medicine wealso experience deep gratitude to the world we are apart of.

It is my hope that herbalists channel this gratitudeinto fiercely protecting and revitalizing thisbeautiful planet we call home.

Further Resources

Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the

Management of California's Natural Resources by M. KatAnderson

Keeping It Living: Traditions of Plant Use and Cultivation on

the Northwest Coast of North America edited by DouglasDeur and Nancy Turner

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Buckwheat Groats used to be something stored inthe darkest, furthest reaches ofthe pantry, dragged out only toplease the rare visitingUkrainian homesick forgrandmothers kasha. I nevercould have dreamed that oneday these pretty little seeds,with their subtle hues of sunset and ivory, would become one of my most beloved and well-used pantryingredients! These days, wecan easily eat up 20 or 30pounds a month!

Searching for the perfectgluten-free bread has beensomewhat of an obsession ofmine for the past several years,ever since we figured out thatKiva and Rhiannon are bothgluten-intolerant. And itbothers me to spend a lot perpound on expensive pre-mixedgluten-free flour when there

are so many other tastyalternatives. Ive experimentedwith all kinds of differentcombinations of gluten-freeand lower gluten grains--oatflour and nut flours, cornmeal,coconut and chickpea flours, buckwheat flour and flax meal. Id soaked andsprouted kamut, rye, and spelt berries and madebreads with such good results, Kiva and I wonderedhow it would work to make bread with soaked

buckwheat groats. Finally I tried it... amazing! So farIve found that the breads andlittle cakes I make on the skilletare superior in texture toanything thats come out of theoven. But feel free toexperiment on your own! Ourdear supporter Resolute baked

the dough Im about to teach you in muffin pansand was very happy with theresults.

Buckwheat, as many of youknow, is not a cereal grain but

a fruit seed related to dock. Ittastes very much like a grain,and although it has no gluten itis very mucilaginous whichhelps make it cohesive and buoyant when soaked anground into flour.

Most of our experiences with buckwheat in this country arelimited to buckwheat pancakes

made with pre-ground buckwheat flour. There asome yummy things that can be made with this flouespecially when its bought at astore with good turnover, and I

keep it on hand for a few well-loved recipes. But mostly its back-up for when Iforget to soak my groats, because the texture, flavorand even the color are so very, very different. It doesmake me wonder what in the world they might do

Adventures With Buckwheat

Text & Photos

By Loba


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With this issue we present both an extensive PlantHealer interview with Susun, and the firstinstallment of her new column ofunpublished writings, WiseWoman Ways: Susun WeedsMedicine Wheel. Our hope is toprovide the venue for her to sharewhat she hasnt shared elsewhere before, to provide even our mostknowledgable practitioner readerswith valuable insights and tools beyond what theyknow from the books they have read of hers and theprevious talks they may have attended. These pagesare, after all, a place tostretch and to be stretched,to share the depths, pushthe envelope, express thecontroversial, and stillsecure enough within thiscircle to be vulnerable andimperfect.

And it is with her castingof a circle of a sacredspace, that her column

begins.

The majority of thiscommunity either knows,or knows of Susun, givenhow long shes been doing this: A High Schooldropout who unlike so many others didnt wishto be an herbalist from early on, but who later feltled to the plants and their gifts. Develops herappreciation for herbs and weeds in particularwhile in Manhattan and actively launches her study

in 1965. Founder of the Wise Woman tradition thathas since been spread wide and far by her

graduated apprentices. HighPriestess of Dianic Wicca and selfdescribed Green Witch, plus selfpublished author of 5 extremelywell received books. The first othese, Healing Wise, was (alongwith Michael Mooresincidentally) also one of the first

herbal books that either Kiva or I found compellingenough to read back in the day... as each of us inour own time fed our journey into this healing

work. It made her moreintriguing to me, not lessthat she has a reputationas an intense teacher whoelicits intense responses.

Admittedly, here are a fewkey definitions andapproaches that we do nothappen to share with herRather than tailoring ourofferings primarily for

women as she chooses towere trying to reach andserve both genders withour Anima courses

conference and magazineand do so even though women herbalists are mayalways be the majority. We are exceedingly cautiouswhen it comes to translating the wishes andmessages of the plants, even as we teach theimportance of exchange and communicationbetween us the green beings we work with.

Introducing Our New PHColumnist

Susun Weed

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Plant Healer Magazine: You choose to work almostentirely with women.

Weed: I do. I feel more

comfortable working withwomen and I understandwomen better. And I still believethat the healthcare system isleveraged against women. Ifocus on women because Ireally feel that women are underserved in themedical community.

Plant Healer Magazine: Where is it that modernmedicine fails us most?

Weed: Primary care, and this is why I've devotedmy career to promoting herbal medicine as people'smedicine... and why I have thrown myself bodilyacross the tracks to prevent any kind of licensure ofany kind ever in the United States.

Plant Healer Magazine: Some quite reasonablepeople make the argument that licensing orregistration go hand in hand with certification anddisarming the critics, making it less likely that there

will be complete prohibition of self-healing and self-treatment.

Weed: Bull-shit! I often thank the midwives. I saythank you so much for making a mess of midwiferyso I can point to you and say to the apprentices yousee what happens? That was a line that themidwives were fed was, if you don't get yourselvesall certified, then we're going to come in and do it.

If you don't get yourselves licensed, we're going tocome in and do it. So the midwives got together

and, state by state, didcertification and licensureprograms and then the centralgovernment used that as anexcuse to shut them downeverywhere.

Plant Healer Magazine: Yesthey did, didn't they? Made outlaws out ofmidwives.

Weed: And they could be controlled, because theyknew who every single one of them was.

I thank them with no irony at all for giving me anexample to say to herbalists this is what happens ifyou fall to that line. Did you know that on theNational Massage Board of the United States not asingle massage therapist sits? The governing bodyfor all massage therapists in the United States doesnot have a single massage therapist on it.

Bureaucracy!

We have to be willing to take care of ourselvesUnfortunately, a great number of people think it'stoo complicated to take care of themselves, andthat's one of the reasons why I have always kept myteachings geared toward beginners, geared towardspeople who are entering herbal medicine. I am, ofcourse, pure friends with a great number ofhealthcare professionals, but I don't find my callingthere. I find my calling in reminding people that thisis simple, safe herbal medicine which is available toall of us.

Susun WeedHerbalist

in dialog with Jesse Wolf Hardin


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We must take our children into the wild, introduce themto the plants, and teach them of their connection to theearth. In instilling in our children arespect for plant medicine, we not onlycare for their tender bodies but help pass

along the seeds of a tradition that is as old

as human life itself." Rosemary Gladstar

Kids are the Future, Teach Them Well

Children are one third of ourpopulation and all of ourfuture.

" -Select Panel forPromotion of Child Health

Children are the beststudents when it comes toplants. They have noprejudice against any ofthem (except for what wetea ch them ) , nopreconceived notions ofhow a plant should work orhow its medicine shouldheal. Just as we can accept

an orange has lots ofvitamin C, a banana is highin potassium and beanscontain protein, they canaccept that peppermint issoothing to the stomach andcomfrey can heal woundsand scars. And why not?They are all plants after all. Certainly if gardenvegetables can be nutritious and keep us healthy,so can herbs, weeds and other plants. As adults we

tend to be narrow minded when it comes to ourfood sources but if we allow ourselves to open up,we can realize that this wonderful world we live onhas given us an abundance of nutrition and healingthrough the plants and didnt just reserve it for aselect few. All plants have importance and value. Weherbalists, scientists and the like just have yet todiscover them all.

Nurture this attribute in children and reserve youropinions. Encourage them to keep an open mind as

they grow to all the possibilities plants offer us. Letthem learn for themselves. Teach them to trust their

instincts. This doesnt mean to letthem eat anything, especially when itcomes to fungi, however, whenteaching them the difference between

poke and elderberry, or hemlock andqueen annes lace, teach them respectof the plant and reverence for themedicine each plant offers whether it

is mild (chickweed, lemon balm, plantain) or overlystrong (foxglove, hemlocketc.). Time will teach theappropriate use andapplication of each variance

Giving a good herbal

foundation will stay withchildren for their lifetimeKnowledge is power andempowering. Even thoughthe majority will not choosethis calling as their lifework,they will have a solidfoundation of herbaknowledge which will staywith them for their life andthey will one day be able to

pass the information alongto their friends, familycommunity and children oftheir own. They will havethe ability to take control oftheir own health and teachothers to do the same. Therei s noth i ng m ore

empowering than knowing you have the ability totake charge of your own healthcare.

Follow the Golden Rules of Wild Crafting

Long before people bought medicine or food at a store,they learned to use the wild plants growing all aroundthem. They watched animals to see which plants were

good to eat and which plants were poisonous. Theexperimented and learned which plants could heal peoplewhen they were hurt or sick. People passed theirknowledge on to their children and grandchildren for

generations.-Ellen Evert Hopman, Walking the World of Wonder

How To Teach Kids

To Use Herbs

Part IPhotos and Text

by Kristine Brown


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Introducing the first in a series of excerpts from theromantic historical novel for herbalists, TheMedicine Bear by your Plant Healercoeditor.

As discussed in this issues Healing Journeys column, we each need apersonal story that is as authentic asit is meaningful. Fictionalizing ourstory to make ourselves appear moreinteresting or to fit in, can detractfrom our true gifts, challenges,experiences and skills. Where amanufactured story is of most use, is inacknowledged fiction, when it offers inspiringexamples of the quest for authenticity in our livesand expression, for purpose and perseverance,providing us a mythos to subscribe to... andperchance, to live up to.

We can readily think of books that mean to do justthat, from Tolkeins trilogy to Pullmans His DarkMaterials. Children have the medicine woman andhealer focus of Furlongs Wise Child. What has been missing, is a body of adult fiction featuring and written for the folk herbalist readers of thisworld.

The Medicine Bear seeks to begin to remedy thisdeficiency as a historic novel featuring an herbalistas its main character: Omen. While clearly the storyof a difficult but undying romance, it is at its core aplant-filled tale about the healing of wounds... andan irrepressible love of life.

The story you are about to read takes place in thewild Gila bioregion of SW New Mexico, volcanically

created mountain range reaching fromcactus and mullein laden valleys to

aspen clad peaks, featuring eventoday a diversity of plant and animalwildlife you might never associatewith a place with such arid climes. Itis here that the conservationist AldoLeopold had his moment ofenlightenment that led to the birth ofa modern land ethic, as the amazing

bear hunter Ben Lilly did his best toexterminate the regions cattle threatening grizzlies.

It is a story spanning from 1896 to 1966, butoccurring mainly in the years leading up to andfollowing 1916, when Mexican revolutionaryPancho Villa sent a hundred poorly armed Indianfollowers to attack Columbus, a border town insidethe borders of the United States, considered themost powerful country in the world. The firelightfrom burning buildings made it so easy for U.Ssoldiers with machine guns to hose down Vilistaswith Winchesters and bows and arrows or archaicWinchester rifles, in what became a warm up forWorld War I. Those same fires, also cast a light onthe writer and adventurer Elands contrary urges toseek adventure and plant roots at home... withOmen

Omen knew of a plant for almost every ailment andimbalance. But to make it work together, wouldtake some special medicine.

Please enjoy.


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Prologue

Sweet Medicine Botanical Sanctuary

SW New Mexico, August 1966

At the first sound of his approach, the ravensstopped their croak and squawk, the squirrels theirboisterous chatter.

And then seeing it was only Eland, they all startedup again.

The old man found satisfaction in the assuredresumption of their familiar songs: the melodies of

canyon wrens, and the crystalline notes of thehermit thrush. The sonatas of summer tanager andorange crowned warbler, and the woodpecker rockand roll, all aural overlays atop a flowing riveradagio. Tassle-eared nut chasers arguing over anacorn cache. The commentary of black featheredgossips, bobbing up and down on the springy upper branches of silvered river alders. These were thnotes and tunes attending his continuing quest, once

leading him through the bloody turf and tome ofwar, and lately no further than to a certain hallowedgrove.

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The Medicine Bear

An Herbal-Hearted Tale Of Healing & Adventure, Purpose & Undying Love

Part I From the upcoming novel

b Jesse Wolf Hardin


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Art by TRannick - Deviant Art


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Never in my lifehad I felt myself so near

that porous line

where my own body was done with

and the roots and the stems and the

flowers

began.-Mary Oliver

At the periphery of all my thoughts are leaves andtwigs, tangled together and growing along the boundaries of my imagination and ideas. Thetwining roots of Alder trees knot themselves into the bower between my waking and sleeping worlds,

holding me always here in the mountain forestsand river canyons where the plants thrive andmultiply, carpeting my world in a verdant profusionof color and scent.

I am infatuated with all things wild, from a singlered-pawed fox drinking from the river, to great darkclouds of migrating birds or small groups of humanchildren laughing as they gather golden-brown nutsfrom underneath towering Oak trees. The diversityof the expressions of life on this planet never fail to

intrigue and amaze me but it is the leafed androoted things that most call to me. The trumpet-shaped blossoms of Datura and the creeping red andgreen glimmer of Purslane serve as a beacon for myeyes and I often find myself on hands and knees tosee them more closely before Im even aware thatIm moving.

My first memories as a toddler are of plants, ofYarrow and Peppergrass thriving in my front yard.My nomadic history is marked from childhood on

by the flowers and trees thagrew wherever I settled for awhile, by Honeysuckle vinesclambering up island fences, byPokeweeds red stems shootingup next to our Midwestern barndoor and by the Lavender fieldsof the Pacific Northwest

Anywhere Ive ever even briefly passed through, theplants in all their myriad colors and shapes have been companions and markers along my windingpath.

I recently heard Matthew Wood say something like

Im in this for the plants first meaning that it washis deep love of interacting with the plantsthemselves that brought him to herbalism originallymore than a desire to practice medicine. I smiledwhen I heard Matt say that because its a sentimentIve frequently expressed myself. Facilitating healthand well-being in people is incredibly fulfilling forme. I experience a distinct and overwhelmingfeeling of satisfaction when Im able to helpsomeone feel better through my recommendationsor assistance. But I wont lie, if herbs werent

available and the only avenue of medicine waschemical powders and patented pharmaceuticaproducts, then Id have to find a different way ofhelping people. Its imperative to my own happinessand effectiveness that my work as a healthcarepractitioner also provide a direct connection back tothe natural world for myself.

The herbs themselves are a primary part of whatdraws me to botanical medicine, and what compelsme to find ways of matching plant to person in this

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Where My Skin Ends

& Flowers Begin

by Kiva Rose Hardin


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complex and ancientdance we call herbalism.Plants are what initiallyattracted me to this fieldand they are then o u r i s h m e n t a n dinspiration that keep meexcited and involved in it.Whether intently keyingout some new species ofwildflower, digging wildroots , formulatingmedicines for clients orlaying flat on my back in aespecially sweet patch ofMelilotus, I am alwayssearching out directengagement with thegreen world that provides me with so muchsustenance and solace.

A portion of what I attempt to impart to clients andstudents is a deepened awareness of the naturalworld, and especially of the ways in which workingwith the plants can grant us a sense of at-homenessand belonging. In a culture where so many of us feeldisplaced this reconnection to food, medicine, self

and community throughplace is of primaryimportance. We are mademore fully ourselves byour relationship to thenatural world, includingthe other animals, bacteriaand plants we share our bioregions with. So muchof healing is entirelyabout relationshipRelationship between aperson and their bodybetween person and place,between person and plant

I am endlessly fascinated by all the ways in which

humans and plants interact, both historically and inthe present moment, across all cultures andgeographies. We humans have evolved in every wayto live with and be dependent on the plants. Thekingdom of Plantae flourished long before ourgenesis as a species and will likely continue after werecede from the landscapes of this planet. Whichonly serves to make me that much more grateful forthe beauty and breath they bring to our every

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Awesome Princess Mononoke inspired art (she has a Wolf, too!) by Noukah - go to: www.Noukah.com
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moment. Each time I touch the soft weave of acotton dress, hear the wind roar around the walls ofour cozy wooden cabin or take a sip of the tea blended from the wild herbs near my home I amreminded in a visceral, immediate way of howintertwined my life is with these green, sun-eatingcreatures I so adore.

My obsession with all things plant-related extends beyond herbalism into botany, ecology, naturalism,wildcrafting, gardening and just about anything elsethat bring me closer to the plants, especially livingplants in their chosen habitat. Nothing is so likely tofascinate and fully envelope me as crawling throughthe forest understory, breathing in the scent of lifeturning to death, turning to life in the shape ofleaves falling, rotting only to unfurl from warm soilyet again. Down in the dirt, I look for every tiny

flower, for each previously unnoticed tendril or bud.I want to know the texture of every sepal, the scentof flowers through their stages of blooming, thenames of not only each plant but every plant part.The need to experience, witness and understandplant life is a driving force in nearly all that I do.

I gladly give the majority of each and every day toactivities that are directly concerned with plantsnearly all related to teaching and practicing ofherbal medicine. This magazine is yet anotherexpression of my passion for bringing togetherplants and people, of sharing my excitement witheach of you reading this journal my partner, Wolf

and I have devoted ourselves to. Creatingcommunity from a shared love of the earth has become a vital element of our work, and th bringing together of plant people continues tdelight me on every level. Every morning I wake upknowing that I couldnt imagine a better or morefulfilling life than this daily immersion in thediverse world of rooted wild things.

Even at night the plants dominate my thoughts as Idream of vines that wind toward far away stars and

luminescent flowers whose form Ive never found inany of my many books on botany. I lay my headagainst the ground and listen to the pulse andmutter of roots all through my long hours of sleepIn the worlds of both slumber and waking, theplants are singing to me. Not so much in words oraudible melodies, but in the rhythm of my ownblood where it surges toward the surface of my skinwhen I reach for an unfamiliar spray of leaves, whenI breathe in the sun-warmed scent of crushed Juniper berries. Where my skin ends and flower

begin.-Kiva

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Plant Healer Books

Plant Healer and Sweet Medicine Press are pleased to present

a series of perfect bound books for your information and reading pleasure,

beginning with the first Plant Healer Annual, & The Art of Plant Healer.

The Plant Healer Annual - Vol. I

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Plant Healer Advertising Rates, Deadlines & Important Specs

Plant Healer accepts display ads made to our requirements, or we can be commissioned to create a compelling

display ad especially for you.

Be sure to read and follow the requirements at bottom

And remember that your ad will continue to be read by new readers on into the future,in the downloadable back issues.

Plant Healer Magazine Full Color Display Space

Sizes ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Single Insertion! 4 Issue Discounted Package 3.66w x 2h - Horizontal !! ! ! ! $55! ! ! ! ! ! ! $195 (Business Cards can be used as is for this size)

1/4 Page Horizontal - 7.5w x 2.35h! ! ! $105! ! ! ! ! ! ! $385 1/4 Page Vertical - 3.66w x 4.75h! ! ! $105! ! ! ! ! ! ! $385 1/2 Page Horizontal - 7.5w x 4.75h! ! ! $210! ! ! ! ! ! ! $775 Full Page - 7.5 w x 10h! ! ! ! ! $420! ! ! ! ! ! ! $1550

Custom Designed Adsby Jesse Wolf Hardin: $100-$300 depending on size and complexity

Custom Business Logo Designing also available... inquire at:[email protected]

Important!:*All ads MUST be in CMYK Color, 300 dpi resolution, JPGs ONLY!*

Advertising Deadlines

! ! ! ! ! ! Deadline For Copy & Payment! ! Date Issue ReleasesFall Issue! ! ! ! ! ! ! Aug 15th! ! ! First Monday in SeptemberWinter Issue! ! ! ! ! ! Nov 15th! ! ! First Monday in December!! !Spring Issue! ! ! ! ! ! Feb 15th! ! ! First Monday in MarchSummer Issue! ! ! ! ! ! May 15th! ! ! First Monday in June


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The Plant Healer Annual (Book)

In addition to advertising in the quarterly, full color Plant HealerMagazine, you may also want to submit an ad for the yearly PlantHealer Annual a massive, over 800 page long 8.5x11 perfect-

bound hard copy the size a metropolitan phone book... printed inB&W, released for sale every September, and containing themajority of the articles and illustrations from each years issues ofPlant Healer Magazine. Remember that being a book, your adswill continue to be seen by new readers as the books arecontinuously sold over the years.

Black & White Display Space

1/4 Page Vertical - 3.66w x 4.75h! $2101/2 Page Horizontal - 7.5w x 4.75h $420

Full Page - 7.5w x 10h!! ! ! $840 !Deadline: July 15th

Custom Designed Adsby Jesse Wolf Hardin: $100-$300 depending on size and complexity

Important!:*All ads MUST be in Black & White, 300 dpi resolution, JPGs ONLY!*

Payment For Magazine & Annual Advertising

All copy must be paid for by the advertising deadline or it may not appear.Make payment by check or money order to:

Shannon Bell (Kiva)P.O. Box 688, Reserve, NM 87830

or by PayPal to:[email protected]

Sending Ad Copy

Important!:*All ads MUST be sent as attachments to our special city Email address*

DO NOTsend attachments to any of our other email addresses, as we are on satelliteand get penalized for going over download limits.

Send EmailAttachmentsSOLELY to:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Documents

Plant Healer Sample Look Sm