"Creating Teas" class handout

Teas, Internally

Tea

1-2 T dried plants : 1 C hot water

Steep 3-10 minutes

Infusion

1 oz dried plants : 1 L hot water

Steep 20 minutes (standard) to overnight (for nutritive food-like herbs, only)

Decoction

1 oz dried plants : 1 L water

Start on stovetop, bring to a boil, simmer on low together for 20+ minutes

Note: If the plants are fresh, then more plant material is needed.

Teas, Externally

Wash

Soak, with strong infusion/ decoction

Steam

Cover, with steaming infusion/ decoction

Compress

Cloth soaked with warm infusion/ decoction, replaced as needed

Poultice/ fomentation

Mashed up plants, direct application

Steeping Styles

- Steep’n’Strain

- Cold infusion

- Hot infusion

- Overnight infusion

- Solar/ lunar infusion

Formulation

The triangle: primary, secondary/ supportive, tertiary/ corrigent herbs

Nourishing Infusions

- Nettles (Urtica dioica)

- Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

- Oatstraw (Avena sativa)

- Marshmallow (Althaea spp.; cold infusion only)

- Linden leaf (Tilia spp.)

- Violets (Viola spp.)

- Roses (Rosa spp.)

- Elm bark (Ulmus spp.; cold infusion only)

- Raspberry leaf (Rubus spp.)

Chai: basic recipe

Spices:

- Cinnamon 4

- Ginger 3

- Cardamon 2

- Nutmeg 1

- Black Pepper 1

- Cloves 0.5

Base:

- Black tea/ nourishing infusion

- Milk/ other fat

Articles from Other Resources

Wildcrafting

“Wildcrafting for the Practicing Herbalist,” by 7song

http://7song.com/files/Wildcrafting%20Herbalist.pdf

“Wildcrafting Checklist,” by Howie Brounstein

http://home.teleport.com/~howieb/treats/wildcrft.html

Herbal Actions and Energetics

“Herbal Actions and Energetics,” by jim mcdonald

http://herbcraft.org/properties.html

Teas

“How to Develop your Tea-Tasting Palate,” by Mark Falkowitz (focusing on Taiwanese/ Chinese teas)

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/how-to-taste-tea.html

Infusions

“Nourishing Infusions,” by Susun Weed

http://herbshealing.com/herbal_ezine/September08/anti-cancer.htm

Making Moon Water

Full moon nights may inspire lunacy. How do you celebrate? Do you like full moon hikes? Naked moon howling? Werewolf parties? Song circles? Dance circles? Orgies? Moon bathing, anyone?

I like to make moon water. It’s simple yet profound, and fun for kids, too. Here’s how:

1. Fill a clear glass jar with drinking water. (I use a 1 liter Mason jar, with a cap).

2. Go outside. Place your water-filled jar in a bright moonlit clearing, where it will likely get moon exposure for most of the night.

3. Lightly cap your water, or place a mesh or cloth screen on top, to keep bugs out.

4. Let sit overnight.

5. Retrieve it in the morning, before the sun hits it.

6. Do this for all three nights of the full moon: the night before the “official” calender date full moon, the “actual” full moon night, and the night after. (Or, if you’re time crunched, then just do the “actual” full moon night.)

7. That’s it! Store your moon water in a cool place, where it can stay fresh for up to a month.

I place my moon water next to my array of flower essences, tinctures, vitamins, and/ or supplements that I ingest each day. I start off my mornings drinking warm water with a splash of lemon juice. I add a small glass of moon water into my morning cocktail, along with whatever flower essences I’m experimenting with, drinking a little everyday. This helps reinforce my connection with the moon, bringing its essence into my body gradually, as a vibrational, or energetic medicine. But, it can also be drunk all at once. It can be used ceremonially, taking internally, spritzed on, or anointed externally. I was part of a full moon women’s circle for a while, where we anointed each other with moon water, like a witch’s baptismal. Some women incorporate moon water into moon time (menses) rituals, drinking it only during that time, to align themselves with the moon’s cycles, as they also wax and wane, ebb and flow, internal fluids rising and falling, drawn like tides towards and away from the moon. There are infinite possibilities! Experiment, and have fun.

This moon water making technique may be used for making moon tea, or other infusions. Just add whatever plants you want into the water, then let it all infuse overnight, in the moonlight. Consider making other infusions in the moonlight: flower or plant essences, tinctures, oil infusions, etc. What do you associate with the moon? How about the full moon? How can you creatively incorporate that full moon energy into your food, medicine, and life?

Moonlight is said to help clear stored energy in stones, particularly crystals. You can place your favorite stones around or near the infusing moon water, for a shared moon bath. Sometimes, I surround my infusing moon water jar with special stones, to infuse some of their energy into the water. Make a total ritual out of it. Create the bare bones of the ritual: just making moon water. Then, modify that structure moon to moon, depending on your needs and desires of the moment.

I lived with two girls for a few months, ages 5 and 7. They noticed me padding out into the night barefoot for three nights every full moon, and wanted to join. So, we created a little ceremony out of it, and they joined my full moon rituals. I eventually left the USA for three years of Asiatic travels. I visited them again, upon my return. Three years later, now ages 8 and 10, they still remembered. “Do you still make moon water?” They ask. Laughing, they say, “I remember dancing and singing in the full moon, and it was so cold, and, and, and...!” It’s a simple yet memorable, fun and beautiful ritual that helps to connect young girls and women with the cycles of the moon, and rhythms of the sky. How can we imbue a sense of sacredness and magic into the lives of our youth?

Here’s some extra ideas to add to your moon water making:

- Song

- Prayer

- Incense

- Candles

- Dance

- Journaling

- ...whatever you like!

After so many years of constant change--- home, community, work, everything, week to week, month to month--- I find solace in the sky. The earth is solid beneath my feet, but the landscape looks different everywhere I go. The sky looks different too, but not as drastically so. It’s different shades of blue, but it’s still the great blue blanket that covers us all, regardless of where we live, walk, and dream. The night sky looks similar, with differing amounts of visibility. I always look for the Great Bear, Polaris, Orion, and Venus, and notice where the moon is, in her cycle. Connecting with the moon’s phases helps me connect with my personal moon cycle, or menses. It helps increase my awareness of, and track the flow of my physical, emotional, and spiritual journey, and the patterns therein.

I love ritual. Ritual feels as grounding and anchoring as the pure sky and earth. It helps me return to myself, regardless of where I am, remembering that Home lies within, not without. Ritual is a symbolic action imbued with intention, that is repeated at certain times of importance. It can be personal or communal, and personalized to each individual.

Every month, I fill a 1 liter clear glass jar with drinking water. I walk to an area where the full moon will shine on my jar for as long as possible. I do a little ceremony. The full moon inspires lunacy, for she is fat, pregnant with all the seeds sowed during the new moon. I start projects on the full moon, such as planting seeds, starting tinctures or other macerations, etc. On the full moon, I’ll evaluate where I am in my projects, harvest what is ready, and give thanks for all of the gifts received along the way. I’ll recalibrate my inner compass by updating my original intentions and visions, then continue walking forward with renewed visions, clarity, and inner strength received through this process. I speak with the moon and stars, plants and earth. I light a candle to waken the spirits, then burn aromatic plant incenses as smoky offerings, to cleanse, and send my prayers skywards. My prayers begin with gratitude, and include both what I’m releasing, and what I’m manifesting. Action and intention, prayer and ritual. The moon, stars, and night sky have heard my voice since childhood. We are after all, made of the same materials as the stars, planets, and entire Universe. Imbuing moon water with the energetic essence of the ripe fat moon, I drink that energy into my body, realigning myself with the Universe, helping me remember who I am, where I come from, and what I’m doing here.

(A special thanks to herbalist and wise woman Lucy Mitchella, for sharing these traditions with me!)

Backpacking Packing List (Especially for long-term travelers)

“You’re carrying such a big pack!” People often exclaim, when they see me schlepping my 50 pound backpack home around on my back, which carries all of my worldly possessions of the traveling moment, which has been my life for much of the past eight years. After I explain, people change their tune to, “That’s it?”

How does one be a long-term traveler? How does one live life out of a backpack? What’s in there? What do you bring?

After enough questions aimed in this direction, it’s time for this article. I hope that this article is helpful for you who are preparing for a long journey, you who are preparing for a short journey, you who are just curious, and you who are already well-traveled. This article is for... you.

I’m no longer in the always-on-the-road-and-ready-for-anything phase of my life... Well, sometimes I am. Like, right now. But it doesn’t feel like this-is-forever, any more. I’m just coming out of it. I think. I just got a car again, and am looking into grad schools. Times are a-changin’. But, I will still write this article in present tense, just to keep things active. Because, even though I’m becoming more stable in my life, I am still a wild ol’ nomad, in my heart.

When traveling long term and carrying my life on my back, I try to minimize my life down to the essentials. Some call us “ounce-cutters.” I agree. But, it’s more like “micro-ounce-cutters.” I like to cut the tags off of all of my clothing, take off stickers... I go to extremes to lighten my pack. I traveled for a while with a tarp pack, instead of an actual backpack, to reduce the weight of even having a backpack. How comfortable do you need to be? How comfortable do you want to be?

Even in my most “extreme” times, I still carried my leather journal. Leather is durable and wonderful... but, heavy. And, my home-made journals are 120 pages. The whole thing fits in the palm of my hand, but is extra weight. As is my pouch of special stones, my books, earrings, an extra pretty thing or too that I don’t really need, but really like... and thus choose to travel with, for a small degree of comfort. What are you willing to live without? What can’t you live without? What do you absolutely need?

I’ve experimented with a variety of ways of doing things. I used to be much more “hardcore” than I am now. As I get older, I tend to value comfort more. I carry a larger towel than I used to, by a few inches. Those few inches of cotton comfort make me so much happier after a shower, even though it’s a few more ounces of weight. As is the ease of carrying a pack: ergonomic comfort, pockets, accessibility, etc. It’s heavier than a tarp pack, but by now, I don’t mind.

I pack differently for different circumstances. What form of transportation are you taking? Where are you going? Are you staying urban? Are you going into the back-country? Are you doing both? When are you traveling? What are the weather conditions? I’ve mostly hitchhiked and taken public transport, and am prepared to go between both urban and wild environments, as I don’t know exactly where I am going, much of the time. I resupply once a year, if I’m lucky. So, I’m prepared for anything. Regardless of within the USA or abroad, I am always prepared to camp with a few basic items:

Camping equipment: basics

- Sleeping bag (temperature rating to match wherever you are going. I didn’t know where I was going, so I brought the warmest bag that was as light as possible: a 0 F down bag)

- Tarp and rope (This is in case it rains. Know how to rig up a tarp shelter, in a variety of ways. There are ultralight tarps, and your general tarp. Ultralight tarps are handy for quick emergencies, but not conducive to multi-day usage. I prefer the general tarp.)

- Sleeping pad (I prefer the solid foam pad, instead of the blow-up sleeping pads. The blow-up pads take up less room and are more comfortable, but can pop, depending on where you are traveling. I often land in more rugged desert-type environments, thus the inclination towards a non-inflatable pad.)

- Stove (Optional. I still don’t own a backpacking stove, since I usually make cooking fires. A lightweight stove can be expensive, but very handy to have, especially in areas where fires are not allowed.)

- Matches or a lighter, in a plastic ziplock sack

- Water purifier (water pump, or iodine tablets)

- Water bottle or water bag

- Metal container to cook food and water in (I love lightweight and durable titanium cookwear.)

- Eating utensils (I carry around 1 titanium spork and 1 pair of bamboo chopsticks)

- Knife (I carry a pocket-knife on my hip, at all times. Just make sure that you dress yourself appropriately, before boarding airplanes, as airport security frowns upon knife-laden hips.)

What clothes you bring depends on the type of environment you are in. I like layers for all environments. What you bring also depends on how long you plan to be “out” for. I will list my suggestions for long-term travelers. I bring my favorite clothing, which is comfortable, aesthetic, usually natural fibers, and can be used in many ways. I travel with my favorite clothes, as I know I will wear them over and over again. I like to have different colors, patterns, and textures, so I can mix and match, to make life more interesting. (The same clothes all the time gets boring, after a while.) I love darker earth tone colors, so things can get dirty without looking dirty, and I can easily blend into a natural environment. You can buy synthetic lightweight quick-drying clothes, but I find those to be noisy, uncomfortable, and get sweaty and stinky easily. I prefer natural clothing, even though they’re generally more heavy.

If I have the opportunity to resupply, then I will pack what I need seasonally. Asking friends for their extra clothing that they would otherwise donate, digging around in free boxes and thrift stores, and leaving behind what I don’t need, in exchange for what I do need, works well, if I can’t resupply.

For colder climates, I love wool for its insular ability, even when wet. Synthetic fleece is wonderful for its warmth and lightweight nature, but melts if you get too close to your campfire.

Warmer climates vary. The desert has cool nights, so I prepare for that. The tropics are hot and muggy, and feel unbearable in the summer seasons. If resupplying, I would bring nothing but just a sheet, and the lightest cotton clothing that I have, for those kinds of conditions. Ask the locals what to prepare, and notice how they dress! If in a foreign country, it’s good to dress like those around you, anyhow.

Instead of making two different lists for warmer or colder climates, I just made one list. Adjust as you need, via the clothing material, and quantity (more and heavier for cold weather, less and lighter for warm weather. Layers, always). I wash my clothes by hand, more often if it’s hot, and less often if it’s cold.

Here’s some clothing ideas/ possibilities:

Clothes list

- 2-3 pairs of underwear (cotton’s great, but dries slowly, and chafes if you’re sweaty. I invest in more expensive synthetic traveler undies, to expedite the daily washing and drying process. I’d like to try hemp or bamboo undies, next.)

- 2-3 tank tops (or other base layer cotton/ natural fiber shirt)

- 1-2 inner long-sleeve shirts (cotton for warm weather, wool for cold weather)

- Lightweight outer jacket

- Rain jacket (doubles as a windbreaker. Make sure that it’s waterproof, not just water resistant, if you will actually be in a wet environment)

- 2-3 pairs of socks (wool for cold weather, cotton for warm)

- Leggings

- 1-2 skirts and/ or 1-2 pairs of pants (light yet durable cotton, or other natural breathable material for summer. Wool for winter)

- Long-johns (1 pair for warmer places, 2 pairs for colder places. Wool, always.)

- Hat (sun hat for sunny environment, wool cap for cold environment)

- Sunglasses (optional, for snow or sun)

- Other cold weather gear (down jacket, gloves/ mittens, scarf, etc)

- Other warm weather gear (swimming suit if you need it... and not much else at all. Mosquito net, perhaps)

- Shoes (sandals and moccasins for warm weather, just boots for cool weather. I travel with sandals and boots, to be prepared for any weather)

I tend to carry around too much food, as past travel partners can attest to, with cringes on their faces. Instead of storing food in my backpack, I tend to carry it around in an external “food bag,” because it’s too heavy and bulky to backpack with. I dumpster-dove for many years for food, instead of purchasing it from the store, which made procured food more valuable. Thus, schlepping it around. These days, I am more picky with my eating habits. I eat mostly organic, so carry around healthy foods, and foods that I like. This food list is more for the back-country connoisseur, rather than the urban traveler, who can easily resupply. I bring food that lasts for a long time, even without refrigeration. I prefer storing food in paper or cloth sacks, so that they can breathe, instead of plastic bags, where they can get damp then moldy, from their own sweat. I usually don’t carry all of these foods. It really depends. If you really want to get fancy, you can dehydrate everything ahead of time. But, I prefer fresh. Here’s some suggestions:

My food list

- Onions

- Purple cabbage

- Carrots

- Garlic

- Ginger

- Broccoli

- Sweet potato

- Fruit (ie Apples, oranges, pears, dried fruits)

- Spices (ie. Salt, pepper, curry powder, cayenne)

- Grains (ie. bread, oats, quinoa)

- Protein (ie. nuts, seeds, beans)

- Oil (I don’t usually backpack with oil, but it’s really lovely to have around.)

The sundries list

- Money (and money/ passport belt, if in an area where folks often get mugged)

- Pepper spray (optional. I used to carry this, while hitchhiking, just in case.)

- Extra bags (I carry extra cotton bags for collecting plants, foods, etc. I carry extra plastic bags for trash, waterproofing needs, etc.)

- Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, soap if you need it, menstruation equipment, etc)

- Small towel (I prefer cotton, instead of the quick-dry synthetic stuff. Cotton just feels and smells better, after a while.)

- Any medicines you may need (I tend to just carry a Tiger Balm style first aid salve that has mint, menthol, and other aromatics that are helpful for everything from aches and sprains, to minor cuts, to bug bites and nauseousness. I also carry Chapparal salve for sun protection and general skin nourishment, and always chapstick.)

- Sewing kit (just 1 ball of string, and 1-3 needles)

- Extra rope, rubber bands, tape (and scissors, if you’re really fancy. I like to carry hemp or jute rope for its durability, compostability, and potential to shred into small pieces to make a tinder bundle nest, for fire-starting)

I carry my large pack on my back, and my smaller grab bag on my front. My grab bag is usually a shoulder bag, but is sometimes a backpack. I put all of my valuables and immediate-usage items in the grab bag. When traveling in public areas, I sometimes ask a stranger to watch my large pack while I go elsewhere. But, I never leave my grab bag. I sleep with my grab bag next to my head, to this day. The grab bag can sometimes get bulky on long trips, especially wilderness backpacking journeys. If I don’t have a grab bag, then I’ll make sure that I have a strong cotton bag that I can easily sling over my shoulder, to use as a grab bag, if needed. A friend gave me a roll-up synthetic ultralight backpack that rolls into the size of a large wallet, that fits at the top of my pack. I carry it around as an emergency grab bag, when I’m not carrying one. When on multi-day backpacking trips, I like to set up a base camp. I leave all of my stuff at camp, unroll my emergency grab bag, and turn it into a daypack. Some backpacks have a detachable “brain” at the top. I’ve seen fellow travelers store grab bag type items in their backpack brain, and detach it as a fanny-pack, when they’re on the move. Fanny-packs seem ergonomically friendly, though I’ve never used one for long, before. I like hip pouches too (just more stylish than fanny packs, and hanging on the side, instead of protruding from the belly), which are like mini grab bags that stay put.

What’s in my grab bag

- Headlamp

- Knife

- Journal

- Camera

- Matches/ lighter

- Money/ passport/ ID

- Snacks

- Phone

- Spork/ chopsticks

- First aid salve

- Chapstick

- 1-3 lightweight cloth/ plastic bags, rolled up

Now with my car, I have a diversity of travel choices/ possibilities. Ensconced within my packed car, I have a smaller backpacking pack for shorter trips, and a large one for longer trips. I have a small suitcase with wheels, with the same carrying capacity as my large backpacking pack, but the convenience of being able to open my suitcase to view its contents, instead of digging through my pack. And, the wheels help to save my aging spine, for more urbane adventures. I have a small day pack, for day hikes. And finally, my grab bag forms my day-to-day purse-like sack, that still comes with me everywhere, and guards my dreams at night.

I’d like to finish this article with one of my favorite quotes, that my best friend in college, and instigator for what has turned into a lifetime of travelsome adventures, once shared with me. I tape this quote onto my wall when I have walls, write it in my journal, and travel with it in my heart. May it inspire you on your journey, as well. And, may you prepare well, pack simply, trust yourself and this beautiful massive world, and... enjoy.

“Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you -- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls.”

- Edward Abbey

~ Addendum ~

Here's some extra insights/ experiential suggestions from my friend and fellow traveler on a similar journey of a different style, Marvin Warren: 

Tarp: You can take my ultralight backpacking tarp from my cold, dead hands. I used to have an 8x10 silnylon job that took me from Georgia to Maine in 2001--still have it, in fact--but now I have a slightly smaller tarp made of spinnaker fabric, which sails are often made of. It's lighter and at least as durable as the silnylon. Cost more, but I've had it for 8 years now and it shows no sign of wearing out, even with a small hole burned in it by a careless neighbor camping in Tennessee some years ago. Anyway, it weighs about 8 ounces; there's no way I'm going back to the enormous and heavy standard tarps of my youth. Also, this means I can use lightweight cord for guylines, saving even more weight (though not so useful for tying up kinky friends and errant children). My sleeping bag, tarp,  lines, pad and ground cloth all together weigh just about 2 pounds. It's hard to get a sleeping bag as light as the quilt I made, but I've seen ones right around 2 lbs/10° that looked very nice.

Stove: I made my 1/4-ounce alcohol-burning stove out of two soda cans and some aluminum tape from an auto parts store. Cost: the tape, a few bucks. I could show you how in under an hour. Fuel is denatured alcohol, available at any hardware store, though I can only seem to find quart-sized and above these days, no more pints. You can burn everclear, too, but why would you? ;-)

I've also used what people call a hobo stove, which is simply a coffee can or some such with some notches cut in it to allow for some air flow. More efficient than an open fire, and easier to rest a pot on. Weighs a little more than the alcohol stove, but if you're confident that you'll have fuel (bits of wood), you don't have to carry any. Both work great, though there's no 'simmer' option, at least on the alcohol.

I put everything in ziplock bags. This is probably less needful in the desert--though it still helps keep things organized--but on the wet sides of the country, it's invaluable. In particularly wet weather, I line the inside of my pack with a trash bag as well.

Clothes: Less of them, all quick-drying except for wool/synthetic socks, of which 3 pair is a minimum, and usually just the right amount. I will never go to sleep in wet socks again. No no no no no.

I invested in silk long-johns, and find them more comfortable and lighter than wool. It's my hands that tend to get cold, though, so I'm less worried about my legs. Might change if I wore skirts outdoors in winter. (Extra socks double as gloves, too, of course)

No cotton, except on car-trips. Synthetic, silk, wool, bamboo fibre, but no cotton.

Sensing

What's happening around you right now? Which sensory impressions are most noticeable to you? What is your strongest sense? Which of your senses are less awake and aware? Bring consciousness to those senses now, noticing what enters your awareness.

Botanica Aphrodisiaca

From a recent talk about roses, cacao, and aphrodisiacs. Enjoy the below PDF, my class handout.
Happy Valentine's Day!

And from my 2013 final research project/ presentation while finishing up at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, is the below PDF on... DIY natural lube! Please note that I would change some of the titling and content of my "herbal categories" in the below PDF, but I still like the general info, and especially the recipes on the right column. And now, if you combine my 2015 "Botanica Aphrodisiaca" info and the 2013 "Botanica Erotica" info...!

Have fun.

PS- If you're in Connecticut, I'm teaching this class again on April 21. Info on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/355729177966245/
and in my schedule:
http://linjiling.blogspot.com/p/schedule.html

Jiling's Spring 2015 Connecticut Herb Classes

You can view the PDF more fully, or download and forward it, via this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7LKnt2hzJ4ZcEY3bFo4Vy1HVXM/view?usp=sharing

More in-depth class descriptions:

Jiling’s Herbalism Classes

Come join us for an empowering, informative, and fun herbal workshop series in Bethany, CT this spring, with herbalist Jiling Lin. These classes provide a solid introductory foundation for the vast world of western herbalism, rooted in hands-on medicine making, plant identification, and other practical skills. Students will learn and explore experientially, making an herbal medicine in each class, and gaining useful tools for self, home, and community.  

When: Tuesday nights (6:30- 8:30 PM), and the first Saturday of each month (10 AM- 3 PM).

Come for one, or all, of the classes. Open to everyone.

Where: Out-on-a-Whim Farm (312 Litchfield Turnpike Bethany, CT)

Register: Contact Jiling at LinJiling@gmail.com or 626-344-9140

For more info, visit www.LinJiling.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/jilingbotanicals/events

Tuesday Evening Medicine- Making Classes

When: Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 PM. March 17 to June 2

Cost: Sliding scale $30-$50 per class.

We’ll share tea, and explore a different topic each week: practical medicine-making skills, formulation, applicable theory, plant identification, local edible and medicinal plants, and more!

Free Tea Party (March 17)

Come join us for a free tea party to welcome the coming spring, and the beginning of a weekly and monthly herbal workshop series! We’ll discuss different approaches to exploring the world of plant medicine, with plenty of open space for collective sharing, asking questions... and savoring samples! Please bring your beautiful self and any interested friends, and a snack to share. Hope to see you there!

Creating Tea (March 24)

Teas are an ancient way to ingest plants, which is still ritualized in many traditional cultures. We’ll share a tea ceremony, then prepare teas, infusions, and decoctions. We’ll discuss ethical wild-crafting tools and techniques, plant drying methods, and storage techniques. We’ll formulate customized relaxing blends for each student, exploring relaxing herbs and nourishing nervines, and how they interact with unique body-types. Other topics we may explore include topical tea applications (washes, compresses, poultices, steams), local delicious and nourishing plants for tea, and powders.

Oil Infusions and Salves (March 31)

Our skin is the most exposed part of our physical body. We’ll discuss skin-care, salve making, oil infusions, formulations, and create a luxurious aromatic skin-healing salve.

Making Tinctures (April 7)

Tinctures are plants extracted in alcohol. They’re easy to make, transport, and ingest. We’ll prepare tinctures with fresh, dried, and other plant materials with the folk method, and scientific method. We’ll discuss formulation, cordials, elixirs, and plant actions. Other possible topics include organoleptics, botany, Ayurvedic constitutional evaluation, vitalist energetics, and holistic health.

Sweet Medicine (April 14)

A spoonful of sugar truly makes the medicine go down. Sweet medicine is often delicious, as well as medicinal. Just don’t eat it all at once! We’ll demonstrate making honey infusions, syrups, glycerites, pastilles, cordials, and elixirs. Students will bring home a yummy medicinal honey infusion.

Aphrodisiacs and Herbal Chocolates (April 21)

Since food is one of our most powerful medicines, let’s begin with dessert. We'll explore aphrodisiac plants, uses, and formulation. Focusing on roses and cacao, we’ll concoct decadent herbal chocolates, and luxurious rose coconut oil.

Incense, Dreaming Herbs, and Flower Essences (April 28)

Working with plants on a ritualistic or energetic level can complement any self-care or therapeutic practice, and enhance the process of coming to know oneself, in relation with plants. We’ll discuss plant connection exercises, dreaming herbs, the ritual usage of plants, and how to make flower essences. We’ll make an incense blend in class, for students to take home, and continue the journey.

Women’s Herbal Circle (May 5)

This class is for the ladies. We’ll discuss dietary, lifestyle, and herbal support for women, and the female reproductive system. I’ll tailor the class to the needs and interests of participants, so please register, and let me know who you are! We’ll formulate a supportive tea for the female system, and create a moon-time medicine kit.

Herbal First Aid (May 12)

Using herbal medicine in acute first aid situations is one of the best ways to learn, through hands-on practice in everyday life. We’ll discuss how to address common first aid concerns with herbs, such as open wounds, infections, digestive disorders, headaches, emotional distress, and more. Students will bring home an herbal medicine to start, or complement, their own herbal first aid kit.

Spring Edibles and Digestive Bitters (May 19)

Many of the first edible plants to rise in the spring are bitter. We’ll discuss the importance of bitters for healthy digestion, identify spring edibles, and make a delicious digestive bitters tinctures blend, and infused vinegars.

Food as Medicine (May 26)

Let thy food be thy medicine... and let thy medicine be thy food! In this fun and delicious class, we’ll demonstrate creative ways to prepare local wild edibles, kitchen herbs, and integrate herbs into food. A few possibilities include making gomasio, pesto, finishing salts, infused oils and vinegars, sauerkraut, tonic soups, adapto-balls, and more!  

Free Tea Party (June 2)

Welcome to another community tea party, now at the culmination of the spring herb classes, where all students are invited to share their herbal projects, experiences, plant stories, and more! I’ll share upcoming summer herb class activities, and some spring treats. Please bring a locally grown or wild-harvested snack to share. Let’s celebrate the abundance of spring, and the upcoming pleasures of summer!

First Saturday Botanical Field Days

When: First Saturdays of each month, 10 AM- 3 PM, April to June

Cost: Sliding scale $65-$85 per class.

Field days include plant walks, medicine-making, and more. We’ll explore field botany, ethical wild-crafting, and land stewardship. Please come prepared to be outdoors, learn, connect, and have fun! Please register in advance, for location and other details.

Plant Identification: Intuition and Observation (April 4)

Understanding botany is essential, for conclusive plant identification and safe/ effective medicine making. This class combines intuition, observation, and science to help newcomers learn practical botany skills. We’ll discuss organoleptics and botany basics, then embark on sensory explorations, and practice “keying out” plants using botany tools and books. We’ll discuss ethical wild-crafting tools and techniques, then make a fresh plant tincture and oil.

Experiencing and Creating Flower Essences (May 2)

Flower essences contain the vibrational essence of the plant. They work with people on a subtle yet powerful energetic level. We’ll connect with plants through field botany and a variety of awareness exercises, make our own flower essence, and experience a variety of plant essences.  

Herbal Medicine Making Intensive (June 6)

Making herbal medicines involves understanding a simple set of techniques, then repeating and adapting them, under a variety of circumstances. We’ll do a plant walk, botanizing along the way, practice plant connection exercises and ethical wild-crafting, then explore a variety of field medicine making skills, including drying methods, plant storage, tinctures, oils, honeys, glycerites, liniments, and vinegars.

Connections

Who do you feel most connected to in your life? What things hold the most meaning for you? Who do you feel less connected with? What kind of people, places, things, and activities are you attracted to, or repulsed by? What kind of connections do you forge with the world around you, through the people that you surround yourself with, or keep yourself from? 

Deep Creek Hot Springs, CA

If you live in or near Los Angeles County, then go visit this hot springs! It's large, beautiful, and relatively within driving distance. (It's an hour from my parents' place in the San Gabriel Valley, driving slowly). I'm posting directions, because it was difficult for me to find info online. Here's directions: 

The Drive

- 210 E

- go LEFT at the exit for 18 N/ Waterman 

- go LEFT at the stoplight for "Lake Gregory," to go to 189. A sharp curve RIGHT (immediately after the stoplight left) going up a steep hill begins your 189 ascent. 

- go LEFT to Grass Valley Road (this is a sort of confusing residential district. Just keep following the road signs, and go slow.) 

- eventually dead ends at 173. Go LEFT onto 173. 

- Right before the road closure, there's a bridge (Kinley Creek Bridge). Park here. To the right of the bridge, you'll see a small trail... take it! 

The Trail

It's about 3.5 to 5 miles down, according to different sources. So, it should take around an hour to get down, and 1-2 hours to get back up. There's a few different trails, but basically bear right for the shorter steeper route, and bear left for the longer less-steep route. Both are equally beautiful, and semi-treacherous in their own right. 

The Hot Springs

There's a few different pools, different temperatures, and clothing is optional. Bring water and a sun hat, have fun, and remove your trash, please! There's been people there every time I've visited, even on weekdays. The trail is really steep, so make sure you wear good walking shoes, and knee protection if you need it. Even if you don't visit the hot springs, it looks like once you get down to the river, if you bear left, there's less people, and it's quite gorgeous (think lush riparian zone, surrounded by large Joshua Tree NP style stones). If you bear further right, you walk towards the Pacific Crest Trail, which can take you all the way south to Mexico or north to Canada... enjoy! Besides this route I posted, there are other options. But, this way seems the most direct, and includes free parking. 

I got my info from here: 

http://studentreader.com/deep-creek-hot-springs/directions/#Bradford-Trail