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ContentsAnnouncements 3Jesse Wolf Hardin: Autumnal Tears & The Glad Healer’s Dance 10Kiva Rose Hardin: Mugwort as The WeedWife’s Talisman 14Good Medicine: Plant Healer Event Tales – 2019 Class Topics Announced! 22Resources for Herbalists 32Laurie Quesinberry: From Poacher to Steward 40Jesse Wolf Hardin: The Medicine Wagon: Early American Herb Sellers 47

Welcome...to Herbaria, an over 30 pages-long monthly supplement to the nearly 300 pages-long

Plant Healer Quarterly, providing content even to those unable to afford needed educational materials! Issues feature abridged reprints from the quarterly, along with many other articles by our herbal tribe,

on topics of plant medicine, healthful natural lifeways, the shifting of perception, and the creation of a diverse, life-enhancing alternative to the destructive conformist paradigm.

Down-Home Updates

November is the month when we release the Teacher Bios and Class Descriptions for our annual event next May, when I have to begin illustration and laying out the articles for the upcoming Winter volume of Plant Healer Quarterly, and when we begin to reimagine the 2020 event and start making its website. If we wait any later, we will be in the extra busy months leading up to the Confluence.

This is the time of year when our finances are always at their worst, and we have to make a special effort to make sure we can afford personal and business expenses. While Kiva and I have lived at the financial margins all our lives, it is different now with monthly expenses for all the services that make Plant Healer publications and events possible. It’s good point at which to focus on gathering wild foods for the plate, gather some items to sell on ebay, and stay close to home. Then come December and January, things are usually flowing well enough again that we can go back to ordering things for the baby without defaulting on bills.

Said baby is turning 11 months old, asking for extra (or complete!) attention, walking and running everywhere, and has cleverly learned to open every kind of cabinet latch we have installed (an order of small hasps is on its way here, let’s see if our wee beastie can also pick locks!). Everything fascinates Aelfyn, and whenever he sees something new and inexplicable he looks up to us to describe its functions. “Huh? Huh?” he asks in a way too

cute voice. I want to try to find a good deal on some more toys for this critter, including some of the various wooden games that help with the development of eye/hand coordination.

On top of playing with Aelfyn and putting an average 12 hours per day into work on the computers, we need to make time for splitting firewood to keep the cabins warm, turn the solar panels frequently so we do not run out of electricity, and continue clearing dead brush from around the foundations of the structures in anticipation of the next wildfire season.

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Plant Healer News & Announcements

This remote river canyon sanctuary continues to provide succor and inspiration. A pair of Gray Foxes have been speaking to us daily from atop a boulder just feet from our outhouse, the nesting Black Hawks set an example of familial devotion, and the banks of fog that cloak the volcanic cliffs at daybreak remind us of the magic and mystery that always lies beckoning – just outside our focus and preconception. We create these Herbaria issues for you under the influence of this uptempo enchantment, rooted in this down-home existence.

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Now Shipping, Our Newest BookThe Practice of Herbalism

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Updates on The10th Anniversary International

2019 Good Medicine Confluence

May 15-19th, Durango, Colorado

This year’s gathering will again feature nearly 150 never before taught classes, hands on labs, and special intensives!

See the list on page 25 for a list of the many incredible, diverse Class Titles. And to download the detailed 50 pages-long descriptions, click here on:

The 2019 Confluence Class Descriptions PDF

Or for all the info on the Confluence, go to: PlantHealer.org/intro.html

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Please Help Post or Distribute Good Medicine Confluence

Posters & Cards

Batches of new 2019 Good Medicine event posters are available to ship, if you have a

business to put them up in, or if you know of shops and schools that would agree to keep

them hung until the May gathering.

We have available both big 11x17” posters, as well as regular 8.5x11 versions.

Just let us know your snail mail address, and how many of what size copies you can use.

We are also printing announcement postcards, if you would be so kind as to pass them out or

include them in your outgoing orders.

Please email us with the word “Posters” in the subject line: PlantHealer@PlantHealer.org

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While we run a few excerpts from Plant Healer Magazine in Herbaria, what you read here is but a small fraction of the over 1,100 yearly pages that subscribers to the quarterly PHM enjoy.

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Share Herbaria Freely & Widely

We depend on paid subscriptions to the quarterly Plant Healer Magazine in order to produce this content, our events, and all we do to spread and support the folk herbal community... but these monthly Herbaria supplements are our gift – so please feel encouraged to forward any issue to anyone you like, and to post links to Herbaria issues on your blogs and social media pages.

Medicine for the people!

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Your Next Herbaria Issue Releases in January

December is a busy and highly personal holiday month for most of you. To honor that special time, we do not send out an Herbaria issue again until mid January.

Until then, we are sending you our very best wishes for joyous times, stimulating adventures, endless learning, and wild fulfillment!

! ! ! ! –Wolf & Kiva

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Fall is without doubt my favorite season in this wild river canyon, with its heady intoxicating mix of brilliant colors, the smells of carnally craving late season bloomings, the sparkling liquid tumult that sounds somehow crisper than it did just a few months ago in the long days of Summer. And the light – oh the light! – with yellow shifting to deep and darker golds, the greens dense and forthright or transitioning into browns and bloody reds at the precipice of first freeze, the purples of the river cliffs glowing at dusk like 3D black-light posters. And the blues unbearably blue, as blue as the music of the sweatiest jukes of the South, as blue as the tears in your most bittersweet of dreams.

Fall is when they talk about an opening between the worlds, a passageway between past and future, between life and death and then life again. It is most obviously the mystical season, in a world that offers abundant examples of mystery and awesomeness in every month of the year. It is when thing are most determinedly enlivened, the senses hungering and then inundated, creation and procreation in high gear

out of an ancient response to the inevitability of balancing limits and inactivity, deterioration and deconstruction. The wildest flowering directly precedes the dagger cold of fatal Winter. Autumn is the bucket list season, the season when annual grasses froth with an abundance of seed to help ensure their kind’s survival, when horned and horny animals bugle and trumpet and roar in the urge to deposit seed themselves. In sight of impending struggle or demise, some species will rush to prepare to survive the months ahead, while others dance and fiddle in a final glad party.

Anyone who is truly awake and present cannot look into the face of nature, without confronting a reflection of their self. I thus see my own hurried attempts to accomplish my goals in the high speed gathering of nuts by squirrels sensing the immanence of bare branches and frigid winds, and in the bears’ stuffing of themselves before hibernation I recognize myself reaching out for and pulling into myself all the knowledge and beauty and meaning and patterning of life into me before whatever rest ever

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Autumnal Tears

& The Glad

Healer’s Dance

by Jesse Wolf Hardin

awaits me. It is the season when I feel the absence of those I have cared about and the loss of children I loved, with a sensation like I imagine an Alder might experience when an unavoidable wind tugs at their leaves and then one by one rips them from its limbs. And it is the season of sensing my Alder-laced roots, toes spread beneath the ground I have long pledged to, served, loved, guarded, and celebrated, the season of fervent readying for what can always be counted on to be an unstoppable Spring.

Unable to look at things from a single perspective, in polar terms of abundance or longing, I find it is my season to cry, but also to laugh. To accept there are limits to everything including giving, helping, and healing... while reveling in every caring effort, and celebrating every act of good. That nature is being killed by the instruments and fact of the very civilization we are a part of, but that nature will

outlive and re-form after even the worst of what a scared and distracted human kind might do to it. That love is forever, but that things change, kids age, those we care about move on or succumb. I do not pretend there are no hard times coming, no money problems or frost covered outhouse seats, and I do not pretend enlightenment always prevails over an ignorant darkness or that life in its uncountable forms does not each reach a conclusion that is death. Therefore I gather and store food ahead of Winter’s relative scarcity, store solar power for illumination in what will soon be shorter days and longer nights.

And in keeping my balance, I find I also must notice all that is precious or caring or mysterious or lovely or true, must look to that which lasts, and must celebrate that which is temporal and passing or transforming and perhaps in time becoming unrecognizable.

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After all, I can see the dawn through the thickest blackness before first light makes its announcement. I won’t be sparing the earth my love’s Autumnal tears. Nor should we wait until some final party to saw a happy fiddle, or to dance our thankful dance.

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Common Names: Una, Aldy Fraw (Old Woman), Gypsy’s Tobacco, Louisiana Sage, Western Mugwort, Estafiate, Silver Sage, SagewortBotanical Name: Artemisia vulgaris, A. filifolia. A douglasiana, A. ludoviciana, A. frigida, and allied spp.Taste: Bitter, aromatic, and sometimes slightly sweetEnergetics: Cool/Warm, dryActions: Diaphoretic, diuretic, carminative, hepatoprotective, relaxant nervine, antimicrobial, hepatic relaxant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, emmenagogue

Remember, Mugwort, what you made known,What you arranged at the Great proclamation.

You were called Una, the oldest of herbs,you have power against three and against thirty, you have power against poison and against infection, you have power against the

loathsome foe roving through the land.–Nigon Wyrta Galdor

The Nine Herbs Charm (translated from Old English)

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Tattered & Silver-Leafed

Mugwort as The Weedwife’s Talisman

by Kiva Rose HardinThe following is an advance excerpt from what will be Kiva’s first published book, The Enchanted Forest

Herbary. You can get a taste for her mthyopoetic approach to plant medicine by attending the class she will be teaching at The Good Medicine Confluence Skills & Pleasures Faire in Durango in May.

I’ve always thought of Artemisia as a hooded figure at a crossroads, Aldy Fraw in her long skirts dragging through the desert sand, her fingers still stained with Southern swamp mud. Unremarkable and unmistakable all at once, this is a medicine of the downtrodden and the uncanny. An herb of witches to be sure, but most likely to be found in the hands of the elusive, yet not so uncommon weedwife that gathers her herbs from dooryards and fields to treat those who need it most.

Called Una, the mother and oldest of all other herbs by the Anglo-Saxons, and considered a gift directly from their ancestor and god, Woden, Mugwort is designated as both sacred and powerful by numerous cultures throughout known history. You’re as likely to see it in simple medicinal vinegars for treating Poison Ivy as you are in elaborate magical

preparations for protection, divination or vivid dreaming.

Therein lies the power and charm of any Artemisia, to go from mundane to otherworldly in the briefest flicker of a candle, and to be able to walk the spaces between with a feral grace that only weeds can claim. Her mantle is silvered by moonlight, and tattered from the long journey. Her basket heavy with secrets and roadside roots. Artemisias are not uncommon in clinical practice in North America, but what really defines them, and sets them apart from many popular herbs of commerce, is their nearly ubiquitous appearance in the hands of wise women and root doctors, folk healers and traditional medicine people. As medicine, as magic, as a talisman that connects us back to the very foundation of our work and role as matchmakers between plants and people.

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“Mugwort, it will be clear by now, has had something of a dangerous past, at the hazy

margin of sacred and secular culture – indeed, from a time when there was no

distinction made between the two.”-Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal

Hedgerow Medicine

Artemisias have long been a favorite among traveling healers, seers, cunning folk, wise women, and old time fairy doctors for its broad range of uses and dependable availability. Its effects include the reproductive, digestive, urinary and and nervous systems. A stubborn emblem of folk medicine in the West, their shimmering silver-green foliage persists under the hot New Mexico summer sun long after all other greenery has withered and crisped. Cooling and bitter, this plant is rich in vitamins and minerals including vitamin B complex, necessary for a healthy nervous system and emotional stability, and also contains copious amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, and iron.

The Artemisia genus is one I’ve learned about from a number of different cultures, traditions, angles, and places. There is nothing simple about this silver-leafed enigma. For as long as humans have been recording their knowledge of plant medicine, they’ve been writing about whatever Artemisias they have access to. Given the immense amount of lore around this particular genus, it seems certain that we humans have been talking about and passing on wisdom regarding these plants for far longer than the written word has been in existence.

The Mask of the Green Woman: The Many Names & Faces of Artemisia

Call her Sage, call her Mugwort, call her Mother, call her whatever you like, but she’ll keep changing all the same. Some folks will get uptight and irate about the many common names of this plant, berating each other for using Mugwort for any species other than A. vulgaris. This doesn’t make much sense to me, and doesn’t really follow the way in which common names are used by traditional peoples anyhow. Most non-woody Artemisias in the Southwest are collectively called Sageworts by botanists, which also works fine, but there are myriad specific and general common names spread across continents, languages, and peoples I do think it’s important to be able to key the species out to a botanical binomial, for safety’s sake, but other that, common names will keep appearing and disappearing, shifting and turning as

they always have. This can be frustrating to some, but they can stick to the botanical name.... at least until the taxonomists start messing with them again too.

A trickster plant taking many forms, those new to this shapeshifting beauty should forgive themselves any confusion in its identification. One of the first to come back in the Spring, our native Artemisia ludoviciana pushes up fat, feathery green leaves that provide welcome change to a landscape of predominantly cacti and yucca. As it matures, it grows into a lanky, silver-leafed shrub that’s almost lost among the bright flowers of May. It begins flowering around June, bearing inconspicuous yellow-green flowers on slim stalks. As Summer comes to its end, Mugwort begins to stoop, flower-heads often bent nearly to the ground. By this time, the plant has taken on an uneven, waifish appearance and its leaves have mostly changed from several pronged hands to single pointed lances. If not watched closely, it can be hard to tell these three

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stages as the same herb. Yet once we get to know this sometimes elegant, sometimes ragged little plant, we’ll always recognize our Grandmother Sage.

I’ll be speaking of the species I’m most familiar with, especially Artemisia vulgaris, A. ludoviciana, A. filifolia, and A. carruthii. There are a great many other species, many of them native to or abundant in the American Southwest where I live, but I tend to use the ones that grow right here in my riparian canyon home. Basically, the species I work with the most are the moderate powered ones. Not the bitter extreme of Sagebrush or Wormwood, nor the edible mildness of some coastal species or Tarragon, but right smack in the middle. I find these species to be widely applicable to clinical use, and while their constituents overlap and vary in fascinating ways, they do tend to work in the same general way when it comes to the actions that I refer to here.

To Drink a Bitter Brew: Hepatic & Digestive Actions

Mugwort is perhaps my personal favorite of the bitters, its aromatic intensity teaming up with a profoundly bitter taste for an effect on the gut that is both protective and stimulating. Especially good for when the digestive juices dry up due to stress and the belly shuts down, leaving all your food fermenting and churning in your gut. Also very useful for those with hepatitis and other manifestations of hot

liveredness (yes, I made that word up) or gallbladder congestion that manifests as an inability to digest food, bloating, looking a bit greenish yellow around the gills and a frontal headache.

Most of us know bitters stimulate the digestion, increasing gastric juices to assist in the breaking down of food process. And aromatic bitters such as the Artemisias excel at not only stimulating digestion but moving along stuck energy, fluids, waste materials and other stagnant elements. Because the intensity of bitterness tends to vary from species to species it’s useful to keep in mind that the more bitter the plant, the stronger a digestive stimulant it will be and the more strongly aromatic the plant the more active an energy mover it will be.

Mugwort in particular also has a protective and cooling effect upon the gut and liver which can be useful for that evil, constipated green in the face kind of malaise that plagues travelers. This common ailment is especially troublesome for those tense from airplanes, fast cars and other unnatural circumstances. I don't know how many times guests have asked me for laxatives or something to just help things get moving. But then they don't really want laxatives because lord only knows when it's going to take effect. The simple answer for many people lies in the sweet simplicity of a good bitters formula. Gets the process going, without overstimulating peristalsis. And specifically, is excellent for decongesting a backed up, nervous liver that just sits and twitches rather than flowing with enzymes and bile. It'll help get rid of that frontal headache and pukey feeling you've had for two days, and if you take it before and after meals it'll also help move the food right along.

I always carry a bottle of blended Artemisias tincture with me whenever I leave the Canyon, it keeps my oversensitive belly from becoming a dysfunctional basket-case. Soothes nausea, eradicates nervous constipation, and calms acidity, all while moving stagnant energy and food.

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I learned from my teacher, the late Michael Moore, to use the cold infusion of Artemisia for gastric ulcers, and really for most any chronic gastritis. As usual, he was right on, and I’ve treated many a client with long term gastric ulcers very successfully with the cold infusion, usually (but not always) in addition to lifestyle and dietary changes. The fact is though, that it can help a great deal even in old cowboys who drink too much whiskey and live off of gas station burritos and refuse to change a damn thing. I treated my own ulcer with the same bitter brew, alongside tissue healing herbs, with equal success.

As a side benefit, the Artemisias are also great at taking care of weird stomach bugs, diarrhea and the discomfort caused by unfamiliar water bacteria. In those cases, the stronger the Artemisia, the better, even including Sagebrush and Wormwood.

For all things hepatic and gastric related, the cold infusion is probably the most efficient and useful preparation if you can get folks to take it, especially where there’s clear issues with fat metabolism. The tincture makes a nice short term solution for acute traveller’s guts or the occasional bilious flair up, but does not replace the cold infusion.

Pulling at the Tides: Artemisia & Menstrual Cycles

Artemisia, excelling at moving stagnation, is useful in bringing on delayed menses. No, I didn’t say it will terminate an unwanted pregnancy in the early stages, and have never seen that work. It just brings on a normal menstrual period that may have been delayed by stress, illness, or anything else that may have caused pelvic stagnation. It’s also been known

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to overstimulate bleeding in women in already prone to that during their periods, so use judiciously.

For those prone to stuck, clotty, crampy menstruation though, it can be very helpful, and smooth out the whole process. This can be applied both externally and internally. The tincture is usually sufficient internally, although a hot tea will act more quickly. An infused oil applied to lower abdomen and lower back can also be useful, especially for cramping.

Fever Water: Artemisia as Diaphoretic

All Artemisias I’ve worked with are diaphoretics (and diuretics) to varying degrees, and therefore useful as a hot tea to fend off viral onset at the first signs of infection. It won’t taste nice, and most people won’t actually drink it, but it does work. In general, I would choose something tastier in most cases, unless there’s a specific reason (hepatic complications, overt gut/mucosal inflammation) that Artemisia is indicated for this purpose. It does also help with sinus pain and inflammation during cold/flu as well, and I often combine it with a mucus membrane tonic like Bidens spp. or Anemopsis for that purpose.

As a side note, A. filifolia and A. douglasiana seem to be the most effective at moderating hypersecreting mucosa. There’s some overall debate in how the different species within the genus stimulate or lessen secretions, and I certainly haven’t tried them all, so I do suggest getting to know your own local species with that in mind.

The Bleeding Heart: Mugwort & Grief

Mugwort is considered specific for those recovering from grief, shock, or even head trauma. While I can’t speak to the last, I have found it profoundly helpful for the first two. A grief formula I keep on hand is 1 part Artemisia, 2 parts Peach leaf/blossom, 2 parts Albizia, with an optional 10 drops of Bleeding Heart

(Dicentra formosa.) root tincture added per ounce of the rest of the blend.

That said, Artemisias make for peculiar nervines, and don’t always have predictable results, especially when used on their own outside of a formula. They can also cause vivid, and sometimes unpleasant, dreams. I actually don’t have this issue with the plant, regardless of preparation, but many people do. Additionally, many nervines can induce more vivid dreaming (and less restful sleep), including Scutellaria and some species of Salvia. Twitchy folks with stuck, obsessive thinking seem the most likely to benefit from Artemisia as a relaxant. In these cases, combining with Tulsi or other Basils can help round out the effects.

A plant broadly associated with dreaming and magic, a crown of its flowering tops was at one time worn by maidens on Midsummer’s Eve to call the fairies to their Solstice celebrations. Even now, it is quite common for small pillows to be stuffed with Mugwort to encourage vivid dreams. Held sacred since ancient times, it is burned as a pungent smudge or ceremonial smoke.

Dressed in Leaves: External Applications

Mugwort is broadly antibacterial against many unpleasant little microbes, including most fungus and some viruses (both Herpes I and II). It's also very noticeably anti-inflammatory, and topical use can penetrate all the way through to muscles, tendons, ligaments and so on. I've used it many times on various kinds of injuries, pulled muscles (good with Goldenrod), insect stings (great with Plantain, Yarrow or Peach/Cherry), contusions (nice with Cottonwood), cuts, infections, nerve pain (with Larrea and/or Sweet Clover) and especially in anything itchy and irritated like contact dermatitis and poison ivy (use the diluted tincture or a fomentation, not the oil). It's absolutely my first choice for anyone who thinks they've just gotten into some poison ivy. Wash the area well first, then douse

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well with diluted tincture (or vinegar) or a strong tea, this can also be used in combination with Grindelia (failing that, Yarrow will work well too).

Just as when taken internally, Mugwort has a talent for moving energy which also means that it helps allay pain, quicken recovery time and prevent pooling of blood (bruising) or energy that could result in chronic pain from a poorly healed injury. It's incredibly multi-purpose and combines well with many other herbs. I don't see it that often in salves, but it's a wonderful choice for any all-purpose salve. It's also my most common spit poultice for nearly anything, not simply because it’s so amazingly effective but also because it's everywhere here. In fact, it may be the single most common plant in our canyon.As previously mentioned, the infused oil can

also make a good uterine massage oil for cramps, achiness and general uterine or ovarian discomfort with tightness or cramping. This plant has a certain affinity for the reproductive/generative system, and can sometimes even help focus and center labor pains when rubbed over the womb area.

I’m also partial to Artemisia as a musco-skeletal healer. Years ago, a client hurt her foot by mis-stepping in a rocky area and damaged the muscles in the center of the instep. The injury hurt bad enough to cause a slight limp and even after a week or so didn't really improve. I suggested she soak it in a strong infusion of Mugwort several times a day. Two days of this and the foot was fifty percent better, so of course she promptly stopped doing it, thinking it would finish up on it's own. But week later her foot hadn't healed any further at all. When she resumed the soaks, the foot recovered completely. I have repeated this treatment several dozen times now on mild to moderate muscle injuries or strains with great results. If the damage is deeper or more severe, Goldenrod (Solidago spp.), Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum spp.), Snakeweed (aromatic Guitierrezia spp.), or Cottonwood (resinous Populus spp.) may be added for better results, depending on the nuances of the injury.

Details & Dosages

Preparations: Fresh plant tincture or vinegar at any stage, more aromatic in spring and more bitter after and during flowering. Dried flowering tops or young leaves make a good tea or cold infusion. The volatile oil content drops dramatically during flowering, and that may be desirable for tincture use in some cases, but I don't find it ideal for infused oil at all. So usually I make oil from fresh smelly green bits in mid spring, and then I make oil from flowering tops later in the summer. Then I combine the oils to use in my favorites salves, liniments and massage oils. It seems to work extra nice, and has a certain rich scent you can't get from either on their own.

Dosage: A few drops to a few mls of tincture depending on the situation, less for nervine properties in sensitive people and more for more

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physiologically based digestive issues. Cold infusion specifically for hepatic and gastric needs. Tea by the cup as a diaphoretic as needed, it is very bitter though and it can be difficult to get anyone to drink it. The vinegar (or infused oil) may be used in foods (salad dressings are good) to taste, as well as medicinally.

Cautions and Contradictions:  Has the tendency to cause vivid dreaming and better dream recall, but there are no promises your dreams will be pleasant or worth remembering. Use with caution in individuals with a history of nightmares or insomnia due to fear or trauma. Generally a safe and gentle herb but due to emmenagogue actions probably should not be used internally during pregnancy despite traditional use as a uterine protectant during the early stage of pregnancy.

Una: The Beginning & The End

Our Mother of Herbs, with her silver hood pulled low over her many faced visage, is a multi-faceted ally that manages to be powerful while still common, abundant while still enigmatic, and feral while still gentle. She is the purifying smoke and the restorative brew. Talisman to a weedy tradition, Artemisia reminds us of the power of making medicine with what is right here, and has been with us since the beginning.

Resources & References

Bennett, Robin Rose - The Gift of Healing HerbsBruton-Seal, July & Matthew Seal - Hedgerow MedicineMoore, Michael - Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West

Moore, Michael - Medicinal Plants of the Pacific WestPollington, Stephen - Leechcraft: Early English Charms,

Plantlore, and Healing

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For our special 10th Anniversary event, we are bringing together for you the widest range of unique topics ever, presented by an even more diverse collection of both new and known visionaries and practitioners – from downhome grannywives, root doctors and folk magic gatherers, to high tech

alchemists and a new generation of needed culture shifters... including:

Kenneth Proefrock • Kiva Rose Hardin • 7Song • Leslie Lekos • Dara Saville • Marija Helt • Becky Beyer Sage Maurer • Juliette Abigail Carr • Kristin Henningsen • Jereme Zimmerman • Heather Wood Buzzard

Lisa Ganora • Amber Pixie Shehan • Sean Croke • Dani Otteson • Tree Knowlton • Dionne JenningsHeather Irvine • Talitha Johnson • Julie James • Warren Kistenbroker • Brigit Anna McNeillRachel Berndt • Juanita Nelson • Jenny Solidago Mansell • Phoenicia Chaidez • Erika Larsen

Laurie Quesinberry • Carol Batey-Prunty • Natasha Clarke • Jasmine Kocie • Betsy Costilo-MillerEmily Stock • Stephanie Boucher • Sharon Hockenbury • Ellen Zimmermann • Jade Alicandro Mace

Angie True • Amy Glasser • Lisa Valantine • Traci Donat • Rachel Furnari • Katrina Blair Amanda Furbee • Kristen Davenport • Jennie Isbell Shinn • Megan Waddy • Rose Nuffer • Kat Shaw

You can read about them and their work and offerings on the event website.Click on:

2019 Good Medicine Teacher Bios

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! 7Song! ! Integrating Herbal Medicine Into The Current System! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs.)! ! Treating Chronic Illness With Herbal Medicine! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs.)! ! Student Clinic: Consultations, Intakes, & Treatment Strategies! ! ! (1.5 hrs.)

" Carol Batey-Prunty! ! Welcome to the Herbal World: An Introduction to Herbal Basics ! ! ! (2 hrs.)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Herbal Basics:! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs.)! ! ! The Fundamentals of Making Skin Care Medicines! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Herbal Basics:! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! ! The Fundamentals of Making Herbal Soaps

" Rachel Berndt! ! Clinical Skills: Counseling Techniques for Herbalists! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs.)! ! Solomon’s Seal: The Gift of Rhizome Medicine! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs.)

" Becky Beyer! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Appalachia Folk Medicine: Tonics ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! The Poison Plants of Appalachia: Towards a Bioregional Poison Path ! ! (2 hrs.)! ! Roots in Appalachia: Denizens From The Down Below! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! The Herb-Lore of Midsummer: Plant Magic of the Summer Solstice ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Katrina Blair! ! Native Identification Plant Walk:! ! ! ! ! ! ! (2.5 hrs)! ! Everything Good About Thistles! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Healing The Land: Selecting, Financing, Planting, ! ! ! ! ! (2.5 hrs)! ! ! Conserving, Restoring Land as Wild Space

" Stephanie Boucher! ! Cannabis Materia Medica For Herbalists: ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! The Medicine of The People in Times of Commodification! ! Expand Your Entourage: Blending Cannabis With Other Herbs! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Heather Wood Buzzard! ! Wildcraftery: Why Wild Matters & How It Can Be a Force for Good! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Narrative Herbal Medicine: Weaving Words & Healing Herbs! ! ! (2.5 hrs)

" Juliette Abigail Carr! ! Birth Trauma: Healing With Herbs! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Essential Herbs For Toddlers & Their Families! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Botanical Sanctuary: Learning From The Land, Teaching From The Land! ! (1.5 hrs)! !" Phoenicia Monet Chaidez! ! Motley Crew of Misfit Herbs: Medicine in Plants People Love to Hate! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Coming Clean: Soapmaking & Folklore! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! (with Jenny Mansell) Herbalism on a Shoestring! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! (with Jenny Mansell) Digging for Your Roots: Ancestral Herbalism!! ! (2 hrs)

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" Natasha Clarke! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: First Aid From The Trees: ! ! ! Create Your Own Kit With Poplar, Fir & Siberian Elm! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! The Many Medicines of The Rose! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Loss of Old-Growth in Our Environment & Elders in Our Culture: ! ! ! Parallels & Repair! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Betsy Costilo-Miller" " "! ! Fertility & Partnership: Pairing Herbs With Allopathic Fertility Therapies! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Oh Shit!: Pattern Assessment & Treatment of Bowel Imbalances! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Sean Croke! ! Plants of the River, Desert, & Mountains: ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! How Environment Affects The Medicine of Plants! ! Medicinal Mushroom Primer!! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Corrigents For Cannabis: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Botanical Offsetting of Any Negative Effects From Frequent Use! ! Herbs for Mental Health: It is Perfectly Normal to ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! ! Feel Anxious & Depressed Given The State of The World

" Kristen Davenport! ! Botanical Dyes & Fabric Art! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Vinegar! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Traci Donat! ! An Introduction to Building Deep & Lasting Relationships! ! ! ! (2 hrs.)! ! ! With Our Plant Allies Through The Use of Simples! ! Expanding The Reach of Plants: How to Start or Grow! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs.)! ! ! Your Herbal Business & Build a Loyal & Committed Following

" Amanda Furbee! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Tinctures & Percolations 101! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Herbal Cocktails: Mixing Tasty & Healthy Drinks! (1.5 hrs)

" Rachel Furnari! ! The Cannabis Nurse: Kindness Medicine & Specific Applications! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Free The Hemp!:Industrial & Medicinal Uses of This Amazing Plant! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Lisa Ganora! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: The Science of Herbal Extractions! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! ! Part I: The Basic Essentials: ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: The Science of Herbal Extractions ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Part II: Advanced Techniques! ! Sunday Demonstration Lab: Make Mead Like a Vitalist!:! ! ! ! (2.5 hrs)! ! ! Supplies, Botanical Infusion, Honey, Aging & Balance

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" Amy Glasser! ! Hands-on Art Lab: Botanical Drawing: ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Distinguishing Plant Form & Composition! ! Hands-on Art Lab: Botanical Painting: ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Adding Color & Light, Evoking Movement & Spirit

" Kiva Rose Hardin! Kiva Rose Hardin" " Three Faces Under A Hood: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! The Lore & Medicine of Elder, Perovskia, & Sweet Violet

" Marija Helt! ! Endophytes: Think You’re Making Herbal Medicine? Think Again!! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Mushromatherapy: ! ! ! Mushroom Aromatics in Perfumery, Health & Ecology! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Cholesterol: The Good, The Bad, & The Bullshit! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Native Plant Identification Walk III: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (2.5 hrs)

" Kristin Henningsen! ! Research Skills For Herbalists: Translating The Western Jargon! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Herbs For The Heart: Differentiation For Cardiovascular Pathologies! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! The Art of Formulation: Global Strategies For Herbal Magic! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Sharon Hockenbury! ! Creating your own Storefront: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! The Nitty-Gritty of Running a Nutrition & Wellness Center and/or Apothecary! ! Labour: Benefits of The Third Stage! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1 hr)! ! Postpartum: Mommy & Baby!! ! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! The Importance of Bonding & The Human Microbiome: Germs Aren’t So Bad! (1.5 hrs)

" Heather Irvine! ! Phytochemistry Through Plant Families! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Glycosides: Medicine On The Side! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Goldrush Brides: Herbal Medicine ! ! ! & The Bravely Feminine of the Frontier

" Julie James! ! Death & Dying! ! ! Part I: Preparation, Acceptance, & Herbs For Grieving! ! Death & Dying! ! ! Part II: Home Funeral Practices, Legality, History, & Rituals" " Dancing With The Crone:! ! ! Caring For Ourselves & Other Women as we Age

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" Dionne Jennings! ! Old World Meets New World: Wax Pouring, Bone setting, & Folk Herbalism ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! in The Ukrainian Settlements of Western Canada! ! Babas & Botany:! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Flora, Fauna, & Cosmology in Ukrainian Healing, Ritual, & Art! ! Ancestral Women Healers: Ukrainian Folk Herbal Practices!! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Talitha Johnson! ! Herbalism Across Cultures! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Herbs For Heartbreak & Grief: Healing The Ethereal Emotional Body! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Warren Kistenbroker! ! Understanding Plant Alchemy: Spagyric Preparations & Chemical Synthesis! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Alchemical Cannabis & Herbal Extraction 101! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: The Endocannabinoid System, ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Constituents, & Preparation: Advanced Soxhlet Extraction

" Jasmine Kocie! ! DIY Mushroom Cultivation For The Common Wizard! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Grieving Our World With Plants! ! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)

" Tree Knowlton! ! Radical Herbalism: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Community Herbalism, Health Justice & Guerrilla Humanitarianism! ! Growing Plants For The Bees!! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Erika Larsen! ! Mapping Plant People Relationships!! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Using What’s Left: Cooking With What Herbalists Usually Discard or Compost! (1.5 hrs)! ! Pinaceae Flavors: Tree Cookery! ! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)

" Leslie Lekos! ! Ethical Wild Crafting: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Techniques to Assist the Expansion of Plant Populations! ! Hydrosols: A Co-Distillation of Place!! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Making Medicine With Hydrosols! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Jade Alicandro Mace! ! Food as Medicine: Medicinal Mushrooms in The Kitchen! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Spreading The Medicine: Running Your Own Medicinal Plant Nursery! ! ( hrs)

" Jenny Solidago Mansell! ! Oats as Food & Medicine: Porridge, Panacea, & Scottish Culture! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Sweeten Up!: The Healing Medicine of Honey! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! (with Phoenicia Caidez) Herbalism on a Shoestring! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! (with Phoenicia Caidez) Digging for Your Roots: Ancestral Herbalism! ! (2 hrs)

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" Sage Maurer! ! Ancestral Herbalism! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Herbs For Trans/Queer Support! ! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Nourishing Herbs! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: External Herbal Care & Applications!! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Brigit Anna McNeill! ! to be announced! ! to be announced

" Juanita Nelson! ! Using Plants to Support an Individual Approach to Childhood Vaccines! ! (2.5 hrs)! ! Addressing Sexually Transmitted Infections From an Herbalist’s Perspective! (2 hrs)! ! Addressing Liability, Compliance Issues, & Informed Consent as an Herbalist! (1.5 hrs)

" Rose Nuffer" " Tea Time: A Tasting Experience! ! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)" " One Plant, Many Preparations: Exploring Lemon Balm! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)" " Community Herbalism: A Discussion! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Dani Otteson! ! Milkweed Medicine: The Healing Wisdom of Asclepias! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Medieval Remedies: A European History of Nine Sacred Herbs! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hearts, Brains, & Courage: Archetypal Medicines of Oz! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Sweet Remedies: ! ! ! An Herbalist’s Guide to Glycerin in Medicine Making! ! ! (2 hrs)

" Kenneth Proefrock" " to be announced" " to be announced" " to be announced" " to be announced

" Laurie Quesinberry! ! Tales of a Digger! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Strip-Mining of The Appalachian Woman! ! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Plants, Land, & History: Exploring Connections! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)

" Dara Saville! ! The Wisdom of Plants!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Old World Herbs in The American West! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Desert Aromatics! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Kat Shaw" " Herbal First Aid: A Toolkit For The Integrative Herbalist! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Soul to Sole: Herbal Foot Care & Stories of Support !! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! WoundCare: Herbal & Nutritional Strategies! ! ! ! ! (2 hrs)

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" Amber Pixie Shehan! ! Sacred Brewing & Mythological Meads! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Infuse With Booze: Elixir & Cordials Making 101! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Providing Sanctuary: Space For Grieving & Celebration in Times of Chaos!(1.5 hrs)

" Jennie Isbell Shinn! ! Poetry as Medicine: Building an Apothecary of Encouragement ! ! ! (2 hrs)! ! Menopause in Preschool: Helping Older Moms & Grandmas! ! ! (1.5 hrs) ! ! ! Raising Kids Through The Change

" Emily Stock" " " " "! ! Radical Self-Care For The Generative Systems! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Elements Part I – Elemental Interactions: Understanding Chinese 5 Elements! (1.5 hrs)! ! Elements Part II – Understanding The Spirit Aspect of The Chinese 5 Elements! (1.5 hrs)! ! Spring Stargazing! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1 hr)

" Shiann Swapp ! ! Kick-Backs!: A Fun Kickboxing Workout for Plant Healers! ! ! ! (1 hr)

" Angie True! ! When Plants Are Abused! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! No, You Aren’t Crazy!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Lisa Valantine! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: EcoLuxury Face Serums:! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Skin Nourishment, Botanical Oils, & Facial Massage! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Earth Spirit Art of Pure-Fume:! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Botanical Balms & Creating Your Signature Fragrance! ! Hands-On Demonstration Workshop: Focus On The Feet: Tending & Pampering! (1.5 hrs)

" Megan Waddy! ! Holistic Interventions For Psychosis! ! ! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Plants as Allies: A Journey Into Plant Spirit Medicine! ! ! ! (2 hrs)

" Jereme Zimmerman! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Mead Making For The Plant Healer! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Brewing Herbal Beers & Simple Ales!! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! Hands-On Demonstration Lab: Making Natural Herbal Sodas! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

" Ellen Zimmermann! ! Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life: !! ! ! ! ! (1.5 hrs)! ! ! Vitex & Other Herbs For Women’s Challenging Times! ! Medicatrix Naturae: Nature Therapy & Lessons From The Garden! ! ! (1.5 hrs)

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Bear’s Clan

When I sit atop the rocky ridge looking at the flat land below, I can’t remember much before my life here on this mountain. It’s here where I met my husband Bear, a man of inner strength and the quiet leader of this clan that I call my own. It’s here in the hollers where I found myself and a way of life that made me whole.

Following the wilderness road, the clan came to this mountain over a hundred years ago. Though much of our history has been lost, the family has always said that God gave us the strength to climb the mountain and the mountain gave us Ginseng to build our home. Sold and traded to meet the needs of our clan, Ginseng and the other plants have always been an important part of our life here.

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From Poacher to Steward:

A Digger’s Journey With The Plants

by Laurie Quesinberry

The following moving article is excerpted from the new Plant Healer book The Practice of Herbalism,available to order by clicking through to the Bookstore page from www.PlantHealer.org.

And you can learn more about Laurie’s work as a plant champion and educator at: bearsmountain.com

For as long as anyone can remember, the plants of the mountain have been intertwined with our life, providing for the family and giving more than we could have ever asked. Selling Seng for heat and food, digging Cohosh to buy shoes for the kids, or searching for Bloodroot to pay for school supplies, our family today still depends on these plants as much as our past generations.

Without woods to call our own, we walk these heirloom ridges where our forefathers once tread no longer proud to be diggers in a world that calls us poachers. Our birthright now dirty and a thing of shame. Each year our numbers get fewer as the loss of wild spaces chokes out our livelihood. Soon our heritage will all but be lost, an urban legend, a fading piece of mountain history.

The Cry of our Ridge

The mountain has an unseen power, a magic known to the faded voices of the old ones. I walk through the woods and my heart sees glimpses, a yearning for what’s been lost comes over me. This mountain has intertwined with my spirit and I long to know it in all her glory.

I sit atop an old man rock and dream of a time when the plants are honored as well as those of us who harvest them, a returning to stewardship and partnership with the forest around us. The clan has dug and cared for our sliver of hunting lands for four generations. A testament to those long before, we can still walk the woods and take her bounty, but don’t be fooled. When you sit on the forest floor, you can

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tell there’s a shift taking place. Plants are moving and populations are changing. Unfortunately, our harvest today isn’t with much care.

An Awakening

Some years ago, I sat perched atop an old man rock looking over the flat land below wondering what will my life be once all that I’ve known is gone. Life on the mountain isn’t getting easier. Lands are getting smaller and harvests get slimmer each year. Logging, cabins, roads. Even part of our ridge has been stripped away for wood. I know inside of that in a few more generations these wild spaces will be a faded memory and so will I.

That day, a longing to find our heritage came over me. I, too, don’t want to be a distant thought and desire to return, once again, the mountain’s pride. As bad as it sounds, the broker system works. It works

well. There's security in knowing just what you can make before you even go out to harvest and with brokers now buying fresh roots, it’s easier than ever. The demand for wild plants increases every year, so we gather them for what amounts to pennies a piece. A hard day’s work to provide for our families is a matter of pride, even though we know it’s hard work for very little reward. The reality is, the blood of the plants and sweat of those who harvest them feeds the industry.

Long lost are the Granny Witches of the Appalachia. To generations of harvesters, the plants have been little more than money. Not even knowing why people want the plants, each spring countless number of diggers hit the woods. Though diggers know most every plant of the forest, we live in a world that’s completely detached from the herbal world as a whole. We tend to think of ourselves as the dirty little secret of the industry.

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Atop this old man rock, it’s clear that something has to change. But how do you save the mountain and this way of life at the same time? With no book to buy or road map to follow, this is a question that I’m still trying to figure out to this day.

Two Worlds Collide

My journey from poacher to steward has been one of trial and error. At times it looked like there was no hope. Then two seasons ago a beautiful sequence of events unfolded and a whole new world opened up for me.

It all began when one day, while searching the internet, I came across an herbalist in Low Gap, North Carolina named Thomas and his wife Terrie. When I reached out to them, they seemed as excited to meet me as I was them. Walking through the woods together, they shared about the work of others

who are trying to farm woodland plants. I’d never heard of farming in the woods. And after our talk, I went home with a lot to think about. A few days later, out of the blue, the phone rang. In reply to one of my numerous emails, the call was from an herbalist in North Carolina who was curious about my work. Who I now know as my friend Jeannie Dunn, talked to me for hours that day. She shared for the the plants of the Appalachia and encouraged me that I was on the right track.

Wondering what opportunities might be out there, I spent a few days making phone calls. Though most had little more to say than, “sounds like good plans, keep me up to date.” With each call my list of contacts grew. A common theme amongst everyone I spoke to was the work of United Plant Savers (UpS) and I can’t count how many people encouraged me to give them a call.

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I thought it was rather odd to call a plant conservation group when I was trying to figure out a better way to sell the plant. But out of desperation for some sort of direction, I finally broke down and gave UpS a call. I’m sure they thought I was crazy, a poacher calling a plant saving group to tell them she has ideas on how poachers can still work while trying to ensure the plants will be around for our grandkids to harvest.

Looking back now, I can only imagine what they thought. Yet, to my surprise, they didn’t hang up on me. No one scolded me for digging plants. Instead, they listened to my heart, embraced my spirit, and filled me with encouragement.

You Can’t Unknow the Truth

A few months later while spending time with a new herbal friend, it hit me like a ton of bricks. These plants that I love and cherish, these plants that give so much to me and my family. I don’t even know why people want them. I go in the woods and I dig them for pennies. But where are my plants going? Are they sitting in a warehouse rotting away while waiting for the highest price? Are they even being used at all? I don’t understand why we are raping the woods to find them. Is it just so the brokers can get rich? These questions brought me to my knees. They made me rethink everything I had known before.

When I began my journey, I had never heard of an “at risk” plant nor did I realize that in many areas of the Appalachia, the plants I’ve been harvesting for years are all but gone. Spending time with these new friends, my eyes have been opened to so many truths. My thoughts have been challenged and my understanding deepened. Realizing that the plants are so much more than money to all of these people that I never knew existed has changed me as a person. At a crossroads, there’s no desire inside of me to change who I am. The mountain created the digger inside of me and a digger I’ll always be. Yet, once you know the truth you can’t unknow it. The question is,

now that you know the truth, what will you do with it?

Realizing a Destiny

Today, I sit atop old man rock with my vision totally changed. No longer poaching the mountain’s plants, I see everything in a new way. The plants are here to be honored. They were created to give us so much.

These worlds of the plants aren’t opposed. The diggers, stewards, herbalists, users; the mountain intertwines us all in seemingly unexpected ways. There’s a spirit of old flowing throughout the mountain. One that understands and knows the true wisdom of these worlds and combines them in amazing ways. In days long past, Granny Witches throughout the Appalachian sent out their magic knowing someday it would return once again if we have an ear to hear the call of a distant voice.

The path I’m on is rocky and one of constant uncertainty. At the same time, filled with magic, this unfolding journey is right where I’m supposed to be. Today, I dig in the soil to rescue the plants. Their homes being lost, I save them to create a future for them and my family.

No longer a poacher, I now farm the woods that we once raped. Rebuilding the forest, restoring its splendor, I feel like I hear the voices of forgotten memories. Like, I’m tapping into an unforeseen power that’s creating a beautiful wave of change.

I’m no one special. I’m not the only one of my kind. The mountains are calling and those with the spirit of old are hearing it’s calling. Farming, value added products, direct sales; diggers and herbalists are working together in many unusual ways to create a new path of use for the “At Risk” plants of the Appalachian. I believe that the mountain is bringing us together to this beautiful moment in time.

As a steward’s heart returns once again, it’s time for the Herbalist and Diggers to come together. My life is the proof of what can happen when these two worlds

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collide. It’s the connections of others, the friendships we create, the spreading of knowledge, and the unveiling of truths that are going to make the change.

I feel deep inside of me that a pivotal time has come to the mountains of the Appalachian, a crossroads of certain destiny; desolation or abundance. I ask, can you hear the forests cry?

Will you hear the forest’s cry?

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(Laurie invites you to join her as she teaches classes on “Plants, Land, & History,” “The Strip Mining of The

Appalachian Woman,” and “Tales of a Ginseng Digger” – at the Good Medicine Confluence in Durango in May –

www.PlantHealer.org)

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