• And the Plants Will Set You Free

    Through knowing and using the plants that grow around us—the ones in our backyard, the weeds that resist all efforts to control them, the abundance and diversity of the species in the Cascadian forests—we are more whole, secure and free. What’s right under our feet are, by their very nature, agents of freedom. [Read full post]

  • Design Thinking for the Creative Herbalist

    As herbalists, we are naturally using design processes all the time. Working in the plant and human world for the purpose of healing we are constantly dealing in very complex worlds. I want to push you to go past what you know is comfortable and reimagine your practice so you are doing the wildest, most liberating brilliant work that you can. [Read full post]

  • Aesthetic & Beauty in Practice

    It’s touching the dirt, digging roots, preparing and sipping beautiful garden tea blends, smelling the flowers, having my apothecary full of jars containing gorgeous, whole-leaf herbs. Microwaving a wack bag of herb tea is a completely different game. Authentic botanical practice is a lifestyle that honors the sanctity of life and the ecological patterns around us. It’s how we connect to the larger planetary system. [Read full post]

Winter Music for Golden Thoughts, Potion Brewing & Medicine Making

By Renée A.D. | Published: December 7, 2011

Simone Martini, Annunciation (detail), 1333

It’s high time for us Northern hemisphere dwellers to gather the goods to keep us warm and cozy for the winter. These include good books, dried herbs we gathered over the growing season, and—very importantly—music.

There are few things more pleasurable than waking up on a cold morning, climbing into wool sweaters, making a fire and getting to work in the kitchen and apothecary. Though it may be ghastly outside, working with the plants I gathered and medicines I made connects me to the Sun behind the clouds and to the warmth in the ground. It helps to have candles, sweet smokes, scents & smells in the air and beautiful sounds infusing the space.

I’ve compiled my favorite medicine making, potion brewing, card-reading and golden thought-inspiring music to share with you all. The following tracks range from a few different genres—medieval, classical, witchy, Bulgarian choir, Transylvanian folk music (a hat tip to my family). It’s meant to touch that deep, ancient, celebratory and magical space in our hearts so our work & medicine is infused with timeless inspiration. I originally wanted to burn it on a CD and gift it to a few friends, but felt that you all might want to have a listen. Read More »

Posted in Apothecaries | 4 Comments

Teas & Brews: Elemental Art Forms

By Renée A.D. | Published: November 27, 2011

The Wheel of the Seasons is turning, and we’re entering the Season of Water here in the Pacific Northwest. The light and warmth of the Sun has waned, and the plants have drawn their energy downward into their roots. The leaves are brown, the clouds and rain have turned the forests into misty, secretive cathedrals. And the rains have returned, cleansing, restoring and nourishing the life that will spring forth when the Wheel turns again. And this is the gift of Water.

In herbal practice, the water element shows up in a variety of ways. But one of the most important applications of Water is in teas and brews. This practice entails the interaction of all the elements: fire heating the water, water meeting the plant (Earth), infusion meeting the Air and warming the Heart. It’s elemental art at work.

There’s something so alluring about making beautiful teas & brews. The simplicity and tradition of the practice is so nurturing to the soul. It’s just about hot water and plants. Unlike other botanical preparations, my tea and brew-making activities are very informal and casual. I don’t like to fuss or worry about amount of this or that or exact times. Read More »

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Winter 2011 Reading List

By Renée A.D. | Published: November 26, 2011

For those of us residing in the Northern hemisphere, Winter’s knocking on our door. Now that we’ve travelled, harvested and feasted, we’re ready to get cozy by the fire and do some serious reading and tea drinking. I tend to keep all the books I’m currently reading stacked next to the bed and piled on my desk. And I’m always reading many concurrently. So here’s what I’m reading now–for pleasure, research, and to inspire new thinking. (And one thing: if you click on the links to the books, it’ll take you to Amazon, but I’d like to recommend that you check your local and/or used book seller first.)

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

So, naturally you’re going to be doing some amazing cooking this season. Right? Great. Well, it’s high time to challenge your skills and expand your working repetoire of flavor combinations, and the Flavor Bible comes to your aid. It’s a culinary reference of flavor combinations and affinities. So you can look up ‘tomato’ and see season and energy affinities, and then 3 columns of ingredients that pair well with it. So you can adapt, say, a basic tomato soup recipe and make it a coriander-rosemary tomato soup with asiago (to name one example). And for someone who loves to cook with wild foods and fresh garden herbs, this book is one I open and refer to a lot. A bit pricey, but it’s a staple text for you foodies. Read More »

Posted in Books | 3 Comments

Tradition is Innovation & Other Useful Paradoxes

By Renée A.D. | Published: November 25, 2011

Lately I’ve been really curious about what’s considered innovative in mainstream healthcare. I have my views and visions for what I think are good next steps for a sound health system–one based in communities and ecosystems, that takes into account ecological and animal health, based on positive health principles and prevention. But hey, that’s me, I wanted to what the people actually working on healthcare reform are talking about. Read More »

Posted in Originals, Systems Theory | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Inspiration Series: Cultivating Celebration & Gratitude

By Renée A.D. | Published: November 16, 2011

Alan MacDonald "Daydream Believer"

It’s a cold, rainy Wednesday night here in the Pacific Northwest. When the rain returns, the whole mood of this terrain shifts. You feel the pull downward, the crystalizing and cleansing qualities of water rinsing everything. It’s a good time to take stock, and reevaluate. I’ve also been dealing with health challenges that have been begging me to slow down. (One of my best teachers, architect and whole systems designer Farouk Seif told us that “the faster you drive, the bigger the blind spot!”)

In this peaceful near-Winter contemplation, one thing that stands out is the amazing and loving work that’s taking place in the world. And I think of all the people whose heart’s work has reached mine, and it saddened me a little to recognize that I don’t thank people enough for what they give me. Read More »

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Design Thinking for the Creative Herbalist

By Renée A.D. | Published: November 15, 2011

Christopher Reiger "More Some Thing From No Thing" 2010

As herbalists, we are naturally using design processes all the time. Working in the plant and human world for the purpose of healing we are constantly dealing in very complex worlds. Plants are extremely complex as beings, as are human (& other animals). To deal with this complexity, we like to learn a tradition and adopt a framework for navigating this wildly colorful territory.

But maybe you, like me, constantly bump up against the fact that these are indeed lenses that we choose in order to understand these relationships and subsequently interact with those around us. From our studies, teachers and experiences we create conceptual frameworks from which we act. That’s helpful and practical, but I want to push you to go past what you know is comfortable and reimagine your practice so you are doing the wildest, most liberating brilliant work that you can. It’s because I care about your work–it’s hugely important! & we, the World, want you to bring your best to us. Read More »

Posted in Medicine Making, Originals | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Why I Don’t Want to Talk About Natural Cures

By Renée A.D. | Published: November 15, 2011

Had to pick on you, Kev, for this one.

I dislike the phrase ‘herbal remedies’. Reminds me too much of bad marketing campaigns over the years. Honestly, I also don’t like to use the word ‘natural’ either. It’s been so co-opted by all sorts of factions of society. I think of Clorox’s Greenworks, or the rebranding of Aspartame as Aminosweet and being marketed as a ‘natural sweetener’. And ‘natural remedies’ reminds me of the sad section of the pharmacy where they stock some herb capsules.

You know the Alternative Medicine section of Barnes & Noble? I like to avoid words used in those titles.

I prefer talking about local botanical medicine and community health. It avoids some of the judgement people have around bad marketing of herbs, bad science and poor judgement calls. I’d prefer to speak directly to the issue at hand and less to people’s judgements and preconceptions.

How do you talk about your passions & practice? And what are the embodied metaphors/assumptions behind that language? It’s always worth reexamining how you communicate these ideas with others.

We shape language and language shapes us. Be in the driver’s seat on that one.

Posted in Opinion | Tagged | 6 Comments

Aesthetic & Beauty in Practice

By Renée A.D. | Published: November 11, 2011

While reviewing the scientific literature on my thesis on the contribution of ethnobotanical knowledge & practice to public health, I come across a ton of ethnobotanical surveys, case studies and what-not that tend to skirt the issue and dance around this connection. The information I do find basically states:

  • ethnobotanical knowledge/practice leads to greater self-care practices,
  • children of mothers with active ethnobotanical practice are healthier,
  • gardening improves fruit & vegetable consumption and social relationships,
  • traditional medicine has some vague role, maybe, in health policy.

And other stuff like that. You get the point.

What’s uninspiring about this kind of reviewing is there’s no mention of aesthetic, grace or beauty in this practice. And I shouldn’t be surprised: if I wrote a peer-reviewed paper about the beauty and life-giving aesthetic of botanical practice it likely wouldn’t go very far. Trouble is, I think it’s an essential part of the conversation.

Because it’s not just the fact that I use local plants for food, medicine and other uses daily. It’s touching the dirt, digging roots, preparing and sipping beautiful garden tea blends, smelling the flowers, having my apothecary full of jars containing gorgeous, whole-leaf herbs. Microwaving a wack bag of herb tea is a completely different game. Authentic botanical practice is a lifestyle that honors the sanctity of life and the ecological patterns around us. It’s how we connect to the larger planetary system.

There's a difference.

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Emerging Patterns & Trends, Happening Now

By Renée A.D. | Published: October 14, 2011

In the digital chatter of Twitter, @HenryDeMaio said:

Just FYI, everything is going to be amazing.

Rene Lynch, Procession (2009)

There’s momentum building lately. And I like where this is all heading.

The status quo is changing. We don’t care about commodities, standardization and corporatization anymore. We want authenticity, wildness, audacity, art and magic. We’re becoming more connected, more real with each other. We want heart and genuine connection. We want it—so please share your gifts, art & genius with us.

Seth Godin said that honest signals are the only ones that really travel. I think he’s right. People are tired of crap. We’re becoming more aware of our conditioning, the things that control us, artificiality. It’s cracking.

And there are more leaders now. People are showing up in their beauty, truth and strength. People are increasingly letting themselves be weird. I want that. We all want your pure and undiluted genius. Nobody wants mediocrity. It doesn’t serve anyone.

We have each other’s backs more. Let’s keep that going.

I commend and thank you all for your service to me and everyone else. Please keep it going.

Posted in Originals | 2 Comments

And the Plants Will Set You Free

By Renée A.D. | Published: October 7, 2011

Byron Eggenschwiler, "Where Do We Come From"

Through knowing and using the plants that grow around us—the ones in our backyard, the weeds that resist all efforts to control them, the abundance and diversity of the species in the Cascadian forests—we are more whole, secure and free.

Grocery stores could shut down tomorrow and I could ride my bike 10 minutes out of the city and gather berries, roots and some leaves and feed myself (and some others). I could use these plants to prevent and treat most diseases. These plants have gotten me through the worst of illnesses.

We need our communities—communities of our own species and communities of other species—to be whole and free. Plants as food, medicine or building materials shifts the power and brings it home. What’s right under our feet are, by their very nature, agents of freedom.

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She’s Back from the Blogging Hiatus!

By Renée A.D. | Published: October 1, 2011

Christian Boian

There’s quite a bit that goes into creating and maintaing a blog. It’s a complex medium that requires some semblance of consistency and regular input. If you start to change your thinking around it, it shows.

Earlier this year, I lost my stride a bit. I felt that the content had little cohesion and I didn’t really peg down who I really wanted to write to. I wanted to share my experience and knowledge of herbs, but felt really passionate about other subjects also. I knew they fit together, somehow, and maybe having a blog would help me organization my thinking around the subjects of botanical medicine practice, resilience, art, and so forth. But it didn’t, so I had to step away for a while. And I was also dealing with things like full-time grad school and Master’s thesis, 2 jobs, 2 volunteer commitments, catching up with my sweetie, and eating well and taking good care of myself.

Then I missed it. I really love writing and sharing. So I gave things a reworking and edited down a lot of content. And I know the direction I’d like to take this blog. So stay tuned–I’ve got lots to share about community work in these areas, herb conferences, medicines & wildcrafting, systemic change and more.

All in all, thanks for sticking around…

-Renee

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Larger than the Licensing Issue: The Debate Over Herb Regulations in the U.S.

By Renée A.D. | Published: February 1, 2011

Honesty moment: I’m really concerned about the conversation going on today about regulations over herbal practice. As a present herbalist and former research and policy analyst, I am interested in the policies being formulated that will affect herbal practice and feel a responsibility to participate in the discussion around it.  And as a human being, I am frustrated over the stalemate that’s occurred in the American herbal community around the issue. The world around us is changing quickly, and we must figure out a way to get it together as practitioners and advocates, lest we leave it to ill-informed policy makers and regulatory bureaucrats to decide the future of herbal practice here in the United States. Read More »

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On the History of Herbals

By Renée A.D. | Published: December 8, 2010

from the Pseudo-Apuleius Herbal

Some time ago I began working on what I’ve dubbed a working herbal. Er, maybe just a notebook of plant information…either way, I have a 18″ by 30″ monster of a moleskine notebook (my unrivaled favorite notebook). Each page is dedicated to an herb. At first I freaked out because the paper was unlined. I wanted all my information to be neat and easily accessible, unmerciful Virgo that I am.

But as I toyed with the layout, I found that it would be much more useful and authentic to not have the information embedded in this working herbal to be linear. I could divide up the page in strange and dorky ways, write in circles, use symbols, codes and pictures. I could have the most lavish illustrations and have the actual plants and tinctures on the page.  Information is transmitted in many ways. Plants, especially medicinal plants, and their interaction with the human being is a complex phenomenon. So, why in the dickens am I just using words? Rich and varied materials create a more rich and varied experience.

All of this musing about design of herbals has brought me deep into the history of herbals. In case someone reading were interested in similar topics, I wanted to provide some information and resources. I love old herbals, not only for their unique perspective of bodily processes, but also for their design and illustrations. Read More »

Posted in Books, History & Lore | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Plant Healer Magazine

By Renée A.D. | Published: December 8, 2010

This week saw the first issue of the new Plant Healer Magazine: A Quarterly Journal of Traditional Western Herbalism. It dubs itself as the quarterly journal for the new folk herbalism resurgence. And, after doing a hearty and enthusiastic read-through yesterday, I quite agree!

This is the new creation of Anima Center’s Kiva Rose and Jesse Wolf, traditional herbalists, wild people and organizers of the Traditions in Western Herbalism conference. They’re helping bring together the American herbal community by creating the space and providing a voice for us herb n’ plant people in these times. (I especially love Wolf’s Diversity in Herbalism poster series, which include “All herbalists are not hippies” and “All herbalists are not Anglos.” Such a good and important message, and so true.) Read More »

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Infernal Proteus: A Musical Herbal

By Renée A.D. | Published: December 8, 2010

The herbalist Karyn Sanders gathered a bunch of artist and music folk to compile an album of songs about plants. This 96-page book contains 40 songs about plants–each from a different artist. Each band chose a plant to compose a song around. From her site:

The musical styles cover an equally as diverse spectrum as that of the art encompassing sounds considered to be of the genres: pop, folk, gothic, electronic, ambient, experimental, industrial and ingenious.

A sampling of the flora included: Belladonna, Beech, Borage, Chrysanthemum, Dandelion, Edelweiss, Ginkgo, Hops, Lily of the Valley, Mandrake, Milk Thistle, Myrtle, Oak, Poison Ivy, Redwood, Sundew, Yarrow, and Yew.

This came out a few years ago, so most readers will already be familiar with this project, but I just couldn’t resist including it in these blog pages. I very much enjoy listening to everyone’s interpretations of the plants, especially artists I already listened to (Allerseelen, In Gowan Ring, Waldteufel). A great project!

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