We continue our "Meet the Herbalist" series with a look at the inspirational work of Dr. Eva Zasloff. She is pioneering a whole new model of home based health care for newborns and mothers in the 4th trimester. Dr. Eva is the mother of three boys and works throughout the greater Boston area. Can you tell us a little bit about how your work began? I am a family doctor. About two years ago I created a new kind of medical practice -- to rethink how we are caring for mothers and babies during the fourth trimester. As a mother of 3 and as a doctor trained in pediatrics and women’s health, I have had many experiences showing me that there should be a better way to support new families during this incredibly intense and essential life moment. So I created a home based medical model that provides care for both the newborn and the mother in an integrated way. What challenges did you face when you first started your practice? Overcoming fear mostly-- taking that first leap of trying something new is hard. Also, I wanted to create a model of care that was accessible to everyone and to be in network with insurance plans. I was stubborn about figuring out how to make that work. With time, determination, and an amazing operations manager, Davin Eurich, we have been able to create an accessible and sustainable model. If you could go back in time to meet yourself when you were just starting on this path, what would you say? Hang tight because there will be lots of twists and turns! It is sometimes hard to know if you have picked the right path. Looking back, I am amazed that some of my least inspired and hardest moments have since grown into some of my best ideas and directions. Can you share a favorite go-to herbal book of yours? Healthy at Home by Tieroana Low Dog MD is a great book filled with recipes for natural home remedies and useful evidence-based information on herbal treatments for common household issues. Are there any non-herbal hobbies or interests that you love doing? I studied visual arts at Barnard as an undergraduate. Art has always been a true and intense form of expression for me. When I am able to capture the right creative moment (which is sometimes fleeting and transient!), it can take me to a deep place of meditation and honesty. Given your background as a health care provider where do you see the future of herbalism going in the next few years? As a physician, it is always exciting to find out about new studies being done to establish evidence based data on herbal treatments. I hope that in the future, as the research expands, we can more easily incorporate herbs into the standard western medicine treatments. You can learn more about Dr. Zasloff's work and practice at her website: www.tovahealth.com. Her Herbstalk class, A Natural Approach to the 4th Trimester, will be offered on Saturday, June 3rd. See the full class schedule here!
We are very happy to bring back our popular "Meet the Herbalist" series where we profile the teachers, vendors and participants of Herbstalk. Today we are sharing an interview with Constanza Leal Woods, herbalist, teacher, herb grower and crafter. She will be traveling to Herbstalk from her home in Colombia to offer our first class in Spanish -- La Rueda Medicinal: La Luna y Las Plantas -- which we could not be more thrilled about! We are honored to share some of her story with you. How did you first get interested in plants or herbalism? Cómo comenzó tu interés en las plantas o herbalismo? From a very young age I have been madly in love with nature. Growing up in South America, I was fortunate to spend my childhood summers in the countryside. I remember reveling in the quiet moments outside, staring at bugs, flowers and obsessing over moon rises, sunsets and stars. Nature always felt like home and plants have been a huge inspiration for me since I can remember. I didn’t dive into herbal medicine until I was much older though, when I had a terrible bike accident that left me with a compound fracture. I was hesitant to take the extreme pain meds prescribed to me and I was anxious to speed up my healing so I looked into healing naturally. Immediately after being released from the hospital I was introduced to comfrey which helped mend my bones, along with a dozen other plants, a diet high in calcium, vitamin K, and healing circles. I was told I wouldn't be able to walk for a few months and certainly not bike for at least a year so it was incredible to watch my body put itself back together so quickly! I was back to my regular life after a month and a half, and felt that plant allies, energy, love and care from loved ones had everything to do with it. I never came back from the plant world after that. ~~~ Desde muy pequeña vivo enamorada de la naturaleza. Me crié en Sudamérica entonces tuve la fortuna de pasar los veranos de infancia en el campo. Recuerdo que me deleitaba en los momentos silenciosos a la intemperie, me perdía mirando insectos, flores, Lunas, estrellas y atardeceres. Siempre sentí a la naturaleza como un segundo hogar, y desde que tengo memoria ella ha sido para mi una gran inspiración. A pesar de todo eso, no me profundice en el mundo de las plantas medicinales hasta que era mucho mayor, cuando tuve un terrible accidente en bicicleta que me dejo con una fractura expuesta. Dentro del caos y trauma que fue ese accidente, no quería tomarme las pastillas fuertes que me recetaron para el dolor, y estaba ansiosa de recuperarse rápidamente entonces comencé a investigar cómo sanar de forma natural. Apenas salí del hospital conocí a Confrey, planta que me ayudó a cicatrizar los huesos fracturados, más otra docena de plantas, Vitamina K, círculos energéticos y calorcito de seres queridos. Los doctores me dijeron que no iba a poder caminar por algunos meses y definitivamente no andar en bici por un año, entonces fue increíble ver lo rápido que mi cuerpo se recuperó! Volví a mi vida normal después de un mes y medio del accidente y siento que las plantas, la energía, amor y cariño de mi familia tuvo todo que ver con eso. Desde ese instante nunca volvi atras, y me quede para siempre en el mundo de sanación con las Plantas. What is the main focus of your work with Jardín Secreto? Cual es el principal enfoque de tu trabajo con el herbalismo? Lately my main focus has been the relationship between plant medicine, the divine feminine, archetypes and the Moon. I am mesmerized by the overlap in this ancestral knowledge and how powerful it can be to honor these ancient ways of healing. Regarding my products, the focus can vary because it depends on what we are currently growing in the land and what I can source locally. Almost everything I make are things I believe to be either essential in our household or healthier versions of what we love, such as homemade artisanal chocolate sweetened with raw honey or herbal medicinal sodas. ~~~ Últimamente mi enfoque ha sido la relación que existe entre la medicina de las plantas, el sagrado femenino, los arquetipos y la Luna. Estoy anonadada con todas las coincidencias que existen dentro de la sabiduría ancestral y lo poderoso que es honrar estas herramientas de sanación. En cuanto a mis productos, el enfoque varía porque depende en que estoy cultivando en el momento y que materias primas locales están disponibles. Casi todo lo que hago son cosas que considero esencial en el hogar o versiones saludables de cositas que adoramos, como por ejemplo chocolate artesanal o refrescos de plantas medicinales. Do you have a favorite plant or two at the moment? Tienes alguna planta favorita o dos en este momento? I am lucky to live in an area where Elder is incredibly abundant and flowering almost all year long. I have been wildcrafting its medicine and coming home utterly in love, with baskets full of blossoms or berries. I have been extracting its medicine into tinctures, oxymels, infused honey, tea blends and even making wine with its wild yeast! Feeling elder-rich to have this wonderful old friend, sharing its medicine, wisdom and lore with me. ~~~ Tengo mucha suerte de vivir en una zona donde el Sauco es increíblemente abundante y en flor casi todo el año. Lo he estado cosechando de forma silvestre y llegando a casa feliz de la vida con canastos llenos de su medicina. He estado extrayendo frutos y flores de Sauco en tinturas, miel, oxymels, infusiones y hasta haciendo vinos con su levadura silvestre! Sintiéndome muy afortunada de tener a esta poderosa planta compartiendo su medicina y sabiduría conmigo. Can you share some of your go-to herbal books or favorite herbalists/teachers that you look to for inspiration? Puedes compartir algunos libros o yerbateros/maestros favoritos que te inspiran? Attending the School of Gaia in Vermont and learning with Sage Maurer was a life changing experience for me. Sage is a master herbalist whose wisdom I try to channel when I teach, speak, harvest and make plant medicine. Sage taught me among many things, the bonds and relationships we develop with the plant spirit world when we open our hearts and minds to receive their medicine. I cannot thank her enough for the sacred teachings and inspiring me in so many ways, always. Susun Weed is another consistent source of inspiration for me. I absolutely adore her wild, fiery, passionate spirit and I can only hope to be half as cool and plant-nourished when I am her age! I highly recommend all of her books. My go-to book for information and specific health problems has been The Complete Herbal Tutor by Anne McIntyre. It is a great resource to have handy, written simply and straightforward by an amazing herbalist with 30+ years of experience. Whenever I’m in doubt this has been a great resource for me. ~~~ Una experiencia que me cambió la vida fue haber asistido a la Escuela de Gaia en Vermont y aprender con Sage Maurer. Sage es una maestra de una sabiduría imponente, y trato de canalizar su energía cada vez que enseño, hablo, cosecho o hago medicina. Sage me enseño, dentro de muchas cosas, la conexión y relación que creamos con el mundo espiritual de las plantas cuando abrimos nuestra mente y corazón para recibir su medicina. Estoy eternamente agradecida por las enseñanzas sagradas que me brindó y por inspirarme de tantas maneras, hoy y siempre. Susun Weed es otro ser de constante inspiración para mi. Adoro su espíritu salvaje y apasionado, y espero algun dia ser la mitad de lo sabia que es ella. Recomiendo todos sus libros. Un libro que utilizo cada vez que necesito informacion especifica es The Complete Herbal Tutor de Anne McIntyre. Es un muy buen recurso para tener a mano, escrito de forma simple y clara por una maestra yerbatera con más de 30 años de experiencia. Cada vez que tengo alguna duda, este libro me ayuda muchísimo. Do you have any advice that would like to share with budding herbalists? Qué consejo le darías a yerbateras(os) que están recién comenzando? Go deep with one plant at a time! And don’t overwhelm yourself memorizing dozens of properties for hundreds of plants. I believe we truly get to know a plant ally when we invest time experiencing their medicine in many forms, bonding and seeking to understand the energetics. The best advice I ever got was that it is best to know ten plants really well, than it is to know a hundred just on the surface. ~~~ Mi consejo es, ¡profundiza con una planta a la vez! y no te compliques memorizando propiedades de cientos de plantas. En mi opinión siento que creamos una gran conexión con cada planta cuando le dedicamos tiempo a su medicina, tomándola de diferentes maneras, profundizando con su energía, familiarizándonos con ella. El mejor consejo que yo alguna vez recibí fue, es mejor saber diez plantas en profundidad, en vez de saber cien plantas por encimita. Are there any non-herbal hobbies or interests that you love doing? Tienes algún pasatiempo o interés no relacionado con las plantas? Growing food, Permaculture and looking at soil microbiology have become very dear to my heart. My husband and I live in the beautiful mountains of Antioquia, Colombia, where we are very fortunate to be able to grow food all year long. Sowing seeds, tending to and harvesting plants is such a huge source of gratitude for us! Soil rejuvenation through microbiology goes hand in hand with our farming goals, so for the last year and a half I have been studying with Elaine Ingham (Soil Food Web scientist), learning and swooning about soil microbiology, compost teas and extracts. ~~~ Me apasiona cultivar mi propia comida, la Permacutura y la microbiología en suelos. Mi esposo y yo vivimos en las hermosas montañas del Oriente Antioqueño, Colombia, donde tenemos la suerte de poder cultivar todo el año. Para mi es una fuente de gratitud absoluta poder plantar semillitas, cuidar y cosechar las plantas de forma cotidiana. La recuperación de suelos a través de la microbiología es algo que está directamente conectado con mi misión en esta Tierra, entonces hace más de un año estoy estudiando con Elaine Ingham (Científica Microbiologa experta de Soil Food Web), aprendiendo mucho y super enamorada de la microbiología, el compostaje y toda su metodología. What would be your top five deserted island herbs? (the only herbs you could have around while stuck on a deserted island) Cuales son tus top cinco hierbas si estuvieras atrapada en una isla? Tough question! I would have to go with Dandelion, Yarrow, Nettle, Elder and Passionflower, as they are all essential herbs in my medicine cabinet. ~~~ Que pregunta tan difícil! Si tuviera que escoger necesitaría tener Diente de León, Milenrama, Ortiga, Sauco y Pasiflora, ya que todas son absolutamente esenciales en mi botiquín. Finally, can you tell us what made you want to be a part of Herbstalk? Por fin, que te hizo querer ser parte de Herbstalk? A friend of mine introduced me to Herbstalk some years ago and as I entered the event I was blown away to learn that a space like that even existed! It felt as though I was in a dream, where everything I loved merged into one place. This year I am lucky to be in the states during Herbstalk, and I wanted to push myself to be involved in a way that I haven’t been before. I have been teaching the Women’s Medicine Wheel to my local community in Antioquia, intertwined with the wisdom of the plants and medicine making. I felt that giving this class in Spanish at Herbstalk would be a way to give back to my fellow Latino Community in the area and to root for inclusivity and diversity. Our mothers and grandmothers have always worked with plants and I hope to channel their wisdom in this incredible opportunity I was given. ~~~ Una amiga me llevó a Herbstalk años atrás y cuando entre a ese espacio casi me caigo de la impresión. Estaba asombrada al descubrir que un evento como Herbstalk existe! Sentí como si estuviera en un sueño, donde todo lo que adoro se une en un solo lugar. Este año tengo la suerte de estar en e.e.u.u. durante Herbstalk y estoy feliz de ser parte de Herbstalk de una manera que no lo he sido antes. En Colombia he estado enseñando la Rueda Medicinal de la Mujer, mezclado con la sabiduría de las plantas, fases de Luna, y talleres de metodología de como hacer medicina de forma consciente. Siento que dar esta clase en Español en Herbstalk es una manera de entregar a la Comunidad Latina, de honrar la inclusividad y diversidad. Nuestras Madres y Abuelas Latinas siempre han trabajado con las plantas, espero canalizar su sabiduría en esta hermosa oportunidad que se me ha dado. Thank you so much for sharing some of your beautiful story with us, Constanza!
You can learn more about her inspired work by following her Instagram account @SomosJardinSecreto. Her Herbstalk class "La Rueda Medicinal: La Luna y Las Plantas" will be offered on Sunday, June 3rd. View the complete class schedule here. We are very happy to bring back our popular "Meet the Herbalist" series where we profile herbalists of New England. Today we are sharing an interview with Linda Patterson, much beloved director of the Eclectic Institute of Aromatherapy and Herbal Studies. Linda has been a practicing herbalist and aromatherapist for over twenty years and has also been an integral part of Herbstalk for the past five years. We are honored to share some of her story with you! To start things off, can you share some of your go-to herbal books or favorite herbalists that you look to for inspiration? All of my teachers have been amazing, but the few who have inspired me the most are: Madelon Hope, Rosemary Gladstar, Tieraona Low Dog and Trishuwa. Given your background and close ties with the herbal community, where do you see the future of herbalism going in the next few years? There has been a major shift in the community of herbalism over the past decade. There are many younger people getting involved, teaching, making products, and growing. They bring with them a fiery energy that is both vibrant and infectious. I think Jeff Carpenter captured it perfectly when he said: “We have come to the end of the herbal renaissance, this is the herbal revolution!” It’s been beautiful watching the transformation! Do you have a favorite plant or two at the moment? I love them all, but I think Nettle and Dandelion are invaluable. If you could go back in time to meet yourself when you were just starting on the herbal path, what would you say? Don’t rush so much. I was in Rosemary Gladstar’s certification course in VT while taking Gale Ulrich’s yearlong apprenticeship at the same time. I wanted all the knowledge at once, but it doesn’t work like that. I have no regrets; I was where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there. I feel honored to have studied with both of these amazing woman. What advice would you give to budding herbalists? Spend time with the plants -- they can teach you more than anyone. Are there any non-herbal hobbies or interests that you love doing as well? I love the old ways. I play the harp, spin wool, and had a crane installed in my fireplace so that I can learn and practice hearthside cooking. Any guilty pleasures you’d like to share? I tend to never refuse myself anything. It’s all about moderation! I do have a weakness for all the regulars, coffee, chocolate, wine… Can you tell us more about your passion for teaching? As far as my teaching goes, I have always been a gypsy teacher. I will go where the students are. For my certification courses in Aromatherapy I often teach for the Boston School of Herbal Studies, Alternatives for Health and I also teach on Cape Cod. I co-teach herbalism for the Boston School of Herbal studies as well as offer my own herbal certification course on Cape Cod. I also teach workshops in soap making, palmistry and flower essence making. Traveling to teach has its challenges, but it has allowed me to meet some amazing people! I often say “it’s not the average person who studies herbs.” What’s one fun thing that most people don’t know about you? I ride a Harley-Davidson (without a helmet, when possible.) (Don’t tell my children.) Thank you for sharing with us, Linda! To learn more about Linda's work and upcoming classes, check out her website at the Eclectic Institute of Aromatherapy and Herbal Studies. You can also catch her at this year's Herbstalk taking place on June 4 & 5!
Today's interview is with Boston herbalist, Ryn Midura. Along with Katja Swift, Ryn is the co-founder of the CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism, where they see clients and offer community classes and Advanced & Clinical herbalism programs. The CommonWealth Center has been an integral part of Herbstalk since the very beginning and we are honored to share this wonderful interview with you. Thank you, Ryn, for talking with us today!
Can you tell us a bit about how it all began? How did you first get interested in plants or herbalism? What inspired you to learn about herbs? It all comes down to meeting Katja. I said, “what are all these jars in your closet?” She’d just moved back to Boston from her time on the farms up north, and was starting to rebuild her practice here. She showed me how to mix up some herbs into a tea, and that was it! She lent me some books and began teaching me, slowly and simply. She revealed a long-standing love of ginger I didn’t realize I had, while helping me get a handle on my own gut troubles; she taught me how to steam with thyme when I got a cold. She cooked amazing meals, spiced and infused with flavors I’d rarely tasted but soon couldn’t imagine life without. Seeing how herbs permeated her life gave me a lot of motivation to learn more about them. Shortly after we moved in together, she taught an apprenticeship with Mischa Schuler right there in our house, so that made it easy for me to attend! It wasn’t long until we were teaching together and I started seeing clients, and we were able to build up the CommonWealth Center into a complete school and clinic, with both of us working full-time as herbalists and teachers. What would you say is the main focus of your work with the plants? My work is teaching. I teach my students; I teach my clients also. Every session is a private class. I never want anyone to walk out of my office and say, “that herbalist told me to take this tincture three times a day for my anxiety and heartburn.” Rather, I want them to say, “Ryn taught me how skullcap calms a racing mind, and catnip soothes uprising pressures in the gut, so I’m giving them a try.” Most of what I do right now is usually described as working with chronic illnesses, the “diseases of civilization” or “diseases of modernity” which are so rampant in our society today – asthma, Crohn’s, diabetes, eczema, Lyme, rheumatoid arthritis, you name it. Usually when I sit down with a client, if they have a diagnosis or suspect a particular label applies to their discomfort, it’s one of these problems of systemic inflammation, usually rooted in dysbiosis of the gut and compromised intestinal barriers. (This is nothing new, really – the Hippocratic school took “All disease begins in the gut” as a primary axiom, and the principle surely preceded even that era.)
Today we are honored to share an interview that took place at last year's Herbstalk event in June 2014. North Carolina herbalist Juliet Blankespoor filmed Vermont herbalist Larken Bunce talking about her herbal path. We thank both of these inspiring teachers & leaders for sharing this wonderful footage with us. To learn more about their work please visit their websites:
Juliet Blankespoor: Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine Blog Castanea Larken Bunce: www.larkenbunce.com Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism We are starting something new here on the Herbstalk blog. Periodically we'll have short interviews with local herbalists who have been an integral part of the Herbstalk community. We hope you'll enjoy getting to know these fine people better and that you'll have a chance to meet them in person this June! We are pleased to kick off our "Meet the Herbalist" series with Massachusetts-based herbalist and teacher, Brittany Nickerson.
HS: How did you first get interested in plants or herbalism? What inspired you to learn about herbalism? BN: When I was in high school I ran crosscountry for a period. At one point I developed shin splints and I remember asking a friend of my parent’s, a local acupressurist, what he recommended. He sent me to a neighbor’s house to pick comfrey and make a poultice. This was my first experience harvesting plants to make medicine. Throughout my childhood I had been fascinated by plants and loved being outside - it made perfect sense to me that plants could heal - so when my shin splints got better, I was smitten. The next time I saw Dave, the accupressurist, I asked for a recommendation of an herbal book. I practiced folk medicine into college where my various concoctions and remedies were often met with a combination of intrigue and doubt. I rather randomly took a class in ethnobotany, where I loved hearing the professor’s stories of plants and people and travel - I knew I needed to learn more. From there, I went on to take an apprenticeship and study more formally. |
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