Happy New Year, everyone!

As we look ahead to 2015, we also reflect back on all that 2014 brought to Herbstalk. It was such an amazing year in many ways: we held our first Linden Celebration in May to celebrate the Herbstalk plant-of-the-year; we installed several herbal container gardens around Boston, thanks to the support of Allandale Farm and several local businesses; our June event was our biggest and best yet; and in November we hosted our first-ever Wintergreen Holiday Market! We are proud, grateful, and happy for all that we were able to accomplish in the past year.

We are thrilled to announce that our five intensive classes are now on sale! These classes are longer (3 hours) and limited to 15 people each. This year our teachers come from New England and beyond. We are pleased to welcome:

• Heath McAllister and Katie Stage, who are both naturopathic doctors from Arizona. Heath and Katie were with us last year, leading packed and very popular classes. They are returning to share their herbal experience from their busy practices in their class Formulation Strategies for Acute and Chronic Conditions, where participants will learn about the nuances of formulation and dosing strategies.

• Juliet Blankespoor, from Asheville, North Carolina. This is Juliet’s first year at Herbstalk and we are thrilled to have her as part of our teaching team. She runs the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine and has been teaching about herbal medicine and botany for over 20 years. Juliet will be teaching an intensive on Medicinal Mushrooms, covering the traditional uses and medicinal attributes of these fungal allies.

• Larken Bunce, coming to us from the Vermont Center of Integrative Herbalism. Her class, Living Medicine: 5 Phases for the Western Herbalist will weave the wisdom of the five elements of Chinese medicine into the assessment of psychological and physiological imbalances. Larken is an engaging and insightful teacher who brings her love of both science and spirit to her classes.

• Margi Flint, of Earthsong Herbals in Marblehead, MA. Margi is a widely respected herbalist who runs a busy family practice and herb school. We are honored to have her teach at Herbstalk this year. Margi will be sharing her wisdom through her class Reading the Body, where students will learn how external markings and facial indications correlate to organ health.

• Tommy Priester, of Bear Medicine Herbs in Lincoln, MA. We are excited to have Tommy return to Herbstalk for the second year in a row. This time he will be sharing a fascinating and important topic through his class, The Liver: Our Master Organ. Tommy will bring his extensive knowledge of Western herbalism, nutrition and ancient wisdom traditions to share with us.

You can read more about all Intensives here.

Please purchase your tickets soon if you wish to attend one of these classes as space is extremely limited. Intensives also include a Weekend Pass which gives access to ALL other non-intensive classes on June 7 & 8 – an excellent deal!

If you are not planning on attending an Intensive, but are looking forward to all the other non-intensive offerings, Weekend Pass tickets for our 30+ classes and plant walks will go on sale on April 15th, so stay tuned. We will also be posting our class schedule soon…

Our marketplace is FREE so if attending classes is not your thing, you can still learn a lot and interact with the amazing herbalists and crafters in our marketplace!

Happy January folks! Now that the new year is upon us we have five months to go until Herbstalk 2014!!! Our planning crew is raring to go and already getting things organized for the big weekend on June 7th & 8th.

We are officially putting out the call for all teachers who wish to offer an herbal class at Herbstalk, and for vendors who want to sell their plant-based products in the marketplace. We are also seeking like-minded businesses and organizations who wish to partner with us as sponsors of the event.

In addition to getting things up and running we are thrilled to share with all of you a teaser video which captures the spirit and fun vibe of Herbstalk… Enjoy!

As you know, at Herbstalk we offer a variety of perspectives on herbalism and health, with classes given by teachers who are deeply committed to herbalism and who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with a greater audience. Our goal is to create an event that will inspire, uplift, challenge, and call people to action. As an educational event we are committed to putting useful herbal knowledge into the hands of people who are ready to take it, use it, and make it their own.

We invite you to help us build a strong, connected, and supportive herbal community.

Our teacher application can be found HERE, and our vendor application can be found HERE. Please note that we must receive all applications no later than February 15th. We do fill up quickly so we regret that we cannot accept all submissions. There are more details on the applications, but please let us know if you have any questions.

We look forward to collaborating with you and to creating a memorable Herbstalk 2014!

By Steph Zabel, Herbstalk’s Founder

We were away from this space for decidedly too long.

We – or, I – didn’t mean to stay away for so much time, but after last June’s Somerville Herbstalk gathering, I needed a bit of a break to catch my breath again. Planning Herbstalk is truly one of the most fulfilling things I do, but I am still learning how to do it without collapsing in a (contented) exhaustion afterwards… every event organizer’s dilemma, I suppose.

Anyway, last year my co-planners and I learned so much about running an event of this size and nature, especially since we basically doubled in size. Things in general got a lot more interesting going from Year 1 to Year 2: this time we were able to offer a more rounded-out schedule of classes for both beginner and advanced herbal learners; we had plant walks going on throughout the whole weekend; we had more in-depth intensive classes on the schedule; we hosted a party for our amazing teachers, vendors and volunteers; and most importantly, we attracted a wonderfully dedicated and very diverse group of attendees whose enthusiasm for learning about herbs was palpable.

All in all, we were so thrilled at how nicely things came together, and we recognize that the challenges that we did face will only make us wiser in the long run. That said, in this coming third year of Herbstalk’s existence we intend to use this experience to our advantage in order to create THE most dynamic, inspirational, and accessible herb conference any city has seen!

I recently went through the hundreds of photos we took in June and I pulled out a few which capture the overall spirit of our gathering. I hope these bring back some good memories of the weekend, or inspire you to come next year if you haven’t yet been. We also had a lot of wonderful feedback from many of our attendees and participants, which they generously wished to share with everyone.

Now that we have revived the blog again, you’ll be seeing posts here on a more frequent basis touching on a variety of herbal topics such as seasonal DIY herbal recipes to plant identification to thoughts on being an urban herbalist.  As always, we welcome your own comments and thoughts as this space grows. We have big plans for Herbstalk as an event AND as an online resource: let us know what you would like to see/share/experience here!



“I am so impressed with the care and attention that went into the organization and implementation of Herbstalk. The event was truly financially and logistically accessible, while also offering numerous beginner classes–there was a genuine feeling of outreach towards those in the community who are just starting to explore herbs. I felt truly inspired by meeting the folks who came to my classes and I look forward to supporting this excellent New England event in the years to come!”

– Larken Bunce, Co-Director, Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism

  

“Every city should be so lucky as to have its own homegrown herbal conference, bringing together the talents and passions of a vibrant local community of teachers and healers.  Herbstalk is an exemplar of the deep green movement towards self-sufficiency, ecological medicine, and reverent connection which is so needed today.”

– Ryn Midura, co-founder, CommonWealth Center for Herbal Medicine



“Herbstalk is an incredible opportunity to be surrounded by a loving community of herbalists and herbalism fans. I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is to have an event focused just on the plants that we spend our lives learning about and loving. I feed off of this energy all year long.”

– Hannah Maguire, Wild Sage Herbals

  

  

“Seeing the massive community interest in Herbstalk inspired me to move into teaching and working as a community herbalist.  It became clear to me how hungry people are for connection with plants, and for understanding how to holistically heal themselves and their communities.  Herbstalk is an amazing offering of love and dedication to the spread of herbal wisdom.”

– Cathleen Miller, Community Herbalist




“Herbstalk was an extraordinary gathering of people who share a common interest in promoting the great value of herbs for health and wellness and food enhancement.”

– Michael Kanter, Owner of Cambridge Naturals

“Herbstalk was the best community herbal conference I have ever attended! It was a pleasure to be a part of such a heart-centered event. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and attending, and hope to do so again in the future.”

– Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG)

Submitted by Krystina Friedlander of Baraka Birth

When should you start preparing for pregnancy? In short, we should all be prepared for pregnancy if it means loving our selves as the creative beings we are, and providing the kind of care we give to what we love. Beyond basic health and self-love, 50% of pregnancies are unplanned and so there are very real benefits to including general preconception care as part of self-care. This can be as simple as ensuring that we’re eating a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, eliminating cigarettes, and cutting down or eliminating caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods from our diets (hint, preconception care looks a lot like living a healthy lifestyle).

For women or couples planning on having a child, how long should they prepare to get pregnant? It depends on your health; healthy women with regular menstrual cycles who eat a whole-foods diet may want to supplement with folic acid for three months before pregnancy. Women with irregular or very short cycles (less than 23 days), or conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome will want to spend more time with diet and exercise to prepare their bodies for optimal fertility and a healthy pregnancy. Women coming off of hormonal contraception should take time to allow their cycles to normalize, but also to work nutritionally to restore levels of folic acid and other B vitamins that are lost while taking The Pill. Herbs are fantastic and can help at each step of the way.

Diet-wise, cut down on processed sugars and flours, eliminate soda, and reduce or eliminate caffeine. Studies have shown that women who consume 300mg of caffeine daily (2-3 cups of coffee) have an average delayed conception of at least a year. Eliminate trans-fats, and ensure that your diet includes a good dose of essential fatty acids, such as those from fish oil or flax seed oil. Begin taking a folic acid supplement, especially if you are coming off of hormonal birth control. Herbally, you can incorporate into your routine uterine toning herbs like red raspberry leaf, tonifying herbs such as ashwaganda, and hormone balancing herbs like vitex, to name a few.

For women and couples who intend to have children in the near future and who would like to take some time to prepare, I suggest setting aside six months to a year. During this time you have the opportunity to begin creating spaces for children mentally and emotionally, to get finances in order, and you can work to establish healthy eating and exercise habits. If the wait is unbearable, prepare for at least three months. This includes both women and men—it takes about ten weeks for a man to create and store sperm before it’s ready to travel outside of his body.

Lastly, I like to think of the preconception period as an opportunity for women to connect with their fertile selves, or as Jeanine Parvati puts it, to “[reclaim] the fertile body, the rich, fecund messages coming forth with each turn of the cycle…” Get to know your fertility, and celebrate it! One great way to do this is to learn the cues of fertility and then chart your cycles.

In my class on Sunday morning we’ll talk about getting bodies ready for babies, cycle charting, diet, and some of the wonderful herbal allies that women can use to support them on the journey to motherhood.

Resources

Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition, Marilyn Shannon

The Garden of Fertility, Katie Singer

It’s the weekend we’ve all been waiting for!

This Saturday the doors to our Herbstalk classes and marketplace open! We’ll be holding classes from 9 am until 6:30 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

We hope you will join us for the extraordinary weekend we’ve planned…

If you haven’t bought your ticket yet, there is still time to purchase online.

Read on for more details of what you need to know beforehand so that you can make the most of your experience at Herbstalk.



TICKET OPTIONSWhile you can buy tickets at the door, we encourage you to purchase tickets online beforehand. Choose from the following options:

★ $5 Community Ticket for one-day access to Community classes and the Herbal Marketplace

★ $20 All-Access Ticket for two-day access to Core and Community classes (price increases to $30 at the door, or $15 per day)

★ $40 Intensive Ticket for one intensive AND two-day access to all Core and Community classes

Kids 12 and under enter for FREE!

Where to ParkWe encourage you to take public transporation, bike or carpool if at all possible. The Armory is located in a busy residential area and parking is limited.

The Armory is located at 191 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA 02144. There is some parking directly behind the building and we also have access to three overflow lots a few blocks away from the Armory located at:
112 Central St.
75 Belmont St.
93 Highland Ave. (Somerville City Hall)

Click HERE for a map of all the available parking lots.

What to BringTo spend less time in line when you arrive, please bring your printed or digital ticket with you. If you forget it, however, we can look you up by your name.

You may also find it useful to have a pen and notebook for attending classes, and cash for the marketplace. (There is no ATM in the Armory – the closest is a few blocks away.)

What to Eat & DrinkOur food and drink vendors include the following local businesses. There will be options for all eaters, including meat and vegetarian dishes as well as gluten-free options.

Red Lentil
vegetarian entrees, salads and cupcakes

Seta’s
Mediterranean wraps, salads, dips and falafel
(vegetarian, gluten-free and meat options)

Soluna Garden Farm 
herbal baked goods and tea

Culinary Cruisers
kombucha and Union Square donuts

Cambridge Naturals
snacks including nuts, jerky, chocolate, snack bars, chips and assorted beverages

Black Magic Coffee
drip coffee & espresso-based beverages, chai and hot chocolate

There will also be local beer, wine and mead available for purchase at the Armory.

See you this weekend!

Jessyloo Rodrigues author at Herbaloo, Earth Apprentice.

As a young lady I explored several paths of herbal healing which spoke to me.  Then I came across the most colorful way to communicate, via Plant Spirit Medicine.  There are many herbalists abound who have also found their niche with Plant Spirits.  That’s not to say that other herbalists don’t practice this. In fact, every Herbalist and Green Thumber have probably dabbled with a Plant Spirit whether they were conscious of it or not.  Maybe even YOU have had your own experience!

My mother has raised me to appreciate any living creature, and to care deeply for those Green creatures we invite into our home – most commonly referred to as house plants.  I would notice plants craving attention when they needed water.  At first it was as simple as, “Wow! That plant needs some water.  It is so droopy! It literally won’t survive if I don’t water it right now.”

Can you relate?

I became more in tune with my house plants by noticing which needed water more often, which acted as if they hated water and those which simply seemed happier just having me near them.  Yes! That’s right!  The plants were happier just knowing that I would continue to stand near them and water them while they were in my home.  And that’s really where it all began…

It was like a wave of attention would come over me while near certain plants.  Something in the room would beckon me and when I looked at these plants they would pump out more waves.  Luring me over to them with subtle hints of rainbow energy .  Well!  How could I resist?  I started experimenting.  What happens to the plants when I enter a room?  What happens when I try to spot out a plant that needs water in the room?  What happens when I ask the plant if it needs water……..?

It answers.

Now at this point, I was not hearing plants have full on conversations with me about water, the temperature or the nutrients they were in need of.  It was more of a brighter perkier plant if they wanted what I asked, or a low energy stand-off-ish plant if they didn’t want what I offered.

How cool!  It was making house plant care a lot easier.  I was in High School at this point and all I wanted to do in college was study Botany.  Plants had become a most interesting species which I believed had more potential than was commonly thought.

Read the full story here … herbaloo.org/about/

Submitted by Mischa Schuler of Wild Carrot Herbs.

It is early morning.  You have risen with the birds on this glorious spring day, and feel invigorated with the rays of sunshine peering through the leafy green.  Your eyes take note of cobwebs between blades of grass and branches still awash with glistening water droplets.  The earth smells fresh beneath your feet.  You feel more alive, connected, and observant.

You are building relationship with the stretch of land on which you wander.  Each plant that you set your eyes upon today, tomorrow you will sense its almost imperceptible change from yesterday.  You will recognize the minutia of transformation, the build up to great change.

These small hellos: to the newly leafing Trillium, protecting its one flower bud within its still-folded triad of leaves, or to the courageous Coltsfoot bursting yellow before its leaves appear; matter.  They will not be seen the same way again tomorrow.  These small moments of noticing hold strong significance.  It is this appreciation of color, form and scent that advise the herbalist that this moment is the time for harvest.

An herbalist seeks vitality.  She searches for the form of the plant in its fullest abundance.  The succulent root in spring, just before the leaf and flower emerge, or in autumn, when the leaves have died back and returned their nutrients back to the root stock.  The ripest fruit in summer, plump and firm, and not yet fermented.  The boldest flower in spring, expressing its joyful self to the face of the sun, just after opening and just after the dew has parted.  The softest new leaves, tender and bright.

We humans know these moments of giving attention with delight.  The acknowledgement of these moments is inherent within our nature.  With our patient, happy observation of what we Love, we say with some part of our hearts that we are here, present, building relationship with the green world.

And so, the art of herbalism is the transforming of this observation of Love and delight for the Plants into medicine for the People.  It is this deep relationship that brings the healing into the processed form of the plant – perhaps dried as tea, perhaps ground to powder and encapsulated, perhaps tinctured in brandy and tucked into a bottle.  Yet the vitality in the plant at the moment of harvest: snipping, picking, digging is dependent on our heart’s awareness of the strength and fullness of the plant.

Such care and respect, such as gardeners have for their vegetables and mother’s for their babes, is the core of the healing power available through the plants.  Before a harvest, the herbalist tells the plant why he needs its medicine (for someone who might have an irritable, dry cough this coming winter, for example.)  He asks if he may harvest the necessary part to support this medicinal action and waits for a response (a gentle breeze? a buzzing bee? the knocking of a woodpecker in assent? in any case, there is an internal knowing of yes or no.) He offers the gift of a prayer, a song, a poem, tobacco, in thanks.  And then solemnly and with great joy and appreciation, harvests only what he needs.

When we take time to be still, to rest our eyes on a leaf, a flower, someone we Love, and we behold what and who we are seeing, a sweet space for transformation opens.  This is the art and medicine available to us through observation with delight.

Submitted by Debra Bluth of Seed and Legend Herbs

The Japanese Knotweed is now up to my ribs, the Trout Lilies have just lost their blossoms, and the Starflowers are just emerging here in southern Maine, where I spend half of my time. Plant-wise, we’re about 2 weeks behind Boston (where I spend the other half of my time). It’s a sunny morning here, cool enough to wear my sweatshirt.

I was just out there in the woods, squatting in a gorgeous little grove of plants, collecting blossoms, breathing in their glorious scent. My form of heaven. This morning I am in the midst of making a Lily of the Valley flower essence. I love leaving the glass bowl there, nestled within the plants, sun sparkling on the water. I’ll tune into it here and there over the next few hours from inside the house here, see how it’s coming along. Eventually I’ll head out to collect it, dilute it, and when I’ve got a stock level of the essence I’ll take a drop of that and lie down for awhile and sense what effect it has on me. I’ll also ask the spirit of the plant for any additional teaching besides what I sense personally. A very good way to spend a day.

Flower essences can work deeply and directly in our energetic system. Sometimes the effect is subtle; people will simply notice their lives are improving while on a course of essences. They’re making better choices, their thoughts are healthier. Sometimes the effect of the essences is extreme, bringing an intense response as stagnant energy begins to loosen and move. Old or held grief might stir, or rage, or sometimes these things might manifest in physical sensation such as headaches or vertigo as they move their way out of our system. Sometimes old traumas bubble up to the surface; energies we’ve carried for years can dissipate (I once, during a session with my teacher/practitioner, felt the energy of someone leave my energetic field — someone I hadn’t had literal contact with or even really consciously thought about for over thirty years). Sometimes the essences work shamanically — the vibration of a particular plant calls in situations to our lives that help us to work on and loosen an entrenched pattern. Sometimes the essences bring in new energies, healthy ones we have yet to experience — positive mothering, for example, or a respect for our own boundaries, or patience with ourselves. Whatever the level of shift, it’s my sincere belief that the essences support us in becoming who we are meant to be — they help free us from energy patterns that bind us, help us feel safer and stronger to be our real selves, help us open our hearts to love and to joy and connection with life.

I think of flower essences as a path. It’s possible to take a single step on the path and that can be very helpful, like being able to lean on an old friend in times of difficulty. It’s also possible to really go on a flower essence journey — to take yourself on, in a way, with the support of the essences (this is when it’s helpful to have a practitioner as a mirror and a guide…). This is when you take the time and the space to pay attention to the subtle shifts and changes in your body and consciousness, to pay attention to your dreams, your thought patterns, shifts in your desires and behavior. I sometimes recommend that clients also be in a course of psychotherapy while working with flower essences — in this way there is support for energetic changes to be more consciously fully integrated. I also always recommend that people take time to be quiet each day so that the busy layers can settle, leaving room for more subtle awareness to emerge.

The thing about a real path is that it’s never-ending. There’s always more to discover. We can always go deeper — with ourselves, with nature, with life. Our consciousness is unfathomably rich and mysterious. I am in awe of how the plants, each one unique in its vibration, so generously tap into our consciousness and work their magic. The more I explore with the essences, the more I feel this way. They move me, deeply. They surprise and astound me. I am so grateful that I get to share them.

Submitted by Mischa Schuler of Wild Carrot Herbs.

Among the ironies of international borders, is that plant and animal species pay little heed to these politically assigned designations.  Seeds carried in pant cuffs, pockets, or packages, deliberately or whimsically; or already a part of the continent before continental drift occurred.  In any case, here we are, in the Eastern Townships, endowed with Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioca.

There is remarkable similarity in the indigenous use of Nettle across the Northern Hemisphere.  Here it grows abundantly along the banks of the St. Frances River – emerging bright green in late April, tender, edible; turning a dark rich green by mid-summer, with thick, tall fibrous stalks.

Nettle reaches heights that seem almost arrogant, as well as elegant, swaying gently in soft breezes, yet steady and deeply rooted.  Her slender sturdy stem supports several sprays of slightly toothed leaves, all sporting fine hairs along the underside.  Each thin hair, when held with delicate fingers, is soft; yet when grasped firmly, or when brushed against, each hair becomes a miniature spike releasing formic acid into the unexpecting victim, often with the result of a rash lasting several minutes to several hours.

Much of the beauty and medicine of this plant rests in its sting.  It is a curious circulatory stimulant used topically for arthritic joints and ailments.  The fresh plant is harvested, and immediately used on the skin with gentle lashes to generate a histaminic response, welcoming a cascade of immune cells to carry away the offense and ease the arthritic pain.

Once heated in tea, soup, or lasagna (in lieu of spinach, for example), Nettle’s formic acid loses its bite and becomes among the nutrients available to the human gut.  Nettle is very high in protein, calcium, and trace minerals, which are drawn up from its deep tap root.  Thus, Nettle is an excellent aid for those challenged by or concerned with osteoporosis.  In tea form, the minerals necessary for bone formation are bio-available, and when drunk four times a week over the course of a year, have been shown to improve bone density considerably in informal tests.

Nettle prefers to be harvested for food when it is small and its leaves are not yet tough.  At fifteen centimeters, with a pair of gloves and clippers, one could easily harvest a handful sufficient for a lovely potato-nettle soup, a cleansing late-spring delicacy.

Nettles does have the reputation as a blood cleanser and energizing tonic, and so it is no surprise that in North America, native tribes used the foliage as a pot herb, an energizing tonic, and as a circulatory stimulant when used topically.  In addition, past peoples used the strong, end-of-summer stalk for cordage.

A healthy dose of Urtica tea can be prepared in the evening as such: into a liter mason jar, place a glove-full of fresh leaves (or, a handful of dried leaves), and pour just-boiled water atop.  Cap the jar.  Let sit overnight on the counter top.  In the morning, strain out the leaves, marvel at the deep earthy green that remains, and sip on this throughout the day, with a touch of honey if you like.