Herbal Events

May 2nd-4th 2008 - Second Annual Gaia Gathering for Women
Camp Albemarle, Charlottesville Va

Down through the ages, women have been shaping history, healing and politics. This gathering is an honoring of the Divine Feminine and a celebration of how strong that movement is. The classes offered will be for the self, the family as well as community. We will teach skills for gardening, medicine making, permaculture, drumming, ceremony and much more. The whole weekend will be held as a ceremony to honor the earth as a living being, a powerful Mother who holds endless wisdom and guidance to those that are awakening to action. For more detailed information, please call the SPT office
434-295-3820 or visit our website www.sacredplanttraditions.com for a downloadable registration form.
                     
May 17, 2008 Saturday - Planting the Future - Tai Sophia, Laurel MD. Stay tuned for details!

May 16-19, 2008, May 23-26, 2008 - Northern California Women’s Herbal Symposium in Laytonville, CA. Contact Terri Jensen & Karen Aguiar, 707-824-1429, or email info@womensherbalsyposium.org, Website: www.womensherbalsymposium.org.

Medicinal Plants of Northern California
May 17 – 18, 2008
Instructor: Christopher Hobbs
Location: UC Berkeley campus and the UC Botanical Garden
 
California is a treasure-trove of medicinal plant species. Many famous medicinal species from cultures around the world grow wild in California, and others are commonly cultivated as ornamentals. Many species of European herbs such as Arnica, valerian, Angelica, and gentian are common and native to the Sierra Nevada. The herbs Grindelia (gum plant), yerba santa, and coffeeberry were official drugs in the U.S. Pharmacopeia in the early 20th century. About 60% of the major herbs in the Chinese materia medica are available in nurseries and are commonly grown as garden plants and street trees, such as privet, jujube, star jasmine, and honeysuckle.

This experiential class will provide an introduction to the biology, chemistry, and conservation of some important medicinal species found in Northern California. Historical and modern clinical uses of many locally available species will be emphasized. There will be demonstrations of traditional methods of herb harvest, drying, processing, and extraction. Commercial tinctures and extracts, as well as homemade products, will be available to sample. A highlight of the class will be a half-day plant walk at the UC Botanical Garden on Sunday to meet many medicinal species in person.

Course fee ($175/$200, Friends of the Jepson Herbarium member/non-member) includes garden entrance fee.

For more information or to register for the workshop, please visit the website (http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/workshops/) or contact Anna Larsen at the Jepson Herbarium:
Jepson Herbarium, UC Berkeley
1001 Valley Life Sciences Bldg
Berkeley, CA 94720-2465

Groundbreaking Symposium on Regulation of Herbal Medicines Planned
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 from 9:30 A.M. to 6 P.M. to be held on UMBI's Shady Grove Campus, 9600 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville MD. The registration fee of $20.00 will include lunch. Please RSVP to Meg Brewer, brewer@umbi.umd.edu, (240) 314-6274.ACES, the Appalachian Center for Ethnobotanical Studies will present a one-day symposium titled "To Regulate or Not to Regulate: The Approach for Herbal Medicines." This groundbreaking symposium brings together, for the first time, herbal practitioners, scientists, and the federal government, to give serious consideration to the pros and cons of regulation of medicines derived from plant materials.

May 31- June 2, 2008 - Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium
in Black Mountain, North Carolina.  Contact Herbal Education Services, PO Box 3427, Ashland, OR 97520, 800-252-0688, Website: www.botanicalmedicine.org

October 12th 2008 - 7th Annual Catskill Mountain Ginseng/Medicinal Herb Festival to be held Sunday, October 12, 2008 at The Historic Catskill Point, 1 Main Street, Catskill, Greene County NY from 10 AM until 5 PM, rain or shine. Admission is $5.00 at the gate. This year’s festival will feature 6 educational lectures/workshops beginning at 10:30 AM on topics related to growing ginseng as well as the cultivation, use and marketing of other medicinal herbs.
     Our keynote speaker will be Edward Fletcher, Chief of the Botanical Division of Strategic Sourcing Inc. a firm that specializes in the supply of cultivated and sustainably harvested Medicinal Botanicals.
      There will be ginseng and other herb vendors offering fresh and dried ginseng, ginseng seed and rootlets to plant, herbal demonstrations, free ginseng tea, local honey products, gourmet mushrooms and musical entertainment.  The Catskill Point is located right on the beautiful Hudson River just about 100 miles north of NY City and 30 miles south of Albany NY. It is easily reached via the NYS Thruway Exit 21, Catskill.
     The Catskill Mountain Ginseng/Medicinal herb Festival is sponsored by the Heart of Catskill Association/ Catskill Chamber of Commerce, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County and Greene County Tourism. For more information on the educational programs call Bob Beyfuss at (518) 622-9820 or email at rlb14@cornell.edu. For information on vendors (there are still vendor openings) nearby lodging or directions contact Linda Overbaugh at (518) 943-0989 or email catskillchamber@mhcable.net.  

Oct 24-26, 2008 - American Herbalists Guild Conference, Redmond, Washington. Contact AHG, 141 Nob Hill Road, Cheshire, CT 06410, phone 203-272-6731, email ahgoffice@earthlink.net, Website: www.americanherbalistsguild.com