CONTENTSp2 News & Announcementsp3 Kiva Rose: Herbalism Through The Seasonsp11 Juliet Blankespoor: Calendulap19 Jesse Wolf Hardin: Plant Adventuringp28 Resources of Herbalistsp33 Elka’s Recipes: Pickled Fiddlehead Fernsp40 Herbalist Interview 2016: Charles “Doc” Garciap51 Sean Donahue: Aromatics _______________________________________________

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Here in the mountains of the Southwest, the commonly accepted seasons are different than they are in, say, northern New England. Our Spring comes early – in mid-March – and is followed by a long summer which is divided up

into the very dry fire season and the hopefully very wet monsoon season, then comes harvest season, the cold season’s rains and finally the bone chill of deep Winter. Depending on the decade, these categories can shift and blur.

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Herbalism Through The Seasons by Kiva Rose Hardin

A Spring look at the delights of seasonal herbalism... excerpted from the book The Healing Terrain, available by clicking on the Bookstore page at:www.PlantHealer.org

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I mark the return of Spring by the first flowering candytuft and by the way the light shifts when the sun rises over the canyon wall, and the arrival of fire season by the explosion of Beebalm flowers opening in every canyon nook and cranny. Midsummer is heralded by the blooming of the first wild roses and elder flowers, and the monsoons move in just as the Saskatoons are ripening. Harvest season begins with the gooseberries turning black-purple and juicy and later on the aromatic little native herbs affectionately called “sunset plants” turn every shade of pink, purple and green. The last golden leaf to fall from the giant arms of the Cottonwoods marks the onset of winter and the time to turn inwards, to sort the harvest and to settle in front of the fire for the long evenings of the cold season.

Instead of being subject to the guidelines of “normal” seasons, we can each take note of the weather and happenings in our unique bioregion. We can pay special attention to the moment of transition between seasons and the shifts in weather, flora and fauna throughout the year. We may mark our calendar when we notice the first Spring flower, the arrival of migrating butterflies or the first snow.

These experiences are deeply personal and encourage – even require – us to become increasingly more intimate with our surroundings and selves. Only through repeated observation and experience can we anticipate what that first flower will most likely appear one year to the next, or recognize the change in the wind that signals the beginning of a seasonal refiguring. Just as we may know our true love or heart’s home at first glance, it is only through years of aware walking, working and living

together that we get to know every wrinkle and scar, and each variation on a smile.

While most people celebrate Spring as designated by the equinox, I have a habit of basing our festivities around locally occurring events. For the last few years, we have celebrated the return of the growing season when the yuccas bloom. They are by no means the first flower to open in the Spring, but they are an accurate marker of the full greening of the canyon. They’re also tasty and a prime source of food and medicine, making them an important plant to honor.

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We gather baskets and bowls full of its flowers and bring them back to the cabin. Some are immediately transformed into an integral part of the special feast and others are strung on a cotton thread, to be hung for decoration and drying from the rafters. Next, we prepare a sumptuous and colorful meal, full of the vitality

and growth of Spring. Our festival is simple, made up mostly of feasting and a little dancing, along with ample time to observe and appreciate the beautiful green emerging from every crevice and cranny. We toast the animals, the plants and the canyon with raised glasses, then settle in to watch the sun turn golden and purple as it slips over the canyon wall.

The slow turn of the seasonal wheel teaches first and foremost awareness — of the natural world, of relationships and our own bodily cycles. Much of this awareness has to do with the food we consume, the clothes we wear, the medicines we use and the activities we engage in. These concrete, almost mundane elements are the stuff of life: the tart red raspberries of Summer, the soft wool wraps of Winter, the spicy root brews of Autumn and the enlivened dance of Spring. It is in these simple acts and objects we find connection and meaning. The ritual of gathering the first bitter greens of the growing season and of plucking the last flowers of the warm time, has brought me into an ever more intimate

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relationship with the land I live on. I know, almost to the week, when certain flowers or particulars trees will be ready to harvest. Even without a calendar, my partner Elka and I can tell by the slant of sun and the chill in the air just when we it’s time to travel up to the mountains for the blackberries and yarrow. As the first one of us here at Anima Center to come home to the Canyon, Wolf remembers each season of every year of the last 30 here in this one place. He can tell us of the progression of floods, of the changing landscape, of the newly arrived birds and flowers and the many different paths the river has taken through all the rainy seasons.

Our daughter Rhiannon understands her life by the natural progression of the year. She grins gleefully when the acorns begin to fatten in August, and twirls in delight at the first snow. Likewise, she associates these changes with certain foods, clothes, medicines and ways of moving through the landscape. When I returned yesterday with a bag full of fresh elderberries, she paused and mused. “Medicine for Winter,” she said, watching me with excitement this

morning when I drenched the purple berries with honey and brandy, then putting them into the pantry in preparation for the annual onslaught of colds, flu and other immune system challenges. There’s a certain special beauty to this experience of the earth as a dynamic, living organism, and of ourselves as integral pieces of that animate whole. When we take the time to actively participate and immerse ourselves in the movement and rhythm of the world, we notice more and more the intertwined nature of everything and how we fit into that greater whole. In the spirals within spirals of time and its turning, we grow wilder and ever closer to home.

Yearly holidays and community festivals are best when planned around a local seasonal event such as morel season, apple harvest or corn planting. For those of us not living in a wild or rural area, we can still take notice of the street-side cherry blossoms and readiness of ripe community garden tomatoes, and even celebrate with our neighbors and family with special meals and gathering parties.

When we gather many of our foods from the wild, from our garden or even the local farmer’s market, we generally become better attuned to the land we live on, and it informs our bodies of seasonal changes. Instead of using cooling tropical fruits to prepare November breakfasts, our bodies and spirits might benefit more from a steaming bowl of oats with chunks of locally grown dried apples with a dollop of raw wildflower honey. Even changes as simple as drinking a lemon balm tea fresh from the garden in the warm months rather than green tea or coffee, can significantly reconnect us to the dynamic dance of life and land. These simple

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acts can serve as celebrations in and of themselves, providing us with daily rituals to honor the local green beings, our own health and the connections between all things. All acts of participation can be conscious and joyful, and a daily means for more deeply engaging.

There are certain blessings and challenges that come with every part of the wheel, affecting our food, the clothes we wear, how we travel, our emotions and our overall health. When we attune ourselves to notice and adapt accordingly, the journey through the spiral of the year can be made even more joyful, meaningful and productive. Our ancestors spent a great deal of time preparing for each coming season, whether weaving sandals and sorting seeds in late Winter for the coming Spring or harvesting and preparing remedies in Autumn for the coming Winter months.

Likewise, we can choose to mindfully take into account each coming shift in weather and energy. Every evening that our partner Elka and

I stand in the kitchen gazing up at the shelves of shiny glass jars filled with colorful and vibrant flowers, leaves and roots. We each pick an individual blend of herbs to place in our quart mason jars for the next day’s nourishing infusion. It would be more convenient to make a blend and use the same mixture every night, but we find that we prefer the freedom to choose each healing element on a daily basis. One busy week I might add more wild Chamomile and Oatstraw for stress support, and the next Elka will toss a few pinches of desert tea in with her more standard nettles and red clover to help prepare for the onset of seasonal allergies. In this way we assist our bodies in adapting to the coming changes as well as adjusting mentally and emotionally as we act out of our connection.

Each season we not only partake in the current bounty but also prepare for the next. Gathering and drying bitter root medicines, brewing sweet wines made of spring flowers or simmering rich berry and bark syrups to be stored in thick glass on a cool pantry shelf, awaiting need.

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As I let my fingers sift through a jar of last summer’s fragrant Rose petals I feel myself connected to the mothers of generations past... to the women who, thousands of years ago, gathered and prepared these same medicines in this very place! Making remedies for child and village, infusing the richness of each precious moment into food, medicine and activity, bringing us full circle to the eternal now.

It’s no coincidence that the fresh promise of May is the most popular month for weddings, or that the sunless days of winter often bring up reasons for depression or sadness in many. The moon spins from dark to light, as our own bodies surge with ovulation and then flow with the bleeding time. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are connected at the very roots to the land and seasons, to cycles and shifts of the planet we live on. The more we can take notice of and foster this connection, the more helpful and beautiful the process can be. Likewise, the more we can pay attention to the cycles of our bodies, the more we will learn and enjoy. Rather than view menopause as some kind of personal hell brought on by “estrogen failure” we can find the

liberation and power of coming into our croning years. And instead of experiencing each menstrual period as a curse, we can let ourselves feel the ancient rhythm of body and moon, blood and water as emotions, as body and tides flowing of and through us.

Such rites of passage are not just spiritual or metaphorical, they are rooted in the very physical reality of seed and leaf, fruit and flower. Our bodies are miraculous microcosms that reflect the entirety of the evolutionary and

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creative process of life. Throughout history, tribal women have understood and celebrated the specialness of the female cycle, and it is only in recent history that we have forgotten the wonders of womanhood and come to hate our bodies. Honoring these rites of passage and transformation are more than just noting the changes and cycles, it is a way of both remembering our primal connections to the land and learning to love ourselves again. How we choose to do this is highly individual, and while one woman may find companionship in sharing this with a group of women, another may find it so personal and intimate that she prefers to be only with her self or a few chosen loved ones.

Moving through the wheel of the year, we circle and dance back to ourselves, allowing every moon, season and event to be something both amazingly special and ultimately familiar. These small celebrations and annual observances are in fact incredibly vital to our ecstatic experience as fulfilled women. They provide us both with a sense of cyclical continuity and reinforce the importance of experiencing the intense present moment. They give us roots and context, a place to grow from, reasons to act, and memories to treasure. The world seen through local seasons – through the always turning wheel – is one of ongoing delights of our ever deepening intimacy with the earth, each other and ourselves.

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Calendula officinalis is one of the easiest-to-grow medicinal herbs and so versatile in its healing properties that it invariably finds its way into the hearts and gardens of all herb lovers. It is typically grown as an annual, but can be cultivated as a short-lived perennial in warmer

climes (Zone 8-10). Calendula’s name derives from the Latin Calendae, referring to its long-blooming season – in certain locales it is said to bloom in nearly every month of the calendar. The species name, officinalis, refers to its historical use in apothecaries and pharmacopeias

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CalendulaSunshine Incarnate!

Text & Photos by Juliet Blankespoor

The following beautiful article is representative of Plant Healer columnist Juliet’s upcoming full color book, and her now available Herbal Immersion Program – a wonderful online course

covering cultivation as well as medicine making and uses, with both video instruction and written lessons. For information or to register, click on the following link:

Chestnut School Herbal Immersion Course

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as the official medicinal species of the genus. Calendula is also called marigold and pot marigold; it is often confused with members of the genus Tagetes, which go by the same common name. Marigolds in the Tagetes genus are in the same family as Calendula – the Asteraceae (Sunflower family) – but they are not interchangeable with Calendula.

The “flowers” of the Asteraceae, or Compositae family, are actually an aggregation of miniature flowers called florets. Look closely at the picture below, and you can see the individual flowers in the center, not yet open, still in their bud form. When you pick Calendula, your fingers will be

sticky from the resinous bracts, which form the green base of the flower head. The resin is an important part of Calendula’s healing legacy, and is a good indicator of strength. If you are buying Calendula, make sure it has a bright yellow or orange color, which is a good barometer of its freshness and medicinal quality.

Calendula officinalis is native to southern Europe, but is widely cultivated and naturalized throughout North America, Europe and North Africa. It has been used medicinally for centuries to heal wounds, burns and rashes, internally and externally. The flowers have also been used traditionally to support the immune system and lift the spirits.

Cultivation:

Easy peasy, even for the brownest of thumb. Sow the bizarre-looking seeds directly in the ground in mid-spring; germination takes 10 to 14 days. Thin to 12 inches apart. Calendula will thrive in just about any soil, but like most plants, it prefers to have soil that is not overly dry or wet (non-draining). It will flower more profusely in full sun, but can tolerate a little shade. If you live in the subtropics or tropics, try planting it in part-shade, also try planting in the fall (it will thrive in the winter in many warm climates). Here in the southern Appalachians, I plant my Calendula when I plant my salad and cooking greens. The greens grow quicker and fill in the bed, and by the time the Calendula matures and begins to flower, the greens have been harvested, and Calendula has more room to flourish.

There are countless varieties of Calendula, with many shades of sunset: orange, yellow, and russet. There are multi-“petaled” varieties for

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extra garden bling (and edible “petals”), and varieties with increased resin, purported to be more medicinally active.

The flowers need to be picked every two days in order to promote and prolong the flowering season. Dry on screens or airy baskets in a well-ventilated warm area. Schluffle the flowers often (my invented Yiddish-inspired term for gently tussling-about anything drying). Pictured below is my daughter’s friend picking Calendula from our herbal garden for one of their many potions.

Edible flowers:

Soon after giving birth to my daughter I received a meal from an herbalist friend – a nourishing quiche crafted from homegrown veggies, speckled with the orange and yellow of Calendula “petals”. Such a small touch made a large impression; I felt the warmth

and sunshine of summer in every bite. The colorful “petals” of Calendula are actually the ray florets (diminutive flowers, serving a similar function as petals). These ray florets are plucked from the more medicinal-tasting green flower base, and can be eaten raw or cooked. The florets may also be dried and rehydrated at a later date. My family enjoys them in salads, salsas, scrambled eggs, and frittatas; we also use them as a garnish on just about any dish.

Pictured below is a wild-greens saag paneer (garnished with Calendula), scrambled eggs with nopalitos (fresh cactus pads) and Calendula flowers, salad with edible flowers (daylily, Calendula, and heartsease) and a cherry nopalitos salsa.

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The whole flowers can also be dried, and added to soups and stews in the winter as an immune tonic. This traditional folk use heralds from medieval Europe, where the flowers were also added to bread, syrups and conserves. Culpepper wrote, “The flowers, either green or dried, are much used in possets, broths, and drink, as a comforter of the heart and spirits, and to expel any malignant or pestilential quality which might annoy them.”

Another account, written in 1699, states “The yellow leaves of the flowers are dried and kept throughout Dutchland against winter to put into

broths, physicall potions and for divers other purposes, in such quantity that in some Grocers or Spicesellers are to be found barrels filled with them and retailed by the penny or less, insomuch that no broths are well made without dried Marigold.”

Every winter I make a strong medicinal mineral-rich bone broth of Calendula flowers, turkey tail, astragalus, seaweed, nettles, organic beef bones and shitake. I cook it in a big pot all day, concentrating the brew with evaporation by leaving the pot off. After straining and cooling, it is frozen into small portions, and subsequently added to soup, stew, marinara, and chili all

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throughout the winter months. This herbal broth is an excellent way to sneak in extra minerals into our diets, and also doubles as an immune tonic, helping to keep colds and flu at bay. My daughter has an exceptionally discerning palette (i.e. picky) and doesn’t notice the extra herbal additions to her meals.

In the Summer, the yellow flowers can be used to adorn iced teas, along with a sprig of mint for contrast.

Materia Medica

Common Name: Calendula, Pot marigold, Marigold

Scientific name: Calendula officinalis

Family: Asteraceae

Part used: whole flowers

Preparation/ Dosage: 1:2 95% ! 1-2 droppers full up to 4 times a day1:5 70%! 1-2 droppers full up to 4 times a dayInfusion: 1-2 grams in 8 ounces of water (about 1-3 Tablespoons dried flowers), up to 3 times a day

Topical preparations: poultice, compress, infused oil and salve. Dilute tincture with water (1 part tincture to 3 parts water) for topical use.

Actions: Anti-inflammatory to skin and mucosaLymphagogue (moves lymph)Vulnerary (promotes healing of damaged tissue)Anti-fungalAnti-bacterialEmmenagogue (stimulates menstrual flow)Cholagogue (stimulates bile)

Energetics: warming, drying

Indications/Usages:

Gastro-intestinal anti-inflammatory: Calendula tea is commonly used to help heal peptic ulcers, esophageal irritation from GERD, and inflammatory bowel disease. Calendula helps heal inflammation from infection or irritation through its vulnerary, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial actions.

Lymphatic: acute or chronically swollen lymph nodes: respiratory infection, localized infection, and tonsillitis. Also used for poor immunity, to help prevent infection through stimulating the lymphatic system.

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Gums and mouth: gargle for sore throat, aphthous ulcers (canker sores), periodontal disease, thrush, sore and bleeding gums.

Emmenagogue: sluggish menses, amenorrhea

Topical applications: rashes, stings, wounds, burns, sunburns, abrasions, swellings, eczema, acne, surgical wounds, scrapes, chicken pox, cold sores, genital herpes sores, and as a douche for bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection and cervical dysplasia.

Personal Clinical Experience:

Calendula is one of the primary herbs I recommend for GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), along with Licorice, Slippery Elm and

Meadowsweet. I also find it helpful in healing peptic ulcers; it can be taken concurrently with antibiotic therapy, and then continued for two weeks after finishing treatment. Calendula is often combined with the aforementioned herbs to promote the healing of gastric and duodenal mucosa.

I think of Calendula as a weaker, more tonic antifungal as compared to some of our more heroic herbal anti-fungals, such as bloodroot and black walnut. It is often taken as a tonic tea for people who are prone to recurrent fungal skin infections, after a two-week regime of hard hitting internal and topical anti-fungal treatment.

Calendula is one of my favored personal wintertime teas, as I find it so uplifting, especially when I am feeling the long-dark-night-blahs. Interestingly, a strong cup of Calendula tea has a flavor reminiscent of unsweetened Cacao. Most modern herbalists don’t typically use it as one of their primary anti-depressant herb, but it is mentioned for that specific use in multiple historical texts. Calendula may be called upon for grief and sadness along with other cheering flowers: rose, mimosa and lavender. In addition, consider other helpful herbal companions, such as Lemonbalm and Lemon Verbena.

I always keep Calendula oil stocked in my fridge and will also combine it with plantain, chickweed, saint john’s wort, and violet in salve form. When my daughter had chicken pox I made a fresh poultice from Calendula mixed with other herbs (recipe follows) and applied it daily. She doesn’t even have one scar, thanks to this herbal poultice.

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Chicken pox poultice recipe:

Take a couple handfuls of fresh violet, plantain and yarrow leaves and add a handful of Calendula flowers. Blend with a little warm water and Calendula oil and then add slippery elm powder to desired consistency. In five minutes it will begin to solidify as the powder absorbs water. It should be thick enough that it wont run, but soft enough that it is easily applied. If the fresh herbs are not in season, use the dried herbs softened with a bit of hot boiling water. The poultice may be refrigerated and used for three days.

Apply poultice to the pox, taking care to cover furniture with an old sheet first, as it’s quite messy. Allow the poultice to work it’s magic for a full hour, full-on distractions called for here. To rinse the poultice off, add 3 cups oatmeal to a cotton bag and then run bath water over the bag. Two drops of lavender essential oil can be added to the bath as well. Use this nourishing water to bathe the child, employing the bag to gently clean the skin. Do not rinse off unless the skin is too oily, in which case you may need to use soap.

You can also make a strong tea of the above herbs, strain, and add to the bath. Regularly change clothes and use clean towels to prevent the occurrence of secondary infections.

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http://chestnutherbs.com/online-herbal-classes/herbal-immersion-program/ref/7

Deadline to Register: April 16th – Class Begins April 19th

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Plant AdventuringExploring & Wildcrafting Hints & Tips For Herbalists

by Jesse Wolf Hardin

As we enter another Spring, our minds may wander to matters of wildcrafting and gardens,as we are called outside to nature’s healing powers. The following is for those of you anxious to go

plant adventuring, excerpted from the book The Healing Terrain, available by clicking on the Bookstore page at:www.PlantHealer.org

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“Adelante”, they say in New Mexico, sometimes interpreted as both “further” and “onward!”... and I awaken to yet another Adelante day!

I rouse early, as I almost always do, but this morning it’s with designs on a trip outside this special canyon. Opening my eyes to the sparkling river and clucking ravens, white barked cottonwoods and swaying pines, it requires a task or destination with mighty heavy draw to tempt my eyes and mind away from this place even for a short time. Depending on the need, circumstance or season, this most likely means an inescapable shopping trip or dental visit, an invitation for me to speak at an event within a day’s driving distance of our sanctuary. Or more often, it means a plant gathering trip.

Not merely plant gathering, of course. The flora of the arid Southwest are extraordinarily diverse yet easily impacted, and so as a personal conservation practice we never sell – and seldom trade – any of the gathered bounty... thus a relatively small amount of our time away is expended on the actually clipping or digging of needed medicines. Far more of our hours apart from dear home and ongoing mission, are given to plant exploration, estimation, classification and deep appreciation, to energetic exchange and mutual recognition, communion and reunion, to what might might in aggregate be more accurately referred to as plant encounters, excursions or adventures.

What qualifies our plant trips as adventures is not just the fact of exploring new terrain and less familiar elevations, varied biota in new places that we’ve never seen before. They also earn the title “adventures” for the difficult dirt roads and challenging foot trails, sudden shifts in weather and vehicle breakdowns, leading to the

following suggestions... crucial for those of you getting into herbal wildcrafting or other wild plant adventuring for the first time, and hopefully helpful to longtime plant folks who could use an organized list of hints and tips to pass on to their students:

Things To Bring

My family and I like to start our hikes as far from the beaten path as possible, and therefore like to drive as deep into the woods or desert as we can without getting off of existing roads, compacting soil and running over plants. As a result of much experience and at least a few fiascos, we advise that you consider beforehand the possibility of breaking down far from help and even farther from a mechanic or tow truck, your SUV high-centered on an unseen rock, and storms turning once solid dirt roads into nearly impassable swamps... and with many miles of walking to the nearest pavement. Chances are that most of the time, with good equipment, careful driving and good judgment, you can get far into the backwoods and back out again without difficulty, but don’t depend on it. Instead, come equipped:

7Song’s car filled with wild herbs

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1. Start with a vehicle with plenty of ground clearance; 4-wheel drive is recommended, but clearance between rocks and that fragile sheet metal oil pan is most important of all2. Bring your cell phone to call in case of breakdown... but don’t count on there always being reception in the places where you explore and gather3. A compass, along with both USFS and USGS topographical maps4. Soon as you can, start including a GPS (global positioning satellite) device, so that you always know where you are, and to map the plant communities you come across so you can find the areas again 5. Bring an extra gallon of water or antifreeze for the radiator just in case were to get punctured by brush or you otherwise unexpectedly overheat6. Carry a basic set of mechanic tools and a jack substantial enough to lift your rig even in difficult positions, noting that the jacks that come as standard equipment in cars are designed for use on asphalt, and are insubstantial and insufficient when it comes to offroad uses7. Include a shovel for not only harvesting, but possibly for digging your car out should it get stuck8. 2 gallons of drinking water minimum9. Blankets or sleeping bags even if you have no intention of spending the night on top of a mountain somewhere10. Durable clothes for a wide range of temperatures, a rain parka and work gloves11. Matches and fire starter, a heavy duty (fixed, not folding) camp knife, plus a hatchet or axe when practical12. Storable foods even if don’t plan to picnic, in case you were to be stranded13. A basic first-aid kit, just in case

14. A flashlight and extra batteries16. A camera with macro lens, extra batteries, and a drawing pad and pencils17. The best available guide books and botanical keys18. A basic set of essential harvesting tools: the aforementioned shovel, a Japanese inspired hori-hori with its scooped blade for carefully working around roots, large pruning clippers for branches and hand clippers for stalks19. A small, heavy duty (preferably canvas, not nylon) backpack/daypack to carry some of these tools20. And finally, you will need enough containers for the total amount of plant materials you might possibly gather... burlap bags often being preferred because they’re porous and breathe

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Explorer Hints

Exploration and wildcrafting rightly begin at home, in backyards and at the untrimmed edges of nearby parking lots, in the areas we are most intimate with, in relation with, and call home. That said, when we do take our hunt out into the relative wilds, there are a few hints that might help:

1. Do your research and reading, and talk to other wildcrafters and botanists to determine which plants you most need, and are most likely to actually be able to find2. Study your maps beforehand for possible new areas to check out

3. Determine the water, nutritional and elevational needs of the species sought, which can greatly vary depending on the latitude... then circle terrain on your maps that seems to have the most potential4. All plants need some water, and hillsides facing south can be some of the driest and least diverse5. Plants in moister areas like deep shaded draws and close to natural bogs tend to remain viable longest as the Winter approaches, so make special note of such areas6. Mark out a number of possible tours that cover new and hopeful ground, then set aside the days for those trips so that no other projects interfere7. Determine beforehand which other kinds of plants tend to cohabitate with the particular ones you are looking for, and then watch for these indicator species, plant combinations and communities 8. Once in a promising area, start your visual scan long before deciding to stop and get out, taking note of the landscape directional orientation and biota, ecotone transitions and any signature species9. Like Thoreau once recommended in a larger metaphoric way, you will usually want to choose the roads least travelled in order to discover the least impacted and most fruitful areas10. Be willing to follow a hunch: if you pass a narrow turnoff and get a feeling that you should have taken it, go back and give it a try11. Be willing to drive slow, and stop often12. Get out at every promising location, walk down into any draws or seep to investigate, and then up the nearest ridge, tree trunk or other high vantage point to begin a scan 13. The most effective scanning is not done with tight and forced focused on prominent details,

Janet Kent gathering

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but with a relaxed, soft focus that takes in not only individual form and color but patterns and association14. Begin your scan of the foreground closest, at the extreme left of the visible field, slowly sweep your eyes across that foreground to the far right edge, then shift your gaze to a swath further out as you swing your eyes back to the far left again (no political reference intended!)15. Hold in your mind an image of the plants and plant associations you are hoping to see – at the stage of growth indicated by the time of season – while scanning the landscape, watching for matches and near matches16. And even when out for specific, much needed herbs, don’t allow single-minded visioning prevent you from noticing other useful but unanticipated species 17. Know the laws regarding trespass on private property and harvesting on public lands, be aware of property markers, BLM and USFS borders; be familiar with your personal moral compass and values, and decide beforehand when and why you might either obey or violate, as well as how you intend to respond if challenged

Driving Tips

Unpaved and unmaintained roads such as many BLM, national forest, logging and ranch roads can be rough, and rougher they are the better chances of finding some really sweet and plant rich areas, but caution is in order:

1. Many such roads include a thin layer of gravel on top, so be careful navigating curves, use low gear when going downhill, pump or pad the brakes and never lock them up or you could skid dangerously2. The same road may be flat in one section, extremely washed out or bumpy in another, so expect the unexpected3. Watch out for rocks that may have rolled into the road, and those that may stick up out of the ground just enough to hang you up, and just like a Titanic-crunching iceberg, the majority of their bulk could well be concealed beneath the surface4. Most modern vehicles, even trucks and SUVs, are lower to the ground than they used to be, and it’s best to drive as if you have even less clearance than you do... just to be sure5. When encountering sections of a road eroded into deep parallel channels and ridges, do whatever it takes to keep your wheels up on the ridges6. If you get into loose sand or mud, use as much power as possible without breaking traction and spinning tires; in most cases slow and steady (with no stops) is ideal, though under some circumstances gunning it and spinning out is all that will extricate you 7. Don’t be either too timid or too proud to back out of even the most twisted-up sections, if you don’t think you can proceed any farther... it’s better to accept you are stopped, put it in reverse and crane your neck out the side window until

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you can get to a spot to turn around8. Beware of driving up washes and gullies, bearing in mind that they were usually created by flash floods that could wash your vehicle away9. Beware of crossing water where you can’t see the bottom, be it a creek or large puddle... better to get out, take off your shoes and walk it first, if at all in doubt10. Watch out for animals... they have a habit of running out in front of vehicles, while focused too intently on the much more sedentary plants 11. Avoid driving offroad whenever possible... it’s not that you will always do irreparable damage a single time driving over plant colonies, but other drivers will predictably see your tracks and follow them12. Enter the area with a full tank of fuel, and either carry extra gas cans with you, or be sure you are headed back out before you top the halfway mark on your gauge

Once On Foot

The drive, no matter how lengthy, difficult or slow, is only a piece of the trip of course. The deepest engagement and real “search and gather” begins when we put feet to ground:

1. Consider taking your GPS or compass with you when walking out of sight of your vehicle2. Identify landmarks along the way, to aid you finding your way back3. Stop regularly to scan your environment, when possible turn and scan a full 360 degrees4. To be a literal “Seer”– to further, sharpen, broaden and deepen perception – experiment with cocking your head or squinting your eyes, bending low for a different perspective, or even lying on the ground to look around

5. Fulling seeing is also sensing through other organs and means... sniff the air and try to identify what you smell, handle and – when prudent – taste plants you are interested in6. Sense with your intuitive being as well, gradually learning to recognize the difference between actual subliminal awareness of subtle energies and our physical environment, on one hand, and on the other hand wishful thinking, anthropomorphizing, projecting and fantasizing.7. Scan not just for the forms and colors of desired species, nor just communities of species either, but for evidence of the conditions meeting their specific needs regarding the amount of moisture, shade and solar exposure, the soil type and condition, the terrain preference most likely conducive to their proliferation

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8. Journal the plant communities and members you encounter, along with their location and GPS readings when using one, how seemingly plentiful or rare they are9. Make use of your guidebooks and key out any plants you are unsure about before harvesting or using... intuition works best in combination with good research and common sense10. Before removing any plants, have already determined just how rare they might be, not just in that particular patch but in the larger general region, and then limit the amount you harvest accordingly11. Try to harvest only every tenth plant in a patch, and no more than you really need12. Whenever possible, leave enough of each plant to re-grow

13. Only take the whole plant when the roots are needed, otherwise simply break the stems or snap off the leaves, to avoid disrupting the soil14. It is most advantageous as well as considerate to act as if the plants can feel pain, even if you are uncertain they do, and take plants or parts sensitively and quickly15. When harvesting plants that have already developed seeds, make it a point to spread some of them in the area you’ve effected 16. Even walking can have a deleterious effect on plant communities, especially if you are wearing boots; wear sandals or go barefoot when you can, stay on trails when possible, and otherwise be conscious of and careful where you step17. And finally, find some way to demonstrate your gratitude, and to actually (not just symbolically) give back to the land... in order to be worthy of the plants, the wisdom and healing that we are given

We wish all of you what we wish and plan for ourselves: an unending series of ultra-aware and eminently fulfilling, eye and heart opening, deeply meaningful and ultimately fruitful plant adventures.

Adelante!

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Happy Spring Everyone!

What an amazing Spring it’s been here in the Enchanted Canyon! Usually we have quite a bit of Spring allergy suffering from Juniper pollen, and spending time outside is challenging. But this year, I don’t know if it’s the Oregon Grape tincture I take to help my whole system, or what, but I’ve been able to be outside way more than usual without becoming a giant mess! Yay! I’ve been harvesting small amounts of nettles already, and lots and lots of Dock and

Fillaree and London Rocket Mustard. It’s amazing how much there is to eat already, even though rains have been pretty nonexistent. Just the warmth and whatever moisture is left in the ground from the Winter is enough to keep our skillets and pots full of wild green things! This morning the whole canyon smelled like rain, what joy! It must have drizzled for just a minute in the middle of the

night, because nothing looked wet in the least. Ah, the smell of rain after everything being sunbaked for months, such happiness!

Elka’s Recipes & TalesFood From the Enchanted Canyon Kitchen

–Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns–

by Elka

Elka is our partner here at Anima Sanctuary, tending and nourishing us with her kitchen magic. She continues work on her long awaited cookbook, and shares her delicious and healthful recipes both here and in the quarterly

Plant Healer Magazine. She invites you to test them yourselves, and then let her know what you think... you can email her at mail@animacenter.org

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And to give you all the heads-up, my brand new food blog will be hitting the internet really soon! Maybe even by the time this Herbaria comes to you! Do look up “Enchanted Canyon Kitchen”, and come by and visit me there!! I’m so excited to share more of the wonders of my home with you all!

Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns (& Onions)

There are several easy ways to pickle Fiddlehead Ferns, and I’ve tried enough to know some work better than others, especially if you’re interested in long term storage. In my opinion, there’s not much that’s more regrettable than a jar of once perfect Fiddleheads, turned mushy. So far my favorite method is one I got from Minnesota’s Alan Bergo, at his excellent Forager Chef blog. I just opened my last jar from 2015, and they’re still as crunchy as the day I started them. I’ve substituted his brine with the one that I make just about every week for my Pickled Onions. These Onions sit on our countertop within

easy reach for adding to just about anything savory. We easily munch our way through a pint or two of them every week. If you make a double batch of brine, you can easily have two of the items on hand for the delicious Potato dish that follows.

Simple Brine for Fiddlehead Ferns (or Onions)

1 1/2 cups Herbal Vinegar (I’m most likely to use Fir Vinegar or Basil Vinegar)1 1/2 cups water1/3 cup sugar (optional but recommended, as it mellows out the vinegar)1 tablespoon salt2 tablespoons whole Brown Mustard seeds1 tablespoon whole Coriander seeds1 teaspoon Dill or Fennel seed2 Red Chiles (optional)Put all the ingredients for the brine into a 2 quart pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, simmer a few minutes, then turn off the heat.

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Pickling the Ferns

If you are processing Northwestern Lady Ferns they are said to benefit from a change of water and a second blanching, due to some extra bitterness. But Ostrich Ferns will do well with a single blanching. 4 cups Fiddlehead Ferns1 batch Simple Brine, as above

It’s important to remove the “fur and scales” on Fiddleheads by first soaking them in cold water, then rubbing them against each other with your fingers in several changes of water. If you buy them from an online source this part may be unnecessary, just go by whether or not they already feel smooth to the touch. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the Ferns and bring to a boil again, then turn off the heat. After 30 seconds, use a strainer to remove the Ferns from the water and put them into an ice bath immediately. As soon as they’re cold, strain the Ferns, push down on them lightly to drain excess water.

Soak new canning lids in a bowl of very hot water for at least 3 minutes, just as if you were hot water bath canning. Sterilize 2 pint jars. Place one Red Chile in the bottom of each jar, if using. Then pack the Ferns into the hot jars up to 1/2” of the rim. Bring the brine to a boil again, and fill the jars almost to the top-- about 1/8” from the rim. Clean the rims with a soft cloth, put the lids on, screw the bands on a bit less than tight, then turn the jars upside down and let them sit undisturbed this way for at least 12 hours. Then check them, and they should be perfectly sealed. If for some reason they are not, you can refrigerate any jar that hasn’t sealed and eat it at your leisure, as the brine will keep it very nicely for at least 3 weeks, maybe longer. You could also process it in a hot water bath. If I were to do this myself, I would remove a few Ferns and some liquid, so that each jar has at least 1/2” headspace. I would soak and re-seal the same lids I originally used, and leave the jars in the hot water bath long enough for the water to come back to a full rolling boil, no longer, to help preserve as much of the Fiddlehead’s crunch as possible!

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Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns with New Potatoes, Fish & Pan-Roasted Zucchini

(Feeds 6-8 as a side, or 3-4 as a main dish)

About 5 cups waxy New Potatoes, scrubbed (ideally, no more than 2” in diameter)3 cups sliced onions or leeks, lightly sautéed in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or butter1/3 cup pickle brine (good quality storebought can work fine—if it tastes good to you) or Simple Brine, above3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin Olive oil1 1/2 cups cooked fish or shellfish3 large cloves minced fresh Garlic, sautéed in a little butter1 teaspoon salt, or to tasteFreshly ground Pepper to taste1 tablespoon fresh Dill, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried Dill weed

3-4 cups zucchini, pan-roasted in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or butter1 1/2-2 cups Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns1-2 tablespoons minced Preserved Lemon or 2 tablespoons fresh Lemon, minced with peel¼ cup (or more, to taste) chopped green Olives or Capers1 cup Pickled Onions, for garnish

Scrub the Potatoes. Bring a big pot of water to a boil, and place Potatoes in water. Boil them until just tender (about 20 minutes, but check them at 15), drain the water from the pot, and keep covered in a warm spot. Warm the sautéed onions or leeks, zucchini and cooked fish or shellfish if they are cold, and stir them into the warm Potatoes. Then add the sautéed Garlic, pickle brine, pickled Fiddleheads, Olives or Capers, Preserved or fresh Lemon, salt, pepper, Dill, and Olive oil, tasting to see if you want more salt, Pepper, oil, Garlic, or brine. Let it sit covered for at least a few minutes before serving to combine the flavors. Garnish each dish with a side of Pickled Onions. The leftovers are even better the next day! I like to warm them up, but they’re also tasty served cold. Fresh or preserved Grape leaves are an extra fun and delicious way to help get them into your mouth!

Happy Spring feasting to you all!Love, Elka

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Wolf: What’s Doc Garcia’s personal succinct definition of healing?

Doc: As pithy as it may sound, my mother probably had the best description. "A person can't grow back an arm or leg. But if they can be happy with their life afterwards, they're cured." I guess that covers it. I work with a lot of the terminally ill. Nothing I can do will change their fate. Same for my homeless. But if I can make that one day better, they've been healed." I'm not out to save the world. The world is too big and too fuckin complicated to save. I'm trying to save one person for one day.

Wolf: How important are street medics and free clinics, and herbal focused services in particular?

Doc: I don't like the term street medics. A medic responds to a problem they know about or happen to see. They tend to prefer large events ON the street where someone may fall victim to heat stroke, a bad burrito, or the baton of a cop. They are out there for excitement. I know. I've trained a lot of them. A street healer is someone who actively works the streets, stays on the streets, and knows the

streets. And so far I can count those on my fingers. I've trained them.

A New 2016 Plant Healer Interview With:

Charles “Doc” GarciaIn Conversation with Jesse Wolf Hardin

Charles “Doc” Garcia has been a fixture at our Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference since the first, a candid and unpredictable rebel force, a practicing streetwise curandero who can’t speak Spanish and can’t

or won’t control the opinions and expressions that roll out of this politically-incorrect outlaw buddha’s mouth. What he teaches about herbs comes almost entirely from experience, adapting traditional Californian

curandismo to the practical and immediate needs of the impoverished and the fringe-dwelling, of the real-world barrio, ghetto, hood. Doc is as “different” as TWHC itself. There are some who might be offended by his unedited spiels and sardonic humor, but the vast majority fortunate enough to attend his classes come

away feeling uniquely inspired and greatly entertained as well as herbally informed. For years Doc has suffered with more serious illnesses than we have space to describe here, finally resulting in him canceling most of his traveling and teaching. It is therefore a considerable honor that he has agreed

to return to TWHC this September, presenting what he plans to be his most personal sharing and useful instruction ever. For more information, go to the

TWHC Event Site

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Free clinics are now beginning to offer more herbal alternatives if and when they can get a knowledgeable practitioner. They are incredibly important. But they tend to offer herbal services when the allopathic cupboard goes dry. Since most clinics are allowed to run under the guidance of a doctor or nurse practitioner there is some contention as to when to use herbs, for what, how much, and how often. The majority of allopaths know nothing about herbal treatments and tend to be very conservative in their use.

Wolf: You can speak from experience about the effects of using herbs for serious illnesses like cancer and diabetes. What can be hoped for when it comes to treating these deadly ailments of civilization with plant medicines?

Charles: As you know I’m a prepper and a novelist. I hope my grandchild never lives in a post-apocalyptic world ala “pick your favorite book or movie”, but if that happens the need for plant medicine knowledge will be more important than anything allopathic medicine can come up with. Now assuming the world continues down the line it has been going, cue the song Sunshine, Lollipos!

Just within the last twelve months if memory serves two ancient texts were found dealing with health and infection. So some scientists whipped the brew, both containing honey and one with mead, and they learned it could stop MRSA. I never like mead but now it’s one of my favorite Ren Faire drinks. Make it a double please. A few years I was treating a friend who had developed a case of MRSA through a blister

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on her foot. It went into the bone. The antibiotics were not working so I asked if I could use honey. She acquiesced and her partner wrapped her foot in a clean towel of honey four times a day. It worked! Until her doctor found out and stopped the treatment. The MRSA returned. She lost half her foot. The MRSA found its way into her blood stream and her organs began to shut down. We lost her. When my homeless get sub-par treatment at ER’s or clinics I unwrap their bandages and pack their wounds with usnea.

Legally or illegally, there will always be a place for herbal medicines and treatment in the future.

Wolf: Are things getting better or harder for practicing herbalists as time goes on?

Charles: I was recently asked online if I thought future U.S. agencies would ever be sympathetic to alternative medicines. I said only if the American Herbalists Guild can convince them to regulate it and make it profitable! So that means we better become strident State's Righters. I trust the AHG as much as I trust reality TV... especially those girls who are famous for being famous.

We need to keep alternative medical care free of government and NGO interference. I've spent my entire life learning and practicing...and now teaching Hispanic herbalism. I'm not going to let a group of primarily white folk, educated in white colleges, and a few token folk lore herbalists decide how I treat the sick and what herbs I can or can't use. 

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This led the questioner to say that I seem angry at white herbalists, but no, I'm certainly not! What I am is angry at white herbalists who have a sense of entitlement and letters after their names. Give me an herbalist of any color who has swabbed down a sick person with a tea made of pine needles and then made a pot of chicken soup heavy on the garlic, then sat up all night with a client. Those people, I will bend over and kiss their shoes and call them brother and sister. My herbal colleagues are the common folk using plants in any ways they can to help others heal. An educated herbalist is great, but what’s needed most are herbalists doing the daily nitty-gritty work down in the very trenches of healing. Wolf: What first got you started treating the under-served, and helping out the homeless on the streets?

Charles: Wow…it’s not a very inspiring story. I’m not Saint Francis. I think it was about twenty years ago, maybe a bit less. It was during the holidays, and the bay area winters can be miserable. Oh I know you and Kiva get twenty feet of snow and have chip your way out your cabin to shoot an elk for dinner. But the bay area is grey, wet, windy of the bay, cold. And it gets in your chest. When my wife and I finally move from her we want a warmer place. But back to your question…I remember seeing a group of homeless in

San Pablo right at the Richmond line and they looked cold! Now we have enough spare camping gear to outfit the Chinese Army. I grabbed a bunch of sleeping bags and liners. I got a lot of thanks. Then I went home and started one of my 4 Michelin star soups. Lots of garlic, veggies, softened meat for those with bad gums, and spices of a medicinal nature. That was the start.

Wolf: What is there about the homeless and rejected that you relate to, learn from, or admire?

Charles: I was a lonely kid. No friends. In grade school I was bullied. In high school I was badly hurt once. I spent a lot of weekends in orchards reading Cervantes, Poe, Bradbury, and other masters. Then it was back home to an alcoholic father who said out loud I’d never amount to anything. But because of some great loving teachers I survived. My homeless are survivors. Nope, none of them will be Rhodes scholars…well actually one was…but they survived the monster in their lives. I can’t save them. I can’t give them some comfort. And hour or two of health. A day without scratching. Maybe a day without a tummy ache. God I would have given anything to have gone a day without a stomach ache as a kid. So I love them in my own way.

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Wolf: How have things changed since you got involved, when it comes to healthcare for the homeless?

Charles: Well, there are many more folks like me out on the streets. I know for certain there are folks in Boston, Denver, Seattle, and possibly Chicago. There are undercover doctors treating the homeless. Even in my hometown of Richmond there are more services for my homeless than when I started. There still are not enough available beds, but the number of homeless families on the streets have dropped dramatically. 2015-2016 was a celebratory year for me and my commandos. We did not lose one person. No on died on the street. We had enough Elderberry for the flu season, enough socks, enough bronchial syrups, enough salves, enough toothbrushes and toothpaste to pass out. No one died. Not one person.

Wolf: How and when is it appropriate for non-Hispanic blooded people to practice elements of curandismo, and what can we learn from it that would benefit other approaches to herbalism?

Charles: Great question! Someone you love asked me a similar question awhile back. If you have been

trained by any method by a Hispanic healer, and they have taught you elements of curanderismo concerning ritual, prayer, or magic for the healing of others, it is appropriate for you to use it. For that matter, if after years of contact they suddenly start calling you a curandera, or curandero you have damn well earned that title. Maybe you’ll never learn why. But you earned. So whitey carry it with pride!!

Wolf: Define Curanderismo.

Doc: In a nutshell curanderismo is the healing arts of the combined Spanish and indigenous cultures. In California that was primarily herbal. In other states and countries it can have less to do with herbs and more to do with prayers, ritual, and magick. So I must be very careful not to call myself a curandero to someone who is from another country. They may think (as in Columbia) that I'm a seer or fortune teller. In Puerto Rico it is someone who delves into the occult. The term curanderismo is archaic medieval Spanish. It simply means the curing arts.

Wolf: How does your modern day, streetwise practice differ from traditional Curanderismo, where do your ideas or methods diverge?

Doc: It's like night and day. I go looking for the sick. I bring my goodies in a canvas sack or cheapie backpack and walk the streets like a cheap crack whore looking for a trick. In the old days, the sick came to you or if they could get word to you, off you would ride on your hot-blooded stallion…okay grandpa probably used a mule and later his Model T Ford. Now where they merge is speed. You might be able to make a diagnosis, you might not. Either way you will treat the symptoms first and watch what happens. I carry a portable stove in my bag. I carry some herbs which can cover a large amount of ailments and if I'm lucky, I can give treatment. Sometimes I can go out on the street and find Fennel, Yarrow, wild Chamomile, Ginkgo, certain tree leaves, ornamental Rosemary, etc. If you know where to look, you're never more than a couple of hundred yards from herbs. With a buck or two I can run down to the nearest mercada and buy an onion, a garlic

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rose, maybe a squash, and make soup for the sick. In an hour or so I can treat the homeless with the same efficiency as if they came to my home. “Work fast heal fast.”

Wolf: A recent Plant Healer poster I made says “The earth provides the medicines we need... not to live forever, but to live better.” Would you agree with mine (and Kiva’s and Anima’s) stress on the wholeness, enlivedness and richness of existence, over the simple elimination of disease or alleviating of discomfort, pain or other symptoms?

Doc: Absolutely! Curanderismo is a holistic form of healing. Stress, depressions, lifestyle all must be dealt with but not necessarily at the same time. First thing…get the patient out of pain. Once your client is functional then deal with the deeper issues. Diet and a change of lifestyle (within the lifestyle) can work

wonders. While being happy doesn't always cure an illness, it gives the client a fighting chance at improving at a rapid rate. We use music, colored flowers, baths, sunlight, changes in food, even a glass of wine or a culturally banned food to help people heal. (Once you get a Jew to eat a shrimp with garlic butter, they never go back!)

Wolf: What is that love and value about healer grandmothers and abuelitas? What is the role of love in healing?

Charles: Oh my friend…that is the magic that transcends time and cultures. The abuelitas are the receptacles of family traditions, healing, propriety, and history. Within all that is healing and love. Love is the most important. Yeah, it’s corny but it’s true. I met a doctor, he’s passed away now, but I noticed numbers tattooed on his arm. He saw looking at

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them. He smiled and said, “I was in the camps.” I told him how sorry I was. And since we had time he told me the story. He was a pre-med student when the SS grabbed his Jewish butt (he words not mine) and hauled him to a camp that was being widened. Dachau. His girlfriend and fiancée had also been taken. During a transfer to another camp they saw each other. He decided at the moment that they would survive. Later he learned she made the same oath. She would survive. And she did. A man from a factory picked her to work making ceramic coverings for land mines. It was for a company called Schindler. Yep, that Schindler. He suffered greatly but stayed alive for his, and I can’t pronounce it in Austrian German but the translation is, My sweet sixteen. Well, they survived. She cared for him for over a year until he found enough strength to find work, and later returned to school. They immigrated to the US. Neither could have children due to personal reasons. But love was enough for them.

Wolf: It seems that herbalists, by the very nature of our work, have not only callings and roles, but also important intrinsic responsibilities. What would you say these are?

Charles: Oh my goddess! Where do I start? Ok, two come to mind which are of equal importance. To care

for nature and care for those who cannot car for themselves. My blessed mother comes to mind. She never harvested more than she needed, and even her garden she treated each and every plant with a type of kindness and gentleness you might find in the best of nurses. At the same time she treated the sick the same way, even though her own health was never strong. Others came first. If she had been a young woman I can imagine mom being a member of Earth First. One of my teachers, Tom Brown jr. taught that Mother Nature, could no longer care for herself. She was too sick. The sickness was caused by our reliance on fossil fuels and our greed. At first I thought he was overstating the case. Now I’m not so sure. We must replant what we take. We must rehab what we have destroyed. This is the same as treating the sick.

Wolf: What is it about the Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference and this Plant Healer community that draws or feeds you?

Charles: It took away decades of loneliness. I found people from all walks of life who saved up pennies to come and learn…and share. The after class get-togethers, sometimes going late into the evenings taught me as much or more than the classes I signed up for. Everyone wanted to share. Not just plant information mind you, but personal stories of how plant medicine effected their lives. That is what I needed to hear!

Wolf: What feels different for you this year than before, and what do you feel most compelled to do and share?

Charles: On a personal level my internal health has improved amazingly! Oh I still need my cane due to my back injury and I’m blind as a bat come night time, but there is a spring in my step, a song in my heart, an occasional lady in my bed. This year I want to demystify some parts of curanderismo (kick Carlos Castenada in the teeth) and mystify other portions. I want to show how it affected one man through his life and the decisions he made. I will also finally talk about the initiation process which will

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never be done again, so I feel it is okay to break the secrecy around it. This was the most difficult decision I made. But it’s the right one.

Wolf: If you had only a short amount of mortal breath with which to give to herbalists and others a bit of your distilled wisdom, what advice might you give?

Doc: That's easy. And not very profound, perhaps. I would say just two words: "Give care."

Wolf: What do you retain faith in, in the face of all sobering realizations?

Charles: I can’t tell you if there is a god, but I do know there are miracles. Because I saw one. And I can never be a skeptic again.

Wolf: Thanks, Doc. For everything.

Charles: My pleasure.

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Charles “Doc” Garcia will be joined by his apprentice Lori Pino in presenting at the 2016

Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference

Sept 15th-18th – Sky-Island, New Mexico

Charles’s 2016 TWHC Class:

Confessions of a Reluctant Curandero

An intimate lecture and discussion concerning the training, initiation, and choices posed to the last fully trained California Hispanic Curandero. Charles “Doc” Garcia was picked from the age of four to continue the legacy of his grandfather Desidro Navarro and mother Martha Navarro Garcia on the path of curanderismo. He learned immediately the healing plants and weeds: yarrow, dandelion, plantain, Passion Flower, rosemary, stinging nettle, feverfew, marigold, mint, orange blossom, walnut husks, roses, and others growing in his backyard. Walking along the banks of his beloved Stanislaus River he gathered the poisonous Jimson Weed, Foxglove, and the hallucinogenic seeds of the Wild Cucumber (Marah) plant.

Under the tutoring of his mother Charles became a trained herbalist by age fifteen but due to his heritage found acceptance within the white and Mexican Hispanic community difficult. In short he turned his back from his training in an attempt to find a niche in the Anglo world. In this he failed. If you believe in a divine hand (and Charles is not particular sure about that) the sick and needy found him during his forty years run from the inevitable. After a crippling stroke twenty years ago which ended his teaching career Charles was guided back into the world of herbs and healing. He opened his home as a school. The streets of his city became his clinic. The forgotten streams, pathways, and overgrown blocks became his pharmacy.

Recently after a long and dangerous illness he was healed and has a new grasp on life. Because of this he is offering this lecture ONLY to the TWHC. No other conference will ever have this opportunity. So come hear stories of plants and hallucinogenic initiations in the high Sierra, healing teas and soups from loving abuelitas, shape-shifters and vampires, amazing healings through the power of hands. Nothing is off topic. For the first time, all questions will be answered.

First Plants, First Training: Yarrow, Feverfew, Rose buds, Mint(s), Orange blossoms, Cinnamon, Cayenne, Rosemary, ThymePlants for The Initiation Process: Datura Seeds, Morning Glory Seeds, Wild Cucumber Seeds, so-called Cachana, Wild Onion, Sierra Blue IrisPlants For Serious Illnesses – Cancer/Diabetes: Comfrey, Red Clover, Blackberry Bush and Fruit, Black Walnut Husks, Chaparral, Mistletoe, Milk Thistle, RuePlants for Diabetes Type II Specific: White Clover, Aloe Vera, Cucumber, Feverfew, Dandelion Leaf, Chaparral, Rose buds, Cinnamon, Fenugreek

For more information, go to theTWHC Event Site

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