Classes
Intensives: 6.5 hour
Monday August 4
This year we are pleased to offer an extra 6.5 hour
intensive on Monday Aug 4th
Join us and our distinctive presenters for a special in-depth
class designed to engage and entice even the most
experienced herbalist, continuing education
opportunities are rarely this approachable or fun!
Your presenter choices include:
Paul Bergner
Brendan Kelly
Terry Willard
Lisa Ganora
Cost in addition to regular conference fees:
After July 1, 2008 $85.00
Terry Willard
Flower Essences: Emotional & Spiritual Evolution
For over 30 years, Terry Willard has worked with flower essences, finding them very functional when dealing with emotional issues that arise in patients. It has often been shown that many of our health concerns come from stress. With the use of flower essences, we can fine tune which emotions we deal with. Even with healthy people, various forms of emotional baggage can slow down a person’s growth, socially and spiritually. Flower essences tune into the etheric and emotional bodies of an individual, by working with the etheric wiring of the body, such as the Chakra system. Each of us is carrying several ‘software’ programs in our emotional body. By using flower essences, we can clear out bugs and debris found in these programs. In this intensive one day workshop, we will be looking at the 44 flower essences, including numerous formulas, all which grow in this bio-region. The participants should come away with an in depth understanding of flower essences and the many lessons that these plants can teach us. We will also delving into what the Mayan calendar and 2012 have say about flower essence use for our currant era.
Brendan Kelly
Chinese Medicine, Western Herbs and Treating a "Cold"
Yarrow, Boneset, Echinecea, Goldenseal and the Importance of Differential Diagnosis
Using four western herbs as examples, we will look at how Chinese medicine has looked at what western culture calls a "cold." We will discuss different indications that the body provides that allows us to understand more clearly what is causing the symptoms. We will look in-depth at the historical uses of the four herbs which enables us to understand the more energetic aspects of their medicine and how best to use them. All levels.
Paul Bergner
Clinical Skills
Certain skills can determine the success or failure of clinical work, especially when working long term with chronic conditions. This intensive will be broken into two sections. In the morning we will discuss "intangible" clinical skills, meaning the attitudes, disposition, and inner work that may be necessary to engage in the clinical relationship and process. As often as not, these determine the success or failure with an individual client, and also may determine whether the practitioner will continue to grow and develop in their career. In the afternoon, we will discuss nuts and bolts of the interview process, for intakes and follow-ups. Paul Bergner has been training clinical herbalists in teaching clinicsin Boulder, CO since 1996. He has mentored more than 160 practitioners through an 8-12 month residency program.
Lisa Ganora
Phytochemicals are Really Plant Spirits: the phytochemistry and pharmacology of medicinal weeds meets the Wise Woman tradition
How do we reconcile the scientific method of understanding phytochemistry with the ancient traditions of plant spirit medicine? How do we integrate a logical, experimentally-based perspective with intuitive understanding of herbal energetics and healing? What is a phytochemical, anyway? Why do they matter? How scientists talk about them and how herbalists talk about them are only part of the picture, because as usual, the map is not the territory. Come learn to experience the nature and significance of phytochemicals in medicinal plants through meditation, plant spirit communication, organoleptic experience, and holistic knowledge integration.
Class Topics Friday August 1 through Sunday August 3
More classes to be announced...
3 Hour Advanced Classes
Herbal Constituents: Supportive Science for Traditional Medicine
Lisa Ganora
9-Noon Saturday Aug 2
Enrich your understanding of herbal activities by exploring medicinal plant constituents. We'll look at several examples from the seven major categories of constituents, learn about solubility, extraction, variability, synergy and the physiological activities of important phytochemicals in the herbs we commonly use. Slide show with colorful illustrations and photographs.
Medicial Mushrooms
Terry Willard
2-5pm Saturday Aug 2
Chinese Tongue and Eye Diagnosis
Brendan Kelly
2-5pm Saturday Aug 2
Asian acupuncturists and herbalists have understood that in looking at individual parts of the body, you could understand more clearly the whole person. We will discuss and practice Chinese tongue and eye diagnosis as potentially deep reaching tools for diagnosing the condition of the internal organs. Also discussed will be western herbs for treating the conditions presenting on the tongue and in the eye.
Herbs for Pregnancy and Postpartum Care
Meryl Kastin Flocchini
9-noon Sunday Aug 3
Which herbs are safe and nourishing to use during pregnancy? Which ones are best avoided? This class will discuss some of the tried and true herbs used during this wonderful and exciting time of a women's life as well as herbs for postpartum care. All Levels.
2 Hour Classes
Tincture Making
Michael Pilarski
1:30-3:30 Friday Aug 1
We will discuss preparation of plant material,
menstruum types, alcohol percentages, length of time before pressing,
pressing equipment, filtering, storage and other practical matters.
We will make some tinctures during the workshop.
Herbal Resource Cultivation
Jo Powell
1:30-3:30 Friday Aug 1
This class offers practical information for those seeking reliable sources for fresh and dried herbs, alcohol, oils, waxes, essential oils, supplies, packaging and all sorts of herbal essentials and goodies. Interesting websites, databases and tidbits will be included. Invaluable stuff.
The Parsley Family Goes Camping
Let's see...is it Water Hemlock or Angelica? Poison Hemlock or Lomatium?
Robyn Klein
1:30-3:30 pm Friday Aug 1
Be introduced to Aunt Angelica and crazy Uncle Hemlock. Fresh
samples (some not for tasting!) and quick id characteristics to use.
Bring a hand lens if you have one.
Health Ensurance
Greta De La Montagne
2-4pm Saturday Aug 2
Look through the Ayurvedic lens at the dis-ease process (Samprapti). How Ayurveda looks at immunity and how Western Herbalists can use the daily tools in their practice.
Native Plant Restoration with Native Medicinal Herbs
Michael Pilarski
1:30-3:30pm Sunday Aug 3
Need for native plant and habitat restoration. Restoration methods. How to incorporate medicinals, native medicinals. Ethnobotany and ethnoecology (how native tribal people affected the plant vegetation patterns and abundance in the landscape). Several dozen native medicinal plants will be discussed.
When There is No Practitioner:
Treating Pneumonia and Influenza at Home
Robyn Klein
1:30-3:30 pm Sunday Aug 3
In the event of a worldwide or even localized crisis, hospitals and health care practitioners will be overwhelmed within days. Do you know how to care for a loved one? How to bring down a fever safely? Don't panic, be prepared. Barefoot doctoring can strengthen our resilience against epidemics and pandemics.
Basics of Plant Taxonomy
Erico Schleicher, LAc
1:30-3:30 pm Sunday Aug 3
Why Botany is the way it is.
1.5 Hour Classes
Simple 1st Aid Kits at Home
Heather
Nack-Culbreth
4-5:30 pm Friday Aug 1
Learn how to create a simple first aid kit to have at home, on the road or to throw in a backpack.
Herbs for Children
Paloma Defuentes
4-5:30 pm Friday Aug 1
Safe use of herbs for common conditions as colds, hay fever, colic, ADD, insomnia. It will include an understanding of the causes of imbalances and the reasoning for the herbs. Samples of the herbs and visuals will be used. This class will give you the tools you need to confidently diagnose and treat your pediatric patients.
Organoleptics: The Nature and Flavor Experiences of Herbs
Erico Schleicher, LAc
4-5:30 pm Friday Aug 1
What is the art of organoleptic testing? By refining our senses of smell and taste as a group we begin to create an experienced-based herbalism. This will be a fun workshop where we center ourselves, put away some of our concepts and ideas and let the herbs speak to us in their own language and flavor. All Levels
Preparing for Pregnancy
Stacey Haugland
9-10:30am Saturday Aug 2
Getting your body and your life ready for pregnancy. What can you do
now to ease your transition into parenthood.
The Clinical Interview:Going beyond this for that
Erico Schleicher, LAc
9-10:30 am Saturday Aug 2
Herbalists working with clients often do not get adequately trained in the art of interviewing. This workshop is for those who either already work in a clinical setting or find that people frequently ask them, “What herb should I take?”. Knowing more information is necessary before herbs can be recommended. We will cover aspects of a thorough interview, addressing chief complaints, review systems, sorting information and the ”root and the branch” as well as respectful listening.
Natural Coop Management: The Herbal Gallus gallus
Jo Powell
10:40-Noon Saturday Aug 2
Everything you ever wanted to know about how to naturally care for your homestead chickens such as coop management, feed, pests, predators and contagious diseases. Class is focused on the laying hen. Truly, a class for chicken geeks...
Clinical Nutrition in the Herbal Paradigm
Paul Bergner
10:30-Noon Saturday Aug 2
An general nutrition protocol for the average modern patient will be presented. The three macronutrients and several of the most important micronutrients will be described according to what actions they would have in the herbal paradigm. We will also discuss how to assess six common patterns of nutritional imbalance and deficiency, and recommend specific regimens and approaches for each.
Herbs for Hospice: Traditional Transition
Mo O' Brien
2-4pm Saturday Aug 2
An integrative look at end of life care, use of traditional therapies to provide comfort to the dying. Discussion of death in our culture. All levels
Healthy Living with the Seasons
Brendan Kelly
9-10:30 Sunday Aug 3
A presentation of classical Chinese ideas of what health is and how healing occurs, as well as general and specific ideas on how to live a balanced life through the seasonal changes. Diet, western and Chinese herbs, and activities for the seasons will be discussed.
Local Flower Essences
Terry Willard
9-10:30 Sunday Aug 3
Plains Indian use of Herbs for Spiritual, Mental, Physical and Community Health
Shane Doyle
9-10:30 Sunday Aug 3
The course will include a description of some of the most important plants and herbs used by Plains Indian people for overall good health and wellness. The buffalo hunting cultures of the Great Plains harvested wild plants and herbs throughout the "Big Sky" region for use in traditional healing practices. Within the oral traditions of Plains cultures, the use of wild plants has been, and remains, a critical aspect to their cultural and personal relationship with the world. Discussion of the plants used and how the context in which they are used will be highlighted in this course. A follow-up to this course would be the participation in a sweat lodge on Sunday evening.
Sweat Sunday night, sign up during the weekend event at the town Square.
Herbal Treatment for Pain: Materia Medica, Formulas, and Strategies
Paul Bergner
10:30-Noon Sunday Aug 3
A review of the Vitalist approach to acute or chronic pain, with materia medica and formulas for antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and/or anodyne effects, and strategies for withdrawing from chronic pain medications.
Herbal First Aid Clinic
Greta De La Montagne
10:40-noon Sunday Aug 3
We will go through an Herbal First Aid clinic or Wellness Center's set up process and operation. Topics covered include staff training to networking.
Postpartum Healing
Stacey Haugland
1:30-3:30pm Sunday Aug 3
Plant Walks
Lisa Ganora
1:30-3:30 Friday Aug 1
We'll meet local medicinal plants and practice "organoleptics", the traditional art and empirical science of understanding constituents, properties and potency of a plant or extract using the senses. Smelling, tasting and feeling the characteristics of the plant will guide our intuitive and instinctual understanding of its powers.
James Flocchini
Kids Herb Walk on Friday Aug 1 afternoon
Caleigh Searle
9 -10 Saturday Aug 2
Kids Plant Walk
Michael Pilarski
9am-10:30 Saturday Aug 2
James Flocchini
10:30-noon Saturday Aug 2
Kris Hill
1:30 pm- 4:30 Saturday Aug 2
Plant Hike: Take a Hike! This plant viewing adventure will not be an easy stroll. Trail is 5.6 miles with a total elevation gain of 4,599 ft. We will group up after lunch (1:30 pm) at the Parking Lot. Then shuttle or bike to the trail head (Trail Mount Blackmore). View and discuss medicinal plants. The trail does have big elevation gains (Steep sections) as well as flat spots. It will be windy on the ridge and summit of Blackmore Peak. This class will not happen in the event of Severe Weather.
Caleigh Searle
10:45-noon Sunday Aug 3
Take a walk and meet some Montana Medicinal Plants with a Montana native.
Brendan Kelly
1:30- 3:30 Sunday Aug 3
