Birthing Herbs Workshop

On October 18 from 5-9 pm I will be presenting a Birthing Herbs Workshop.

I have been using medicinal herbs for over forty years, and I would like to introduce some of my best herbal friends to you and encourage you to make your own. If you're interested in using more herbal remedies either for yourself, for your families, or with your clients, this is the place to start learning about how to approach these powerful plants. I presented this workshop at the Birth and Beyond workshop a few years ago, and everyone enjoyed it.

Herbs and Beyond!



Here are some questions we will have a look at:

What do herbs do?
How do we harvest herbs?
How to process herbs
Which herb should you use?

Here is a taste of my technique, and an introduction to my favourite herb, St Johns Wort or Hypericum perforatum. I was first introduced to this lovely but common plant by a peasant woman in rural Italy. She told me it was good for small abrasions, back in the day when I had four small boys running around. It's a lovely, versatile, powerful friend.

https://youtu.be/ubNbsCpQzfU

In this Birthing Herbs Workshop we will mostly be learning about how to approach the world of medicinal herbs and how to start using them with the respect and familiarity they deserve. What is your relationship to herbal plants? Do you love plants? How do you relate to lavender? will be some of the weirder questions we will ask each other.



We will meet on Thursday Oct 18th at 5pm at Caffe della Pace. Cost is $25 per person.

This workshop is open to all.

So Grateful for St John's Wort!

It seems like a few centuries ago, when I was walking up a hill with David my (then) youngest, and Angelina, and of course Gandalf (canine version).

Angelina was the old woman from up the road who took me under her wing and taught me how to care for chickens, kill chickens, stuff a mattress with sheep wool, how to tease and clean the wool, how to do a painless injection, how to live the country life.

David was complaining in the way that small children do, and she stuck her hand into the abundance of wild flowers growing next to the road and pulled out a yellow flower. She told David that this was a magical flower, that turns red in oil. He calmed and picked more.

I already knew that, though, because the place we lived when I was pregnant with him was in a tower in the middle of a medieval village, and I was surrounded by peasant women who wanted to teach me things. I knew that this plant was powerful. We moved to the farm in March and by June 24 the hills were alive with yellow flowers. I picked huge bunches and hung them up to dry in our kitchen, made oil, and even made a little tincture.

The name is St John's Wort, because it blooms on June 24, and that is the saint day for St John.

Another Italian name for it is "Cacciadiavoli", which is nice because it means "hunt the devils". Or you can just call it hypericum, after its latin name "Hypericum perforatum".

What does this powerful plant do?

Under strict supervision, the leaves and flowering tops can be used to treat depression. It is very important to note that this is a powerful medicinal plant and can have serious side effects and interactions with other drugs if taken daily to treat psychological symptoms.

The oil can be used during childbirth to ease labor pains, for muscle or skeletal aches and pains (always used externally and never on broken skin or mucus membranes), for sunburn or other slight boo-boos.

The tincture can be used to treat acute conditions, 15 drops under the tongue for headaches, sciatica or other severe pains but never more than two or three times over a few days.

It can cause photosensitivity and does react with some pharmaceuticals if taken to alleviate chronic conditions.

Here is a video that will teach you how to prepare an oil with this lovely, powerful and magical plant!

St John's Wort Oil

Il Glicine e La Lanterna

Let me tell you about where we will be hosting our New Doula Workshop this July. You will be staying at a small, family-run agriturismo called Il Glicine e La Lanterna - the Wisteria and the Lantern, set in the most amazing countryside in a northern corner of Tuscany. The area is called Lunigiana, and the name comes from its origins. The Luni were a mysterious people who created enigmatic statues that still intrigue historians and tourists alike.
It is believed that the Luni worshiped the moon, and that is easy to understand when you are witnessing the rising of a red half moon, as it emerges from behind the Appenini. The countryside is so stunning because of its variety. The area where we will be is bound by the Alpi Apuane on one side and the Appenini on another. The valley of the Magra river snakes down to the sea, which is only about 45 minutes away. Beyond the hills lie the Cinque Terre, an area of beauty and magnificence where vineyards climb the cliffs rising from the sea.
The hills above the agriturismo, where I am fortunate enough to have a small house where we  spend as much time as we can, are full of chestnut forests that harbor mushrooms of all kinds, wild boar, and many species of medicinal herbs.
I believe that it is important to learn about birth in a beautiful place; to learn about herbs where they are growing; to reach your full potential in a place where you can breathe, rest, and heal as you are learning and studying.