2023 Herbal Conferences

Posted on September 26, 2022March 23, 2023 by Caitlin Maher

Registration for Southwest Conference is open through this Sunday, March 26

We’re excited to announce the dates and locations for next year’s conferences! We look forward to seeing you all online or in person again in 2023. Registration is open for both events.

Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine

Sonoran Desert Plants — Sonoran Desert in bloom

Dates: March 24 – 26, 2023
Location: Streaming online, with extended video access

Pre-Conference Intensive: Reclaiming Self: Herbs to Correct Autoimmunity with Eric Yarnell, ND

Speakers: Dee Atkinson, Paul Bergner, Chanchal Cabrera, Deborah Frances, Lillea Hartwell, Jack Lambert, Brianna Piche, Kenneth Proefrock, Katie Stage, Jillian Stansbury, Jen Stovall, David Winston, and Eric Yarnell

Continuing Education for health professionals.

Registration is now open for the online Southwest Conference!

Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium

Dates: June 2 – 4, 2023
Location: University of North Carolina, Asheville

We’re excited to share the beautiful UNC Asheville area with you. Tucked away in a beautiful location with on-site lodging next to the local botanical garden, attendees have the option of spending quiet time in nature or exploring downtown Asheville just minutes away while attending the 2023 symposium.

Speakers: Lise Alschuler, Rebecca Beyer, Teresa Boardwine, Mary Bove, Doug and Todd Elliott, Joe Hollis, Chris Kilham, Kat Maier, Jason Miller, Kenneth Proefrock, Katie Stage, Jillian Stansbury, Marc Williams, David Winston and Donald Yance

Continuing education for health professionals.

Registration is now open for the in-person Symposium!

At Herbal Educational Services, we cultivate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We recognize the need for increased diversity in the fields of clinical herbalism and natural medicine and are committed to creating a welcoming environment at our events that affords dignity to all.

To stay up to date on the conferences, join our email list and check back here for updates.

Topical Applications for Pain

Posted on March 12, 2023March 17, 2023 by Caitlin Maher

March’s Featured Recording:
Topical Applications for Pain with Jillian Stansbury, ND

With the opiate epidemic being a glaring example of how NOT to manage chronic and acute pain, this session explores what tools herbalists possess to help comfort and soothe acutely painful conditions. Drawing from both folklore and modern research, Jillian Stansbury, ND offers a variety of liniments, soaks, poultices and pastes for a wide range of conditions.

She describes compresses for headache, capsaicin cream for arthritic and other pain, fennel oil for smooth muscle spasm, castor oil packs, lobelia vinegar compress for vascular, bronchial and uterine smooth muscle pain, to mention just a few. The PowerPoint accompanying this lecture offers a great resource by giving details for many more preparations than she was able to cover in her live presentation.

Jillian Stansbury will be presenting the pre-conference intensive in person at Medicines from the Earth in June in Asheville, NC. Registration is still open for that event.

And if you are interested in more information on botanicals and other natural medicine for pain, take a look at our series on management of pain and inflammation. Continuing education credits available for naturopathic physicians.

Included:

The featured recording mentioned above.
Complimentary PDF of the speaker’s PowerPoint presentation.
And free CE*: 1.5 general CME hours or 1.5 pain CME hours for naturopathic physicians, approved by OBNM

Steps to order your free* recording:

Order at least one audio recording or digital book from botanical-medicine.org at the regular price.
Before checking out, add this month’s featured recording to your order.
Proceed to checkout. Enter coupon code FREE and this will discount the audio recording to zero.

How to earn the free naturopathic CE:

Listen to the recording and keep a record on this certificate of all completed recordings. It’s as easy as that!

Every month, a new featured recording. To make sure you don’t miss your monthly FREE* recording, please sign up for our e-news and whitelist our sites (or add these domain names to your contacts: botanicalmedicine.org and botanical-medicine.org).

Questions? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

*The featured recording is free with the purchase of one recording or book. Continuing education (CME) credits are available for naturopathic physicians.

Long COVID: Symptoms, Etiology and Management Plans from the EU

Posted on February 27, 2023February 27, 2023 by Caitlin Maher

Early bird registration for the online Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine ends this Friday.

Here’s a preview of just one of the videos offered as part of the SW Conference: Long COVID: Symptoms, Etiology and Management Plans from the EU with Jack Lambert, MD, PhD, a leading researcher on long COVID, who joined us last week from Dublin, Ireland. Enjoy!

Early bird savings through this Friday, 3/3!

Addressing the Multiple Causes of Insomnia

Posted on February 1, 2023February 2, 2023 by Caitlin Maher

February’s Featured Recording:
Addressing the Multiple Causes of Insomnia with Mary Bove, ND

Disruption of healthy sleep patterns can occur for many reasons, including current stressful situations, female hormonal imbalance, adrenal dysfunction, nutritional deficiency, depression, anxiety, glucose deregulation, hepatic detox issues, thyroid malfunction, chronic inflammation and pain. Botanical medicines offer safe and effective non-habit-forming sleep aids to address the specific needs of the individual.

This presentation includes a description of current standard medical treatments, diet and lifestyle recommendations and case histories. Naturopathic physician, Mary Bove, also discusses a variety of botanicals including California poppy, valerian, American skullcap, chamomile, catnip and more.

Included:

The featured recording mentioned above.
Complimentary PDF of the speaker’s PowerPoint presentation.
And free CE*: 1.5 general CME hours for naturopathic physicians, approved by OBNM

Steps to order your free* recording:

Order at least one audio recording or digital book from botanical-medicine.org at the regular price.
Proceed to checkout and finalize payment. The free recording will be added to your account automatically!

How to earn the free naturopathic CE:

Listen to the recording and keep a record on this certificate of all completed recordings. It’s as easy as that!

Questions? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

*The featured recording is free with the purchase of one recording or book. Continuing education (CME) credits are available for naturopathic physicians.

New Discoveries from the Rainforest

Posted on January 2, 2023March 19, 2023 by Caitlin Maher

January’s Featured Recording:
New Discoveries from the Rainforest with Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunter

Chris Kilham draws from his years in the Peruvian Amazon studying with curanderos (herbal healers) and shamans (healers who also work to heal the psyche and spirit). After describing the continuing devastation he has observed, he gives hope for saving portions of the rainforest by the cultivation of native foods and medicinals. He describes three of these plants in this presentation.

Dragon’s blood (also known as sangre de drago) is the red latex from the croton tree (Croton lecherli) which is excellent for wound healing and enhances new, healthy skin formation. It is also high in antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory and antifungal. The cosmetics industry has been using it recently to add to products that promote collagen formation, and he has been instrumental in establishing sustainable trade between local communities and skin care companies.
Juito (Genipa americana) is a medium-sized tree, whose fruits yield a blue-black dye when soaked in water. It is used for hair dye and tattoos in local villages. It has potential as a natural black dye in the cosmetics industry to replace highly toxic or irritating chemical dyes.
Chuchuhuasi (Maytenus laevis) is a large rainforest tree whose bark is used medicinally and is one of the most popular traditional rainforest remedies. It has been used for centuries as a remedy for arthritis and rheumatism and as an aid to relieve lower back pain. It is an overall tonic with broad application and few known side effects. Also used to treat diarrhea, hemorrhoids, menstrual dysfunction and as an aphrodisiac.

Chris also describes how the commerce in these botanicals can help the local communities in the Amazon to enjoy a better quality of life, and the connections he has made toward this end. We look forward to having him back at Medicines from the Earth in 2023!

Included:

The featured recording mentioned above.
And free CE*: 1.5 general CME hours for naturopathic physicians, approved by OBNM

Steps to order your free* recording:

Order at least one audio recording or digital book from botanical-medicine.org at the regular price.
Before checking out, add this month’s featured recording to your order.
Proceed to checkout. Enter coupon code FREE and this will discount the audio recording to zero.

How to earn the free naturopathic CE:

Listen to the recording and keep a record on this certificate of all completed recordings. It’s as easy as that!

Questions? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

*The featured recording is free with the purchase of one recording or book. Continuing education (CME) credits are available for naturopathic physicians.

Pharmacy Video Series for Naturopathic Clinicians 2022

Posted on December 6, 2022December 12, 2022 by Caitlin Maher

A video series for health care providers – with pharmacy hours for naturopathic physicians – bundled together in one discounted package:

Seven (7) video lectures (1.5 hours each)
Digital book of notes (99-page PDF)
Pharmacy continuing education credits for naturopathic physicians
Order with one click for $99 ($140 value)

Note: The information in this series is provided as a research resource for health professionals and is not intended to replace diagnosis and treatment by a qualified health care practitioner.

Managing the Effects of Endocrine Disruptors with Botanical Medicine

Posted on November 30, 2022January 2, 2023 by Caitlin Maher

December’s Featured Recording:
Panel: Managing the Effects of Endocrine Disruptors with Botanical Medicine with Jason Miller, DACM, LAc, Kenneth Proefrock, NMD and Mary Rondeau, ND, RH (AHG)

*Panelists: Jason Miller, Kenneth Proefrock and Mary Rondeau*

Addressing the challenges presented in the keynote address the previous evening, this panel describes therapies for those already exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Kenneth Proefrock begins with a detailed description of the pathways by which the body eliminates toxic environmental chemicals, and how those systems can be enhanced with botanicals and nutrients. Mary Rondeau discusses the role of EDCs in autism, and Jason Miller speaks specifically about the disruptions to the endocrine system that can lead to cancer, and the physiological processes behind it. Botanicals and other natural therapies to restore balance are provided in every section.

Other topics: when fasting is beneficial for detoxification, and when it can be harmful to patients in an already weakened condition; what diets and lifestyle changes can be helpful; and many more details brought out in the question and answer period at the end. (Catalog Number 19ME17)

The information on this site is provided as a research resource for health professionals and is not intended to replace diagnosis and treatment by a qualified health care practitioner. Consult your medical care provider before using any herbal medicine.

Laying on Leaves: The Science and Art of Herbal Poulticing

Posted on November 1, 2022November 2, 2022 by Caitlin Maher

November’s Featured Recording:
Laying on Leaves: The Science and Art of Herbal Poulticing with Richo Cech

An original homesteader, herbalist, seed saver and world traveler, Richo draws on his many years of experience to describe the art of the poultice. It’s a form of botanical medicine anyone can use anywhere, utilizing common plants that grow in most places in the world. Includes how to make a poultice, how it works for healing, and recommendations for common ailments that benefit from an external herbal application, all infused with Richo’s special brand of humor and wide experience.

The last part of the presentation is a demonstration of how to make and apply a comfrey root poultice. Even though this is an audio recording, he gives a lot of detail while preparing and applying the root mixture to a willing volunteer who injured a foot while rock climbing. We thought we’d offer it this month for a little distraction from the world at large! (Catalog Number 17ME22)

Richo describes the art of the poultice and many other medicine-making techniques in his book Making Plant Medicine.

Note: If you’d like to see the video of the demonstration part of this lecture, this link takes you to Part 3 on YouTube. The blending and applying of the poultice starts at minute 7:30 and goes through Part 4. Enjoy!

Keeping Kids Healthy

Posted on October 11, 2022October 11, 2022 by Caitlin Maher

October’s Featured Recording:
Keeping Kids Healthy with Mary Rondeau, ND, RH (AHG)

Children are filled with love and sticky fingers and manage to bring home every bug from school. As a result, common childhood ailments regularly include diarrhea, vomiting, earaches, and coughs. While these common childhood conditions are important for strengthening the immune system, they can be burdensome to a working family.

Half the battle is having a well-stocked botanical medicine cabinet, and the other half is getting kids to take the herbal preparations. Learn about creative (and tasty!) ways to get these medicines into kids. Ayurvedic and western dietary and herbal preparations are discussed. (Catalog Number 20ME29)

Resilience: The Role of Botanicals in Depression and Adaptation

Posted on September 6, 2022September 10, 2022 by Caitlin Maher

September’s Featured Recording:
Resilience: The Role of Botanicals in Depression and Adaptation with Tori Hudson, ND

Resilience is the ability to cope with stress and adversity and bounce back to a state of normal functioning. Botanicals can aid in resilience by countering catabolic processes associated with stress, improving carbohydrate metabolism, and aiding the recovery of the normal functioning of the mind and body. This lecture from naturopathic physician, Tori Hudson, explores botanicals including Rhodiola, St. John’s wort, ginkgo, lemon balm, red clover, kava and others. (Catalog Code 14SW03)