The highest quality information on herbal medicine through conferences, video, audio recordings, and books. Distance Learning and Continuing Education for healthcare professionals since 1996. See our Naturopathic CE offerings!
Glycyrrhiza glabra and Glycyrrhiza uralensis (licorice) are members of the pea family (Leguminosae). In Chinese lore, licorice became known as “sweet grass”, finding utility as a sweet flavoring and gaining respect in over two thousand years of recorded use as a potent medicinal plant 1. Continue reading
This is a summary of the panel discussion at the 2018 Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine with Chanchal Cabrera, RH(AHG), Katie Stage, ND, RH(AHG) and Jill Stansbury, ND, in which they addressed cognitive decline and dementia. In this wide-ranging discussion they covered botanicals and nutritional therapies for prevention, and evaluated the most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals. Continue reading
An audio series for health care providers – bundled together in one discounted package:
Details: These six audio recordings offer the clinician detailed information on prescribing Medical Marijuana, the most appropriate delivery system for specific conditions, possible side effects and interactions. Includes complete references. Features up-to-date information on medicinal uses of Cannabis for pain, cancer, mental health conditions, sleep and more. Includes digital book of lecture notes (50 page PDF).
Naturopathic CE: If CME has not previously been earned for the below lectures (either in person or distance) you can earn 3.5 general and 6.5 pharmacy credits. See more Continuing Education details.
Recordings included in this series:
Kenneth Proefrock presents his clinical experience using Cannabis therapeutically for a wide range of conditions from seizures, restless leg syndrome and insomnia, to cancer, MS, Parkinsons and chronic pain. Detailed usage information includes prescribing Medical Marijuana as an internal agent, a vapor, as food and in topical applications for pain. Speaker: Kenneth Proefrock, ND. (Product Code: 15SW01)
Continued from Part 1, Kenneth Proefrock continues presenting his clinical experience using Cannabis therapeutically for a wide range of conditions from seizures, restless leg syndrome and insomnia, to cancer, MS, Parkinsons and chronic pain. Includes some of the more interesting research on the variability of constituents with different cultivation techniques and cross-reactions with other therapeutic agents. Reviews laws surrounding medical uses with an emphasis on Arizona. Kenneth Proefrock, ND. (Product Code: 15SW02)
Reviews over 250 clinical trials on the efficacy and safety of Medical Marijuana use for glaucoma, HIV/AIDs, opiate addiction, nausea, cancer-related cachexia, muscle spasms, epilepsy, pain, autoimmune diseases and inflammation. The benefits and drawbacks of different delivery systems, different solvents for extraction and vaporizers are discussed. Clinically relevant details on the chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, are summarized. Speaker: Christopher Hobbs, PhD. (Product Code: 18SW03)
Reports in both the biomedical literature and from patients suggest that there are beneficial effects of Medical Cannabis on various psychological conditions. Conversely, there are reports of detrimental influences of Cannabis on mental health, including addiction. This lecture discusses both sides and shines a light on a topic that will increasingly be discussed in healthcare provider forums and the press. Speaker: Kevin Spelman, PhD. (Product Code: 15ME30)
Cannabis and Cancer: Sifting the ScienceThe use of Medical Marijuana to treat issues such as cancer pain or chemo-induced nausea and vomiting is well established. However, there is also widespread patient interest in Medical Cannabis as a direct anticancer agent. This session reviews how cancer involves the endocannabinoid system, and presents data on the anticancer properties of Cannabis both in terms of cancer pathophysiology & molecular biology, as well as its effects on specific malignancies. Speaker: Jonathan Treasure, MNIMH. (Product Code: 17SW25)
While these drugs can have unintended side effects, the use of Medical Marijuana as a substitute should be carefully evaluated for efficacy, adverse reactions and best use for either weaning patients from a drug or using it in conjunction to reduce drug dosage and negative effects. In a fair comparison, Medical Marijuana may be better, but a user may also develop tolerance, loss of effect, and side effects from Marijuana. Examine all sides of this topic with three experienced clinicians. Panelists: Paul Bergner, Jonathan Treasure and Kenneth Proefrock. (Product Code: 17SW17)
Plus, the Series Lecture Notes for Cannabis Therapeutics, in PDF format.
I always tell my patients with histamine issues, whether it’s histamine intolerance or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), that they are “the canary in the coal mine.” The canaries were the warning sign, just like people with easily-angered mast cells warning us that our environment is changing, our genes are becoming more sensitive to pollution, and our physiology is losing its resilience to stressors of daily living. However, there is indeed hope and healing – the body can be retrained and herbal medicine offers a set of tools to help it do just that! Continue reading
Larix occidentalis, the Western Larch, is a species of larch native to mountainous regions of North America’s Pacific Northwest; southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta in Canada, eastern WA, eastern OR, northern ID, and western MT in the United States. Continue reading
NEWS: ABC Announces Annual Herbal Community Builder Award Recipients
Linnea and Larry Wardwell have organized conferences on botanical medicine for over 25 years
(Austin, TX. February 25, 2019) The nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC) has announced the recipients of its annual ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award. The award for 2018 goes to Linnea and Larry Wardwell, a husband and wife team who have been organizing and promoting herb conferences for over 25 years.
The annual award, named for ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal, is given to individuals who have played a significant role in creating a sense of community among herbalists, botanical researchers, members of the herb and natural products communities and industries, and others who work in the area of medicinal and aromatic plants. Continue reading
The world lost a great human being, environmental medicine expert and teacher with the passing of Walter J. Crinnion, ND on March 11, 2019.
Walter was a regular speaker at Medicines from the Earth for years, and he endeared himself to us by his wide-ranging knowledge of the effects of environmental chemicals on fertility, childhood health and obesity, but also by his hilarious sense of humor and quirky delivery. His presentations were filled with scientific data and never boring! Continue reading
The recordings and lecture notes from this month’s herbal conference are now online and ready to order.
See the post below for details about the event at Blue Ridge Assembly, Black Mountain, North Carolina June 3 – 6, 2016. Thanks to all who came to make it a sweet, inspiring and information-filled weekend.
See you next year! June 2 – 5, 2017.
Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium, 2016
Dates: Friday June 3 – Monday, June 6
Place: Blue Ridge Assembly, Black Mountain, North Carolina
Over 40 presentations on the integration of botanicals with the latest medical discoveries along with medicine making demonstrations, herb walks and intensives.
Pre-conference Events: Friday, June 3:
Ethnobotanical and Native Plant Field Study with herbalist and ethnobotanist David Winston.
Healing the Gut-Brain Axis with Botanicals with Jason Miller, Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
Continuing education at Medicines from the Earth approved for nurses, naturopathic physicians, acupuncturists and pharmacists licensed in North Carolina.. All approvals now definite.
Looking forward to seeing you again in the mountains of North Carolina!
Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine, 2016 (Past Event – Thanks for making it such a great weekend! )
Dates: Friday April 8 – Sunday, April 10, 2016
Recordings: Now available for download. Purchase full set of audio (mp3) recordings and speaker lecture notes in pdf.
Continuing education approved for recordings for NDs including 10 pharmacy hours.
Photo report on the conference on Facebook
We look forward to seeing you all again next year (April 7 – 9, 2017).
We hope you will join us for an herbal conference! These events are a great way to meet like-minded people and learn the latest information on botanical therapies for a variety of conditions.
Questions? Email us and we’ll be happy to help.
Herbal Educational Services
Ashland, Oregon
(541) 482-3016
Christopher Hobbs is a fourth-generation internationally known herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, author, clinician, botanist, mycologist and research scientist with over 35 years of experience with herbal medicine. Here he talks about his intensive at Medicines from the Earth on June 5 titled “Treating Infections with Natural Medicines—An Integrative and Cross-Cultural Approach”
Please tell us about your family heritage in botany.
My dad was a professor of botany and entomology and I still remember riding or walking with him when I was very young and being interested in flowers and plants. I’d ask the names of trees, shrubs and weeds and he would always know the name and some interesting things about them. Lucky for me, because I developed a life-long hyper-fixation on plants myself.
My maternal grandmother and great-grandmother were herbalists. My grandmother studied with a Chinese herbalist and had her own organic herb garden from which she treated people in her community. It’s interesting that so many years later I would receive training in traditional Chinese medicine, receive my acupuncture license, and study herbal medicine in China.
We are looking forward to your intensive entitled “Treating Infections with Natural Medicine—An Integrative and Cross-Cultural Approach” This seems to imply an energetic model of diagnosing and prescribing for infection—can you elaborate?
My practice and teaching style today is always a combination of traditional medicine, my own clinical and personal experience, the counsel and teachings of my peers, and the 10-year science training I completed in 2014. Although I am a scientist, I believe that healing between plants and people results from something greater than just the biological activity of herbs. Something indefinable and hard to measure occurs: a life-force that comes from the relationship between the growing and living plant, the soil and it’s microbes, its complex chemistry, the water, the sunlight, and the atmosphere, which all combine to work for healing on the highest level of intelligence. Continue reading
Medicines from the Earth News: Chanchal Cabrera’s Biophilia Intensive
Speaker Chanchal Cabrera is a medical herbalist practicing on Vancouver Island, Canada. She lives at Innisfree Farm, a 7-acre botanical reserve and herb farm she and her husband Thierry Vrain created over the last ten years.
Linnea Wardwell spoke with Chanchal last week to find out more about biophilia, the instinctive bond humans have for all other life forms on the planet. It shapes her recent work on the farm, and is also the subject of the intensive workshop on Saturday afternoon at the symposium.
LW: Whenever we have a chance to chat, it seems there are new initiatives in your practice and farm activities. We’d like to find out what’s going on recently.
CC: Oh, that is a big question! I am always busy and always dreaming and scheming for the next opportunity to spread the word about herbal medicine.
Since my 4 months of training at Kew Gardens in 2013 and 2014, the farm has been listed on the international register of botanic gardens, one of 7 registered gardens in BC. Our specialty is medicine and food plants but we are also offering more and more education as well. We are running workshops, hosting events and teaching classes. Last year the 2nd biennial Vancouver Island Herb Gathering at Innisfree Farm had 270 people attend over 4 days. Next one is June 2017!
On top of that, I am still running the botanical medicine department at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in Vancouver, as well, so plenty to keep me busy.
LW: You’ve been a practicing medical herbalist since 1987 and were made a Fellow by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (the United Kingdom’s leading professional body representing herbal practitioners) in 2009. What is the main focus of your clinical practice?
Continue reading
What keeps us coming back (since 1996!) to Blue Ridge Assembly for Medicines from the Earth?
The answers are easy: a peaceful oasis on 1200 mountainside acres, the rushing streams and the wild plants and trails so near at hand. Being able to leave our car behind and walk everywhere. You won’t find a TV in your room, or a cocktail lounge here, but you will enjoy fragrant nights with fireflies! Ahhh.
We asked some of our regular attendees what they appreciate about Blue Ridge and thought you’d enjoy their answers. (Photos courtesy 7Song were all taken at Blue Ridge Assembly)
Blue Ridge Assembly has a special ambiance that keeps me coming back. I like the beauty, especially the creek with its soothing sound and the boulders where you can sit and put your feet in the cool running water and meditate. The whole place just has a special feeling. — S.M.
Back in 1996, the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) occupied a small building in Scottsdale. The school had recently opened its doors and the first Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine was held that April. We had an enthusiastic crowd of naturopathic students, health professionals, local herbalists and volunteers. Some of you may remember that first panel discussion on Saturday night, under the stars in the inner courtyard–since there was no central meeting hall large enough!
SCNM has since moved to Tempe, and is now one of the top schools in the US for training naturopathic physicians. It is also one of the first colleges in the country to qualify for LEED certification, a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. The herbal conference is an annual event here, and the profits help support the botanical medicine program at the school.
The two photos above illustrate why SCNM is such a special place: the commitment to the environment through sustainable… Continue reading
As some of you may know, Deborah Frances, a naturopathic physician from Oregon, has been in seclusion for several years due to chronic disability and environmental sensitivity. We recently received a letter from her saying that she is definitely improving and hopes to be back to teaching, maybe not next year, but soon. We know how many people she has touched over the years, at our herbal medicine conferences and in the wider world, and would like to send her our support and love as she continues her healing journey.
Whether you know her or have yet to meet her, this video from 2015 is a reminder of the inspiration she has brought to so many.
In Practical Wisdom in Natural Healing, Dr. Frances draws from over thirty years of experience in homeopathic, herbal, and naturopathic medicine to provide practical and easy-to-apply therapies for a multitude of conditions. The book opens with a discussion of basic principals of healing and is followed by a chapter explaining the science of homeopathy. The rest is dedicated to practical tips for a multitude of conditions, interspersed with more lengthy discussions of several herbs, highlighting each plant’s unique personality and ability to impart spiritual as well as mental, emotional and physical healing. This book is full of practical advice and scientific references, but does not ignore the spirit that is alive within each of us and the plants who help heal us.
Right now Deborah (Lakota name: Beautiful Little Dancing Crow) is living in eastern Washington State, cut off from the teaching and healing activities she loves. We want her to know we haven’t forgotten. Please send what you can–and if it’s $25 or more receive the book that’s useful for self-care and detailed enough to use as a reference in clinical practice. Donate through our website Herbal Educational Services:
An excerpt from the recent letter we received from Deborah Frances:
“I tell you, it’s other people’s love that keeps me going. LOVE is truly the greatest power on this Earth.”
Questions? Contact us by email or phone.
2019
Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine 2019
Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium 2019
2018
Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine 2018
Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium 2018
2017
Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine 2017
Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium 2017
2016
Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine 2016
Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium 2016
2015
Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine, 2015
Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium, 2015
For more herbal education resources, browse our audio and book library.
Both Ayurveda and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) excel in diagnosing underlying imbalances and treating the whole person, not just the specific condition. Our library includes over 40 presentations on these ancient systems of healing.
Some highlights:
Visit the topics “Ayurveda“, “TCM” or “Chinese Herbal Medicine” to see all the offerings.
Interested in the role of botanicals in mental health? Medicines from the Earth in June of 2015 featured over twenty presentations on mental health, brain chemistry and botanical and other natural therapies. Here are reviews of three of them:
Herbal Medicines and Psychopharmaceuticals: The Unsettled Mind in the Age of Anxiety
Jerry Cott, PhD has been on the front lines of research design in mental health studies for over 30 years, working with NIMH, drug companies, NIH and other government agencies.
He reports that the only major change in psychopharmaceuticals in the last 30 years has been using the same type of drugs with more potency and often more serious side effects, when what’s really needed are new treatments with unique mechanisms of action in mental health.
Jerry’s passion has long been research in alternative and especially botanical medicine for mental health conditions. The lecture describes his involvement in the SJW (St. John’s wort) and ginkgo clinical trials at NIH in the 1990’s, and the outcomes of “no better than placebo.”
He brings to light the major flaws in research design, outcomes and media coverage of these studies, providing an authentic first-hand account of what went wrong.
And finally he offers hope in the fact that many new studies are now being submitted to FDA for approval to study botanicals and nutrients for mental health conditions, including anxiety.
The Influence of Cannabis on the Psyche
Kevin Spelman, PhD has spent over twenty years in clinical research on botanical medicine. In this lecture he points out that with recent legalization experiments in several states, Cannabis is here to stay and as herbalists we need to acquaint ourselves with “the good, the bad and the ugly” of Cannabis use.
He describes the two main active ingredients in Cannabis: THC which is a euphoric, and CBD, a psychotropic. The difference is that CBD does not induce the feeling of being “high” but has widespread effects on brain chemistry.
Studies on active compounds in Cannabis are reviewed, which indicate positive benefit in opiate addiction, PTSD, seizures (especially in children where pharmaceuticals can have lasting negative effects), Alzheimer’s disease, cancer pain, and the spasticity of multiple sclerosis. He discusses preliminary research (and anecdotal reports) of the use of CBD for cancer.
Moving on to the negative effects, he cites reports of memory deficit, anxiety, psychosis, inability to focus, addiction, and a decrease in coherence of brain wave activity in heavy recreational users. This can be especially problematic for the developing brain in individuals under 30.
Omega-3 Oils for Brain Health: Building, Maintaining and Remodeling
Jerry Cott, PhD
When Jerry Cott attended a conference at NIH in the 1990s on omega-3s for psychiatric disorders. it sparked a lifelong interest. In this presentation he tells the personal story of patients with with bipolar disorder and the dramatic effect omega-3 fatty acids had in their lives.
Since then he’s carefully followed research on omega-3 oils for brain health. The brain is 60% fat by weight and he reports that every synapse, membrane and cell needs essential fatty acids for their functioning. That may be the reason for the therapeutic effects.
The rest of the lecture describes research on omega-3 therapy for post-partum depression, bipolar disorder (especially in pregnant women where medications can be dangerous to the fetus), Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The anecdotal reports on TBI are inspiring and moving.
Written notes: Each of these recordings is enriched by their lecture notes, which provide an additional resource for understanding the material.
