Easter weekend! No classes!

Enjoy feast and festivities this weekend!
No Yoga classes with Lin until next week.
Do a little practice on your own - just stick to poses you feel comfortable with and set simple expectations - even 15 minutes helps to clear your energy and keep your body and mind happy!

See you next week!!

Photos from a recent forest walk.........

Erythronium spp. (Fawn Lily)

Acer spp. (Maple) flowering

Daphne laureola -invasive!!

Lysichiton americanus (Skunk cabbage) 

Cultivating Medicinal Plants Workshop this Monday!

Plant sale April 5th in Saanich

WHEN: Tuesday 05 April 2011 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
WHERE: GARTH HOMER CENTRE 813 Darwin Ave. (South of Saanich Municipal Hall)
FREE ADMISSION!
Choose from an intriguing variety of hardy shrubs & perennials, exotic alpine plants, rare native ferns, fresh vegetable & herb plants, seeds, used garden tools & pots...and so much more! All from local specialty nurseries & home growers.

Cultivation Medicinal Plants Workshop! Featured plant: Yarrow

My communal project (Herbal Medicine Education Association) is partnering with Lifecycles (http://lifecyclesproject.ca/ ) to offer a Workshop on Cultivating Medicinal Plants! Please attend on Mon Apr 4th 7-9pm at Pacific Rim College for info on more plants and how to plan your medicine garden!

Yarrow                        Achillea millefolium

A perennial herb that can be easily grown in our climate. Sow seeds shallowly indoors in late winter or outside in late spring. Divide established plants in spring or autumn. Will grow in almost any soil, but prefers slightly acidic (6-6.7pH), moderately rich, well-drained soil (to avoid mildew) and full sun. Collect aerial parts after the flowers bloom from June to September; a second harvest may be possible! After harvesting hang in bunches to dry. Grows to 2-3 feet tall and offers tiny, white flowers and lots of green leaflets. A great addition to the garden as it can be used as a compost starter and attracts beneficial insects.

It is easily harvested and used as an infusion or wash. Its medicinal actions include bitter, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, diuretic, stimulant, astringent, and anti-septic. This wide range of actions makes it useful for many conditions including menstrual cramps, colds, fevers, flu, menopause, nose bleeds, swelling and wound care. Avoid in pregnancy or if you have an allergy to the Asteraceae (Composite/Sunflower) family.

To attend the workshop: Please RSVP to: uahub@lifecyclesproject.ca and (250) 383-5800.  

Raspberry medicine!

Raspberry or Rubus species are native to North America,  Europe  and Asia. Rubus idaeus is one of the most common indigenous plants in North America. Raspberry leaf is used in modern herbal medicine and by the indigenous people of Canada. 

The leaf is used to treat painful or delayed menstruation. Raspberry leaf tones the smooth muscle of the uterus and can also be used to prepare for childbirth. This astringent characteristic also acts on the digestive system, making Raspberry leaf a good medicine for mouth sores, nausea or diarrhea. 

For diarrhea or menstrual cramps make a cup of tea with 1 tsp of dried Raspberry leaf. During the last trimester of pregnancy drinking 1 cup of tea per day can help the muscles supporting the uterus to deliver the baby!

Other herbs that are used to prepare for childbirth include Partridge berry (Mitchella repens), also native to Canada, and Highbush cranberry (Viburnum opulus and local species), which helps dilate the cervix during labour. 

If you are unsure what to take you can contact a Medical Herbalist, or a Midwife or Naturopathic Doctor with a herbal specialty. For more info on herbal medicines, herbal history or how to visit a herbalist 

Support access to natural health products in Canada!

http://www.charterofhealthfreedom.org/index.php?/the-charter-of-health-freedom

"The Charter of Health Freedom is proposed legislation that gives Natural Health Products and Traditional Medicines their own Act..

The Charter protects our access to Natural Health Products and Traditional Medicines by creating separate legal category for them.  Rather than being deemed as dangerous drugs under the Food and Drugs Act, under the Charter Natural Health Products and Traditional Medicines are deemed to be safe."

There is a petition to sign if you support this movement!