It's Almost Spring!
And we couldn't be more thrilled. Our plant friends are popping up everywhere, flowers are blossoming, the whales are back on the coast and there's hope for a not so distant return to hugs, hanging out and traveling. Makes us all happy and giddy!
March brings lots of exciting learning opportunities from our favorite nonprofit - ONE - to get your creative juices flowing along with the rising sap. Read on for details, plus enjoy learning about the medicine of our ancestors, The Redwoods. It will make your next trip to the Forest extra special - guaranteed.
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Remember: Here at the shop Seniors save 10% every Tuesday ~ Members of our Bulk Herb Club save 10% on all bulk purchases, all the time! Anyone can join! |
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March Learning Opportunities |
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FREE Teleseminar from the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries
Relationship with Nature: Unlearning and Learning at the Intersection of Theory and Practice
Sunday March 14
12PM-1PM PT
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Join us in conversation with Nadine Canter Barnicle, a professor of the practice and community engagement specialist at Middlebury College in VT as we discuss deepening our relationship with nature by approaching sustainability from the roots through unlearning and re-learning.
At Middlebury College students may choose a course of study that goes beyond the traditional academic. Through community-connected learning and a study of the dominant ontologies (the study of the nature of being) rooted in our 10,000+ year history of agriculture, students who take coursework as part of the “The New Perennials Project” find themselves exploring what it is to be perennial by re-considering the practices that created civilization and culture. Through a perennial focus on education and the ideas of learning and unlearning students put ideas into practice working with practitioners in the Champlain Valley of Vermont from the Creative Arts, Healing Arts, Education, Food/Ag Systems, and Sacred Practices spheres. Through their inter-being projects and classroom contemplative practices rooted in re-connection and embodiment, New Perennials students are called upon to develop deep and personal spiritual knowings with the natural world. Nadine is part of a 3-person team teaching and establishing the New Perennials Hub of the Champlain Valley. The New Perennials Project was founded by Bill Vitek and his colleagues at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, founded by Wes Jackson.
In her teleseminar, she’ll tell us about this initiative and unfold for us the story of her own journey as a sustainability practitioner.
About Nadine
During her decades working in the government and non-profit sectors while also teaching in higher ed, Nadine recognized: “we can’t correct climate change or our industrial agriculture practices, or the lifestyles we are beholden to and sick from if we continue to live a material existence that comes from being trapped in our heads.” As Yuval Harari states, ‘we have imagined our planet into its current form.’ By making the invisible visible, her work focuses on the hope that humans can learn from “our kin in the forests, in the estuary, and on the plains that if we stop, listen, and open our hearts we can re-imagine our way to a life of reciprocity and mutuality and all beings can flourish.”
Nadine has a 30-year career in strategic community engagement, journalism, advising, mentoring, facilitation, and teaching that began with a master's degree thesis focused on the collaborative community process to protect river segments under the Federal Wild and Scenic River Act. Much of Nadine's work focuses on strategic coalition-building in the areas of land use, transportation, air quality, conservation, and climate change. She is a student and teacher of contemplative practices including Tai Chi. Her roots are in New England including 23 years in Vermont, but she also calls the Pacific Northwest home.
She describes herself as a “pattern hunter” who has sometimes felt as if living “in the shadows of Sisyphus and Cassandra” (Greek heroes given impossible tasks and the gift of prophecy no one believes) while working within systems of government and non-profits.
She says these lines from Denise Levertov’s poem “Sojourns in the Parallel World” describe her life’s journey:
“A world parallel to our own though overlapping. We call it ‘Nature’; only reluctantly admitting to ourselves to be “Nature” too.”
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FREE Webinar with Pam Montgomery
Coming Home to Nature: Ways to Engage in Vital Relationship with Earth & All Her Beings
Wednesday March 24
4:00 pm (Pacific)
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During these unprecedented times of pandemic, social unrest, and devastating climate change we look for ways to personally and planetarily become part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
Most people, including the “powers-that-be”, are beginning to recognize that when we harm nature we harm ourselves. It is imperative that we heal our “broken relationship with Nature” according to a coalition headed by the Harvard Global Health Institute.
With all authentic and lasting healing, we must go to the source of the dis-ease in order to make real change. With this in mind, we ask you to join us for a deep-dive into ways of reweaving the vital fabric of our naturescape where together we engage in right relationship for the health, happiness, and well-being of all our relations.
Pam Montgomery is an herbalist, author, international teacher, plant spirit healing practitioner, and on-line educator who has passionately embraced her role as a spokesperson for the green beings and has been investigating plants and their intelligent spiritual nature for more than three decades. She is the author of two books one of which is the highly acclaimed Plant Spirit Healing; A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness. She teaches internationally on plant spirit healing, spiritual ecology, and people as Nature Evolutionaries. She is a founding member of United Plant Savers and more recently the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries or ONE. Her latest passion is to engage ceremonially in full symbiosis within the plant/human matrix where the elder common plants initiate and guide us into being truly human.
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Connecting Creatively with Nature - Online Course
begins March 31st - click the image for more details and to register
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Plant Spirit Herbalism Summit
More than 30 Herbalists and Plant Healing Experts - FREE passes available!
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The Majestic Redwoods
By: Candice Brunlinger, Herbalist, Health & Wellness Coach
Imagine you are walking up to the outskirts of the Redwood forest. The forest looks dense and mysterious but feels inviting and welcoming. There is a cool and moist air around you as you take a breath and look up to admire the tall giants before you. You take a moment to notice just how tall these trees are. How majestic they are in their presence as they reach for the clouds and sky above.
You notice how strong they are, and you bring your crown and chin up, straightening your back to try and make yourself as tall as you can too. You feel a little more confident just being in their presence. At the same time, you feel humility wash over you as you realize how small and insignificant you feel compared to these magnificent trees.
Then you take another deep breath and a step on the trail to begin your journey into the Redwoods. With each step, it is as if you are going back in time to a magical place—a place in a fairy tale. You feel your feet under the soft ground and look up, wondering how these trees can grow so tall—wondering how old they are as they have this ancient wisdom to them.
As you continue walking into the forest, you notice you are taking deeper breaths. Your lungs are feeling refreshed as you breathe in the clean moist air. You feel a little shift. Your senses are heightened. You are experiencing a tingling sensation all over your body as your vibrations align with nature.
You notice the smells. The damp earth. The green foliage. The unique smell of green redwood needles and its thick reddish-brown bark. You admire the sweet dewdrops accumulating on the needles and leaves. You see vibrant colors—the deep and bright greens contrasting between ferns and other flora. The white lichen draped over branches. The golden rays of sunshine filtering through the trees and misty fog. You look down and around. You notice the diversity in plants around you.
The gigantic trees took your focus away from the ground, and now you are looking down. You notice heart-shaped leaves among the ferns. Tiny little flowers are hiding in the shade of leaves. You see needles decomposing in a thick layer on the ground with small brown cones scattered along the trail. Thick moss rugs are carpeting the forest floor. Mushrooms are hiding in plain sight.
As you slow down and admire the plants around you, you begin to tune into the sounds of the forest. Birds are chirping and chattering. A squirrel scampers across the trail and up a redwood next to you. You look up and follow the squirrel as high as you can until it disappears. You begin to hear subtle creeks within the forest as the wind gently blows. It is as if the trees are talking to themselves and you.
You take a deep breath of appreciation, noticing how refreshed and restored you are feeling, and continue your journey.
As you walk deeper into the forest, you hear the sound of a stream, and the ground feels softer and damper. You follow the sound of the trickling water until you come to a massive fallen log that is taller than you. It is incredible to see the width of this tree is more than your height. You remove your shoes and climb up the side of it until you are standing tall. As you walk across this old log, you feel the moss between your toes. You climb down, feet touching the cold water of a little creek. You feel a shock flow up through each cell of your body until an acute awareness comes to you. You feel more energy around you. A tingling sensation washes over you as if Spirit is flowing through you.
You allow your feet to sink into the nourishing mineral-rich earth and imagine you are a tree with roots growing into the forest floor. As you continue walking, you begin to notice the roots growing from the Redwoods. They do not seem to go very deep. The roots grow along the surface of the forest floor. You are curious. How do these roots support these giant trees as they reach for the stars? As you follow the roots, you observe how they are weaving and intertwining themselves along the surface of the earth.
You soften your gaze and take a slow turn around as you admire the thousands of trees surrounding you. Each tree is different and unique. Redwoods stand close together and stand strong. It is as if each tree, on its own, supports the entire forest around it. You notice how far the roots travel from the trees, how the weaving endows their stability. Each tree stands because it is intertwined and supported by the trees surrounding it.
You sit down and take a moment to connect to this feeling. A lightness flows through you. You feel the presence of something grand. The energy of what some would refer to as God, or the Universe, or the Divine. You allow this energy to penetrate deep into your bones and into every cell of your body. You feel as if all the toxic feelings, the self-doubts, the heavy burdens are leaving you. You feel renewed and take another breath and sigh of gratitude.
You feel like a new person. As you think about it, you realize you feel like yourself—your pure self. You have discovered your truth. A new spark of purpose and passion has ignited. You know you are not alone, and you have (or need to build) a community of support.
You have a flood of creative inspiration flowing through you as the forest continues to restore your soul and connect you to Spirit. You are grateful for this block releasing and feel a renewed sense of confidence in yourself. Your heart is open and beaming with energy. You can not resist the urge to walk to the nearest tree and say thank you. The tree invites you in, and your arms embrace the soft textured bark. Time stands still in this moment, and you imagine your roots growing out from your feet, becoming intertwined with the tree. You are feeling supported by and one with the forest.
You hear an inner voice say,
"YOU are powerful beyond measure. Slow down and breathe. Grow tall and rely on your community. Release all that does not serve you and breathe in what does. Be expansive. Be bold. Be grand. Be brave. You are significant. You deserve greatness!"
Tears fill your eyes, and a sense of joy and relief flow over you. You have no idea how long you have been hugging this tree, but you are ready to release and take this energy with you in every breath and with each step forward into your new grand life.
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This is what it often feels like to walk through the Redwoods. There is wondrous magic within these trees and forests. When I first saw the Redwoods, I knew there was more to life, and for the first time, I felt like I was home. Home in my body and my Spirit. I just had no idea at the time how much medicine and healing I would receive from them.
When I feel stuck or have a creative block, I take a stroll through the forest and feel clarity. When I feel sad or am grieving over a loss, I go into a quiet place in the woods and allow the redwoods' comfort to help process and release my grief. When I feel like I am not good enough and feel the self-doubt taking over, I connect to my inner redwood, imagining my core growing tall and feel confident again. When I feel alone or have to work through problems with others, the Redwoods bring clarity around community and support. They are a reminder of the bigger picture of our purpose.
The support we have to be the best and most elevated versions of ourselves. A reminder to hold others up--to be of service. To lean onto others and receive.
The healing power of this ancient species extends beyond being in their presence. There is also nutritional medicine in redwood needles.
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Herbal Applications
It can be a little tricky harvesting from these giants; however, they willingly provide opportunities to gather medicine from them. Late winter and early spring are excellent times to harvest the early young needle growth, especially after windstorms. Keep an eye out for the lighter colored needle tips from lower growing branches and younger tree shoots that you can reach. Otherwise, you may have to wait until a branch or tree falls after a storm.
The younger redwood tips are considered the most medicinal and aromatic. They have a tart lemony flavor with evergreen notes. As the needles mature, they lose some aromatics and develop more tannins, which increase bitter flavors and astringency.
The needles are rich in vitamin C, supporting the immune system, especially during the damp and cold winter-early spring months. The properties support many common respiratory ailments such as sore throat, wet coughs, colds, and fevers. They are astringent, which means they help pull excess moisture and phlegm from the tissues making them an excellent remedy for the wet phlegmy coughs we get on the Pacific Northcoast. For those lingering recuperative and unproductive coughs with thick mucous.
Redwoods are highly resilient with antimicrobial benefits. They are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. As the medicine from redwoods begins to draw out the moisture and phlegm from our tissues, they encourage the body to expectorate it to speed the healing and recovery.
These benefits can be helpful to cleanse the urinary tract. Use to soothe symptoms from mild urinary tract infections. Combine with other urinary track herbs for added benefits and be sure to address more severe UTI’s with additional protocols.
Redwood also increases circulation and can soothe sore and tired muscles.
One of the reasons redwood is so prized is because the wood has a natural resilience to it. We can bring that resilience into our body to address various pathogens and those common colds we get with the transitions in the seasons and changes in weather. I love the doctrine of signatures of plants. Plants often grow to support the aliments common to that environment, and redwood is no exception.
A recent study suggests the Redwoods capture more Carbon dioxide (Co2) than any other tree. This does not surprise me as I experience a cleansing benefit in my lungs, mind, and body, breathing in the forest air. A walk in the forest is like an emotional detox and reset. What the Redwoods do to the air, they do to our energy field and physical body.
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Medicinal Preparations
Enjoy drinking a cup of redwood tea or syrup infusion. You can also infuse the needles in alcohol to make your own extract.
To make a tea, you can steep the needles over-night or as a sun tea for a very mild infusion to connect to the energy of redwoods and emotional benefits. To make a medicinal infusion, simmer 2 tbsp in 16 oz of water for 10-15 minutes. Allow the infusion to cool slightly before straining. Optional: Add a spoonful of honey to sweeten.
To make a syrup, break up your redwood branches and place them in a pot. Fill with water until 1 inch of water covers your needles. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Allow the infusion to cool until it is warm to the touch. Strain to remove the needles and add 1/3 part honey or more to taste. Add about 10% alcohol as an additional preservative to extend the shelf life, if needed.
You can also make a strong infusion for sore and tired muscles. Pour 1-2 quarts of tea into a bath or soak a cloth and place it on the body for a hot compress.
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Interesting botanical facts about Redwoods:
(sourced from Conifer Country by Michael Edward Kauffmann & Redwoods by Jason Chin)
- Redwoods are ancient gigantic evergreen conifer trees that grow along the Pacific Northcoast in California and Oregon. They love moist soil, favoring the coastal fog-belt.
- They are home to various animals, including birds, squirrels, beetles, earthworms, centipedes, spiders, salamanders, and yellow banana slugs. Some animals like the tree vole live their whole life in the redwood canopy and never see the ground.
- Some birds live in the treetops, such as eagles, ospreys, and woodpeckers. Endangered species such as the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet live exclusively in the remaining old-growth forests.
- One redwood tree can hold and grow many other types of plants, creating an ecosystem within an ecosystem. Ferns, redwoods, and other trees grow from the burls. One tree has been found to have over 200 redwood trees growing from it.
- Redwood species date back to the Cretaceous period, 245 million years ago. During this time, Redwoods was the most dominant conifer, growing all over North America until the Ice Age.
- Redwoods are ancient old-growth trees, living a grand 2,000 years old.
- Presently, we have two species remaining in North America and one in China:
Sequoia sempervirens is considered the tallest tree on Earth and grows along the coast
Sequoiadendron giganteum is considered the largest tree on Earth, found in the Sierra Nevada Region
Metasequoia glyptostroboides can be found in China
- More than 95% of the Redwood forest have been destroyed since the mid-1800s due to logging.
- Only 18% of the remaining forests are protected.
- The tallest redwood, named Hyperion, is 379' tall and still growing. That is taller than skyscraper buildings.
- A Redwood trunk can be as large as 29 feet in diameter.
- Their shallow root system can grow to over 100 feet from the tree
- The 1-inch spherical cones hold a small seed that sprouts into a sapling only when the conditions are just right.
- The leaves (or needles) are ½-1 inch, flat, and dark green on top, darkening with maturity.
- Redwoods also grow new trees by sprouting them from their burls. Multiple trees can grow from the same burl, forming circles of trees growing together, from the same stump.
- They require a lot of water to grow and compensate by using their needles to collect moisture from the air, fog, and dew.
About the Author:
She supports others with simple solutions to empower health through whole food nutrition, emotional freedom, and mindfulness.
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From our friends at PlantHealer.org - the new Hedge Guild Otherworld Oracle deck and the virtual/online 2021 Good Medicine Confluence
(Click the images for more information.)
"Welcome to our herbal, animist and archetypal themed oracle deck and book, a system different from but reminiscent of traditional Tarot, with healing and nature informed themes to clarify our thoughts, choices and paths. Arcanas include evolving animist archetypes, iconic animal life, magical plants and healing herbs."
Every Deck comes with a free 288 page color Companion Book download.
And order separately a B&W Softbound, Color Softbound, or Deluxe Color Hardback
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Herbaria is a FREE monthly magazine of all things herbal. Sign up and receive your free copy each month in your email inbox. Want to check one out first? Click here to download the January 2021 Herbaria.
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Humboldt Herbals
300 2nd Street
Eureka, CA, 95501
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Store Hours:
Mon-Sat 10:30am-5:30pm,
Sun 11am-5pm
Call us at (707) 442-3541
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