UPCOMING EVENTS
Now Enrolling:
Registration for 2025 Foundational Herbology is Now Open
This 9-Month In-Person Program begins March 15th. We meet monthly throughout the seasons to explore the elements, body systems, plants and medicine-making.
Early Bird Registration lasts until February 1st
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February 8th~ Creating Herb Infused Chocolate
Join Meaghan Thompson for an afternoon of crafting herbal chocolates, discussing the history, origin and medicinal virtues of cacao and relishing in the heart-opening expansiveness it all. Participants will get to take herbal chocolates home with them!
1 pm – 3 pm
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February 22 & 23~ Creating the Family Apothecary
- Saturday, 10 am – 12 pm~ Teas, Herbal Baths & Poultices
- Saturday, 1 pm – 3 pm ~ Syrups & Oxymels
- Sunday, 10 am – 3 pm ~ Herbal Oils & Salves
- Sunday, 1 pm – 3 pm ~ Tinctures & Glycerites
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March 9th ~ Infused Culinary Oils & Butters
As part of Bailey’s ongoing Food as Medicine Series, this class will focus on how to enhance the flavor and vitality of your meals with infused olive oil and butter/ghee.
3 pm- 5 pm
Also in this series: Freshly Foraged Herbal Pestos Dips & Vinegars on May 4th
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April 5 & 6~ Reading the Body Intensive
with Margi Flint
Join us for a special opportunity to learn from the renowned herbalist & author Margi Flint. This two-day intensive will focus on visual assessment of clients’ face, hair, tongue and nails. Reading the body’s colors and features can inform us of deficiencies, patterns and organs in need of support. Understanding these signs offers practitioners direction and confirmation for the herbs to be selected. You can see many of these indications change when better health is achieved. Be sure to read the full description through the link below.
Saturday & Sunday
10:00-4:00 both days
$330 for the weekend
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SUNDAY MORNING TEA CEREMONIES:
with Silvy Franco
Join Silvy for a meditative ceremony to commune with Camelia sinensis. Ceremony begins at 10:00 am and goes for an hour. Pre-registration is required. Suggested Donation: $20
Shatavari
/1 Comment/in Herb of the Month /by Ashley Davis(Asparagus racemosus)
Shatavari is an herb from the Ayurvedic tradition. In Hindi, its name means “one who possesses a hundred husbands,” a hint that this herb has been used traditionally as a fertility tonic. Like all herbs, it has dozens of uses. Read on to learn more about some of its applications.
Energetics: sweet, bitter, cooling, moistening
Actions: adaptogen, immunomodulator, yin tonic, antitussive, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, aphrodisiac, galactogogue, diuretic, haemostatic
Chemistry: contains steroidal saponins, isoflavones, polysaccharides and mucilage.
Uses: Traditional use in the Ayurvedic traditions lists dozens of conditions where Shatavari may be helpful. These include rheumatism, cough, diarrhea, dysentery, gastric irritation, infertility, threat of miscarriage, menopausal symptoms, bleeding disorders, chronic fever and any other signs of internal heat or irritation. It is considered to be a nutritive and rejuvenative tonic, especially to pitta constitutions.
In recent studies, shatavari has been shown to increase both the weight of mammary lobulo-aveolar tissue and the total volume of milk produced. It was found to inhibit oxytocin-induced contractions in vivo. It has shown significant antitussive activity in mice, and in vitro, has proven effective against E. coli, Shigella, Salmonella and Staph. All of this supports the traditional use in treating cough, dysentery, diarrhea, and as a support during pregnancy & breast-feeding.
Probably the most common use of shatavari is among menopausal women suffering from hot flashes, insomnia, night sweats and vaginal dryness. Again, traditional use of shatavari for menopausal health and as an overall female reproductive tonic has been validated. One study found that over 80% of participants experienced better sleep and reduced hot flashes from using shatavari (Shrestha et. al, 2003).
Shatavari is thought to strengthen the reproductive organs in both men and women by nourishing the ojas, or the highly refined and nourishing substance that resides in the reproductive tissues of the body. The steroidal saponins in shatavari support the production of reproductive hormones.
As a nutritive tonic, shatavari enriches the body’s fluids, plasma and white blood cells, strengthening the immune system and providing lubrication and nutrition for the entire body. This is what makes it a yin tonic in Chinese Medicine.
Its cooling and demulcent properties soothe all forms of heat and irritation in the urinary, respiratory and GI tracts. Shatavari may be useful for any form of excess heat in the body such as chronic fever, ulcers, and bleeding disorders such as menorrhagia. Bleeding is actually considered to be a heat condition. The cooling quality of shatavari causes blood vessels to constrict which is why it’s used as a haemostatic.
Indications: infertility, vaginal dryness, low libido, dry, achy joints, anemia, low immunity, inflammation of the GI tract (IBS, gastritis), GI irritation to alcohol consumption, gastric ulcers, menorrhagia, chronic fever, hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia due to yin deficiency, food poisoning, dysentery, diarrhea due to heat or infection, dry, ticklish coughs, threat of miscarriage, insufficient milk flow, postpartum weakness, irritation of the urinary tract (cystitis, urethritis) and any other sign by heat or dryness (even dry skin)–especially when accompanied by chronic stress or adrenal fatigue.
Contraindications: because of its cooling and moistening properties, avoid in cases of sluggish digestion with watery diarrhea, or excessive mucus production. This can be balanced in a formula with warming & drying herbs.
Dosage: 40-80 drops tincture (1:5), 2 tsp/ 20 g dried powdered root per day, either mixed into food or decodted for 10-15 minutes in 8 oz of water.
**This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease**