June 05, 2020

An alcohol intermediary oil is a special kind of infused herbal oil that uses alcohol to pre-extract, resulting in a stronger infused oil. This is an oil making method that I have fell in love with over the last year and am so excited to share with you all. I've made deep green plantain oils and amazingly aromatic mugwort oil. Amazing! Join us for this live, virtual class that will be hosted on Zoom, so you can ask your questions, show me your work, and still practice social distancing.

In this two-hour virtual "make-along" class, we will cover:

- Making alcohol intermediary oils together (you'll be in your kitchen making your own!)
- What is an AIO and how does it work
- Ratios
- equipment
- what herbs work best
- ideas on how to use the oils.

DATE: Friday, June 5, 2020, 7-9pm
LOCATION: Zoom link will be sent prior to class.
TEACHER: Natalie
COST: $30.00


MATERIALS NEEDED TO DO "MAKE-ALONG" AIO:
Please gather these supplies and have them ready for class. If you are unable to find plantain leaf, you may sub rosemary leaf.

Alcohol Intermediary oil
- 7 oz olive oil (or other liquid oil)
- 1 oz dried plantain leaf or other herb (try lavender, mugwort or calendula for example)
- 1 oz everclear (you need the 95% kind)
- 16 oz jar (2 cup capacity)

EQUIPMENT:
- A kitchen scale
- a measuring cup with ounces
- a blender
- fine mesh metal strainer
- cheesecloth
- An herb and spice grinder or a blender would be helpful, but not necessary

June 09, 2020

Herbalists are strange folk: always dosing themselves with various potions and chomping on questionable leaves. This is largely how humans have learned about plants over the centuries. You will never learn something more thoroughly than through direct experience, and western herbalists really take that to heart. Throughout my learning journey about plants and, I have had a great many negative and positive experiences with plants.

In this class, I will be sharing specific stories about some of my most profound educational moments, and what they have taught me about the body and about how to use herbs successfully. I will be introducing some topics from Chinese medicine blending with western herbal theory.

This class will cover some of these topics through the lens of specific plants:
- how flavor can indicate action
- herbs that move up, and herbs that move down
- when not to use diaphoretics
- the complexity of dealing with dampness in the body.
- pro-inflammatory herbs and dose tolerance
- shifting cause vs symptomatic suppression
- moving blood and building blood

This class is perfect for people who have studied herbalism a bit. Know that this is an intermediate level class, but anyone is welcome. This class will touch upon many concepts in Chinese medicine, but no background in Chinese medicine is needed.

LOCATION: Zoom
DATE AND TIME: June 9th, 2020, 7-9pm
TEACHER: Natalie H.
COST: $30-$40
MAX STUDENTS: 15

June 16, 2020

If you'd like to forage in the wild, the first plants you should learn are the ones that kill you. With a healthy respect for these deadly plants, you can forage with more confidence and safety. This class will focus on the identification, toxic symptoms and background of the five most poisonous plants in Washington with ample visuals to back it up. The plants are: poison hemlock, Indian hellebore, water hemlock, larkspur and foxglove. We'll also briefly discuss some other toxic plants to watch out for including bittersweet nightshade and creeping buttercup. You'll come away from this class with a solid base of information and some tools to help you identify these plants when you come upon them.

This class will be taught live on zoom using a powerpoint for visuals. Come ready to take notes and ask questions. I'll send the powerpoint after class so you can have a good reference for the future.

DATE AND TIME: June 16th, 2020, 6:30pm-8:30pm PST
LOCATION: Zoom
COST: $30-$40
TEACHER: Natalie H.