All posts tagged: Learning

Multiple Means to Meet Medicine

Published by celia

During my interview for Chinese Medicine school, one of the interviewers asked if I had ever had acupuncture or taken Chinese herbs. “Of course! Why else would I be here?” was my response. I thought they were either joking or patronizing, but they looked dead serious. They didn’t respond. I asked if people actually went to school for acupuncture without ever having it, and they replied with, “some people go through school, pass their boards and start practicing without ever having it.” I was shocked. Chinese medicine isn’t the sort of field that people pick with the mentality, “I need a job, so why not do acupuncture?”. As I worked in the herbal dispensary and took Herbology classes, I found that its not entirely rare for students to have never taken the herbs they prescribe. It hit me when I asked my provider if they could make my bulk formula taste a little better. In truth, it tasted a lot like rotten stomach acid mixed with a side of fermented garbage juice – it was …

A few of my Favorite Herb Books

Published by celia

Herb Books, mmmm… I buy them, read them, and re-read them as often as I can. For every herb book I have, there are three more that I desire. So many amazing herbalists have published books, on just about every topic imaginable. It was tough to narrow my favorite herb book selection. I sat in front of my bookshelf and paged through title after title; after 20 minuets of “this one is my favorite”, “this one is my other favorite”, I realized that all of them are valuable, useful, inspirational and informative (other wise I would not have shipped three boxes of them from Minnesota to Oregon). Some are sentimental, like Susun Weed’s Healing Wise. That was one of the first herb books I bought, and it significantly shaped both my view of plants and healing philosophy. Here is the semi-narrowed down list. #1 Most used, referenced, practical, favorite: “Medicines From the Earth” Conference Notes These ‘books’ aren’t really books at all, they are a compilation of lecture notes to a botanical medicine conference. Many …

Perpetual Student

Published by celia

As a student herbalist, I am always challenging myself to keep learning. Right away in my herbal studies, I worked weekends at an herb shop with an herbalist/acupuncturist. I immersed myself in learning about herbs to harmonize the specific condition I was personally experiencing. Since I had about a half-dozen health concerns, this self-treatment kept me busy for quite some time. After a couple years I started to focus on the health concerns of my dog and my boyfriend, and although the work of treating myself and my family will never be over (especially my dog Isis as she has a bad case of eczema), I felt my learning stagnate after everyone was generally taken care of. I work-study amidst beautiful southern trees like sassafras, tulip poplar, black elderberry and rhododendrons at a weekend conference in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina for two seasons. It was there that I met some of my favorite herbalists and naturopaths. These men and women showed me it is possible to be an herbalist and have a …