u n i t e d plant saversmedicinal plant conservation in the united states and has established a...

UpS is a non-profit education corporation dedicated to preserving native medicinal plants.

FROM LITTLE ACORNS:A HISTORY OF UPS

JOHN LENTZ: PLANT

GIVE-AWAY GROWER

WILDCRAFTING FORUM

CULTIVATION CORNER

GROWING BLACK COHOSH

SPRING SEED

‘ANALOG SET ‘GIVE-AWAY

NEW BOTANICAL

SANCTUARY STORIES

AVEDA & UPSEARTH PARTNERS 2005

W i n t e r 2 0 0 5

Black cohosh in flower | photo ©David Bunting

U N I T E D PLANT SAVERSJournal of Medicinal Plant Conservation

U N I T E D PLANT SAVERSJournal of Medicinal Plant Conservation

2 | Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation

A publication of United Plant Savers, anon-profit education corporation

dedicated to preserving native medicinal plants.

UNITED PLANT SAVERSPO Box 400

E. Barre, VT 05649Tel. (802) 479-9825Fax. (802) 476-3722

Betzy Bancroft: Office ManagerEmail: [email protected]

www.unitedplantsavers.orgEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Lynda [email protected]

Tel. (707) 824-0731Fax. (707) 824-0279

CO-EDITORSNancy Scarzello,

Lynda LeMole, Sara KatzGRAPHIC ARTIST

Liz Butler

BOARD OF DIRECTORSRosemary Gladstar, President

Sara Katz, SecretaryKelly Kindscher, Vice President

Tim BlakleyPeggy BrevoortMindy Green

Michael McGuffinMark Wheeler

Joe Viny

UPS ADVISORY BOARDNancy Scarzello; Chairperson

Cascade Anderson GellerDon BabineauJane Bothwell

Richo CechMark CohenRyan Drum

Dr. James DukeTrish Flaster

Steven FosterJames Green

Tammi HartungChristopher Hobbs

David HoffmanLoren IsraelsenNick KulibabaJon Maxwell

Robert McCalebPam Montgomery

Michael MooreDeb Soule

Paul StraussDavid Winston

Lee WoodRebecca Wood

Katherine Yvinskas

Winter 2005

GREETINGS FROM UPSDear Friends,

Winter Greetings. It’s United Plant Savers’ Ten Year Anniversary ~and its well worth celebrating. In the past ten years ~ thanks to your help ~this small grass roots organization has helped set the precedent formedicinal plant conservation in the United States and has established anumber of successful programs to ensure that native medicinal plants willremain part of our landscape for generations to come. This is no small task.Our fellow plant beings are some of the most powerful, beautiful and usefulspecies on the planet ~ and it is our task as ‘plant lovers’ to help ensurethat they remain here for generations to come.

Though these are solemn times we live in, there is much to be thankfulfor and much that we can do within our scope of influence to see that things‘stay green’. It has been a good season for United Plant Savers. Our rootsare planted deep. Our Executive Director, Lynda LeMole, has done anexcellent job getting us back on our feet and keeping us on course. The officemoved back to Vermont and under the guidance of Betzy Bancroft, ourfriendly and competent office manager, is busy and humming again.Membership is up, we had another successful Plant Give-Away, and arecurrently working on another publication documenting the history ofmedicinal herbalism and wildcrafting in the United States. Researched andwritten by author and UpS member, Ann Armbrecht, this excellent bookletfills in another important piece in our understanding of native medicinalplants and will be available for members by mid-summer. An excerptappears in this issue of the Journal. Another bit of good news is thepartnering of United Plant Savers with Aveda’s Earth Partner program,which you can also read about in this Journal. This year the focus is on theprotection of endangered plant species. UpS will be participating withAveda salons to raise money on Earth Day.

Our biggest challenge, the challenge that most non-profits face,especially under the current political and economic scenario, is keepingourselves in the ‘green’. We really count on the help and support of ourmembers to help us with our on-going projects. This year we ask that youremember the plants, not just with your membership but with whateverdonation you can give. We have worked to keep our overhead down, so ourfunding goes to our programs, one of the most important being that wecontinue our research, data collection and assessment of At-Risk plants.Please give generously. Give what feels good. Know that giving comes backa thousand-fold and that together we can and are making a difference.

Peace & Green Blessings,Rosemary Gladstar, UpS President and Co-founder

Join in the Celebration of United Plant Savers Ten Year Anniversary By Gifting a Special Contribution. A gift to United Plant Savers is a gift tothe future and helps us in the on-going work of native medicinal plantconservation, preservation, and cultivation.

You can send your check directly to the UpS office; P.O Box 400 , E. Barre,VT 05649. A receipt for your tax-deductible donation will be mailed to you.

Winter 2005 | 3

UpS’ Journal of Medicinal PlantConservation is the voice of our membersand other concerned individuals interested

in the conservation and cultivation ofnative North American medicinal plants.

We encourage you to send us youropinions and thoughts for submission tothe Journal. Though many of the articles

presented express opposing and/orcontroversial viewpoints, we make aneffort to print as many of these articles

as space allows, in an attempt to presentthe many views of these subjects. It is

important while reading the Journal toremember that the articles are theopinions/experiences solely of the

authors, and do not necessarily representthe view and/or mission of UpS. They

are presented herein for discussion and review, and as part of an

educational process.

LET US HEAR FROM YOU!

From Little Acorns:A History of UpS ................................ 3

John Lenz: Plant Give-Away Grower ............................ 5

Spring Seed Give-Away .................... 7 & 9

Cultivation Corner:Growing black cohosh ...................... 8

Partners in Education ........................ 10

Plant Learning for Kids .................... 12

UpS At-Risk Forum ............................ 14

UpS Financial Report ........................ 20

Freeing Up The Medicine ................ 21

UpS Grant Reports ............................ 22

Spring Observations .......................... 25

UpS Botanical Sanctuary Network .. 26

Companies in the Green Light.......... 31

Green Thanks & Gratitude ................ 32

People Miracles .................................. 33

UpS Events & Green Network.......... 34

TABLE OF CONTENTS

UpS was founded with an 8 by 11 flier that said, "Join UnitedPlant Savers, an organization dedicated to the preservation ofnative medicinal plants " and was distributed at the 4thInternational Herb Symposium. "UpS wasn’t anything at thetime," Rosemary Gladstar said. "It was just a piece of paper. ButI got a tremendous response and so I knew I had to dosomething."

At that conference in 1994, Rosemary called together a groupof individuals to talk about whether others were concernedabout the health of native medicinal plant populations and, if so,what should be done. "It was really an eclectic group of people,"Rosemary remembered. "In fact several people told me therewas no way it would work because there was too muchdiversity. We had large manufacturers as well as small homebusinesses, wildcrafters and farmers, as well as peoplerepresenting big industry. But the diversity worked. Peoplecame together in a very heartful way. They were all verycommitted. We found that people had been asking this question;they were already concerned. And with this concern theybrought this heartfullness and that was the key."

"Whenever we got into areas that were more conflicted,around whether or not to oppose wildcrafting or the pros andcons of big business, we would always be able to come back tothe point that our primary concern was the plants. As long aswe kept that as our focus, we’d be guided. And that really hasbeen our guiding focus."

"As we went around at that first meeting it became veryclear that this was a problem. Our discussion was very non-scientific. We got a lot of criticism from the scientific community,which is valid – we didn’t have scientific rigor. But what we didhave was personal contact coming from lots of individuals andlong term contact, people who had been out there for thirtyyears noticing that plant communities were not as vital as theyhad been."

A year later the group met again the day after the GreenNations gathering. Pam Montgomery remembered, "It was anexciting time. I can picture the whole scene, a sunny spot in theCatskill Mountains and I remember being very inspired by theidea that we could actually participate in doing something aboutconservation of plants before it got to be a real problem."

"It often seems that concerns come in through the back door,only after you realize something is already gone, when it isalready too late. Our idea was to look at this now when wereally had a chance to do something and make an impact. It wasreally exciting to think that we were doing this in a way thatmight be new and different."

The group decided that UpS should focus on educatingpeople about plants and the pressures from loss of habitat,

FROM LITTLE ACORNS:A HISTORY OF UPS

by Ann Armbrecht

continued on next page


over-harvesting, and market demand. Theydecided to look for ways to support thesustainable harvesting of herbs rather than callfor a moratorium on wildcrafting."In the beginning when we made this

announcement, there was a lot ofnervousness about what we were doing.We were talking about how people madetheir livelihood and we had to make surewe weren’t perceived as a threat. Mostpeople involved in the herbal world arethere because of an interest in herbs, notnecessarily because they are interested inconservation. And many people who hadherb programs also sold herbs, so theydidn’t really want to raise questions aboutconservation. So UpS had to be verythoughtful as we wanted to include peoplewho were involved in all aspects of the herbalworld, not just those interested in cultivating andconserving herbs."

"We kept saying no, this isn’t about ‘notwildcrafting’, that’s one of our great arts asherbalists," Rosemary continued. "We keptpointing out that there were several hundredspecies that weren’t on this list, that weretenacious weeds and that weren’t threatened. Wedid ask the herbal and manufacturingcommunity to realize that it was very badbusiness practice to pull up the things you

depend on foryour business.But it’s deeperthan just beingbad business.It’s not ethical.That’s reallythe bottomline of it. So itwasn’t reallyabout notwildcrafting, itwas about

identifyingplants that were sensitive that we needed to bemindful of for their sake as much as our own."

In bringing attention to the health ofparticular plants, UpS highlights the fact that theplants aren’t just here for humans. Rosemarysaid, "We talked about the need to preserve theplants for the plants’ sake, because other speciesof plants needed them, other insects and animalsneeded them. I would say that American

herbalism and herbalism as we understand it inthe world is really based on what the plants cando for us. We’re a very self centeredcommunity/species because we are very young.You know with babies, it’s all about what they

can get and what they can eat and the toys theycan have. It takes a lot of maturity, a maturitythat the human species is still working toward, tosee that we’re here to give out as much as wereceive."

"And so I think that what’s happened is theherbal community has matured and is nowconsidering what can we give back? And our firstcalling was to go to the plants directly."

Rosemary paused and then continued, "I oncehad a dream of when the earth was forming, howit all came out of star dust in the cosmos, I couldsee the gardens actually being formed, watchingthese creatures evolve and how they became thegardeners and then over time how they alwayscome back in force, whenever the gardens are indanger. And one of the things I see right now isthat there is a strong plant community ofherbalists and botanists and scientists andhealers, from all over, shamans, native medicinepeople, who are all uniting right now. And Ithink it’s because the gardens are calling out,calling us back to life, maybe from the stars againor wherever it is that energy rests, calling us backto take care of what we love."

"And in a way we’ve kind of solidified thatinto United Plant Savers." P

Ann is a cultural anthropologist (PhD, Harvard 1995) andis currently on the faculty at Goddard College. She haswritten several books, including Settlements of Hope: AnAccount of Tibetan Refugees in Nepal, a book manuscript,Thin Places: An American Pilgrimage, and numerousarticles for scholarly and more popular journals. A SageMountain herb studies graduate, Ann lives in Vermontwith her young family.

Executive Board members and friendsat Breitenbush Hot Springs

UpS Board members and friends do a re-planting project, Hawaii

Winter 2005 | 5

VOICES FROM THE GREEN

THE UPS ‘PLANT GIVE-AWAYS’ & GROWER: JOHN LENTZ

by Nancy Scarzello

Ten years ago, as UpS was beginning todevelop its own roots, Rosemary Gladstarenvisioned a program where At-Risk nativemedicinal plants would be given away ~ free ofcharge to members ~ so that the plants wouldhave a safe and nurturing place to grow and thatmembers would have the opportunity to growsome of our most interesting and useful natives.Her search for a grower to supply these plantsled her to a most remarkable young man. InFrazeysburg, Ohio, in the heart of ginseng andgoldenseal country, she found John Lentz. Thefirst year of the Give-Away, in May of 1997, Johngrew, packed and shipped 20 goldenseal plantseach to 102 UpS members ~ that’s 2040 plants!

John’s relationship to the woods and thewild plants that grow there is deeply rooted infamily tradition. As a teenager he moved to hisgrandfather’s log cabin in Frazeysburg whereseveral members of his family practically livedon the money they earned digging ginsengroots. John joined their digging team for whatwas to become a life-changing experience. Whenhe accompanied them to sell the roots he wasamazed to find that the dealers were prepared topay more than $400.00 per pound for the driedroots, and the thought of earning a living fromthe forest began to take hold. Soon governmentput a season on collection of wild ginseng alongwith goldenseal in response to the dwindlingwild populations. John was sensitive to theplight of the ginseng and, although hepersonally had always enjoyed his time in thewoods wildcrafting he couldsee that he could not make aliving at seasonal digging. Butwhat about cultivating it? Theidea intrigued him, especially the thought ofworking outdoors with the plants that he loved.

John traveled to Wisconsin where he learnedabout the ginseng and goldenseal growingbusiness. Wisconsin is home to some of thebiggest commercial growers of goldenseal andJohn learned a lot about the specifics ofpropagation and growing on a large scale. Hesaw the difference in the $20/pound price

fetched for this commercially cultivated ginsengcompared to the $400/pound for wild. Most ofthe big pharmaceutical companies were growingtheir own ginseng by these commercial methods,and although the end product was inferior inquality (heavily sprayed with fungicides andfertilizers) the price was the bottom line forthem, not the purity or medicinal value of theroots. John is quick to point out that this methodcertainly takes the strain off the wildpopulations and he is happy about that. Butwhat disturbs him so deeply about this methodis the fact that small-time growers of qualityroots cannot compete with the price and aregoing out of business, and that the rootsproduced are tainted and inferior. He knew hewanted to do things differently so John took theknowledge he gained back to Ohio with himand, combined with his own experiences withthe wild plants, started to cultivate woodlandmedicinals in a manner that was sustainable forboth the plants as well as his income.

To find a way to make a living, doingsomething that he loved, was a path he longedto take. After graduating from Ohio StateUniversity with a degree in business marketinghe entered the corporate world, but after a yearof "the suit and commute" he grew tired of it,quit, and went back to working on what trulysatisfied him ~ growing woodland plants. Hehad found his niche and formed his company,The Herbal Exchange.

His business began to grow along with theplants. Dealers were telling him that the ginsengdiggers were noticing their stands disappearingand they were asking for seed to replant in thewild ~ he could supply them. Then Rosemary’scall came and he found that people wanted togrow the plants themselves ~ he could supply

...the ginseng diggers were noticing their stands disappearing and theywere asking for seed to replant in the wild ~ he could supply them.



those too. Soon he incorporated other woodlandplants into his repertoire. Goldenseal, UpS’flagship plant, was the first to be added, soonfollowed by black cohosh and blue cohosh. As thedemand for these beautiful woodland nativesincreased he added others that he loved like falseunicorn and wild yam and the pink root heoffered this year. One of the things mostimportant to him was that the plants he grew for

sale must have a high rate of success for thepurchaser. Pink root is a favorite. The showywoodland medicinal with its stunning red andyellow flowers soon forms large clumps that will"set off your heart in rewards". Many of the folksbuying the plants were not necessarilyexperienced gardeners of these particular species,so John made sure that the plants were fairly easyto grow if provided with the right conditions.95% of what he offers will grow and thrive withthe simple directions he provides along with theplants.

John noticed that when the plants weregrowing in community with other plants thatliked the same growing conditions that they werehealthier, with less disease, more vigor. With thisin mind, he suggested that UpS offer a WoodlandGarden Collection for the Fall 1998 Give-Awaythat included 2 roots each of ginseng, goldenseal,black cohosh, blue cohosh and bloodroot. 429members ordered the collection of ten roots forplanting, 4,290 plants for this order alone!

John grows his plants in three types ofscenarios. The first is in raised beds under 78%polypropylene shade cloth. Here he starts plantsin nursery beds, finishes specific orders like theplants for UpS, and can keep a close eye on someof the more tender plants like false unicorn orpink root. In these beds he can carefully monitorthe health and vitality of the plants. Second arewoods-grown in organized but uncultivated plotswhere, for example, blue cohosh or goldensealrootlets are planted and left to grow in a naturalsetting with minimal human intervention. Thirdare the natural plots, the wild plots, of naturallyoccurring stands of ginseng, goldenseal, blackcohosh and others. These plots are left relativelyundisturbed with the intention to maintain wildpopulations. Some plants are removed to preventovercrowding and disease but healthy culledplants are moved to the nursery bed. Seed is

dispersed and left to develop naturally, increasingthe age diversity within the wild stands. Thesemethods do not provide him with either thequantity or the carrot-sized ginseng roots he sawin the commercial beds, but as any herbalist ortrue plant lover can surmise, they are by farclosest to what nature intended. The medicine ofthese plants is not measured by the chemicalconstituents that we can derive from them, but is

proportionate to the energy that is carriedwith them, fueled by John’s devotion to thesewoodland beauties.

I asked John about his views onwildcrafting and he candidly told me how

much he enjoyed it and that frankly, wildcraftingthe ginseng had been what had started him onthis journey. John prefers to pick his locationswell, considering access to the plants and thevicinity to major roads important criteria. He, andother diggers that visit the same places year afteryear notice declines in populations and care aboutre-seeding, care about the future of the plants.Poachers are still a problem in the in the area;taking roots out of season, elimination of entirestands, not replanting seeds, as well astrespassing and stealing roots; but John hopesthat these methods will someday be replaced byethical wildcrafting practices.

In the last few years, John has scaled downhis business and no longer grows for harvest. Henow accommodates just a few special customers

John made sure that the Give-Away plants were fairly easy to grow if provided with the right conditions.

John Lenz: photo© John Lenz

Winter 2005 | 7

like UpS and the individual members that contacthim. The stress of single handedly running sucha large business forced him to reconsider his plan.He now prefers this scaled down version tosupplement his income and has found thebalance between work and hobby that so many ofus strive for.

I asked John to explain to me the way theGive-Away program works and I was amazed atthe care and attention these roots are given toensure that they arrive to members in the bestpossible condition ~ because he wants them tothrive in their new homes just as much as we do!And this is how it is done (and why our call tomembers to order the Give-Aways is so timesensitive):

Months ahead of time, John decides, alongwith UpS, what plants will be offered. He looks atour At-Risk and To-Watch lists and suggestsplants that will grow well for our members, then,on speculation, he plants the thousands of rootshe’ll need to fill our orders. After a season or twoof growing, a week or two before the shippingdate, he begins to dig the roots. He checks themfor quality, health and vigor, then cleans andlabels them and stores them in temperaturecontrolled refrigerators to keep them dormantwhile he readies them for shipping. He does thishimself and is often up until 3:00 or 4:00 in themorning the day before his family arrives to helpwith the packing and shipping. John reliesheavily on his father William and sister Amy whohave "been there since day one and know theroutine" well. The timing is critical because theplants must be ready to mail on Monday orTuesday in order to reach their destination by theend of the week since sitting in a heated postoffice over the weekend would damage the roots.So the weekend before shipping, the roots arecleaned and sorted, packed with moss,instructions inserted, shipping labels applied,then boxed and returned to the refrigerators untilthe specially ordered truck arrives at the postoffice on Monday. When the plants arrive on ourdoorsteps a few days later, their total time out ofthe ground has been kept to a bare minimum,and we receive healthy roots ready to plant in ourhome gardens.

In order to diversify the plants in the Give-Away program, UpS has offered plants fromother sources periodically. White oak, slipperyelm and American chestnut saplings have beengrown and shipped from the UpS Sanctuary inOhio and one year ginseng seeds from SylvanBotanicals were sent. We have been so pleased to

offer seeds from Horizon Herbs these last coupleof years and would like to continue that traditioninto the future along with roots from John Lentz.Over 20,000 plants have been sent and countlessseeds dispersed with this program since it began,a program that UpS has been proud to offer as abenefit for our members. The nominal shippingcharge we ask of members hardly covers theshipping itself, so the cost of plants/seeds andlabor is absorbed by United Plant Savers ~ thetotal price tag adds up to over $40,000! I thinkmost folks will feel as good as we do about howthat money was used, your membership dollarsat work supporting quality growers, free plantsfor you and most important, as these plants findtheir way into your gardens and hearts, is theknowledge that each of us has helped in Plantingthe Future. P

2005 SPRING SEEDGIVE-AWAY

“ANALOG SEED SET”ORDER BY MARCH 1, 2005 !!

The "Analog Seed Set” consists of generous seedpackets of certified organic seeds grown at HorizonHerbs. Please read more about the “Analog SeedSet” on page 9.

CURRENT MEMBERS ONLY !!

All orders must be receivedby March 1, 2005 for earlyApril shipping. Plantinginstructions for all zones willbe included with your order.To cover s/h costs, pleasesend your name and P.O.mailing address and a checkor money order for $5.00 to:

UPS SPRING ‘05 SEED

GIVE-AWAY

P.O. Box 400E. Barre, VT 05649

Don’t miss this specialopportunity to plant At-Riskplant analogs!

Volunteer mullein takespurchase in bare ground atHorizon Herbs Seed Farm

in Williams, Or


In the early 1980’s while studying the nativemedicinal plants of North Carolina, I first metblack cohosh growing wild in the AppalachianMountains. Its 4-5 foot tall white flowering spires(racemes) were stunning to come upon in thedeciduous forests. I immediately took a liking tothis plant. A few years later I transplanted twoyoung plants into my garden. Fifteen years laterthese plants have spread by roots to fill a 13-footby 15-foot area with over 100 flowering racemes.

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) is a hardywoodland herbaceous perennial that appears tobe long-lived. It is a member of theRanunculaceae family. Currently black cohoshesrange from the Appalachian Mountain Rangeacross the eastern hardwood forest to the OzarkPlateau and north into the Great Lakes region(USDA, NRCS. 2001).

The deep brown almost black color of theblack cohosh stems reminds me of ferns as theyuncurl their leaves. The stem is smooth andfurrowed and divides into three stems as itgrows. The leaves are large and compoundedwith two or three lobes, double serrated andsharply pointed. The leaves look similar to redbaneberry, Actaea rubra, a native to thenortheastern, north central and western states.

Many white flowering spires can grow fromone mature black cohosh plant and each stalk cancontain dozens of individual flowers. The flowerbuds look like tiny round buttons that open into aflower with several stamens. Once the racemesare in full bloom, they are covered with flies andbees, busily pollinating the flowers. Black cohoshflowers have an unusual smell, some say ratherunpleasant or fetid. This smell however attractsthe pollinators by the hundreds. When theflowers are in full bloom in my garden, dozens ofbees cover each flowering raceme creating abuzzing sound that always draws my attention.Come fall, the racemes are covered with brownseeds that scatter in the wind.

Black cohosh can be successfully propagatedfrom root cuttings and from seed. It is easy todivide mature, seed-bearing plants by cutting therhizome/root in the fall with a sharp clean knife. Each divided rhizome needs to contain a nascentbud and lots of rootlets. This herb prefers to beplanted in well-composted, deciduous forest typesoil. Space each plant 2 feet apart, either in theshade or a partly shady area. Once planted, coverthe soil with rotted leaf mulch or bark mulch tohelp improve water retention.

I know a few long-term organic gardeners inMaine who have had success propagating blackcohosh from their own freshly harvested seed.Despite the racemes producing large amounts ofseed, the germination rate tends to be low due tofactors such as fungal infection in the seed follicleor surrounding soil, short seed life span, and the

specific seed stratification process required. The seed needs an initial 2-4 weeks of

warm temperatures to sprout (Richo Cechsays 71F or 21C) followed by at least 3months of cold. (40F or -4C) In Maine, ripe

seeds can be planted in a clearly marked, shadedand protected nursery bed in the late summer orearly fall and left for one and a half years. Oncethe tiny seedlings begin to appear and have theirsecond set of true leaves, they can be carefullytransplanted into individual pots and kept in theshade. These seedlings can be planted out into thewoods or into a shade garden either in the springor fall once the plantsare two years old.

The thirty blackcohosh plants I havegrowing in full sunare beginning toshow signs of stressfrom the lack ofconsistent rain overthe past severalsummers and fromthe sudden hightemperatures thatoccurred after twolong, cool and damp

CULTIVATION CORNER

BLACK COHOSHby Deb Soule

Once the racemes are in full bloom, they are coveredwith flies and bees, busy pollinating the flowers.

Black cohosh: photo ©Deb Soulecontinued on next page

Winter 2005 | 9

SEED GIVE-AWAYThe “Analog Seed Set” consists of generous seed packets ofeach of the following 5 plants—100% certified organic seedsgrown at Horizon Herbs. Listed below are the At-Risk herbsfor which they are analogs:ANALOG AT-RISK/ TO-WATCHBlue Indigo (Baptisia australis) Wild Indigo (Baptista tinctoria)Spilanthes (Spilanthes acmella) Echinacea (Echinacea spp.)Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) American Ginseng (Panax

quinquefolius)Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Arnica (Arnica spp.)White Sage (Salvia apiana) Peace Blessing

Living close to the land, growing our own food andmedicine, serving local people and the wider ecosystem whilecavorting in the bounty of nature—these are some of thepractices that hold us “UpSers” together. In the spirit of thisconnection we are offering all members a new seed set thatwill help connect our gardens by way of common plants.We’re calling it the “analog set” because most of these plantsare easy-to-grow substitutes for At-Risk plants.

Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis). I have to admit I’m guiltyof changing the common name of this native plant from “falseindigo” to something a bit more indicative of its sky-likeradiant nature. As far as I’ve been able to determine, it is inevery way as effective as our at-risk Wild Indigo (Baptisiatinctoria) in herbal medicine and is easier to germinate andmuch more adaptable to normal garden conditions, north andsouth.

Spilanthes (Spilanthes acmella). I consider this alkylamide-rich plant to be an Echinacea synergist and use it whentreating infections, to amplify the effects of Echinacea.Spilanthes also makes an unparalleled mouthwash, fightingdental disease and decay.

Tulsi (Holy Basil) (Ocimum tenuiflorum). Perhaps the mostunexpected development in western herbalism in the last 10years is the discovery (or rediscovery) of so many potentadaptogenic plants. Ginseng-like effects can be experiencedfrom using a Cucurbit (Jiao-gu-lan), from a Solanaceous plant(Ashwagandha), from a succulent Stonecrop (Rhodiola rosea),from a common Thistle (Maralroot) and now from a plant inthe Mint family—Tulsi. The tea of dried Tulsi leaves heals thebody and lifts the spirits. “Wherever Tulsi grows there is nomisery.”

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Over the years I’ve learnedto use this tough and aromatic beauty more and more inmedicine. We use it in our antiseptic formula (in tinctureform) and we use it in our salve. I find that Yarrow servesmany of the same functions as Arnica, is much easier to growand is also more prolific.

White Sage (Salvia apiana). Here we diverge somewhatfrom our “analogs” model and make available again thecertified organic seed of this traditional smudging sage. Thoseof you living along the Gulf Coast, in the Southwest and inCalifornia or Southern Oregon can grow it as a perennial. Therest will have to start early and grow the plant as an annual.While the native home of White Sage rapidly disappears todevelopment, the message that this plant sends forth is still aspotent as ever: There is no substitute for PEACE. ~ Richo

Maine springs. With our climate under suchchange, black cohosh growing in the north mayneed to grow in more shade than it has neededin the past. I have begun moving most of myplants into a shaded woodland area amongstoak trees and old stone walls.

We harvested 10 pounds of black cohoshrhizomes and roots this fall and made over 3gallons of fresh root tincture. Black cohosh’srhizomes grow close to the surface of the soil,making harvesting them easy and fun. Forthose of us herbalists who have gardens andmake medicine for our clients, family andfriends, tending a small patch of black cohoshplants from which to harvest is relatively easy,deeply rewarding and an important act for thepreservation of this important native medicinalplant.

Black cohosh was an important medicinefor many of the Eastern Woodland Indians.They generously passed their knowledge ofthis plant, as well as other herbs, to the earlysettlers. The root has long been used for avariety of situations specific to women.Currently the root is being used extensively bywomen experiencing various menopausalrelated symptoms such as hot flashes,depression, irritability, fatigue, waterpretension and vaginal dryness. Black cohoshcan be helpful for some women who wake inthe night and have trouble getting back tosleep.(in combination with other herbs) Somewomen who experience premenstrualmoodiness that has a brooding, “black cloud”feeling, whether before menstruating or as partof their menopausal journey, have found smalldoses of a fresh root tincture, 1-5 drops underthe tongue taken for the duration of themoodiness, to be helpful.

Black cohosh tincture is used frequently inEurope instead of estrogen replacementtherapies. It is an herb to consider for womenwho have surgically had their ovaries removedalong with using other herbal and nutritionalsupplements. In my practice, I have foundusing black cohosh and chaste berry along withtwo ayurvedic herbs, ashwagandha andshatavari, to be an excellent combination foraiding sleep and improving energy levels andan overall sense of stability and wellness in themidst of changing hormones.

Herbalist Matthew Wood uses a small doseof the root tincture for whiplash, neck and

continued on page 12


The Yerba Woman Herbal ApprenticeProgram has been affiliated with Partners inEducation since that program began a few yearsago. The Apprentice class meets one weekend permonth, March through November, and studentslearn a wide range of herbal information, fromcultivation, to medicine making, to ethicalwildharvesting, and more.

The class takes place in the hills of MendocinoCounty, at Motherland, which is an herb schooland part of the UpS Botanical SanctuaryNetwork.

There are many At-Risk and To-Watch plantsgrowing in the gardens and on the land. Ginseng,goldenseal and bloodroot were obtained fromUpS plant giveaways and there is black cohosh,trillium, arnica, echinacea, gentian, maidenhairfern, Oregon grape, white sage, yerba mansa andyerba santa. Having these plants here, we canthen begin to know them as we watch themchange through the seasons, observing how theyare pollinated, how they disperse their seed, andso on. This brings us into a new relationship withan herb, especially if we take it in some processedform as medicine.

Our partnership with UpS has providedopportunities to familiarize us with other herbsas well, by viewing the At-Risk Slide show and byreading the Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation,

which is always a wealth of information and aninspiration to see what people are doing in otherplaces.

The theme and focus of this year’s annualMendocino County Herb Association HerbFestival was “Native Plants”. Students in theApprentice class staffed a UpS information boothto help inform people of the need to preservenative medicinal plants! P

Nationally accredited by the DistanceEducation and Training Council, our program,Herb 401 Diploma in Herbal Studies – MasterHerbalist, is a rigorous distance educationalprogram designed for the serious student seekingprofessional working knowledge of herbalmedicine.

Australasian College of Health Sciences hasprovided students enrolled in the MasterHerbalist program a complimentary membershipto United Plant Savers so that the students canbecome more involved in the efforts of UpS.

We strive to educate our local community andinternational student body about the efforts ofUpS to preserve At-Risk medicinal botanicals.Based on UpS recommendations, our botanicalteaching garden features several At-Riskmedicinal botanicals which we feature anddiscuss in our monthly garden tours. P

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

YERBA WOMAN HERBAL APPRENTICEPROGRAM

Willits, CA

AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OFHEALTH SCIENCES

Portland, OR

ONE SEED AT A TIMEJoin United Plant Savers in creating a greener, healthier world through education about the

conservation of our native medicinal plants. We offer a special student membership fee of $20 perstudent for all herbal schools, apprentice programs and training courses that enroll their studentsas a group. Each student receives a UpS membership package with all the benefits ~ informativeJournals and Bulletins, Nursery & Bulk Herb Directory, free plant/seed Give-Away twice a year,membership discounts at UpS conferences, and more. When your school/program joins Partnersin Education they will receive the UpS Educational Presentation Guide, a copy of the UpS bookPlanting the Future, use of the UpS At-Risk Slide Show & Video, a listing in both the UpS Journaland on our Website, guidance from experienced educators and the opportunity to make adifference ~ One Seed at a Time. Please contact Betzy at the office to find out how you canbecome a Partner in Education.

Winter 2005 | 11

The Center For Healing Arts Herb & Eco-School in northern Wisconsin has been a naturalmedicine clinic and herbal education programformerly in west central Wisconsin east of theMinneapolis-St.Paul metro area. After a decadeof providing services in that locale, theeducational arm of the Center was moved threeyears ago to a beautiful 40-acre location near theChippewa Ice Age Trail. The teaching location isboth beautiful and ecologically diverse. All ofthe natural elements create a desirable locationfor the preservation and study of plants, herbs,ecology and sustainable living.

In 2004 the school joined with United PlantSavers and became a Botanical Sanctuary as wellas joining the "Partners in Education" team. TheCenter has historically provided several tracks ofeducational programming: community wideworkshops, ‘weed walks’ and field trips,professional herbalism coursework and anecology and earth sustainability track ofworkshops. Another unique feature of ourteaching explores the entire realm of northernwetland plants where students are taughtintroductory level kayaking and journeys inwetlands via kayaks, plus bog walks to learnhow to identify and protect such plants assundew, pitcher plant, and native orchids.

In year 2005 our Center will be weavingtogether ecology and preservation efforts withUnited Plant Savers by opening our medicinetrail entitled "Moon Lodge Trail" where sundryplants thrive and new plantings of goldenseal,black cohosh and wild ginger have beenestablished. A plant identification checklist hasbeen developed by the Center and will be

available toUpSmemberssoon foreducationalpurposes.Severaladvancedherbalstudentsand the

director of our program will be working withUpS to conduct community wide education in a7 county region with the UpS slide show of ‘at-risk’ medicinal herbs to raise awareness in 2005.Three additional research and education projectsare in the planning stages with several of ourschool’s graduates and nearby universitieswhere cultivation and preservation of medicinalplants will be designed—all of this informationwill be adjoined with United Plant Savers toraise awareness of our sacred eco-systems. Wehave many reasons to hold hope for this planetin 2005!

(To contact the Center For Healing Arts Herb& Eco-School: 715-967-2300, 29588 State Road 40,New Auburn-Long Lake, WI 54757 [email protected])

Remember…"The grounds are fertile, amidst thechaos of these times" ~Gigi Stafne, Director P

THE CENTER FOR HEALING ARTS:HERB & ECO-SCHOOL

Long Lake, WI

PARTNERS IN EDUCATIONAustralasian College of Health Sciences

Tracey Miller, Portland, OR Bastyr University

Robin dePasquale, Seattle, WACenter for Healing Arts

Gigi Stafne, Long Lake, WIHeartsong Farm Healing Herbs

Nancy Phillips, Groveton, NH Herb Pharm’s Herbaculture Work/Study Program

Sara Katz, Williams, ORHonoring Herbal Traditions

Sarah Zettelmeyer, W. Danville,VTMedicine Wheel Tribe

Rachel Jean Harper, Port Ludlow, WASacred Plant Traditions

Kathleen Maier, Charlottesville, VASage Mountain

Rosemary Gladstar, E. Barre,VT Southwest Institute of Healing Arts –

JoAnn Sanchez, Phoenix, AZ Tai Sophia

Marsha Birnbaum, Laurel, MD The Center for Healing Arts

Gigi Stafne, New Auburn – Long Lake, WI The Herb Stop

Kita Centella, Phoenix, AZ Yerba Woman Apprentice –

Donna d'Terra, Willits, CA

EcoSchool students


Being a very quiet person in a very noisyhouse is not always easy. Things need to getdone, messages need to be gotten across, ideasshared, important matters taught…you could sayI have become somewhat of an expert in this, as Iam a home schooling mother to six children, withone on the way. One of the most important ideasthat we can pass onto our children is the beautyof the herbal world and the vital role each one usplays in preserving and nurturing it. Over theyears I have shared my love and growingknowledge and experience with herbs with eachof my children- indeed, with all of the children Icome in contact with, as my way of planting forthe future. Each child takes it to heart in adifferent manner, but they DO take it to heart,and the love of herbs becomes a part of them.Here are some of the methods I have found to bethe most effective in teaching my children toknow the herbs, to understand, use, andappreciate them.

First and perhaps most important, is exposingthem to the plants themselves. When we lived inthe States, we had a house with a garden and alittle yard. The children and I planted herbs all

over the place, every nook and cranny andstretch of grass was interplanted with them! Firstwe made a list of each child's desire and goal inplanting that year. Juwairiyah always opted foranything edible, Sukhailah for pretty flowers,Mujaahid for anything he could drink in tea, andso on. We would then begin pouring over theherb catalogs and making a list of wish-we-hads.Our favorite catalog was from Horizon Herbs- weall enjoyed seeing Richo and his family grow up(well, sort of – SMILE) as well as Cheesie theherbal mouse, who, in the last catalog wereceived before moving here to Yemen, had justhad a baby- actually two! And the information inthe catalog is invaluable, especially to those of uswho are growing so many things for the firsttime. Ultimately, we had to look realistically atwhat we could afford as far as time and space,and order those herbs which made the cut. Wedid this even after coming here- we ordered

several herbs for our little container garden onthe roof, though some of the baby plants didn'tmake it through our unexpected, wild tripthrough the mountains…which is a story forlater! We always included at least one plant fromthe UpS At-Risk list. A great way to do this is totake advantage of the UpS plant Give-Aways. Ifind comfort knowing that our goldenseal plantsare thriving back in the States, though they are ontheir own now. One thing that was important tome was that none of the plants was toxic. I lovedwatching the children playing in the yard,stopping to eat this or that herb, making littlesalads in their make believe houses, and referringto the dandelions that popped up all over bysaying, "Look at all the food on the lawn!!" Imade and sold a line of hand crafted soaps andbath and body products, as well as making myfamily's medicines, so we always had a healthysprinkling of herbs that aided me in thosecreations as well. Now we just use containers, butthe hands-on time with growing any herbs isinvaluable in instilling a love and respect forthem in the children.

Hand in hand with growing is, of course,taking walks and identifying the plantsyou see along the way, wild craftingthem if possible, and storing andpreparing them right along with yourhome grown efforts. Even the smallest of

the children would learn to recognize many ofthe plants. Juwairiyah, at the age of two, wouldcall out, "There's St. John's Work!! MY St. John'sWork!!" Make sure you have a very good fieldguide for identifying the plants, we used thePeterson's guide for our area and it was excellent.

Secondly, I have herb books all over the place,accessible and inviting to the children. When Iwas taking Rosemary's herbal studies course, mythen eight year old daughter did almost thewhole course with me. They love the books withpictures the most, of course. There are severalherbal encyclopedias available with beautifulphotos and line drawings to help the childrenlearn about and identify the different herbs.Penelope Ody's is even available here, translatedinto Arabic!! When we read stories, we alwayslook for ways that herbs play a part in the lives ofthe characters. For example, Beatrix Potter storiesare full of herb references, the most famous

The important thing is to pass on your herbal wisdom andknowledge to your children in as many varied ways as

possible, to keep them excited and interested.

PLANT LEARNING FOR KIDSby Khadijah Lacina

Winter 2005 | 13

probably being Peter's cup of chamomile tea afterhis ordeal in Mr. McGregor's garden. AgathaChristie and Anne Perry books often refer toherbal treatments (NOT just poisonings!) andthere is a whole line of herbal mysteries by SusanWhittig Albert that are great fun to read. Thelibrary is an excellent resource for checking outlots of different books, allowing you to decidewhich books to add to your at home herb library.

Thirdly, we use the herbs for everything, fromcooking to medicine to crafts. Even for coloringbooks- I would trace the pictures from an herbalbook onto a piece of typing paper, add the nameand uses of the herb at the bottom of the page,and give it to the children to color. And it's okayif her calendula comes out purple, or theEchinacea lime green…they are still learning andenjoying the process as they color the picture andread about the plant. Shatoiya De La Tour'swonderful book, "Earth Mother Herbal" is packedwith recipes and ideas for crafts and activities.Though it is aimed at adults, there are so many,many things in there to share with children- it is areal treasure trove. I encourage my children toexperiment with the herbs in whatever way theywish, trying my best to simply be there to gentlyguide and suggest, rather than to lead the way.Sukhailah came up with some wonderful lipbalm recipes this way, and Mujaahid with manyideas for beverage and medicinal teas. And thenthere was the lavender and chocolatecake…mmmmm…

The important thing is to pass on your herbalwisdom and knowledge to your children in asmany varied ways as possible, to keep themexcited and interested. Some children can pourover an herbal for hours, while another simplywants to dig and plant and water the garden.Most children, however, seem to thrive on acombination of many different teaching methods.They enjoy participating in things, knowing thattheir input is important to you. When mychildren found out that goldenseal was on theUpS list, they became indignant when readingthe label of an herbal product on sale that usedgoldenseal for no apparent reason except that thename sells. They even went so far as to ask thecompany in question why, exactly, was thatgoldenseal in there? And, if the benefits of theherb were truly needed, couldn't they use Oregongrape root or barberry instead? Well, thecompany never answered back, but even that wasa lesson to them, I suppose.

Children are truly a key to the success of thegoals of United Plant Savers. If our knowledgeand concerns about the herbal world leave thisworld with us, there will be no chance for futuregenerations to experience so many of thesebeautiful, beneficial plants. Even if you do nothave children yourself, teach your nieces,nephews, neighborhood kids…whoever you areable. Even those children that are not all thatinterested in one aspect of herbalism will usuallybe entranced by another. And, I can almostguarantee that YOU will have fun and learn inthe process as well!!!

Before moving to Yemen two years ago, Khadijahand her family lived in the Catskill region of NewYorkState where she had a wonderful garden and abusiness selling soaps and body care products. Shedoes her best to remain sane amongst her wild tribe ofhomeschooled children. P

Cultivating Black Cohosh continued from page 8

lower back pain, tightness and hardness in thetrapezius muscles and rheumatism or any feelingof dampness in the joints and muscles. The oldEclectic physicians, practicing in the 19th century,used black cohosh for migraines associated withmenses, optic neuralgia, muscle pain associatedwith influenza, lumbago, and chronic, deep-seatedmuscle pain. (Herbal Therapy and Supplements, byMerrily A. Kuhn and David Winston, pg 60)

Loren Israelson, strong supporter of UnitedPlant Savers wrote in a previous issue:“Frances Thompson, the English poet, once wrotethat one could not pluck a flower withouttroubling a star, what then if we lose a species?”Planting 3-5 seedlings is a great way to ensure itscontinued survival. Space them two feet apart andafter a few years you will begin to see new stemsemerging from the spreading rhizomes. Blackcohosh is truly a remarkable medicinal herb and amagnificent plant to consider growing for itsbeauty and medicine, both for its pollinators andfor herbalists. P

Deb Soule has been organically growing andwildharvesting medicinal herbs for over 25 years inMaine. She is the founder of the herbal apothecaryAvena Botanicals and author of A Woman’s Book ofHerbs. Deb tends an acre of medicinal herbs in WestRockport, Maine. Her gardens and apothecary are opento the public. Visit Avena’s website at


UPS’ At-Risk FORUM

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

American Ginseng(Panax quinquefolius)

Black Cohosh(Actaea (Cimicifuga) racemosa)

Bloodroot(Sanguinaria canadensis)

Blue Cohosh(Caulophyllum thalictroides)

Echinacea(Echinacea sp.)

Eyebright(Euphrasia sp.)

Goldenseal(Hydrastis canadensis)

Helonias Root(Chamaelirium luteum)

Lady’s Slipper Orchid(Cypripedium sp.)

Lomatium(Lomatium dissectum)

Osha(Ligusticum porteri, L. sp.)

Peyote(Lophophora williamsii)

Slippery Elm(Ulmus rubra)

Sundew(Drosera sp.)

Trillium, Beth Root(Trillium sp.)

True Unicorn(Aletris farinosa)

Venus’ Fly Trap(Dionaea muscipula)

Virginina Snakeroot(Aristolochia serpentaria)

Wild Yam(Dioscorea villosa, D. sp.)

Arnica(Arnica sp.)

Butterfly Weed(Asclepias tuberosa)

Cascara Sagrada(Rhamus purshimia)

Chaparro(Casatela emoryi)

Elephant Tree(Bursera microphylla))

Gentian(Gentiana sp.)

Goldthread(Coptis sp.)

Kava Kava(Piper methysticum) (Hawaii only)

Lobelia(Lobelia sp.)

Maidenhair Fern(Adiantum pendatum)

Mayapple(Podophyllum peltatum)

Oregon Grape(Mahonia sp.)

Partridge Berry(Mitchella repens)

Pink Root(Spigelia marilandica)

Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata)

Spikenard(Aralia racemosa, A. californica)

Stone Root(Collinsonia canadensis)

Stream Orchid(Epipactis gigantea)

Turkey Corn(Dicentra canadensis)

White Sage(Salvia apiana)

Wild Indigo(Baptisia tinctoria)

Yerba Mansa(Anemopsis californica)

For the benefit of the plant communities, wild animals, harvesters, farmers, consumers, manufacturers,retailers and practitioners, we offer this list of wild medicinal plants which we feel are currently mostsensitive to the impact of human activities. Our intent is to assure the increasing abundance of themedicinal plants which are presently in decline due to expanding popularity and shrinking habitat andrange. UpS is not asking for a moratorium on the use of these herbs. Rather, we are initiating programsdesigned to preserve these important wild medicinal plants. P

~ At-Risk ~ ~ To-Watch ~AT-RISK LIST

UPDATEThe UpS A t - R i s k List committeeis getting close to having our newmethodology unveiled. If youhave been following our A t - R i s kwork, you know that a year agowe set out to identify as manytraits as possible, from plant lifehistory characteristics to habitatt h reats, that make a speciesvulnerable. Our goal is to create at r a n s p a rent tool that yields aquantitative score for eachspecies. We have now come upwith specific questions that canbe used to provide comparatives c o res for any species. Thesequestions and their scores weredistributed to a field of expertsand their responses are nowbeing fine-tuned. We do believethat the scale will work, forexample, even with the ro u g hdraft questions and scores, we areseeing ranges of scores fro msomething very rare, such as pinklady’s slipper having a score ofonly 1.5, while something that noone would be concerned about,the common annual sunflower,Helianthus annuus having a scoreof 18.0. Next steps will be tofinalize the tool, come up withs c o res for all of our A t - R i s kspecies, and then share it moreb roadly with UpS members forre v i e w. We will keep you posted.

Kelly Kindscher, UpS board member,and Associate Scientist, Universityof Kansas.

"We should all strive to be goodancestors."

~ Jonas Salk

Winter 2005 | 15

In Native American culture we see ourselves aspart of nature, intertwined with life, not separate. Weas humans are connected to everything on this earthand in the universe. Every living being is ourrelation. Every action we take affects another. AsNative people, we feel our purpose here is to protectMother Earth, to tend this place we call home andhelp all living beings.

The plants have and could thrive without us,however we cannot live without the plant people.The plants are our family: our grandfathers,grandmothers, aunts, and cousins. Plants are people,living beings with the capacity for knowledge,intimacy, relationships and communication. Plantfamilies have been in the same place, in theirancestral soil since the beginning of this planet.Plants and trees are in complete relationship witheverything around them, the soil, stones, water, sky,animals, birds, and insects. If just one element istaken or changed, it weakens and often kills theplants.

As an herbalist, one of the most importantrelationships you need to develop and nurture is theone between you and the plants. If you don’t have adeep, intimate relationship with the plants, yourwork and medicine will always be on the surface.This sounds obvious and basic but there are plenty ofherb people who spend very little or no time with thelive plants.

When I was being trained as a child to work withthe plant people, I was taught that you never take alife before you have helped start and sustain life. Iwas not allowed to take a plant person until I hadgrown a stand and spread seeds, bulbs and roots inan area. This was to show that I could sustain lifeand not just take it.

Before you think to take plants from the wild,you should plant and tend some. You need to have arelationship with the area and the plant people.Spend time, sit, talk and listen to them. I do not meanfor five minutes or once a year or once in yourlifetime. You really need to be with them on a regularbasis daily, weekly, or monthly. Watch them throughevery season, every change. Know every plant thatgrows around them and in the area, for these aretheir families. This way you will know who shouldbe around and who is missing. Families are made upof plants that have co-existed from generation togeneration in the same area. The plants support eachother, and together they will create the medicine as a

whole, a family. This differs from the scientific orempirical method of classifying plant families bystems or flower structure. In scientific classificationplants can be family simply by looking similar, yetlive nowhere near each other. Without the family, theplant does not have its complete medicine. Youshould know what weather each plant likes andthrives in, the soil it likes, light and shade conditionsand water sources. Does this plant like a lot of familynearby, or is it shy and quiet and live off to the sideor behind others? Often plants do not even showthemselves because conditions have changed or anarea is being abused. Last year, this certain orchidthat grows in high altitude, alpine conditions, was allover the place. I had not seen that orchid there forseven or eight years because the conditions weren’tright, there had not been enough of a snow pack.Had I not been coming to the area for so long, Iwould not have even known they lived there, or thatthey were back. Eight years is a long time to wait fora friend.

If you regularly visit an area and sit quietly forlong periods, the plant people with show themselvesto you and talk with you. They will not sound like avoice out loud saying, 'Hi, I’m columbine!’ but theydo talk in many ways. You may experience themthrough sound, images of color, or images of animals.You may see an illness, or feel the plant in certainparts of your body. The point is, you have to spendtime with the plants to develop a relationship. Youwill find your own way of communicating withthem.

Once you know an area and have a relationshipwith it, then you can plant native seeds and roots ofthe plant families in that area. You can also spreadseeds, roots and bulbs. To save yourself frustrationand not hurt the plants, you will want to be trainedby someone who knows how to do this. In mostplaces, there are local gardening clubs or plantnurseries that can help you. Be sure and plant whatis part of the medicine family and native to the area.Tend this area for four seasons. After a full year, youhave set yourself to that area forever. You areresponsible for caring for that stand. This will helpyou feel and be a part of nature and not outsidelooking in or always visiting. The land will no longerjust be a place you visit on vacation or when youneed something.

Without growing plants or watching their life

WILDCRAFTING: WHY WE SHOULD NOTA NATIVE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE

by Karyn Sanders



process, you can never fully understand andrealize the sacrifice they are making for your wellbeing and life! It is simple respect ~ give beforeyou take. Just because you are an herbalist ormedicine maker does not mean the plant peoplebelong to you. Quite the opposite! Their medicineis a great gift to us.

Times have changed and the taking of plantsfrom the wild needs to be re-addressed for manyreasons. Herbalists and herb people have to lookat the reality of dwindling and damaged wildareas. So many areas have been devastated byover-harvesting and incorrect harvesting. I havegone to stands that I have planted and tended for20 years and found that someone has harvestedhorribly and in-correctly and half ~in some casesall ~ of the plants are gone. This is a hard fact toabsorb; herbalists and herb people have been andcontinue to be a part of the problem of plantsbecoming endangered or extinct.

American ginseng and goldenseal used to bevery common plants found in the mid-west to thesoutheast. They became very popular withherbalists and the general public and have beenharvested almost to extinction. These are slow-growing sensitive plants that have not made acomeback in the wild but are being successfullycultivated. In the west, osha and lomatium havebeen over-harvested, but both osha and lomatiumare hard plants to cultivate and have not becomereadily available in commerce.

Plants have very specific needs in how theyshould be cut or dug. To cut or dig a plantwithout knowing what you are doing willpossibly kill the plant. Being shown where a plantgrows and learning its medicine is not the sameas knowing how to harvest without hurting orkilling it. For each plant you need to know it'sspecific needs or you are going to be doingnothing but harm. You can so easily damage anarea by not knowing the correct way to harvest orwhether the whole family is healthy so thatsomeone may be harvested. Anytime you go toharvest wild areas you stand a good chance oftaking from an area someone has already beenusing.

Most Native American medicine people that Iknow try and hide their stands and collectingareas, yet stands and areas that have been tendedfor thousands of years have been decimated ordestroyed. Traditional plants are gone or there isnot enough growing to be able to gather.Ceremonial plants, plants absolutely integral andnecessary for ceremonies to be effective, are lostto us. If you are not a Native American medicine

person you should not be harvesting ceremonialplants. Many ceremonial plants have becomepopular outside native culture and are frequentlyharvested, for example, white sage, angelica, andlomatium.

I am calling for a moratorium on harvesting,gathering, and wild crafting. We as herbalistsshould not take any plants from the wild for thenext seven years. There are so few wild areas left,fewer stands and so much less plant diversity.Loss of wild areas to urban sprawl, de-forestation,pollution and over-harvesting by herb peoplehave all been contributors to this loss. I want topromote and encourage wild planting andspreading what is still there. Go out and plant.Help create and sustain healthy areas by puttingnative plants back in their original environments.Many books are available that will tell you how todo this; the forest service often has list of the localnative plants they will let you copy, garden clubsand botanists often know the plants in their areaand of course the local herbalists. Imagine whatplaces would look like if every person involvedwith herbs was planting and tending in the wildfor the next seven years! This is the NativeAmerican way of using the plant people: youplant, spread, tend and sustain.

In addition to this, growing your own herbsand/or buying organically cultivated herbs is avery crucial and viable option. Support smallorganic herb farmers and seed companies. Do notpromote mono cropping of huge amounts ormulti-million dollar companies. Herbs grownwith the right conditions and with their familiesare as healthy and strong as their wild counter-parts. The plant people give their medicinereadily if well grown. Ceremonial plants aredifferent, as their medicine often involves theenergy of the place where they grow as well.Again, if you are not a medicine person youshould not be harvesting ceremonial plants.

We have to start thinking about the reality ofwhat is now, and not what has been. Stop wildcrafting and start wild planting. P

Karyn Sanders has been a practicing herbalist andteacher for 30 years. She has a full time practice as wellas being the head instructor of the Blue Otter School ofHerbal Medicine. She was traditionally trained by herChoctaw grandparents, by other Native Americanteachers,and apprenticed with a Mexican curandera.She has training in Western herbalism as well. Herschool and practice in California have a NativeAmerican constitutional base. Karyn also produces andhosts "The Herbal Highway" on KPFA (94.1 FM).

Winter 2005 | 17

I agree with much of what Karyn says and itwarms my heart to read about someone that is sopassionate about the plants. I too feel thatherbalists need to have a real connection with theplants and get to know them through all theseasons. I feel very strongly about this because it ishow I relate to the plants and it is how I live mylife. I love to tell other people how they ought to dothings, but people who relate to plants in ad i ff e rent way may not agree and may have verygood reasons why.

If I lived and harvested in California and otherplaces where plants really had to struggle o surviveI would think a 7-year moratorium on harvestingwas a good idea. But, where I live in the westernpart of New York state, we have no urban sprawl


And so along with wildcrafting in a sustainableway, we need to be careful on how we pass onthis eons-old skill. Also, most of my wildcraftingis for medicines I prepare for my clients or to sellas tinctures at our local co-op. If I were gathering(and I wouldn’t) on a larger-scale commercialbasis, much of what I write here would bedifferent in the reflection of the damage done bya small-scale wildcrafter compared to a largeoutfit.

In the years that I have been wildcrafting Ihave visited many ecosystems includingNortheast woodlands, boreal forest, Midwestplains, alpine meadows, high and low desert,swamps, fields, abandoned homesteads, vacantlots and organic gardens. Most of these terrainsare being despoiled by humans’ indifference totheir survival and certainly need time to repairand restore themselves. Other ecosystems aremore self-repairing. The reason I mention someof the environments that I gather from is thatwhen discussing wildcrafting, it is important toconsider the individual ecosystems we gatherfrom, as some are much more in need ofprotection then others. The more fragile onesshould just generally be kept free from gatheringand enjoyed for their unique beauty.

I will probably always wildcraft. It is anactivity that I love. And more pertinent for thisarticle, it is a pursuit that brings me closer to theearth. It may be that abstaining from harvestingwould do the same, but there are reasons thatwill keep me in the fields and forests gatheringplants.

One of my favorite lines in Karyn’s article is“As an herbalist, one of the most importantrelationships you need to develop and nurture,is the one between you and the plants.” I havegreat empathy for this notion and believe itshould be a guiding principle for herbalists andthat we should have a personal relationship withas many plants as possible that we use formedicine. For me, that means getting to knowand see the plants where they grow. For plantssuch as calendula, hyssop, and other plantscommonly grown in gardens, this is easy, but forthe myriad other plants that I rely on in mypractice, plants such as silk tassel (Garrya),lobelia or calamus, if I do not gather them, wherewill I get them? Do I trust other folks to gatherthem for me? Some of these plants arecultivatable, but many of these plants could notbe grown in my bioregion, again I would need toenlist others to begin their propagation, and this

would encroach on my relationship with theplants. For me, giving up wildcrafting issomewhat tantamount to giving up treatingpeople as an herbalist. I try to buy as few herbsas possible. The reasons for this would make aseparate lengthy article, but here are a few Iwould include on the short list. I feel itimportant to be able to accurately identify theplant species I use. As a botany geek I see thatthe plants in trade are not always the correctspecies and sometimes the wrong herbaltogether. Plants are so variable in theirindividual constituents that I want to at leastcontrol for the correct species. Unfortunately,many people who gather are not familiar withusing a technical field guide and may gatherclose, or worse, uncommon relatives of a plantspecies, thereby putting a plant at risk. I admireKaryn’s suggestion about purchasing plantsfrom small organic growers, but the conversionof fields into gardens is another disruption ofwhat these lands looked like hundreds of yearsago. I’m not suggesting we stop gardening, I amimplying that all of our actions concerning usingplants as medicines (and food) changes thelandscape around us.

As a wildcrafter, I feel that I get an up-closefeel for the plants and their environment where Iwildcraft them. Any negative impact that I makeis quickly apparent and in this way I learn howto gather more lightly. When I wildcraft (alongwith many others whom I’ve had the pleasure towildcraft with) I relish the time. Wildcrafting isnot only the satisfaction of gathering plants formedicine, it is also getting to know ecosystemsand just watching and being aware of theenvironment. I do not gather from any pristineenvironments (unfortunately there are few left),this is anathema to ethical wildcrafting protocols.But in the many disturbed pieces of land that areon a constant rise, I feel that I am not disturbingan area that has already been mucked-up. I stilldo not want to tamper harshly with theseenvirons, but these plants have learned to adaptto the ways of humans and their lack of plantconsciousness.

There is also a much bigger picture here atstake. I wholeheartedly agree with Karyn thatwildcrafters should make a relationship with theplants that they gather, and practice principledand compassionate plant-gathering ethics. Butthe majority of the damage to our ecosystemscomes from other sources. These include theoverzealous and injudicious land harm caused

Winter 2005 | 19

by developers, logging companies and‘technology parks’. I believe we can play anactive role in preventing wholesale destructionof the earth. I believe that we as herbalists andwildcrafters should be activists and takewhatever actions we feel called to, to try andhalt the creation of this savage terrain. Otherways would be to limit our use of cars,electricity, and other non-renewable energyresources. And eat local foods. At gut level,wildcrafting helps me have a betterunderstanding of my surroundings. Aftergathering plants such as skullcap, year afteryear from the same spot, I get to see theenvironments’ ebb and flow and adjust mygathering commensally.

This next notion is something I grappledwhether I should comment on or not, but heregoes. Karyn writes of her Native Americanblood and their relationship with the earth andits inhabitants. Fair enough, I commend herdirection in helping others see how we too canbe in harmony with our surroundings. But thereseems to be an implication that other groupsmay not have the wherewithal to also knowhow to interact with our environment. To me, itis not a matter of what race we belong to, butrather the individual actions that each one of ustakes. And which group of people do not atleast previously have a relationship with plants?All of us harken ancestrally back to the dayswhen our lives were obviously dependent onplants (as they still are, think oxygen and food).And so when Karyn asks us not harvestceremonial plants unless we are NativeAmerican, it disturbs me as I too enjoy thefragrance of white sage and cedar. And for asecond round of disclosure I am a white, Jewish(non-practicing, but it is my culturalupbringing) male from Long Island, NY. Itseems I would be left out of the plant-gatheringloop. And yet, I love plants. I wish to protectplants. Their beauty and complexities help keeplife on earth sane.

In order for us to protect the plants that bothKaryn and I love I would propose gathering ourown medicine. Not haphazardly but bywatching patiently the cycles of the plants andlearning how to do least harm. We should beable to make accurate species identification andlearn which plants are in need of our support.We should study from knowledgeable peopleand learn how to not add undue stress onto analready taxed environment. We could learn to

rely less on others (particularly largecompanies) to gather our herbs for medicinesand make an effort to see the plants we use intheir natural habitats to see if they arethreatened in any way. We could become activein ways to help stop land destruction. We canconsider ways to do less harm in our daily lives.

I feel kindred to Karyn in many ways andthis response is more an addition rather than asubtraction of her ideas. I hope all of us in theherbal community continually deepen ourrelationship to the plants.P

7Song lives in Ithaca, NY where he is the director and mainteacher at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. Hehas been perusing his non-fatal attraction to plants for aslong as he can remember. 7Song has spent a lot of the last 23years searching and wildcrafting plants for his practicethroughout the United States and feels that wildcrafting andbeing an herbalist is “the shit” (in his words).

• Herbalists sharing theirextensive experience withusing and growing A t - R i s kherbs

• Suggestions for cre a t i n gyour own private herbals a n c t u a r y

• Color photos of 30medicinal plants

• Mail order resources forhard-to-find seeds

• Suggestions for makingeco-friendly purchasesand using other herbswith similar actions asalternatives

PLANTING THE FUTUREEdited by Rosemary Gladstar & Pamela Hirsch

Land stewardship, habitat protection, and sustainablecultivation are of critical importance to ensure an

abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for futuregenerations. This book will supply you with valuable

information including:

Selected by the Vermont Book ProfessionalAssociation as one of the Twelve Best Books of 2000

by Vermont Publishers!

Send $25.50 (includes s/h) to: UpS • Po Box 400 • E. Barre • VT • 05649


Like all businesses, ‘nonprofits’ have to‘make ends meet’. It’s also understood thatrecent years have been hard on charitablegiving, as UpS has been reporting. A recentstudy of over 4000 nonprofit organizations byGuidestar, the national data base of nonprofitorganizations showed 2004 bringing slight relieffrom economic hard times. However, most ofthis was experienced by very largeorganizations with budgets of over $500,000.Smaller nonprofits like UpS are still strugglingwhen it comes to ‘donations’. Interestingly,throughout the last tough years, ourmembership has remained strong and increasedthis year! We have new BSN members this yearas well. So the need and the interest in UpS arethere ~ our members are with us ~ but everyoneis feeling the economic crunch.

It’s hard to write a financial report beforeyear end, as this is the time of year many peoplegive charitably and we still hope to end in theblack. Approaching year end, our budget linesare all under, as we have continued to keepexpenses down, but we are not yet breakingeven. One surprise this year was the response toour Plant Give-Aways, with over 400 membersrequesting live plants and seeds – that’s morethan 4,000 little plant babies that have foundnew homes! This program is a member benefitand does not ‘pay for itself’, but we feel stronglyabout planting At-Risk herbs (see great articlethis Journal). Also, we’re pleased that in spite ofour lean year, we were still able to give about$1,500 in Community grants.

We are ever-grateful to the donations thathave come to us from our Board, who continuesto give their time and financial support, andfrom large donors Dennis Wiancko /JacksonHole Community Foundation, Wheeler FamilyTrust, The Gross’s, The Harveys, and CarolePittelman who gave generously this year. We arealso grateful that both new and long-timecompany/organization friends: Women’s HerbalConference, Sage Mountain, California School ofHerbal Studies, Frontier, Garden Continuum,Herb Pharm, Homeland Garden, Mountain RoseHerbs, Starwest, Traditional Medicinals andQuantum have renewed memberships and/or

given donations. To Herb Pharm, who extendedtheir lab services for our grant testing (MattBernart’s expertise) and continues to do ourgraphic work (Liz Butler’s talent anddedication), Sage Mountain (RosemaryGladstar’s eternal blessings on UpS), PaulStrauss/Equinox Botanicals for work with hisinterns on our Sanctuary, and American HerbalProducts Association we extend our thanks fortheir valuable in-kind support. We will continueto reach out to the herb industry to buildalliances with herb companies who embrace ourmission and are hoping to build a strongcorporate membership in 2005.

The Aveda Earth Month partnershipprogram will be an exciting fund-raiser for UpSand the 24 other nonprofits who will engagewith salons and customers in April 2005. Withour office in Vermont transitioned and stronglystaffed, there will be less internal changes andwe hope to make 2005 a year of increased fund-raising, stable and efficient programmanagement and more frequent membercommunications. We have missed being able tomail more good news to our faithful anddedicated members and our veteran editorNancy Scarzello vows to flood us with valuableeducational herb/UpS news. So, it’s been a fewyears of calling the wagons into the circle toregroup, and now its time to head out again,with strong and solid feet ever rooted in ourprecious soil. For all members who have stayedwith us and new members joining, we thankyou from our green hearts to yours! P

SMALL NONPROFITS STILL “AT-RISK”2004 FINANCIAL REPORT

by Lynda LeMole

All UpS members receive free of charge a Nursery& Bulk Herb Directory which lists sources for

cultivated live plants and seeds of At-Risk nativemedicinals and fresh, dried harvested medicinal At-Risk herbs. Herb and plant suppliers: Send us your

info for listing. Non-members: send Directoryrequest and $2 to our VT office.

Nursery & Bulk Herb DirectoryPO Box 400

E. Barre, VT 05649Ph. (802)479-9825 Fax (802)476-3722

NURSERY & BULK HERBDIRECTORY UPDATE

Winter 2005 | 21

Elecampane plants growing in a gentle arcon the perimeter of the herb circle held out theirdog tongue leaves, seeming to lap at the finewater spraying out of the gravity-fed sprinklers.Having expanded our medicinal garden toabout a hundred species, we were activelybenefiting by living in the midst of plantdiversity, watching the interplay of butterfliesand blossoms, listening to the buzz of myriadnative pollinators on the fennel, eating burdockroots for dinner, and drying the elecampaneroots to make tea for alleviating the inevitablecoughs of the cold season ahead. That summerwe worked happily, cultivating between theplants and spreading composted manure fromthe goat barn while watching the elecampaneoffer up its sunny blossoms to the southernOregon sun. Being seed-savers, when the rayflowers shriveled in the drying breezes ofAugust, we were soon busy collecting the seed-laden pappus. But we did not collect all of theseed—some was eaten by goldfinches, andsome blew away. The next spring, I noticed afamiliar dog tongued elecampane seedlingemerging in the part shade in the moist, fertilesoil next to the foundation of our yurt. Theplant grew enormously, with leaves and flowersalmost twice the size of those growing in thefull sun, producing in time a root of magnificentproportions and highly acclaimed medicinality.One of the main principles of natural growingtechniques had been clearly elucidated: theplants know best where to grow, and given theright conditions, they will eventually gravitatethere—humans or no.

If the principle of “gravitating to the rightspot” holds true for a robust and forgiving plantsuch as elecampane, then this plant habit maybe even more pronounced among our moredelicate at-risk species that require very specificconditions of soil and shade for optimal health.For instance, I’ve always noticed that bloodrootreproduces and grows most reliably when fresh,mature seed drops naturally (or with a little

human flinging involved) onto perfectlyreceptive soil. Such soil can be characterized asa well-drained loam already harboringbloodroot and other mixed herbaceousunderstory species, covered by a layer of mulch

containing fungal mycelia. Gibberellic acid isproduced when fungi decompose, andbloodroot seed requires this growth hormone inorder to sprout. Direct-seeding in this manner isin my experience the most reliable method ofestablishing or increasing a stand of bloodroot—the same method by which the plant spreadsitself in nature.

Another At-Risk plant that moves inaccordance to environment is goldenseal.Patches of goldenseal in the woods alterposition, size and vigor in relation to expansionand diminution of the forest canopy. I will never

forget one of my earliest experiences withgoldenseal in the wild. My friend Charlieand I had been walking through denseforest, finding natural stands ofgoldenseal and black cohosh growing in

swales among the trees, when suddenly webroke out into a cultivated field. Charlie pointedto the side, and there at the edge of the forest, ina position receptive to the full rays of themorning sun but otherwise shaded, was a patchof goldenseal that was beautiful to behold. Eachslightly hairy, curving stalk held up a platter-sized leaf bearing a plump red berry. We bothstood in awe.

FREEING UP THE MEDICINEby Richo Cech

...the plants know best where to grow, andgiven the right conditions, they will eventually

continued on page 24

Local Williams, OR connoisseurs test the local Tulsi


The first time I walked this land I could hearthe footsteps and feel the heartbeat of theancient ones. It truly is an amazing feeling tohave my hands in the dirt, planting these roots into the Earth.Ancestral Spirits MedicineTrail is nestled in thewoodlands of TheLonghaul Farm, inHolderness, New Hampshire. I am verythankful that the caretakersof this land, Lorri Downs,and H.O. Lenentine werekind enough to allow methe freedom, and blessingsto create this sacred placeon their land. The LonghaulFarm is a working organicfarm, and garden center.The trail will be a place forvisitors to explore, learn about At-Risk medicinalplants, and be with nature.

The experience of planting the MedicineTrail has been truly amazing. It began in Julywhen we had a trail work day, hoping to getcommunity members interested in helping outwith this project.

We worked on getting the trail ready forplanting. Projects included clearing brush andfallen trees, and building bridges in the placeswhere the trail crosses the stream. It brought atrue sense of community and positive energyinto the project. We were also blessed with thepresence of the medicine bag, which our fourlegged friends spent most of their day lyingunderneath. It was a magical and healing day.

I held a planting workshop on August 22,where we talked about native At-Risk plants,and re-introduced 7 plant species to thewoodlands at the Longhaul Farm. Those plantedwere bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), blackcohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), blue cohosh(Caulophyllum thalactroides), American ginseng(Panax quinquefolius), goldenseal (Hydrastiscanadensis), maidenhair fern, and wild ginger

(Asarum canadense). From research I have done,and observations in the wild, I have tried tocreate as natural an environment as possible,creating symbiotic plant communities where

companions can thrive.Plants were grown byMelanie and Jeff Carpenterat Zack Woods Herb Farm,Hyde Park, VT, and VanBerkum Nurseries,Deerfield, NH. As autumnsets in, they are nestlinginto the earth, giving theenergy back to their roots. Iam currently working onpainting signs for the trailthat will identify eachplant, and give informationabout the medicinal uses ofeach.

Thanks to Kurt Campbell,Lorri Downs and H.O. Lenentine for thedonation of the lumber for the bridges as well asto the kindhearted community members whowillingly helped to complete all of the projects. Igive many, many thanks to United Plant Saversfor giving me the inspiration to take part inplanting the future, and for granting us fundsfor this project. I also thank the plants forguiding me on this medicine walk. Peace andHarmony!!! P

ANCESTRAL SPIRITS NATIVEMEDICINAL PLANT TRAIL

by Alexis Katchmar

Alexis planting the medicine trail

UPS GRANT REPORTS

United Plant Savers has a fund designatedfor community planting projects. UpS

guidelines require that the project haveeducational merit and that the land

proposed for planting be protected either byindividual ownership, or be a part of aschool or park system. For application

information please write to:

UpS Community Planting Fund Guidelines, PO Box 400, E. Barre, VT 05649

FUNDS AVAILABLE FORCO M M U N I T Y PL A N T I N G PR O J E C T S

Winter 2005 | 23

WI L D F L O W E R MO N T E S S O R IS C H O O L

We would like to thank you for giving us theopportunity to have a community garden at theOld Stone House Museum in Brownington, VT.T h e re was an entrance in the middle of the fro n tof the 100’ x 100’ garden with roses, nasturtiumsand lemon grass artfully placed on either side.F rom the lemon grass on, there were red petunias,orange and yellow calendula, yellow violets ~ allthe colors of the rainbow radiating out on eitherside of the entrance, with a backdrop ofchamomile. We made tea from the chamomile,sun-infused the calendula, ate the violets andpansies in salads and saved seeds from all. Weg rew purple, red and green peppers along withgrapes, cantaloupes and strawberries. The wholeback edge of the garden was planted with beansand pumpkins that grew huge! The herb gard e nalso included pineapple sage, spilanthes, mallow,o regano, parsley and borage blossoms that wepicked and ate. The basil was companion plantedwith plum and cherry tomatoes. We had thre ed i ff e rent kinds of lettuce, Swiss chard, yellowsquash, purple Viking, and blue and red potatoes.We donated potatoes to a local nursing home andreceived a nice thank you card saying they hadmade a wonderful stew with them. We wondere dif the folks in the nursing home had ever seenblue and pink and purple potatoes before!

Our donations also included the Old StoneHouse Museum whom we gave some peppersand cucumbers. When the museum had their" Time Travelers Summer Camp" I gave thec h i l d ren involved in the sheep’s wool andspinning demonstrations a tour of the gard e nhighlighting the dye garden that was designedlike a maze, the outer edge planted in twovarieties of amaranth and sunflowers. All theseeds used in our project were from HighMowing Seeds, a local, organic, bio-dynamic seeds u p p l i e r. The plants and seeds were all plantedbio-dynamically and were grown org a n i c a l l y. Inaddition to the grant from United Plant Savers,this garden was grown in partnership with a 4HG rowing Connections grant. The garden was ahuge success! There were fourteen children andsix adults who participated in this project ~ a verymemorable experience for everyone involved.

Our thanks again to United Plant Savers formaking it all possible! P

~ Michele Wi l d f l o w e r, the students at the Wi l d f l o w e rMontessori School & The Barton Girl Scout Tro o p

LI N C O L N CO M M U N I T YHE R B PR O J E C T

Lincoln Community Herb Project (LCHP)began as a vision I had one summer morning inMaine while talking with herbalist Deb Soule. A sshe spoke of community herbalism, I had theimage of a field of medicinal herbs growing onconservation land in my town, Lincoln, MA.F rom that moment, the image rapidly evolvedinto a community of people growing and learningabout medicinal herbs as part of a nonpro f i t ,volunteer org a n i z a t i o n .

The following summer (1999) we had ourfield! The Conservation Commission in Lincolna p p roved our proposal and leased us a 2.5 a c re former hay field. We began by creating alabyrinth-design display garden, with a samplingof about 30 herbs, and by establishing a 1/2 acrec rop area which was planted in cover crop for thefirst summer.

The following spring, we established beds ofy a r ro w, calendula, echinacea purpurea, butterflyweed, skullcap, lemon balm, mullein, St. John'sWort, chamomile, monarda fistulosa, oats, garlicand blue vervain. We purchased and planted 45black cohosh roots. In the fall of the same year,UpS gave us a community grant to plant 60 additional black cohosh. All of them thrived onthe good soil, sun and tender loving care theyreceived from volunteers.

Because the field had lain fallow for severalyears prior to our use, we easily qualified foro rganic certification by NOFA Mass. For three summers we harvested, dried and sold certifiedo rganic herbs to herbalists in the New Englanda rea. We presented classes on growing, making,and using herbal medicines. We raised moneyt h rough memberships, plant sales, classes andd o n a t i o n s .

In the fall of 2002, my husband Hugo and Imoved to central Vermont and LCHP d i s b a n d e d .The remaining LCHP folks tried for a year tof i g u re out a way to continue the project, but try asthey might, the project closed.

It was important to me to find homes for asmany of the plants as we could, especially theblack cohosh plants that we had acquired thro u g hthe UpS grant. With the blessing of members ofthe UpS board, I searched out and found placesw h e re the plants would be preserved andavailable for public viewing, in display gard e n sor educational pro g r a m s .



I realized that it was the specific light conditionsof this spot which had encouraged such bounty.

After this early initiation into goldenseal,there ensued many years of investigation,starting with growing the plant from rhizomecuttings in the dappled shade on my Oregonfarm, progressing to unlocking the secrets ofgrowing the plant from seed. A primary questionthat needed answering was, “Can cultivatedgoldenseal equal the quality and effectiveness ofgoldenseal harvested from the wild?” To answerthis question I ended up not in my garden boots,but in the lab, where many samples of wild andcultivated goldenseal from across the US andCanada were analyzed for total alkaloid content.

A picture began to emerge: there was lots ofvariation in alkaloid content between wild plantsfrom different regions of Appalachia, and therewas even substantial variation betweenindividual plants from a given wild patch. Butmuch to my relief, we also found that the largerroots of cultivated plants grown in good soilunder shade were in many cases higher in activealkaloids than plants taken from the wild!

Clearly, it matters where plants grow. I thinkthat the “hands-on” way of relating to plants incultivation might benefit from occasional periodsof “hands-off,” giving plants the space they needto demonstrate their own wisdom through selfregeneration and relocation. In this case, all usgardeners need to do is sit back and watch todetermine where our next efforts will be mostfruitful. And, I think you’ll be glad to hear thattoo much weeding is contraindicated, lest weoverly interrupt those patterns of naturalregeneration. My advice to gardeners is to let atleast a few of each kind of plant gounharvested—let them go to seed. To observethese plants completing their cycles on the farmwill give valuable insight into how ourgardening can merge with nature. This is a pieceof the plant wisdom that keeps the earth green. P

Copyright 2004, Richard A. (Richo) CechRicho has been a UpS Board/Advisory member 'sincethe beginning'. He is co-owner of Horizon Herbs whosupplies the seeds for our Give-Aways, author of"Growing At-Risk Medicinal Herbs" as well as manyother articles and booklets about growing, harvestingand using medicinals.

In September of 2002 we had a closing circle,attended by many of our friends and supporters.Many of the hundreds of medicinal plants that we had grown went home with those who hadnurtured them. The 105 black cohosh plantsreceived careful attention. Space does not allowme to list the various places around NewEndland that these well cared-for plants nowreside.

When LCHP closed its books, we had $2222remaining, which we donated to UpS. For threeyears we worked hard, learned a lot, and had thegood fortune to be able to give back to UpS.

Thank you, United Plant Savers, for havingenough faith in our project to invest in it.

~ Cynthia Liepmann

(And UpS thanks the Lincoln Community HerbProject for giving back !!) P

UN I T E D PL A N T SA V E R S’ PO S T E R

If you listen, they will teach you.17”x23” black and green etching by Kevin Morgan

$10.00 (includes shipping)

Send check or money order to:UpS • PO Box 400 • E. Barre • VT • 05649

Freeing Up the Medicine continued from page 17 Lincoln Grant Reoprt continued from previous page

"Unknowingly, we plough the dust of stars,blown around us by the wind, and drink theuniverse in a glass of rain."

~ Ihab Hassah

Winter 2005 | 25

I am always fascinated by the explosion of life atthis time of year ~ flowering trees, shrubs andwildflowers, baby birds, animals, and wetlandcreatures too numerous to comprehend. Everybeing, every thing, functioning in it’s owningenious cycle. There are an infinite number ofthese cycles occurring every second, from thereproductive ones of plants and animals all theway down to the nutrient, mineral, chemical,and electrical ones too small for the naked eye tosee. Thinking about the way so many cyclesintertwine, functioning separately, but alsoworking together so that life can exist alwaysbrings me back to my favorite quote by Einstein.Someone once asked him what his most burningdesire was and he said, "I want to know howGod thinks." So do I.

We, as a species, are incredibly arrogant.Often we will scratch the surface of somethingand believe we understand it, we givesomething a name and believe we know it. Weare all guilty of this way of thinking. Look outyour window at the nearest oak or pine tree. You"know" what it is. Somewhere along the line youlearned its name, but what do you really knowabout its true self or spirit? Can you name thefoods or medicines produced by either tree?What kinds of birds, insects, animals, lichens ormoss can be found around them or depends onthem? Their presence tells us about the soils andwater beneath them, their branches about thelocal weather. Can you close your eyes andpicture the texture of their bark, or dig back intothe deep recesses of your mind and recall thedistinct smell of their wood?

To those questions I realize many peoplewould say, "who cares?" Such trivia no longerseems to fit into our fast-paced suburbanlifestyle. But is it really trivial and if so, whatdoes that say about our society?

Attend a few Conservation Commissionmeetings and you’ll get to hear sleazy lawyersrepresenting greedy developers who hirearrogant engineers claiming they can fill inwetlands and replicate them somewhere else,like they have the slightest understanding of thetrue dynamics involved ~ all for the sake of themighty buck. The bothersome thing is that this ishappening state and nationwide, and I can’t helpbut wonder at what point the environment willstart collapsing in on itself.

Nature is an incredible work of art, eachpiece of the mystery we uncover reveals severalmore to challenge our understanding. If youlook around now at the unfurling leaves of ourtrees and shrubs you might think that it is justpart of the program, it happens every year."Science" says it is due to many factors: correcttemperature, movement of water, nutrients andminerals throughout the tree, and a higher sunto provide an energy boost. Mix them togetherwith a few other more complicated ingredientsand voila!Spring!

Was it reallythat easy? Hereis where a bit ofthat arrogance Ireferred toearlier maycome in. Amultitude ofstudies havebeen doneexposing plants to various forms of music. Thebest reaction plants had was to (you may haveguessed) classical music. Of all the classicswhich do you suppose they thrived on? Theanswer: "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi. Which ofthe four seasons did they respond best to?"Spring", of course.

When they started breaking down the musicand instrumentation in the Spring Concerto, itturned out that many of the sounds, patterns,rhythm and pitch of the music mimic birdsong!More involved studies have shown that cellgrowth, leaf development and flower bloom ofthe plants is proportional to the type andamount of birdsong!

So what is the bottom line? I don’t know,maybe the more we learn, the less we know.Possibly it’s Nature’s way of saying to us to"slow down and stay humble." Maybe weshould rekindle the mindset of the Nativepeople here before us and think about how ouractions will effect the next seven generations.Have you ever stopped to wonder what it isreally all about? P

Marc Connelly is a writer and teacher of EarthCeremonies and Awareness joyfully living in thewildlands of his heart in Holliston Massachussetts.

SPRING OBSERVATIONSby Marc Connelly

Trillium flower: photo ©Liz Butler


United Plant Savers’ vision is to see UpS Botanical Sanctuaries established in people’s backyards, farmsand woodlands, creating a living greenway of native medicinal plants across the landscape of America. Asanctuary isn’t defined by size or magnitude, but as sacred space, a place where one can find protection andthe peace and renewal of nature. Nor is a sanctuary necessarily designated or defined by governmentagencies or large organizations, though often we think of it as such. We can all create sanctuary on the landwe care-take. As our Sanctuary Members are demonstrating, Botanical Sanctuaries can be created in smallbackyards as well as on large plots of wilderness, in towns as well as in the country. As you well know, ittakes attitude, willingness, and a desire to transform the way we value land, our assumptions about land use,and the way we design our gardens and farms. If we want to preserve wilderness and the wild populationsthat thrive there, we can’t look to others to do it for us. We need to be willing to actively participate in thepreservation and restoration effort, and as good a place to start as any, is in our backyards. And that is whatyou’re doing. That is what the Sanctuary Network program is about.

Thank you to all Botancial Sanctuary Network members for being part of this vision and for your effortsto help preserve and restore the native landscape and our treasured medicinal herbs.

~Nancy Scarzello, BSN Coordinator

UPS BOTANICAL SANCTUARY NETWORK

MEET SOME OF OUR NEW SANCTUARY MEMBERS!

Yesterday was the Autumnal Equinox andthe day whispered of the ripeness all around. Thesun warmed, the winds cooled, and the green -more ambers and ochres now - waved anddanced to the rhythm of the new season. I lovethis time of year. It is a pleasure to peer out myfront window at the plantedprairie and think back on what anincredible year it has been. Larry and I planted this 1/2 acreplot three years ago with highhopes, a few friends and a littledrumming and dancing toestablish a bit of land back to itsoriginal, natural state. We liveabout three miles outside of asmall mid-western town on apiece of land a little over 2 acres insize. Surrounded by trees andhills, this area has always had anair of sanctuary about it. Toorocky and hilly to do muchfarming, and with the river justaround the bend, it’s quitepeaceful and beautiful, even withthe well used road runningthrough it.

We kept the prairie areamowed the first summer. The

following spring, a prairie burn was an abysmalfailure, but comical (we were poised and readywith our hoses to contain the blaze - whichturned out to be a flicker and a wisp of smoke).After a couple years of weedy chaos, this pastspring (2004) we had a successful burn. Iremember Matthias Reisen remarking that a fire isa plant releasing its energy and, wow, is that evertrue! Alive and beautiful, breathing, crawling,blazing with song and dance, that fire was a sightto behold... and the prairie flourished with

grasses and flowers, birdsand critters this summer.

This little BotanicalSanctuary that we call homeis more than just therestored prairie, though. Wehave medicinal herbs bothplanted and growing ontheir own accord all aroundthe property. With bothopen spaces and woods,many varieties of plantsmake their home here. I lookforward to bringing groupsof people out to enjoy theplants and learn about theiruses and needs. As peopleremember their roots on thisearth, I believe they will beinspired to be in goodrelation to their home and

the rest of its inhabitants. P

THE WELLSPRING VALLEY

Winterset, IA

Sanctuary Stewards: Linda & Larry Kirkland

Restored Wellspring Valley praire after the burn

Winter 2005 | 27

We are pleased to announce that our 40 acresof land in northern Wisconsin has been added asa UpS Botanical Sanctuary this year, creating onemore niche of sacred ecological protection. TheCenter For Healing Arts Herb & Eco-Schoolrelocated its main teaching space to this locationnearly 4 years ago. It is a beautiful ecologicallydiverse area which is a neighbor to the NationalIce Age Trail (Chippewa Moraine) in Wisconsin.Many exciting plants and projects have beengerminating throughout this phase and in 2004they began to bud and bloom:

• Herb walks and workshops in the woodlands, wetlands, bogs and open meadows.• Another special portion of our program is "MI-ZI-ZAK" Kayaks…featuring introductory recreational kayaking and our fantastic "Plants & Paddling" trips, as well as bog walks. • Kayak and plant trips highlighting the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources environmental study on Lower Long Lake where 7 sensitive wildlife areas were visited• The Plant Identification Checklist was designed by Sara Krueger and myself as a botanical educational tool for herb students and sanctuary visitors. (May be ordered from us by sending $3.50; 29588 State Rd. 40, New Auburn, WI 54757)• Much trail work! The Woodland Trail, Children’s Peeper Pond Trail and the new

Moon Lodge Trail, which will be serving as some of our primary UpS Native Medicine Plant Trails highlighting 30-50 plant species along each.• The Children’s Plant Program being initiated by Miranda Plahn for 2005.• Autumn At-Risk plantings of goldenseal, black cohosh, and wild ginger along the Native Medicine Trail.• Greenhouse, seed saving and plant rescues have been coordinated by Carli Sanders, the school’s herb students and myself.• The foundations and poles have been set forthe Tamarack tipi for visitors and the Women’s Moon Lodge…more sanctuary and retreat niches!

Soon we will have beautiful winter in thenorthland…a time to snow shoe, ski, sauna,contemplate, commune with Plant SpiritMedicines and this sacred sanctuary.

Now it is time to go prepare more herbs andcords of wood for the sauna…P

Our 10 acre organic herb farm andwoodlands, located in the mountains of centralPennsylvania, was given to us about two decadesago as a gift of love from Jack's parents. Over thepast decade, we built a log cabin and a lifetogether farming organically grown herbs andgarlic, teaching classes about herbs and theirmany uses, and discovering the abundance ofplants and wildlife that are now so much a partof our own personal sanctuary.

Many native medicinal plants are growinghere, such as, blue and black cohosh, collinsoniaroot, mayapple, joe pye, mullein, boneset, nettles,chickweed, yarrow, cleavers, red raspberry leaf,spice bush, to name a few. As members of UpS,we learned about the endangered herbs and arereplanting some that once grew in ourwoodlands, such as goldenseal, Americanginseng, and bloodroot. We are also working atnaturalizing more black and blue cohosh, andalong the edge of the forest, we planted somewild yam. All of the slippery elms havesuccumbed to Dutch elm disease so we aresowing seeds and planting seedlings to assist inthe future survival of this versatile healing tree.

THE CENTER FOR HEALING ARTS

Long Lake, WI

Sanctuary Stewards: Gigi Stafne & Tijhe Fire w e e d

LYNNWOOD HERB FARM

Lykens,PASanctuary Stewards: Jack & Lynn Shiley

Identifying plants at Center for Healing Arts


You ask what makes our land special. I stoodon the back porch mid morning, and felt a peacecome over me as my senses delighted in the lushgreen womanly curves of the mountains beforeme. In the background, I heard a subtle yetdistinct splashing of water over rocks and fallentrees from the Black Creek nearby. The birds - somany of them - cardinals, red wing black birds,yellow and purple finches, PA eastern blue birdsand mountain blue birds, and blue buntings -singing and courting each other among the treesand bushes. Also, out of the corner of my eye, Icaught the flickering of a swallowtail butterflyas she made her way over the blossoms in theherb garden.

As herbalists and organic farmers/gardeners, each year we offer classes on avariety of related subjects, such as, HerbalMedicine Making, Organic Herb Gardening,Growing and Using Garlic, Safe and Easy HerbalHome Remedies, Harvesting, Drying andPreserving Herbs and Aromatherapy and the Useof Essential Oils. Herb walks are also a part of theeducational classes here. We are educatingindividuals on how to create botanicalsanctuaries of their own and about United PlantSavers. We are also clearing a path for a medicinetrail with signs for educating children andindividuals of all age groups.

We are currently discussing with Penn StateUniversity, School of Forest Resources, how ourprivate woodlands can be a part of the PA NativeGinseng Conservation and Propagation Program(PAGCAPP). By replanting native ginseng in ourwoodlands, we would be assisting in therestoration of wild populations of PA ginsengseed for planting stock. We will also be applyingfor a farm research grant from Northeast SARE toassist in this project.

Apart from being genetically predisposed

(smile) to digging in the dirt and planting herbsand flowers, we have a strong commitment torestore and strengthen the integrity of the naturalcycle upon which we, the plants, and animals areso dependent. Part of this commitment is to offera safe and sacred place for individuals to gatherand learn about how to become a part of thiswork. Our goal is to inspire others and to create acorridor of native landscapes to protectendangered plants and wildlife. Being a part ofthe UpS Botanical Sanctuary Network will helpus realize our commitment. P

We have named our land Medicine Creek, fornot only are there wonderful healing plants of theGreen Nations everywhere but there is also asacred feeling of calm and serenity throughoutthe ten acres. We know that we were shown theway to this wonderful haven to nurture it back tohow it once was when our ancestors lived uponthis small section of our Mother Earth. There arelegends to tell about the ones that walked uponthis land ~ the Legend of the Red Tree Spirit thatcomes from a fallen Redwood Giant that isslowly going back into the Earth is one.This venture is a lifetime dream. Medicine trailshave been laid out by listening to the voices ofthe plants speaking to us, giving direction andguiding this simple two-legged to where eachmedicine should know a new home. At this timethere is wild ginger, spikenard, black cohosh,goldenseal, angelica, and a wild rose garden.Growing in other areas are plants of sacred whitesage, tobacco, sweet grass, comfrey and manyothers.

We are in the process of acquiring a non-profit status in the name of Medicine CreekBotanical and Spiritual Sanctuary as we give titleto our goals and everyday endeavors. Plans forthe future include monthly healing ceremonies,herb walks, group tours and speakers on severalrelated topics. With acquiring non-profit status, itis our long-term goal that this land and itsbuildings be held in trust to continue this work ofWalking in Balance upon the Beauty of ourMother Earth.P

MEDICINE CREEKLaytonville, CA

Sanctuary Stewards: Tonya Whitedeer & ThreeCrows Cargill

Lynnwood Herb Farm workshop

Winter 2005 | 29

Shawangunk (pronounced Shongum inAlgonquin), a mountain range 90 miles north ofNew York City, translates to "near and high placewhere you go south", directed Native Americanstraveling between the Appalachian Mountains tothe Hudson River Valley. We decided to use thedirections of the earth and these mountainsbehind our farm as our guide as well.

Enveloped by the Shawangunk Ridge on thenorth and the Hudson Highlands on the south,we have created a small family farm where weraise our three (soon to be four) homeschooledchildren, Icelandic sheep, Toggenburg goats,ducks, chickens, a horse and angora rabbits. Eventhough farms in our area are being sold anddeveloped quicker than any of us ever imagined,I feel a strong calling for a lifestyle that isconnected to the earth, seasons, the sun, thecircles of life, family, animals, wildlife,community and plants. We have been able tofulfill that dream and my Ukrainian mother wholives across the street with her Russian husbandhelp make it a cross-cultural, three-generationalhaven. Some of the work that we have done is toput in nesting boxes for bluebirds, and they havebeen a success. The goats and sheep have clearedfields of purple loosestrife thus giving room tonative plant species and grasses. Ponds providehomes for muskrats, migrating geese, many frogsand toads, wild turkeys roost up in the woods atnight. We offer herbal, soap/cheesemaking, andfiber classes on our land for both children andadults. Families from our homeschooling groupand community have come out to prepare andseed large areas of echinacea, ginseng, and blackcohosh and will continue to join us for plantingslippery elm, trillium, goldenseal, bloodroot andother endangered plants this year. Children arean important part of our farm and we providedifferent activities and welcome them to visit theanimals, learn about the earth and help withplanting.

Wild growing gifts that we have found hereare ragwort, agrimony, poke, honeysuckle, ediblemushrooms, goldenrod, elm, hickory, dogwood,lichens, grapes and wild yam. I am also an

herbalist and make herbal products togetherwith the children to sell at local farm marketsand at our farmstand. The herbal creams aremade from oils infused from plants that growhere. This is our first year living on the land after

completing our log home. Our farmhouse alsoincludes a 900sq ft. community room for

gatherings, recitals, drum circles, dance and fiberevents. Coming from a Ukrainian background Ifeel best barefoot and living close to the landpicking fruit from trees and gathering eggs fromour own hens. I feel my kids are lucky to stillhave a life that is some ways considered simpleeven though we all have to work hard as afamily. Spending 10 years of my childhood livingin Europe, I was able to travel to remote villagesand realize what is important for me. I actuallylonged for theconnectednessthe peoplehad with theland andrealized howlost I wasliving in acity. I finallyfeel I havethat in myown life.

This is ourfirst year living on the land after completing ourlog home containing a studio/workshop wherewe make goatmilk soaps, herbal products, dyewool, and hold classes. Our farmhouse alsoincludes a 900sq ft. community room forgatherings, recitals, drum circles, dance and fiberevents. Coming from a Ukrainian background Ifeel best barefoot and living close to the landpicking fruit from trees and gathering eggs fromour own hens. I feel my kids are lucky to stillhave a life that is some ways considered simpleeven though we all have to work hard as afamily. They help as I shear the sheep to makeclothing for them, they train, milk, and take careof the animals. Spending 10 years of mychildhood living in Europe, I was able to travel toremote villages and realize what is important forme. I actually longed for the connectedness thepeople had with the land and realized how lost Iwas living in a city. I finally feel I have that in myown life and I hope my children agree. Plantshelp me root myself on this planet. P

SHAWANGUNK RIDGE FARMNew Paltz, N.Y.

Sanctuary Stewards: Halyna Shepko & Richard Hamilton; with their children Roxolyana,

Zoya, and Stefan.

Sanctuary Stewards of Shawangunk Farm


Dragonfly Medicinals is located on 3.5 acreson Vashon Island in Washington State, a shortferry ride away from Seattle. I have lived onVashon Island for 6 years and in WashingtonState for 29 years. 20 months ago, I purchasedthe home/office and 3.5 acres where I amcurrently growing medicinal herbs.

While I have been making and sellingmedicinal herb tinctures and oils for over 6years, I have spent the last 20 months plantingherbs and working on other sustainabilityprojects here. I now have small numbers of over140 species of medicinal herbs growing here.Plants I have established on the site that are onthe UpS at risk or to watch lists are: Americanginseng, arnica, black cohosh, bloodroot,echinacea, gentian, goldenseal, lobelia,maidenhair fern, Oregon grape, wild yam, andyerba mansa. I hope to establish more at riskand to watch plants in the future. Now that Ihave many well- established medicinal herbs onthe site I have started saving seeds and plan togrow medicinal herb starts for sale next springat the Vashon Farmer’s Market.

The educational guide I developed has onepage educational sheetson the following projectsthat I have implemented:Backyard WildlifeSanctuary, CompostToilet, FluorescentLighting, ForestStewardship, GreenEnergy purchasing,Green Roof, IrrigationTimers, Invasive PlantRemoval, Low FlushToilet, Medicinal Herbs,Organic Fruits andVegetables, PesticideFree Zone, Rain Barrels,

Soaker Hoses UPSBotanical Sanctuary, Low

Water and Energy Use Washing Machine, andWorm Bins.

I received acceptance as a "Non-Toxic Zone"site and received acceptance in the "Backyard

Wildlife Sanctuary" program of the WashingtonDepartment of Wildlife. I display signs at thefront door that note the "Non-Toxic Zone"status, the Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary, and theUnited Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary. Thesigns encourage discussions with visitors aboutthese subjects.

The picture shows me engaged in one of myprojects, invasive plant removal. The site has afair amount of English ivy but I have beenmaking steady headway in removing it. Thenative medicinal plants that were growing onthe site included: alder, bleeding heart, burdock,horsetail, kinnickinick, nettles, Oregon grape,salal, self heal, skunk cabbage, trillium, usnea,violets, and western red cedar. P

DRAGONFLY MEDICINALS

Vashon Island, WA

Sanctuary Steward: Michael Laurie

Michael Laurie removing English ivy

G rowing A t - R i s kMedicinal Herbs

by Richo Cechillustrated by Sena Cech

Provides organic farmersand gardeners with theinformation about thecultivation, conservation,and ecology of At-Risknativehealing plants. Twenty-onechapters include detailed linedrawings and descriptions; native range anddistribution maps; hardiness and adaptability;preferred environment and plant associates; soil,water and sun requirements; propagationtechniques; naturalization; medicine; harvest andp rocessing; seed collecting, storage andlongevity; conservation status and alternatespecies. 330 pg. $14.95.

"A compelling book on one of the most importantissues facing the future of botanical medicine – thedemise of native medicinal plants in their naturalhabitat and what can be done to conserve theseimportant wild resources. This book is in turnbrilliant, insightful and scholarly, but is also well-seasoned with humor! ~ Rosemary Gladstar

"This book is far more than it seems. Don'tunderestimate what Richo has accomplished. He hastaken some of the most difficult plants imaginable,plants that sometimes find even the breath of humansto be anathema, and figured out what they need inorder to grow near us and by our leave. He has a goodbrain and dirty fingernails.” ~ Michael Moore

TO ORDER: send a $15 (includes s/h)check or money order to:

UpS, Po Box 400, E. Barre, VT 05649

Winter 2005 | 31

COMPANIES IN THE GREEN LIGHT

We are excited to announce UpS’s inclusionin Aveda’s Earth Month 2005 campaign. Since1999 Aveda, the country’s leading company inp u re plant-based hair care, skin care, body care ,a roma and makeup products has raised over $3.5million for 65 organizations around the world.Each year in April, Aveda joins forces withselected non-profits to protect native plants,animals, forests, oceans, rivers, clean airand watersheds on our planet. Av e d ap resident Dominique Conseil describesthis innovative and generous pro g r a m :

“Our commitment to care for the world welive in is what makes us diff e rent. Ourcommitment to the environment is part of ourcompany’s soul and gives us our deep sense ofpurpose. It is what makes our salons, spas andExperience Centers diff e rent form thecompetition. It is why we practice Earth Dayevery day.

During Earth Month 2005, we will focus onthe protection of endangered plant species. Plantsa re very special to us. They provide the air web reathe, the food that sustains us, the clothes thatp rotect us and the medicine that cures us. These

“Beings of Light” also provide habitat for wildlifeand for humans – processing and storing energ yin ways we can use. It is alarming that manyspecies are threatened by suburban sprawl, over-harvesting, pollution, invasive species and globalclimate change. It is often said that more than30,000 species of plants are in danger ofextinction. Is it not madness to believe that theplants that surround us can vanish withoutconsequence – the tragic possibility of our owndemise as a species? It’s up to us to plant ourf u t u re and the future of generations to come.”

The month-long, Aveda salon network-wide

celebration raises awareness and funds via“Appointments for the Earth”, Rosemary Mintp roduct sales, petition signatures and individualactions. UpS is among 25 Conservation Partnersthat help preserve biodiversity by pro t e c t i n ge n d a n g e red and threatened species. Aveda plansto collect 100,000 signatures from individualswho want to help save endangered plant species.

Participating salons, spas and ExperienceCenters will hold fund-raising events thro u g h o u tthe month. As an Earth Partner, UpS will beworking with Fredrics, the Aveda distributor forthe four-state area of Ohio, Michigan, Kentuckyand Indiana. We will be sending educationalinformation to 600 salons who will feature UpSas their Earth Partner. This is an excitingopportunity to bring our message of At-Risk andTo - Watch medicinal plants to a wide audience.F redrics’ Aveda salons and Education Institute inCincinnati and soon Indianapolis can conductover 200 appointments a day!

If there are UpS members, herbalists andplant activists who would like to participate inthis program, by visiting participating salons intheir area, attending staff trainings or just makingappointments dedicated to raise funds for thep roject, please write me and I’ll keep youapprised of activity in your near-by Av e d as a l o n s .

We are energized by the possibility ofreaching out to plant-lovers who might not haveh e a rd of UpS. Posters, flyers, in-storevideos, herbtalks by local herbalists are part of how UpS willsupport the participating salons. Let’s make thisEarth Day the biggest, boldest and best ever forUpS and Aveda’s Conservation Partners. What are f reshing concept that small earth-caring non-p rofits can join hands with mighty but consciousindustry partners to stand up to protect ourbeloved plants! P

UpS is among 25 Conservation Partners that help preservebiodiversity by protecting endangered and thereatened species.

AVEDA & UNITED PLANT SAVERSEARTH PARTNERS, 2005

by Lynda LeMole, UpS Executive Director


We extend a special thank you to all members of UpS who continue to support us with memberships and donations.Your support, efforts and concern are the only thing that can really make a difference in the protection and conservation

of our important medicinal plants. All donations and help, whether it be organizational, cultivating, educating orchoosing medicinal herb products more consciously is appreciated. Great gratitude goes to the many in-kind donations

of goods and services from companies and friends that support our work.We gratefully acknowledge the following long-time Green Angels, Leaders, Lifetime Members and Donations in 2004:

GREEN ANGELS - $50,000+Judy and Michael Funk

Paul Strauss

LEADERS – INDIVIDUALS & COMPANIES $5,000 +

CORPORATE & FOUNDATION MEMBERS, DONORS & SPONSORS - $100 - $4,999GREEN THUMBS: INDIVIDUALS DONATING IN 2004 & LIFETIME MEMBERS - $100 - $4,999Editor’s note: Please except our sincere apologies if we have omitted anyone from this list. In the extremely difficult task of recovering records lost

GREEN THANKS AND GRATITUDE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUSCONTRIBUTIONS & SUPPORT

M a rg a ret & William Bre v o o r tRobert CampbellCommunity Foundation of Jackson HoleF rontier Cooperative HerbsRosemary GladstarHerbal MagicHerb PharmChristopher HobbsInternational Herb Symposium

L. Perrigo Co., Inc.Michael McGuff i nM i l l rock, Inc.Mountain People’s Wa re h o u s eNational Fish & Wildlife FoundationNew England Women’s HerbalC o n f e re n c eOutagamie Charitable FundHorst Rechelbacher

S a c h a runa FoundationSonoma County Community FoundationVermont Community FoundationWheeler Family Charitable FundWhole Foods MarketDennis Wi a n k oWild Oats MarketDavid Wi n s t o n

A b r aAmerican Herbal Products A s s o c i a t i o nAveda California School of Herbal StudiesE m p o w e red HerbalsG a rden ContinuumG reen Te r re s t r i a lHerbalist & Alchemist, Inc.Home Land Garden, LLCMountain Rose Herbs

Newman’s OwnNew Age PublicationsNew ChapterNorth Country Herb GuildOm Org a n i c sP resent Moment Books & HerbsRosemary’s Gard e nSage MountainSage Mountain Herb Pro d u c t sSimplers Botanical Company

S t a r w e s tSonoma County Herb A s s o c i a t i o nTaylor MaidQ u a n t u mTe e c h i n oTrinity HerbsTraditional MedicinalsUnitarian Universalist Congre g a t i o nZack Woods Herb Farm

Steve A m b ro s eDon BabineauRachel BagbyLaura & Tim BatisteBeth BaughTim Blakley Jane BothwellLinda CatesRicho CechMark CohenMartin DavidsonRyan Dru mD r. James DukeThomas ElpelDiane Fairc l o t hSteven Foster

Cascade Anderson GellerTerrance FoxTrish FlasterThomas GibbonsKate GildayAmy GrahamJames Gre e nMindy Gre e nH o w a rd & Gayle Gro s sTammi HartungPatience & Rod HarveyDavid Hoff m a nL o ren IsraelsenSara KatzKelly KindscherNick Kulibaba

Emily O. LancasterLynda LeMoleR i c h a rd LiebmannRebecca LunaJon MaxwellRob McCalebFrances MonacelliPam MontgomeryPolly PetersonC a role PittelmanPatricia K. ReppertThomas RileyD o rena RodeNancy ScarzelloBill SchoenbartNobuko Sera-Kingsley

Mark SimpsonBill SchoenbartDeb SouleMarilyn StoughtonJanet ThygesenMary To b i nMariana Tu p p e rAnn Wa l k e rMark WheelerLee Wo o dRebecca Wo o dJohn Wo y t o w i c zKatherine Yv i n s k a sD r. Janet Zand

Winter 2005 | 33

MORE GREEN THANKSAND GRATITUDE:

We are grateful to our dear friends whoorganized herbal conferences in theNortheast this past summer and autumn.Each conference donated table space toUpS in the herbal emporium & vendorarea for us to sign- on new members andtake renewals, as well as sell Planting theFuture and Growing At Risk MedicinalPlants books and other UpS fundraisers.Everyone who joined at the conferencesreceived a free UpS tote bag. Betzy reallyenjoyed meeting so many members! Wedeeply appreciate their support as well!

WOMEN’S HERBAL CONFERENCE, August2004, Peterborough, NH. Takes the prizewith 24 new members, 20 renewals and adonation to UpS!

GREEN NATIONS GATHERING, September2004, New York State. We had 9 newmembers and 14 renewals, even in therain from the tail ends of hurricanes!

AHG ANNUAL MEETING & SYMPOSIUM

October 2004. This year the AmericanHerbalists Guild Conference was inWaterville Valley, NH. 22 new membersjoined and 9 members renewed.

IN THE GREEN LIGHT

Thanks to Kevin Morgan for his art on theUpS Poster.

Amy Goodman of Montpelier, VT fordonating a portion of her basket sales.

Kate Gilday of Woodland Essenceproduces amazing flower essences of At-Risk herbs. She donates 10% of sales toUpS.

Rachel Jean Harper of EmpoweredHerbals, maker of Rachel Jean’s GreenDrink gave a donation to Hannah Hill.

Nina Casamento of Happy Herbs Soap isspreading the word about UpS in her"Camp Soap".

Julie Williams of Aspen, CO donated 5%of sales to UpS.

Herb Pharm for the genius and time ofLiz Butler, graphic artist.

We’ve all had the experience of needing to rent or buy a house orapartment in a place where NO ONE finds a good one very quickly…. orlooking for a job when EVERYONE wants one. And then a friend tells youto focus on what you want, chant, meditate, visualize – and lo and behold,THE PERFECT solution occurs in your life. All hail everyday miracles thatdon’t happen every day! I thought about this phenomena last year whenUpS moved our offices from rural Ohio to even more rural Ve r m o n t ,needing to find THE PERFECT office manager, with full administrativeskills and, of course, herbal wisdom. The idea that we’d actually FIND thisperson hovered in my psyche somewhere between IMPOSSIBLE andMIRACLE. Well, UpS has ‘good karma’ as we used to like to say, or ‘goodvibes’, or whatever miracle-magnet ingredient that draws the very mostperfect people to its needs at the most perfect time. And this is the story ofhow Betzy Bancroft came to be our office & membership manager.

Betzy was in transition herself as she was moving from New Jersey toVermont, leaving her work of over 15 years with Herbalist & A l c h e m i s t ,one of the premier herb companies in the US, led by herbalist DavidWinston (see UpS Journal interview, Spring 2004). A graduate of David’sherbal studies program, Betzy became general manager at H&A and laters t a ff herbalist, also doing educational presentations. When asked of her jobdescription at H&A she humbly says, “I stirred the pot”. Her years theretaught and trained her for all phases of office, organizational and herbalbusiness. Most important, Betzy began teaching and consulting withpeople about herb use, cultivation, wildcrafting, herb quality ands u s t a i n a b i l i t y. Somewhere in our ‘chant’ we must have also included a‘ remarkable people person’, and we got one!

Betzy is a graduate of A rcadia University (BFA) and her computer andgraphic skills are shining now as she helps us with our website andlayouts. She has done a lot of teaching including wild edible plant use atTom Brown’s Tracker School of Wilderness and Survival Skills. She’staught classes in field botany, conservation-minded collection andi n t roductory herb studies at Morris A r b o retum, Women’s HerbalC o n f e rence, Green Nations, Herb Growing and Marketing NetworkC o n f e rence and an AHG Conference (she is a professional member ofA H G ) .

A p e rennial student of all things natural, Betzy is an avid herb,vegetable fruit and flower gard e n e r. She has currently settled onto 1.6a c res in E. Barre, very nearby Sage Mountain and is working on makingher new home sustainable, putting her studies in Permaculture Design to

good use. Once she is more settled in E.B a r re, she’ll put more focus on herclinical practice, but for now, she iss t rongly focused and doing a great job ofputting the UpS Administrative &Membership office in tip-top shape.As Betzy’s co-worker, I gratefully add

that it’s more than a pleasure to workwith her – another one of those ‘peoplemiracles’ I spoke of. She is a richlytalented and educated woman whocomes from a heart-felt place of service,which all of UpS values and appre c i a t e sand benefits from. We encouragemembers to call or write Betzy withquestions or comments. It’s always the

PEOPLE MIRACLESby Lynda LeMole

Betzy Bancroft,UpS office manager


PLANTINGT H E F U T U R E

S a t u r d a y , J u l y 3 0 , 2 0 0 5

A Conference on the Cultivation & Preservation of Native Medicinal Plants.

At Herb Pharm FarmWilliams, Oregon

Presenters are renowned herbalists from across thec o u n t r y :

Rosemary Gladstar, Ed Smith, Christopher Hobbs,Richo Cech, Mindy Green, Cascade Anderson, Jane

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE

• Cultivation of Medicinal Herbs (emphasis on growing At-Risk herbs)

• Plant Walks

• Using Herbs as Medicine

• Ecological Herbalism; what it is & how we can participate

• Biodiversity & Bioregional Herbalism

• Sustainable Herbal Practices

• Edible Medicinal Seaweeds

• Aromatherapy: Sex & Smell

SPONSORED BY HERB PHARM

REGISTRATION INFO: The total cost for the conference is $60Postmarked by July 1, 2005 ($70 after July 1st)

$10 discount for UpS Members

For local info: call Sara Katz at (541) 846-6999 or email: [email protected]

UPS EVENTS & GREEN NETWORK

THE 18TH ANNUALNEW ENGLAND

WOMEN’S HERBALCONFERENCE

Honoring the Wisdom of OurAncestors

AUGUST 26 ~ 28, 2005PETERBOROUGH, NH

Join over 500 other women in agrand celebration of herbs, healing,and life! Over 60 workshops for alllevel of interest * All ages welcomeform children to elders * Tons offun, tons of sharing, tons oflearning! Held at a beautiful retreatcenter in Southern New Hampshire.

Early Bird Registration before May30th is $265 and includes allworkshops, camping and meals.After May 30th, registration is $285.Indoor lodging available. Forfurther information write to WHC,c/0 Katie Pickens, 2984 ElmorePond Rd., Wolcott, VT 05680.www.sagemountain.com

Parts of the proceeds of this event are

PLANTING THE FUTUREA Conference on the Cultivation &

Preservation of Native Medicinal Plants

SA T U R D A Y, OC T O B E R 1S T (O R 8T H) 2005In the beautiful Blue Ridge Mts. of Virginia

Join Sacred Plant Traditions and United PlantSavers in welcoming . . . Kathleen Maier,

Jeff McCormack, and other great teachers for afull day of plant walks and herbal education

Watch for flyers by mail or for moreinformation call UpS: (802) 479-9825

• Herb walks• Herbal medicine• Cultivation of medicinal herbs

Winter 2005 | 35

SACRED GIFTS OFTHE EARTH

A Plant Lover’s Journey to Thailand, Laos,and Cambodia

WITH ROSEMARY GLADSAR

NOVEMBER 5 ~ 20, 2005South East Asia is a region of tremendousnatural beauty, diverse cultures, ancientreligions and magnificent temples. We'll bevisiting some of the more renowned sites suchas Angkor Watt (the ancient Khmer capitol),Chiang Mai (Thailand's principal northern city),and Luang Prabang (a World Heritage Site), butwe'll be spending most of our time immersed invillage life, learning directly from the localpeople about their culture and traditions. Thearea is renowned for its traditional healers andnatural therapies. The trip will include Thaimassage and spa treatments, meditation andyoga, Thai natural food cooking classes, herbclasses and herb walks with local herbalists.

For a complete itinerary, costs and travel info, writeto Sage Mountain, P.O. Box 420, E. Barre, VT,05649 (802) 479-9825

UpS Invites You To Join Us at the

7TH INTERNATIONALHERB SYMPOSIUMA Benefit Conference for UpS

JU N E 24-26, 2005The IHS provides an incredible opportunity to learn fro mthe world’s leading experts in botanical medicine, teachersthat embrace folkloric and shamanic practices as well asmodern clinical uses. There are over 60 workshops,l e c t u res and herb walks off e red during the Symposium,but equally important is the sense of community, joy andcelebration that is created at this event.

For all people who love plants, join us at this incredible Celebration of the Green.

The Symposium features ~ • An extraordinary selection of teachers• Over 60 workshops, lectures, and classes for all levels• Herbal Intensives for more in-depth study• Hands-on demonstrations & herb walks• Herbal Art Show of contemporary botanical artists• Herbal Medicine Product Contest (all invited to enter)• Relaxation Oasis; an IHS ‘day spa’ • An Herbal Marketplace • Dancing, Drumming, Music, and Cere m o n y• The Herbalist’s Grand Ball

Who’s Teaching ~ An outstanding group of herbalistsand natural medicine practitioners representing 11c o u n t r i e s :Rocio A l a rcon (Ecuador); Dr. Tieraona Lowdog (U.S.);Cascade Anderson-Geller (U.S.), Paul Stamets (U.S.); IslaB u rgess (New Zealand); Stephen Buhner (U.S.); ChanchalC a b rera (Canada) Richo Cech (U.S.), Elena Ixcot(Guatemala), Kate Gilday (U.S.); David Crow (U.S.), DinahVeeris (Netherlands); Gazza (Italy); Mindy Green (U.S.);David Hoffman (U.S.); Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo (Ti b e t ) ;Christopher Hobbs (U.S.); Phillipe Soguel (France); MarthaLibster (U.S.); Darryl Martin (U.S.); Ed Smith (U.S.); Leslieand Michael Tierra (U.S.); Susun Weed (U.S.); DavidWinston (U.S.); Annie Merideth (Australia); Paul Strauss(U.S.); Matthew Wood (U.S.) plus many more….

The IHS is held at the beautiful Wheaton College campusin Norton, Massachusetts (approximately 30 minutes fro mBoston). Inexpensive lodging is available on campus anddelicious vegetarian meals are provided.

For a complete bro c h u re write to: Sage Mountain, P.O. Box420, E. Barre, VT 05649 Tel. 802.479.9825 e m a i l : s a g e m t @ s a g e m o u n t a i n . c o m

10% discount off registration fee for UpS Members!

HE R B A L & AR O M A T H E R A P YVOYAGE TO THE LINDENFESTIVAL IN SO. FRANCE

JUNE 29 - JULY 9, 2005 Herbalists Cascade Anderson Geller, Jane Bothwell

and aromatherapist Kathi Keville, will escort you thro u g hthe herbal paradise of Provence. We’ll stay in comfortablecabins, each with bath and kitchen. The campground ispart of France’s world renowned campground systemand has a swimming pool. We will take advantage of thef resh market produce as well as make herbal pro d u c t swith local herbs, oils, honey and alcohols.

Amidst these lovely Provence highlands gro wthousands of linden trees. The aromatic linden blossomsa re brought to market in early July. Soon after sunrise,wildcrafters tote their huge bundles of dried flowers tothe market in a colorful procession. We’ll witness thisspecial once a year market day. This area is also famousfor its wild lavender, intensely colored and scented.

Included will be hikes through the rugged, ru r a llandscape where farmers, wildcrafters and even thevillage government maintain a deep re v e rence for plantsas companions for medicine, food and fragrance. We ’ l lvisit lavender fields, distilleries and museums dedicatedto the craft of distillation. For more info, contact: JaneBothwell at [email protected] (email preferable) or call707.442.8157. Group size will be limited.


UNITED PLANT SAVERSPO Box 400E. Barre, VT 05649www.unitedplantsavers.org

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