A PLANT STORY

 Plants and plant medicine is like an old friend moving in and out of my life. Growing up in Berkeley, California exposed me to the aromas of essential oils while wandering the streets with my elder cousins. I fell in love with plants as a teenager while living with my Grandparents. I learned how a plant’s spirit can soften one’s heart, as well as bring daily comfort and joy.

I turned to Acupuncture and Chinese herbs when my annual struggle with allergies affected my job performance as an artist and educator in my twenties and thirties. I also tried using a variety of Western herbal medicines with my youngest daughter. She struggled with insomnia, back pain and other ailments while she was a teenager. But with 4 urban children and a full-time job I had little time to care for plants.

My nephew rekindled my love of growing plants when he lovingly revived our neglected backyard. While traveling with friends through the Pacific Northwest, Grandma Dottie, a Makah elder of the Coast Salish people, introduced a small group of friends to her ceremonial practices and the gathering of medicines. She had us pray while gathering Usnea and then making tinctures. She then sent us on a search for Columbine and instructed us to plant it in our yards. That year, along with my nephew, we revived our garden in San Francisco. I focused on medicinal herbs and flowers. He planted exquisite succulents.

Grandma Dottie sparked my interest in making tinctures and planted the seed that made me daydream of gardens while I was teaching art in the public schools of San Francisco. I began studying herbal medicine part-time. After years of teaching, I followed my dream of immersing myself fully in the world of plants and plant medicine.

Fast forward to 2020. I wanted be an organic farmer. Yet not having land or additional helping hands led me in a different direction. When my school offered the Clinical Program I immediately signed up. It was love at first client! Connecting with people to share the magic of plants and the ability of plants to heal continues to be fulfilling. Teaching never left as I've taught in a variety of settings in the San Francisco Bay Area. I also mentor budding herbalists through my annual Intern/Mentor program.

In early 2020 I was obsessed with researching SARS2-COVID19 and shared what I learned with my Interns. The Stay-In-Place orders brought the gift of time to return to my garden. It has been the gift of balance, reciprocity, order, harmony, timelessness and joy. It is a time of great grief over deaths and the global response to police brutality. Yet I am greeted by a bounty of roses and other flowers. The mini-forest of bay, pine, fir, CA buckeye, oak, and cedar trees bring peace while the storm of life roars around us. Visiting birds enjoy the cherries and other fruits while singing greetings to the sun each morning or welcoming the coming dusk. Whether I am weeding, helping new seeds germinate or just basking in the silence of my garden I am thankful to get dirt in my fingernails, feel the sun on my skin, listen to the wind or raindrops and bask in another day of life, thankful to breathe.

Mid-year update ~ 2017

on 2016: the fall and winter were all about Standing Rock & saving the waters... it still is... and now saving all the world everywhere... i spent a lot of time connecting with Water Protectors, allies, and community members in report backs & fundraisers... & then dealt with trying to re-integrate back into the life i had before Standing Rock... it was very rocky & now looking back i know that it was my path...



2017 saw many elders & friends pass, in particular I honor Mrs. Osie Webster of Tennessee, who raise a beautiful family that is dear & close to my heart, and Manu Koreha, my Maori Healer teacher & friend, who has brought so many teachings to everyone worldwide. I must also honor Master Danongan Kalanduyan, Malonga Casquelord and Carlos Aceituno, three dance and music teachers who guided my dance for the earth, for the elements and for humanity for a large portion of my life... I honor all my ancestors who brought me to this moment and I honor all my relations who are dear to me and who I hold dear.

that said

i wander my mind
in search of true meaning
a teacher gone, but
not really as they are in every star, flower
seed, water drop and air molecule

i stand
then sit
ponder the next moments
thank goodness my garden calls
the apples fall from the trees
begging to be picked and shared with all

there is abundance all around
yet many go without
time to share what is learned
to fill the cups of those who need it

i love
there is more
in this life and i await
its secrets

May all be blessed, may all walk in goodness
& "Godliness" as Manu would have us do

I look forward to all joining me on this journey of healing
Here's a snapshot of offerings: past & future

From 2016:

Summer, 2017 in Oakland:

A Brief Overview of 2016

 It's pour rain, much needed here in California. We've had a 4 year drought that seems like centuries and the land so dry... now we've got lots of rain, some flooding in the low lands and a boulder fell off my hill. But Spring will be here soon and my roses will burst with joy when the sun blesses them. Our Luna Nueva Wellness Collective hosted my Herbal Workshop on Depression last year, with Laurel Bae assisting me with creating, presenting and sharing the wonders of Flower Essences and other healing herbal remedies. We focused on the Rose as a powerful Heart Healer and we really need this at this time. Our human-ness is fully expressed though the love emanating from our hearts and our sweet smelling friend, the Rose, amplifies our love both within and without...

 My father taught us about the hummingbird as our ancestor and great communicator of protection for our family. I have several flowers that the hummingbird loves and this one really attracts them, even this winter. I was pleased to see a hummingbird try to get sugar water from the hummingbird feeder my daughter gave me, but I prefer having the hummingbirds get their nectar from the beautiful flowers all around our home... Believe it or not this great beauty began blooming after our December frosts... kinda early, but who's gonna' complain? That same hummingbird quickly flew to my backyard to sip from these beauties and it gave us an opportunity to talk story with my nephew, Paul on Grandpa Rudy's great love of hummingbirds... if it's red, it must be grandma Mary!!!

I traveled to Japan and the Philippines last year and wish I took more fotos of the flora... but too busy keeping up with my daughter Aja to do so... here's just a sampling below...

 Japan...

& the Philippines up close!!!

The Stress Busters: Adaptogens to Adapt to Life

I'm really excited and will be teaching a class in Oakland with my collective, Luna Nueva Wellness. Since my retirement from teaching art with the San Francisco Unified School District I've spent the last 4 years studying, interning at different clinics, networking with different practitioners, providing consultations for individual clients and envisioning what my  life will be for the next couple decades.

What do I miss? Teaching. Studying. Dancing... but tomorrow will be a dance with herbs and Adaptogens that help use deal with stress. I also miss one of my teachers, David Hoffman. I love his politics, point of view and sense of humor... here's a video so you can learn a bit of his viewpoint on Adaptogens. Click below & enjoy!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncDLoYq_xeY&feature=share_email

2015 ~ Year in Review

This bee is making life possible and helps bring forth new life! 2015 brought forth many new things in my life... it brought us a new home, a new dog, International travel to Mexico and Thailand, womens' healing studies with Atarangi and Terrence Muru and Manu Koreha of the Maori Healers, and completing clinical intern hours at local clinics. Tons of fun, packing & unpacking and healing practice!!!

Did I mention I took another workshop from one of my favorite California Indian herbalists, Sage La Pena? Here she is on our garden walk at the California School of Herbal Studies. She shared good stories and great knowledge on traditional use of herbs.

I also attended the American Herbalist Guild Symposium in Granby, Colorado for its Chronic Disease Track sessions. It was intensive and informative, with sessions presenting the latest research and clinical experience by great presenters. I learned quite a bit and met some fabulous people. Here I am with Christopher Hobbs, Howie Brounstein and Mindy Green at the AHG Symposium.
Honestly, it was a bit isolating being a Brown person at this Symposium, but I felt very comforted by the fact that there are a few members that were seriously addressing the issue of diversity. They get the thumbs up for effort and I hope they continue pressing for more representation. It felt a bit odd being in the Rockies and not knowing anything about the Indigenous People of that place or having them represented in the conference. I needed to contact a close friend to get the scoop on tribal peoples of Granby, CO... I felt like a lost puppy being there... did I mention our new dog (a Pit Bull rescue that was really disoriented when we brought her home... oops, another story for another blog...)

Maori Herbal Medicine

I have been blessed to have felt the call to Aotearoa by the Maori Healers ~ http://www.maorihealers.com/ ~ which I delightfully heeded and spent a glorious two weeks under their guidance to participate in Te Rongopae ~ The Bright Clear Horizon Training Intensive. In addition to the bodywork, spiritual guidance, hakas, meals, dreamtime and Manu's morning yoga, I had the delight of enjoying Donna Kerridge's day long workshop on Maori Herbal Medicine and healing practices. You can imagine my joy at getting a first hand walk through the forest with a traditional Maori Plant Healer!

 

Donna writes about Rongo a Raukau in a book I purchased, but one can learn more at her website ~ http://oranewzealand.com/shop/rongoa-maori.html ~ where she recognizes her teacher, Pa Ropata ~ and explains the deeper meaning of Rongoa Raukau ~ some of Donna's wisdom as she shared with us, "I am land and the land is me," "the plants that are in nature are the plants that heal the land,"& "...keeping the land well...keeping the people well..." What I especially loved about her was her conception of universal truths, as visually drawn for our Te Rongopae group, in which all religions and healing traditions find commonality and unity at the center of the wheel ~ these thoughts I have generally held for many years, but never seen a graphic or metaphor which visually expressed my inner beliefs as hers did ~ Kia Ora, Donna!

I would be remiss if I also didn't recognize Gramma Dottie, of the Makah tribe ~ who I met after the Canoe Journey to Makah ~ http://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/tribe/ ~ she introduced myself and my good travel partners, Leng and Shelly, to the correct methods of collecting, praying and preparing usnea and other precious plant medicines for our uses in protection and well being ~ 

I think my herbal colleagues, who studied under David Hoffman (whose adoration of nettles goes unchallenged in the Western herbal world), would appreciate this one: "...if you don't know the answer, use Kawa Kawa..." Sounds familiar, right? Donna explained that Kawa Kawa will look for the ailment and cure it... that the medicine isn't just what is written about in the books, but that the wisdom of the plant will bring about a cure.

She also warned us about what we read in the books (as did many Maori & other Indigenous peoples around the world), and shared a very interesting story about Weston A. Price & some misconceptions that are repeated in books everywhere, but you'll have to hear it yourself from Donna, as oral wisdom is best heard straightaway & oral history lasts as long as we tell it ~ for the story, feel free to travel to meet her or contact her on your own timeline ~ she is one of many great Maori teachers I met during my Te Rongopae Training Intensive.

My journey to Aotearoa, where the abundance of plant beings from the Southern Hemisphere shout out to me, has been magical ~ here's a few photos to give you a hint at the wonders of plant medicine in Aotearoa ~

For those interested in Maori Plant medicine, check out her website, contact her or visit her clinic in Aotearoa. Donna also mentioned an intensive program, I believe a Masters Program in 2015, for Maori folks to learn more, but there will also be 3 spots reserved for International Students who have a balance of knowledge in Indigenous Healing Practices and Healing Systems (whether allopathic, complementary or traditional systems) ~ email her for more information at:
donna@oranewzealand.com

Renewing My Love Affair With Plants

A Transplant Survives in Sonoma Co.

Before my children were born, during another time of great studies... yes, I was a young teen starting at San Francisco State University, but an entirely different story... I was fortunate enough to be the next young relative living at Grandma & Grandpa's house in San Francisco while studying at San Francisco State University... many stories there too... that must be a different blog... haha...

I had many love affairs with nature. The ocean breeze, a mountain top, snow in the Sierras, the deep blue of Lake Tahoe, the babbling creek in spring... but today's particular love affair with plants was inspired by the green thumb of Mary Caluza Calica and Blas Cacdac Calica, my father's parents, who had voluptuous plants all over their home in the fog belt of the Richmond district. Before entering their home after walking up 2 flights of stairs beyond the locked front gates, we were always greeted by the snake and spider plants at every level. Their gaze is imprinted in my memory and their abundance was notable!

I have two of the descendants of Great Grandma Spider Plant in my small cottage that Auntie Ophie shared with me during my last visit to the old place. They lived happily in my kitchen in the Haight Ashbury of San Francisco, but now these two babies struggle with the heat in Sonoma County. They are resilient and I am happy they are still with me. My studies in herbal school have me looking up scientific names, so here it is: Chlorophytum comosum. I am surprised to learn that it's also called the airplane plant, spider ivy or hen-and-chickens or hen-en-kuikens (Afr.) and iphamba (Zulu) too. The website, PlantZAfrica, quotes that, "The plants have been used medicinally by the Nguni (Hutchings et al. 1996), especially for pregnant mothers and as a charm to protect the mother and child. The plant is placed in the room where the mother and child stay. The roots are dipped into a water bowl and mothers drink this daily as it is believed to protect the infant. The young baby is also administered an infusion, acting as a purgative." I am so impressed by the Indigenous Knowledge, Skills and Practice (IKSP) of folks worldwide. Indigenous Peoples Rock!!!

It is said that in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the spider plant is used for used for treating bronchitis, fractures and burns. One website says it's name is  diào lán or guà lán, but I will have to ask my Chinese friends if this is correct. Anyways, none of us in the home suffered from any of these ailments, but I do recall how mad Grandma would get whenever I washed my hair & took showers at the wrong time & then went out into the cold... (yup, Filipinos are into the hot/cold, wet/dry thang too...timing is key as well...sorry Grandma...)

Grandma and Grandpa may have known about how the spider plant removed pollutants from the air. Of course, living near the ocean, who would even know about pollutants in the home? But all that carpet... turns out the spider plant is great at removing pollutants with its root system. In my brief search on PubMed, researchers, Xu Z¹, Qin N, Wang J, Tong H., report that the spider plant is great at biofiltration of formaldehyde! Very cool...that explains the Boston Ferns too...

The plants are very productive. My nephew, Joseph, planted a few in our backyard in the Haight Ashbury and they sprawled all over. They were very happy! Luckily, I transplanted a few and they survived the summer heat in Sonoma County. Yes, they aren't as healthy as those left in the Haight Ashbury, but they greet us each morning, a reminder of good times from the past and a daily presence of our love of Africa!