Herbs and potions

Even before getting into gardening I was interested in herbalism and traditions around using plants for healing. However now that I have a garden I've really taken off in learning about and growing herbs for healing.....As much as I love plants for their own sake I really like USING them, whether for a tea, potion or a dish to eat.

Yesterday I took another great class from herbalist Jo Powell at PCC. This one was herbal first aid, and we made a healing salve, a burn spray, and a liniment for open wounds. It was a really small class (the economy?), which was nice. I got to ask a lot of questions without slowing the class down. She brought lots of things to sample, plus I learned more about making herbal oil, which is one of the few herbalist recipes I find a bit intimidating. Maybe this summer I will just plunge in and try to make an oil. I'm thinking rosemary oil could be great. Rosemary is awesome for your hair, and swimming really dries mine out. I don't like the commercial conditioners, since they are loaded with chemicals (and chlorine is bad enough).

I've also taken Jo's Powell Butte Spring Herb Walk and her aromatherapy class. I've also taken a couple of classes from the herbalist Michelle Eccleston of Purple Garden....I highly recommend them both. Very hands on, fun, and you always leave with stuff to take home and use.

http://www.nwherbs.com/

http://www.thepurplegarden.com/