I wanted to announce this exciting annual opportunity to get a seed grant (see video here) from Herbalists Without Borders. All members of HWB can apply (become a member here). You get a lot of seeds! If you have a garden or a seed sharing project, like Ida Galash's below, with Portland Monarchs. Drop by Ida's seed library for native/pollinator plant seeds at 2218 NE 22nd Ave Portland, OR. Or learn about monarch preservation on the Portland Monarch FB page. Look how cute her seed library is! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so feel free to apply for a seed grant, build a seed library (use a drawer and a glass cabinet door), and paint up a pretty neighborhood seed hub! The pollinators with love it. Herbalists Without Borders also offers fruit and veggie seeds. :)  Ida's garden is super inspiring! If you are in the area or visiting, check it out. :)  When you are there see if you can spot the world's smallest fish pond.  Post author is, yours truly: Lily Michaud, herbalist of Brown Bear Herbs in Portland, Oregon and Herbalists Without Borders Board of Directors member. Don't forget to play in nature and enjoy your community this Spring! xo

I am an artist and herbalist. During the Underground Railroad quilts were sometimes used as codes. The darker triangles could be used to point the way to safety. The quilt is made with cyanotype prints of herbs and flowers, and indigo dyed cloth. The project is informed by the mid-1800s. I made this flying geese quilt to educate those who much flee their homes for safety. The dark triangles are printed with herbs that have been traditionally used to help people "come home" again, or finding freedom and healing after oppressive or abusive situations. In this video I discuss the first herb: Werewolf root, the doorway in the quilt. This herb can be used as a flower essence or homeopathic to support people in manipulative or coercive situations. This could be related to intimate relationships, employers, or governments. Do not directly handle the herb, it is a toxic plant. Purchase this product from Brown Bear Herbs, link below, or other trusted sources. This is the first of a series of videos on all the herbs of the quilt. Subscribe to our newsletter (scroll to the bottom of this post) or to our YouTube channel for updates on the videos.    *These statements, and those in the video, have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This herb is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For our last plant meditation of this session we meditated with a very special plant, Cinquefoil. You may have heard it called any number of other names, including: Potentilla, five finger grass, septfoil, tormentil, and crampweed. Initial Impressions This tea tastes light, like Spring, grassy, mildly astringent. A pleasnt, mild flavor. Like a lighter version of raspberry leaf, agrimony, or strawberry leaf. It feels like it might clean my teeth. A little drying, like tannins. Reminds me of a lace bodice--white lace trim, I see yellow flowers. Meditation 1 •"A delicate hand." I hear this repeatedly. What you are close to becomes part of you. Herbs, like people who you associate with, become integrated parts of who you are. •I give a pretty thing she likes. The herb knows what they like.  •It is hard to concentrate. Things feel bright so I opened my eyes. •A Woman is sitting in a field of tall grass. She wears a long, puffy petticoat, and a bodice with a white lace trim. She is writing in her journal. •A sense of weightlessness. •Things are bright.  •I saw a bright green field, with an early Spring feel. I saw a kit. The sky was blue. The air was brisk. •I felt a pleasant pressure behind my eyes and in my forehead. Then warmth spread down my arms.  •I feel this herb can clear your mind and provide comfort. Meditation 2 •Trouble concentrating.  •Again a sense of this herb knowing things that people like and pleasing them. Also pleasing them through images that people like. Pretty, harmonious things.  •The herb talking again about becoming a delicate hand, both interpersonally and creatively. This is about art and human connection. It feels like it may be saying this to engage me in things I enjoy thinking about.  •A sense of de-stressing. Not very focused. I feel neck tension being worked out.  • I feel light, energized, happy. Even more this time than the first meditation.  • I feel rising bubbles in my body, they are joyful. Summary and Traditional Use Matthew Wood finds Cinquefoil to have the same medicinal properties and magical properties as Agrimony, an herb I have worked with extensively. These herbs are helpful for when a person is tense and tortured by pain or circumstances. The common characteristic is holding their breath in response to pain, they often cover their feelings with a happy face. Because of this they can have trouble being authentic. Health problems they can treat include asthma, intestinal problems like mixed IBS, and as one of Cinquefoil's names, Crampweed, indicates, menstrual pain and disharmony. Agrimony and Cinquefoil help unwind problems related to work and the law, and any areas where one feels stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Through plant meditation I find the temperments of these two plants different. Agrimony tends to loosen up speech and help people break their reserve by bringing out commonalities and talking about things you are genuinely enthusiastic about. Cinquefoil has a much lighter energy to it, the plant also feels lighter--the dried leaves are fluffier and less dense. Like some other herbs that help reduce tension, focus was less, in favor of being relaxed and happy. Cinquefoil has a reputation for attracting love. The way that it brought to mind light, happy feelings that were personal to each participant, seems similar to a gentle, attentive suitor. I also loved "a gentle hand"--it was a tender yet persistent message. In Europe the flower was used both to attract love and in wedding bouquets as a symbol of commitment and fidelity. Potentilla has been used as a antidepressant. Whereas Agrimony feels like a magician pulling rabbits out of a hat, Cinquefoil felt like it was shifting our internal energy and therefore would attract more positive energy. Potentilla is used magically for protection, the five fingered hand shape leaf seems to say "Stop" and is used as a talisman. I look forward to getting to know this herb's magical ways more thoroughly.  Cinquefoil is used for skin problems. It is used as a face wash to heal sores and wounds, as well as to reduce freckles and sunburns. In this way it can help you enjoy the meadow while protecting you from any harm that may come to your skin. This herb has very detailed leaves and when it spoke to me and others through very aesthetically transmitted messages it brought them to mind. This plant is used as an ornamental (unlike agrimony which is not quite so pleasing to the eye, sns) and it seems to put a lot of emphasis on the ability to heal through creating pleasing visuals, this could include art.  Above you can see the details in Cinquefoil's silhouette in my Freedom Quilt.   While mild in flavor, this plant has abundant tannins, as one participant tasted. It is recommended that the entire top of the plant be harvested in June. Dry carefully to avoid any risk of mildew, as the plant is prone to dampness. This plant has a relatively large root which was used for making bread during times of famine (called the 7th bread in Gaelic).  While not as commonly known these days, this helpful herb was a staple in the medicine cabinet.    Invitation Have you worked with Cinquefoil, aka Potentilla? Please share your experiences in the comments. References Coon, N, Using Plants for Healing, Hearthside Press, 1963, p 179. Harris, B The Compleat Herbal, Barre Publishers, 1972, p 82-32. Wood, M, The Earthwise Herbal: A Compleat Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants, North Atlantic Books, 2008, pp 399-400.

Looking to quit smoking tobacco? Here are three herbal cigarettes that can help you break up with tobacco. Take it Easy herbal smoking blend is for physical addiction or nicotine withdrawal support (best for quitting cold turkey). Clear Mind herbal smoking blend has had many positive reviews from folx with anxiety, focus issues, and ADHD. Gentle & Protective herbal smoking blend is great if you are struggling with emotional or psychic overwhelm, it can also be used to wean off tobacco--roll your own with less and less tobacco and more and more Gentle and Protective. None of our products contain controlled substances--just the best herbs out there. :)  Find all our herbal cigarettes and smoking blends here. Or try our sampler pack:   

Want to enjoy sex more, have more relational sex instead of results-oriented sex, get off porn, shift your vibe, or have more confidence meeting people? Check out this video, Mother Earth has herbs and other nature medicine to help. I discuss Sexy Smokes, ASMR Tincture, and several gem and flower essences. Time stamps on the youtube description.            

In this video I discuss all our herbal smoking blends and their many uses! All herbs are organic or wildcrafted. Our five currently available smoking blends--Take it Easy, Gentle & Protective, Sexy Smokes, Clear Mind, and Astral in Body--are in our sampler pack: