Northeast School of Botanical Medicine

Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Ranunculaceae) has now emerged. It is one of the easiest plants to grow. Plant a piece of the rhizome with next year’s shoot atta...ched to it. The shoot should be planted just a few inches below the soil line. Black cohosh will grow in full sun and shade, and it is a fetching garden plant. My goal is to have enough planted around so that I can gather what I need and continue to replant the rhizomes and have a perpetual crop. There are a few ways that I regularly use this plant, which is usually as a fresh rhizome tincture. First, a warning. Since this plant acts as an estrogen agonist, avoid using it when pregnant unless working with an herbally-minded midwife, doula, or birthing assistant. Also, I suggest avoiding it if someone is using any estrogen blockers, such as Tamoxifen. One use of Black cohosh is as a skeletal muscle relaxant. It can be helpful for back pain that may occur after lifting a heavy object or having an awkward fall. It works well with Lousewort (Pedicularis species), Jamaican dogwood (Piscidia piscupula), and Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). This combination can be taken throughout the day. Another use is for reducing hot flashes and other issues associated with menopause. It can be taken as needed to reduce symptoms as well as right before going to sleep to reduce nighttime hot flashes. Clinically I have seen it be not effective for some people and highly effective for others, with a lot of folks in the middle. It can sometimes alter moods in an undesirable manner, so be aware of this possible effect with yourself and others. I assume it has to do with how it affects estrogen in the body. Time to go to sleep and wake up to another spring snow. ~7Song. Ithaca, NY. April 20, 2021. See more

If you live in the Ithaca, Cortland area of Upstate, NY, may I suggest visiting some of the beautiful bogs of the region? Within a few miles of each other, the...re is McLean Bog, Chicago bog (this photo), and Malloryville bog. There is also the Lime Hollow Nature preserve. I don't see many people while walking along the trails, which I appreciate. If you need more information, let me know. ~7Song, April 14, 2021 See more

While interviewing a potential student recently, they asked me What do I hope my students gain from the class. This is not the first time I’ve been asked this... question, but I wanted to think it through to avoid giving a rote answer. And I realized that the concept I hope that all students gain from these programs is the importance of critical thinking in health care. This means understanding how tricky treating an individual can be and the ephemeralness of health. This is true with all forms and modalities of medicine. Many people come to herbalists when other options have not worked out for them, including chronic conditions such as fatigue, pain, anxiety, as well as long-term health issues with cardiovascular, respiratory, and other body systems. The thing is, there are hundreds of moving parts and billions of individual cells making up each individual, and the balance between these can be tenuous. Some people just seem to be healthy most of the time, no matter what befalls them, while others have to constantly struggle to maintain their health. To me, the goal of critical thinking means letting go of the thought that health care, herbal or otherwise, is easy and to embrace the complexity. See more

A 30+ year mystery solved. And of course, there is a story behind it. I moved to Ithaca around 1981 during my hitchhiking years. The first place I lived (and ...the reason I stayed) was in a yurt behind Audrey O’Connor’s home. Audrey was a through-and-through ‘plant person.’ She designed the Robison Herb Gardens at Cornell University (well worth a visit) and had an extensive wild herb garden at her home. The combination of cheap rent and access to her gardens convinced me to settle down for a while. (Apparently, a very long while.) One of my jobs there was to weed her plant beds, and sometimes I would save the plants that I pulled out. After I left her home, I got a community garden and planted those weeded-out plants in there. And I have planted them successively wherever I have lived. Over all these years, I only have two plants left from then. I have a Wild indigo (Baptisia australis), and the plant that is the reason for this post. In all these years, I was not able to identify it. It slowly spreads itself in the garden and flowers yearly. I thought it was likely in the genus Salvia or Leonurus and have sent photos to various plant groups but without a positive identification. And yesterday, I finally learned its identity. It is a Jerusalem sage (Phlomis tuberosa). After someone’s suggestion, I went out to see if it had tubers, and indeed it does. So now, my 30 year ‘mystery plant’ finally has a name. Onto the next mystery. Ithaca, NY. April 11, 2021 See more

Tonight was the first night of Mole salamander mating adventures. It is warmish (about 50 F) with a light rain. I saw about 30 and I expect more will come later... tonight and tomorrow night if the atmosphere stays wet. It was a pleasure to see these beautiful critters. Watching them is one of my favorite yearly rituals. I also try to move many of them off the road for the obvious reasons. This is a Spotted salamander, one of the two types of mole salamanders in this region. March 24, 2021 See more

Northeast School of Botanical Medicine I plan on running both programs in-person this year, please read on. Due to Covid-19, planning is a lot trickier than usu...al, so here are some details. To learn more, please go to my website (7Song.com) and look up the program you are interested in. The only way for me to go forward with running an in-person program (starting in May) is to be upfront and transparent about what may occur. I will be basing my final decision on how safe it is for us to gather. My classroom is somewhat small, and it will not be able to accommodate social distancing. The Weekend Herbal Program will go on whether it is online, in-person, or a combination. If you sign up for the program, please be aware that any of these are possible. The Community Herbalism Intensive (3 days weekly) is more complex, as people generally move to Ithaca to be a part of it. First, it will either be in-person, or it will be canceled. I would like to give a specific time frame for this decision, but the Covid virus's unpredictability makes this not possible. If the virus is clearly on an upswing in late winter, I will likely cancel it. If I cancel the program, all of your money will be returned, deposit, and payment. If you cancel, then that does not necessarily hold true, so please be sure when you enroll. I apologize for being so strict here, but the only way I feel comfortable moving ahead is by being clear about possible outcomes. With all this confusion and unknowingness, why bother having an in-person program at all? Because many folks who are interested have told me they are willing to take the chance. And frankly, I miss teaching face-to-face. While there are many advantages to teaching online, it does not build community in the same way. I am limiting the Community Herbalism Intensive to 15 students. There are already 7 enrolled, so it is nearly half-filled. The apprenticeship is full for this year. There are still plenty of opening for the Weekend Herbal Program, though this program is generally full by late February. This is a sort of 'head's-up' post; I will write more about what the school offers in an upcoming post. Thank you for your interest, ~7Song See more

This free class is part 2 of my experience practicing as an herbalist in the Ithaca Free Clinic and an integrated free clinic in Ithaca, NY. This class will fo...cus on the specific herbs, medicine, and treatment strategies as well as patient education. I will also cover some of the most common health issues, such as anxiety and allergies, as well as herbs I regularly use. This will not be an in-depth look at any specific diseases or medicinal plants, but rather an overview of their importance working in a free clinic. My goal is to help herbalists and others gain insights into working in an integrated free clinic and hopefully inspire others to do something similar. The class will be recorded, but I appreciate having people join in during the class as well. The Zoom link (it is free, but you need to register)-https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_w-6-3X9YQMmAzUcGclx2tw See more

Hibiscus A few awake night’s ago, I decided to put my non-sleepy self to work making Hibiscus capsules. I haven’t made capsules in a while and it seemed time t...o remember the tedium of the process. Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa, Malvaceae) is also known as Roselle, Flor de Jamaica and many other names as it is commonly used around the world. The plant has many uses. The bast fibers are used to make cordage, and the mucilaginous, slightly sour leaves are eaten. The sliminess is similar to other Malvaceae. See photos in the post. The plant part that I use medicinally is the red, sour-tasting calyces that surround the petals. When one purchases the plant for a tart-tasting tea, this is the part used. I use Hibiscus regularly in the clinic for its medicinal activity. There are numerous medicinal activities attributed such as for hypertension, lowering LDL cholesterol, and as a diuretic. I mainly use it for its anti-hypertensive properties. Hypertension is high blood pressure. It is a common health issue and it is difficult to bring down with herbs alone. I often use Hibiscus along with blood pressure pharmaceuticals. So far I have not had any patients report a negative interaction from this combination, though we should be aware of this possibility. There are some studies showing it brings blood pressure numbers down a little. As mentioned above, other measures may also be necessary. I assume that Hibiscus may also have some cardio-protective properties, as a number of flavonoids have antioxidant effects, which may reduce inflammation and so reduce cardiovascular risk. As with anything I write about one’s health, each of us has to do more in-depth research to make sure we are treating ourselves and those around us in an individually beneficial way. The main constituents that are known to be responsible for its actions are its flavonoids, polyphenols, and Hibiscus acid. I prepare and administer it as a tea, tincture, glycerite, powder, and capsules. It is either used alone or in combination with other herbs such as Hawthorn (Crataegus sp), Prickly ash (Zanthoxylum sp), Linden (Tilia sp.), and Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca). An average dose of the tincture or glycerite would be 2 ml (1 dropperful) 2-3 times daily. The powder is teaspoon stirred in water 2 times daily or 2 capsules twice a day. A daily tea or two is also a good way of obtaining the medicinal benefits. Of course, there is variability due to the individual and the health condition. Hibiscus has good patient compliance as it is tasty and familiar (it tastes like Red Zinger tea) For anyone interested in furthering their understanding of Hibiscus, there are multiple research studies online. As always, I hope you find this information helpful. ~7Song

I am very glad that the 2020 Weekend Herbal Program got to meet in person for 3 months in this most-trying-of-years. Thank you for your fortitude, your mask-wea...ring, and your social distancing. There have been quite a few obstacles (such as very noisy plastic rattling and a very cold Friday evening class) so thank you again for being here and learning about health, the human body, and herbal medicine. I will miss you in person, but I look forward to our online class in November. Mclean bog, October 17, 2020 See more

What is an outdoor October plant walk without some leaf throwing at the teacher? Mclean Bog. October 17, 2020

Practicing as an Herbalist in an Integrated Free Clinic part 2 This free class is part 2 of my experience practicing as an herbalist in the Ithaca Free Clinic a...nd an integrated free clinic in Ithaca, NY. This class will focus on the specific herbs, medicine, and treatment strategies that I employ at the clinic as well as patient education. I will discuss which preparations (i.e., tinctures, glycerites, etc) I most commonly use. I will also cover some of the most common health issues, such as anxiety and allergies, as well as herbs I regularly use. This will not be an in-depth look at any specific diseases or medicinal plants, but rather an overview of their importance working in a free clinic. My goal is to help herbalists and others gain insights into working in an integrated free clinic and hopefully inspire others to do something similar. The first class is on YouTube. You can find it by typing in ‘7Song Herbalist’. In this video I review some of the details of setting up and working in an integrated free clinic including: donations, working with other health care practitioners, legalities, patient education, patient compliance, the people and ailments I see at the clinic, along with other details. The class will be recorded, but I appreciate having people join in during the class as well. The Zoom link-https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_w-6-3X9YQMmAzUcGclx2tw

This is a Halloween-colored patch of Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica, Polygonaceae. Synonyms include Fallopia japonica, and Polygonum cuspidatum). This ...is a very invasive plant. It is one of the only plants that I don’t compost after preparing medicine, rather, I send the left-over bits to the landfill, as I don’t want it to start growing here. But it is a useful medicine. It has a fair amount of scientific research largely due to its long-term use in Asian medicine as well as active studies on resveratrol. While the plant has numerous constituents and applications, I mainly use it as an antiinflammatory partly due to the large quantities of resveratrol that it contains in the roots. These are strongly antioxidant, which likely contributes to the antiinflammatory effect. Resveratrol is used by the plants themselves to reduce damage from wounds and pathogens. It has become a go-to herb for Lyme, but I think that distorts and limits the use of this plant. One of the main reasons it is used in Lyme is not against the Borrelia bacteria, but for the arthralgias and joint pains associated with Lyme disease. So it should not be limited for Lyme, and also, there are other herbs that can be used for painful joints in Lyme such as Black birch (Betula lenta) and Willow (Salix species). Japanese knotweed has a long history of safe use as an herbal remedy. Its biggest adverse effect is on the environment as it can overrun an ecosystem. Please try not to spread it. I mainly prepare the tincture from fresh roots at 1:2 in 80% ethanol. It can also be drunk as a tea. The plant is also rich in emodin, which acts as a laxative that might have one going to the toilet more often than previously after taking large amounts. If this Japanese knotweed intrigues you, I suggest doing further research both about the plant itself and about the uses of resveratrol. ~7Song, October 13, 2020

Maple Leaf Comparison While there are a number of Maple (Acer species, Sapindaceae) trees in the Northeast, I mainly wanted to compare the Red maple (Acer rubru...m) with the Sugar maple (Acer saccharum). I also added the Moosewood (aka Striped maple, Acer pennsylvanicum) as it is noticeably larger. One of the easiest ways to tell Red maple from Sugar maple is that there are teeth lining the margin of the leaf in the Red maple. Also, the indentations (lobes) tend to be more V-shaped (sharper) in Red maple and U-shaped (rounder) in Sugar maple. October 9, 2020 See more

The Virtues of Pappus This is a photo demonstrating 3 different kinds of pappus. In the lower left is Joe pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum, Asteraceae). In the ce...nter is Virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana, Ranunculaceae) and on the right is Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca, Apocynaceae). There are 2 different definitions for pappus. Bear with me on this. The first definition is the most commonly used and it describes hair or hair-like tissues that can help transport seeds in the wind. You can see that with all 3 plants. But there is also a more specific definition concerning the Asteraceae (Sunflower family). In this family the pappus is any modified calyx. It can be fluffy and parachute-like as with this Joe pye weed or a Dandelion (which are then called capillary bristles). But the pappus can also be barbed (see the Beggar ticks post from September 9) or any other shape. This is a bit technical, but it has to do with the fact that most Asteraceae species have a set of bracts (the involucre) around the flower head protecting the enclosed individual flowers. This allows the individual calyces (plural for calyx) to be put to other purposes rather than protecting the flowers as it does with so many other plants. A common use of the pappus (modified calyces) is to transport the seeds as with Beggar ticks (Bidens species), which you may have had to remove from your clothing or a pet’s fun. I hope this makes sense and enriches your understanding of the plants around you. Shindagin Hollow, Caroline, NY. October 8, 2020 See more

Practicing as an Herbalist in a Free Clinic part 1 is now online The first part of Practicing as an Herbalist in a Free Clinic is now online here https://youtu....be/N714iNB8A9I In this video, I review some of the details of setting up and working in a free clinic. I discuss my experience in helping start the Ithaca Free Clinic (along with many others) as well as some of my goals. I hope that by sharing this experience it will help other herbalists feel empowered and do something similar in their communities. Other discussion in the video includes; receiving donations, working with other health care practitioners, legalities, patient education, how herbal medicine and herbalists fit into an integrated free clinic, patient compliance, different types of herbal preparations, the types of people and ailments I see at the clinic, along with other details. Please feel free to leave any comments. I will be sending out information about part 2 of this series soon, which will focus on herbal medicine and treatment strategies. See more

Hello Folks I will be teaching (as in 'in-person) "Herbs for Respiratory Illness" on October 10 from 10-noon at Weathertop Farms in Sharon Springs, NY. The clas...s will be outdoors around a fire pit. There are only 1 or 2 spaces left. Here is the link with information and registration https://www.weathertopfarmny.com//7song-herbal-first-aid-f See more

Malva Comparison There are two closely related Malva species (Malvaceae) that grow around me. They look very alike, but I finally found an easy way to different...iate them. Both plants are called Musk mallow and are attractive non-native plants that are eaten regularly by deer (as so many Malvaceae species are). The difference is the hairs along the stem. Malva moschata (top) has straight hairs, and Malva alcea (bottom) has branched hairs. This kind of botanical detail gives me a bit of thrill (yes, it is may be a peculiar state of mind). Below are photos of the plants in flower. ~7Song, Ithaca, NY. September 30, 2020

The Medicinal Uses of Non-Aromatic Mints A group of plants I find medicinally interesting are the members of the non-aromatic Mint family (Lamiaceae). While rel...ated by their reproductive structures, they are chemically and medicinally diverse. These include Bugleweed (Lycopus species), which is used for hyperthyroidism. Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) with a wide variety of medicinal uses. I commonly use it in gum tonics for its astringent and antiinflammatory properties. Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) with its benefits for heart palpitations caused by anxiety. And Skullcap (Scutellaria species), which is used as a nervine, pain reliever, and sleep aid. Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) would now also fit into this group as it has recently been moved from the Verbenaceae to the Lamiaceae. It is most noted for its effects on estrogen and menopause. I guess I find these interesting as they sit outside of the common Mint family species with strong aromatics such as the Mints (Mentha species), Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), Lavender (Lavandula species), and Sage (Salvia species). All of the above non-aromatic mints have other uses than the brief descriptions, but I just wanted to point them out as an interesting group of plants. The photo is of Motherwort. ~7Song, September 30, 2020