Healing w/ Native Plants: Dr. Adams (11/13)

Chris Nyerges (School of Self-Reliance (Meetup), Xochitl, Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Healing with Medicinal Plants (Garcia & Adams)

ETHNOBOTANY SERIES: This event is part of the School of Self-Reliance's certification program. It is a rare opportunity to learn directly from USC Professor James Adams, Ph.D., and his associates.

This field session focuses on local MEDICINAL PLANTS with Dr. James Adams, apprentice to Native American Shaman Cecilia Garcia, and co-author of Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West.

Dr. Adams will share his two decades of training in the subject of Chumash (Southern California Native American) healing herbs, and he will demonstrate how certain pain-relieving products are easily made with local ingredients.

See the specific herbs used in Chumash healing (like a very effective tincture of Cowboy's Cologne), and see how to prepare it for use.

USC Prof. Emeritus Dr. Jim Adams, Ph.D.

Dr. Jim Adams is professor emeritus at the USC School of Pharmacy. His students Michelle Wong and Enrique Villaseñor are native plant educators and healers. They will lead the plant walk on the medicinal uses of California native plants. The three -- along with Native American Shaman Teacher Cecilia Garcia -- are co-authors of the book Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West.

Enrique Villasenor and Michelle Wong will present traditional recipes for making healing medicines and will be available afterward to sign their book. They will discuss the uses of elderberry, white sage, black sage, California sagebrush, California bay, mugwort, and many more plants.

Learn specific recipes for making foot soaks, external liniments, and healthful drinks.

New edition of Garcia's book

NOTE: Bring a folding chair for comfort. We’ll discuss some literature about healing with herbs and some of the herbs that can be grown in the yard. Books by Dr. Adams will be available, as well as pre-made herbal liniments.

Special requests? Let the team know ahead of time: schoolofself-reliance.com

• Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, 1:00-5:30 pm
• $45.00 – $65.00 (applies to series)
• RSVP: Wild Food and Self Reliance Discover Meetup

How to heal nearly any pain

I'm in pain, and nothing helps! - This will.

PAIN RELIEVING LINIMENT: We learned how to make an analgesic painkiller out of California sagebrush ("Cowboy's Cologne," Artemisia californica), isopropyl alcohol (70%), one blade of white sage, and a cut up avocado pit (for its oil). Combine as much of the sagebrush (which is not an actual sage) as fits in a jar, and white sage and cut up avocado pit, in glass mason jar and fill with alcohol. Allow to steep for six (6) weeks in the dark then transfer the liquid into a brown glass spray bottle. Spray on any pain. Since pain comes from the skin, not from within the body or brain, expect relief in 20 seconds to a minute. It works even on chronic pain, sore joints, stiff neck, headaches, and in particular back pain of all kinds. Bottles of this concoction are available from Dr. Adams and his students (about $40 for 8 oz.), but the ingredients are nearly free, store well, and can be made in abundance just by foraging the California sagebrush when it is fragrant and green. We also learned about a near instant cure for acute and persistent eczema (scaly, itchy skin):

ECZEMA HEALING SALVE: Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum or Tongva huutah) + steeped for six weeks then heated over stove with bee's wax [or hard virgin coconut oil, cocoa butter, or organic palm oil]. Apply salve at least twice a day, and expect improvement in a few days no matter how bad the eczema. This product was conceived of by Dr. Adams (in relation to an Amazonian female spirit) to cure his "Adam's disease" (which he described and named and put in the books).

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