Sunnyfield Herb Farm

Upcoming Classes in Minnesota

Winter Class on Holistic Evaluation Skills

Clinical Skills Development

The purpose of this class is to learn to observe, understand, and locate pathological processes in the body from an holistic standpoint. This includes general constitutional traits and locations of weakness in the organ systems, which are usually the starting places for chronic disease. The overall dynamics of the organism, in terms of the condition of the thermoregulatory mechanisms and the flow of the blood establish more precise locations and conditions of disturbance.

From the beginning of class, time will be set aside to study the pulse, tongue, physiognomy, constitution, blood distribution, surface conditions, etc., of the students in the class. However, only in the last classes will these subjects be studied in detail and we will finish with a case history.

I. Holism and Reductionism. The difference between holistic evaluation and biomedical diagnosis. Use of the term holistic evaluation instead of diagnosis. The major constituents of an holistic evaluation: constitution, energetics, organ systems, dynamics. Pathological processes develop from weaknesses in the overall constitution and the dominant or inferior organ systems. Functional and organic disease. Homeostasis, stress, cure, healing, and disease.

II. Constitutions. The three primary constitutions (vata, pitta, kapha; ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph) and their relationship to organ systems through the dominant fetal tissues (ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm). The twenty-one secondary constitutions.

III. Energetics. The four qualities and the two tissue states of Greek medicine. The six tissue states of Physiomedicalism.

IV. The Twelve Organ Systems. The crucial organ systems, or basic functional spheres of the body, are twelve, according to both Eastern and Western traditional sources. There are about a dozen, according to modern biomedicine. Pathological processes often trace back to weaknesses or overstimulation in the basic functional spheres of the body.

V. Dynamics I: The Febrile Mechanism. The body protects the periphery of the body from external environmental influences through the manipulation of the ‘vents’ at the surface (sweat pores, sebaceous glands, capillary fullness, etc.) The most common stress is probably ambient temperature change. These mechanisms are traumatized long before the immune response is triggered.

VI. Dynamics II: Southern Blood Typology. In traditional Western medicine the dynamics of the body was measured in terms of blood flow, not the qi or meridians, as in traditional Chinese medicine. The local and general disposition of the blood shows where the circulation needs stimulation or sedation. Southern Blood Typology. The Six Tissue States and the blood.

VII. Evaluation Methods I: The Four Examinations. Taking a case history through observation, palpation, questioning, and listening.

VIII. Evaluation Methods II: Complexion, Face, Skin. Observing the color of the complexion, face, skin, according to the prevalence of the four humors: red, white, yellow, blue/black. Differential evaluation of bruises.

IX. Evaluation Methods III: Physiognomy. Evaluation from the face and external geography.

X. Evaluation Methods IY: Pulse, Tongue, Skin. Observing the pulse and tongue. Examine temperature, dampness, and oiliness of the skin.

XI. Putting It All Together. Taking a case history. The three pillars of a holistic herbal case: tissue state, organ systems, dynamics.

XII. Case History Presentation. Student presents a case history.

Winter and Spring, 2009. Wednesday Evenings, 7 pm to 9:30 pm; at South Minneapolis location. $20 per class, $200 for the entire class. Dates: Jan. 28, Feb 11, 18, Mar 11, 25, Apr. 1, 8, 29, May 6, 20, June 10, 17, Jul 1.

Contact Matthew Wood at greenmedic@copper.net / (763) 972-7225 for more information.
Matthew recommends that students take this diagnostics class.

Clinical Skills Practice

Sunday afternoon clinic with clients at South Minneapolis location. Matthew Wood and Cynthia Thomas, teachers.

Contact: Cynthia Thomas, 612-991-2717 or cynthia_thomas@mac.com.

Annual Herb Walk, Don Popp Farm, Hutchinson, MN., May 2009

Contact: Matthew Wood at greenmedic@copper.net / (763) 972-7225 for more information.

Upcoming Classes Around the Country - 2009

California

Sponsored by Philos School of Herbal Energetics and Mary Pat Palmer, Registered Herbalist (AHG)
2400 Hwy 128
Philo, California 95466

Organ Systems and Herbs, in Depth
Six weekend workshop, intermediate level, on organ systems and introductory client evaluation. This class has already started, but an equivalent class will be started late 2009 or early 2010.
contact: Mary Pat Palmer
707-895-3007
mpatpalm@herbalenergetics.com

Oregon

Traditional Western Herbalism: An Intuitive and Energetic Approach

An Intermediate to Advanced Class designed to help students and practitioners with a good background in herbalism improve or begin practice. Our approach is intuitive, looking for the pattern in the plant and the person that speaks to the spirit. This provides a smooth, confident, holistic approach to herbalism, compared to practice too heavily dependent on reductionist science. Following the teaching of Rudolf Steiner (“Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path”), we see this as an approach that develops the spiritual life of the practioner.

Subjects: The Nature of the Intuition: Intuition, Holism, and Spirituality; The Doctrine of Signatures (Patterns in Plants); Constitutions (Patterns in People); the Three Primary Constitutions, the Twenty One Constitutions and Animal Medicines; Energetics: Greek and Modern, the Six Tissue States; Organ affinities; Dynamics of Fever and Circulation, Southern Blood Typology; the Major Organ Systems (GI, Liver and Gallbladder, Lymph/Immune, Cardiovascular, Kidneys/Bladder, Endocrine, and Reproductive.

Six Weekend Classes, Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.
Apr. 17/18/19; May 1/2/3; June 5/6/7; July (assignment, no class); August 21/22/23; Sept. 4/5/6; October 16/17/18.

For more information, contact: prestonfoell@yahoo.com

New Mexico

Six-weekend intensive in Santa Fe to begin November 7/8. Contact Mark Jensen at 505-501-3828.

New York

Weeklong Intensive, July 18-25, 2009.

An intermediate to advanced course, part two, taught by Matthew Wood, Don Babineau and Kate Gilday, at Woodland Essences, at 392 Teacup Street, Cold Brook, New York. New students not encouraged unless you have past classes with one of the teachers.

Contact: 315-845-1515.

Massachusetts

Look for us again at the International Herb Symposium in June.

Vermont

The Wisdom of Nature, August 6 – 9 at Partner Earth Education Center in Danby, Vermont

Nature is alive, and we can approach this living soul from at least two major directions. Through dreamtime, including imagination and dream, we can attune to the plants, animals, land, and Nature as a living being. Through the intuition we can learn to detect the primal patterns in Nature. This is the 'language of the birds' or the 'green tongue' of which the ancient sages spoke. Following Rudolf Steiner's idea, "Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path," we will learn how this brings us closer to Nature and the spirit. First we will learn about the intuition, how it works and how to use it, both on its own and to supplement dreamtime, then how to recognize the patterns in Nature through the 'doctrine of signatures,' then the 'spirit signatures' that draw relationships between plants and animals. We will then study animal medicine. Finally, we will study the animals within, the constitutions and medicine animals associated with us. Each of us has a constitutional medicine animal type and an instinctive animal self (sometimes the same). We will work with the three primary constitutions (vata, pitta, kapha) and the subdivisions into twenty-one constitutions associated with different animals and medicine powers. At all times we will seek to make the class as experiential as possible, through looking at herbs, herb walks, discussing the intuition, imagination, instincts, defining them and their differences, In the end, we will try to help ourselves and each other to discover personal affinities to medicine animals

Time: 10:00am Thursday to 3:00pm Sunday

Cost: $495 earlybird discount if paid in full by June 15^th, thereafter, the cost is $545. Includes all instruction, meals, indoor lodging or camping. Register with a $100 non-refundable deposit.

For more info or to register: www.partnereartheducationcenter.com or call 802-293-5996.

Virginia

September 25/26/27, 2009, Charlottesville. Contact Kathleen Maier at 434-760-1131; kamaier@earthlink.net

October 3-4, 2009, Blacksburg, VA. Contact Lauren Cooper greenstarfarm@hotmail.com.

Upcoming Classes Around the World - 2009

Israel

Plants and People
Galilee Location

An intermediate to advanced class designed to help students and practitioners with a good background in herbalism to understand the relationships between energetics and pharmacology, with some emphasis on the native plants of the Mediterranean and traditional Greek/Arabic/Hebrew medicine. Therefore, emphasis on using the four qualities and two tissue states of Greek medicine, their modern analogs in the six tissue states. See article on energetics and pharmacology.

Thursday-Saturday, March 26-28.

For more information, contact bono@bezeqint.net.

United Kingdom

Late July, 2009. Will post more soon!

“By magically changing our lives, our green friends restore physical health, psychological happiness, and spiritual purpose. A little miracle occurs and the magical level clicks in, in fact, whenever an herb cures in a real and radical way. This is a sign that something great and new has come in from a different world to enrich and develop our lives to their fullest and most beautiful potential”.
-Matthew Wood

Quercus rubra (red oak)