Back in the UK

Back home in the UK and it is great to see the leaves turning, our own 'fall', with some sharp frosts to clear pests in the garden. I have great memories of the people and places from my stay at the Goldenseal Sanctuary in southern Ohio. Now thinking about ways to promote sustainable herbal medicine growing, and how Holt Wood can develop to support these ideas. Meantime have been fortunate to gain some support from the local Sustainable Crediton to arrange a talk about my experiences in USA.
See more about the local group at http://www.sustainablecrediton.org.uk/

“Endangered Plants and Herbal Medicine: The Potential for Sustainable Herbal Harvesting” 7.30-9.00 pm, Thursday 2nd December 2010 An illustrated talk with Anne Stobart, MNIMH, consultant medical herbalist. At Crediton Arts Centre, East St, Crediton, Devon, EX17 3AX Anne Stobart is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and a local consultant medical herbalist. She has recently visited the United States where she stayed at the Goldenseal Sanctuary in southern Ohio, run by United Plant Savers. Herbal medicine in the United Kingdom draws on a wide range of plants sourced from all over the world. Many remedies are native plants, like Hawthorn, and these are frequently imported although they could be readily harvested here. Some important remedies suffer from being extensively harvested in the wild such as Goldenseal, Ginseng, Echinacea and Black Cohosh. These plants are considered ‘at risk’ in the United States but could be cultivated in sustainable ways. Anne will talk about these and other herbs and the possibilities for sustainable harvesting and use. Her talk will include information about alternative projects in the United States as well as in Africa and here in Devon. There is no charge for this talk although donations will be welcome and a share of these will go to Treeaid, a charitable concern funding tree nurseries for medicine and other purposes in Africa. Refreshments will include herb tea. For further details contact Anne at 01363 777531 or at herbaid@herbaid.co.uk