Sage Mountain News
Special Letter from Rosemary Gladstar
Dear Friends,
United Plant Savers is nearing its 20th anniversary! Birthed in 1994, UpS has helped to shape the direction of American Herbalism from a focus on our human health needs to one that includes the health and vitality of our native plant communities. As 'Stewards of Healing Herbs' (I like to think of us as the 'plant huggers' of the green revolution) our mission includes the conservation and preservation of native medicinal plants and the habitat they grow in, with a focus on organic cultivation and long term sustainability.
We've done an amazing job in the few years since we took on this task, especially considering we are a small organization with limited resources. One of our goals this year is to increase our membership so that we are a larger voice for the plants. Please help us reach our goal of 2000 members by 2014!!!If each of our current members signed up one new member we would far exceed our goal. And this month, March, is a perfect time to sign someone up because one of our board members has pledged to match each new membership with a matching donation!!!
We look forward to celebrating UpS's 20th Anniversary with 2000 members and 20 years of dedication to plant conservation and stewardship. Help us reach our goal! If you’re not already a member, please join now. And if you are a member, please sign up a plant loving friend. Membership entitles you to free seeds and plants, discounts at events and conferences, the Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation, quarterly bulletins and the opportunity to be a voice for the plants.
Green Blessings,
Rosemary Gladstar
UpS Founding President
Rosemary Gladstar
Rosemary Gladstar Receives First-Annual ABC Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award
(AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 20, 2013) The American Botanical Council (ABC) has announced that its first Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award will be given to Rosemary Gladstar, the renowned herbalist, teacher, and author known to many as the Godmother of American Herbalism. Among her many accomplishments and efforts that have helped grow a rich herbal community in the United States, Gladstar founded several schools of herbal education, founded and organizes annual herbal conferences, leads international herb-focused journeys, and has authored or co-authored about a dozen books on topics ranging from herbal medicine recipes to medicinal plant conservation.
“I know of no other herbalist who has done more to create a sense of relationship, community, and identity among herbalists and others with a strong interest in herbs and herbal healing than Rosemary,” said ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. “Her energy, enthusiasm, passion, creativity, love, and generous spirit are bountiful and contagious. There is no one like her."
Gladstar, the daughter of Armenian immigrants, first learned plant medicine during informal garden walks with her grandmother, Mary Abelian Egitkanoff. She was instantly interested in the plant world, which was apparent in the middle school projects she chose to do on medicinal herbs. In the early 1970s, Gladstar opened her own herb shop, Rosemary’s Garden, in Sonoma County, California. Then, in 1974, she co-founded the tea company Traditional Medicinals with Drake Sadler and created many of the teas’ original formulations, including the popular Smooth Move®, Throat Coat®, and Mother’s Milk®. In 1978, she founded the California School of Herbal Studies (CSHS), which is still in operation today as the country’s oldest herbal school. In the following years, she founded the Breitenbush Herbal Conference, the International Herb Symposium, and the New England Women’s Herbal Conference — the latter two of which she still directs.
26th New England Women's Herbal Conference
26th New England Women's Herbal Conference
Honoring the Wisdom of Our Ancestors
August 23 ~ 25, 2013
Join us in this Special Celebration Honoring Women’s Wisdom, Healing & Herbs The WHC is a Benefit Conference for United Plant Savers
Each year for the past 25 years, the Ne Women’s Herbal Conference has brought together leading women herbalists, healers, and plant enthusiasts from throughout the country to share their wisdom of the herbs and natural healing. Though the emphasis is on women’s health and healing, the WHC is a joyful celebration of women’s wisdom and well being. Lovely lakeside Camp Wicosuta, New Hampshire, has been a girl’s camp for over 90 years and warmly welcomes the New England Women’s Herbal Conference. The camp provides excellent facilities, indoor lodging, camping, and a lovely sandy beach on the lake for swimming and canoeing.
The 11th International Herb Symposium
A not to be missed event!
The 11th International Herb Symposium
Weaving Our Global Roots
Mark Your Calendars Now
June 28th - 30th 2013
Held At Beautiful Wheaton College, Norton, Mass
Inspiring! Eductiional! Entertaining!
~ For All People Who Love Plants ~
Early Bird Registration has begun!
Visit the 11th IHS website : International Herb Symposium Website
Register Online Here : International Herb Symposium Registration
The Herbal Highway
Join Sarah Holmes for an interview with Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist, teacher and author about her new book Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide.
Storey Press Release for Rosemary Gladstar's New Book
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide is available from Storey Publishing in March 2012.
Spending hours in the cough & cold aisle of your local pharmacy, wondering what the difference is between a suppressant, an expectorant, and a decongestant, only to get home, dose yourself, and realize you just spent twelve bucks on something for a stuffy nose when you have a runny one? With so many brands, so many variations by the same brand, and so many scary stories of pharmacological side effects, it’s almost impossible to leave a drug store feeling confident about what you inevitably just paid too much money for.
This is only one of the reasons why more and more people are returning to the ancient healing art of herbalism, and there is no better instructor in the practice of simple, safe, and effective natural medicine than Rosemary Gladstar. One of the most trusted and well-respected herbalists of her time – known as the godmother of modern herbalism – Gladstar demonstrates how easy it is to make safe, all-natural, low-cost healing remedies for common ailments in her new book, Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide.
The English Cotswolds
A Journey of Botany and Beauty
July 20th to 27th, 2013
Join internationally known Herbalists / teachers Rosemary Gladstar, Anne McIntyre, and Donna Bryant Winston for an inspirational journey through the beautiful English Countryside.
We will explore the relationship between nature and plants in all their beauty, and how they can help promote longevity, physical health, and emotional well being, amidst one of the most beautiful areas in England.
The Cotswolds is an idyllic area of Middle England known for its beautiful rolling hills, open views, and spectacular English gardens.
The ancient limestone architecture suggests a place where time has stood still and yet the 21st century is very much alive among its quaint villages and towns. During our 7 day adventure we will visit exquisite gardens, impressive castles & estates, lavender fields, herb filled woodlands & hedgerows, historic towns and charming olde worlde villages.
Sage Mountain Herbal Products
Looking for High Quality Organically Cultivated Herbal Formulas that work?
Sage Mountain Herbal Products
Formulated by Rosemary Gladstar
Made and Produced by Andrea & Matthais Reisen of Healing Spirits
From Organically Cultivated & Wildcrafted Herbs
Since 2006, Andrea and Matthias Reisen of Healing Spirits Herb Farm and Education Center have been producing the Sage Mountain line of herbal products at their beautiful organic farm in Western New York. These are Rosemary Gladstar’s favorite formulas; one’s that she blended and used in her own practice and for her family. They’ve been tested by time over the past 25 years and each product has hundreds of testimonials of people using them successfully. Andrea and Matthias are highly respected herbalists, farmers and healers and are renowned for their high quality cultivated and ethically wild crafted herbs. Matthais was a founding member of United Plant Savers and they have both been active members since it was founded.
Replacing the “Guinea Pig”: Safer, Humane Chemical Tests
In June 2010, the Environmental Defense Fund and its partners in the campaign to reform U.S. law to regulate chemicals made an impassioned plea for American consumers not to be treated like “guinea pigs.” I’d like to remind our friends and colleagues in the environmental and consumer protection communities that advocates for animal protection – while respecting the interests of all animals and believing that none of them should be treated like disposable lab equipment – also care about protecting human health and the environment, and that we all must work together to achieve a future that is both safer and more humane.
Numen: The Nature of Plants
A film about the healing power of plants
by Film Makers Terry Youk and Ann Armbrecht.
Numen is a 95 minute documentary focusing on the healing power of plants and the natural world. Filmmakers Terrance Youk and Ann Armbrecht traveled the U.S. to speak with herbalists and doctors, ethnobotanists and others about how our disconnection with nature affects human and environmental health and to discover how healing is made possible by embracing our place in the wider web of life. Featuring stunning footage of medicinal plants and moving interviews, Numen provides viewers with a new vision of medicine and offers steps to improve individual health and well being that enhance the health of the earth.
Apprenticing with Rosemary Gladstar
By Betsy May
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at Sage Mountain, herbal retreat and home of famous herbalist Rosemary Gladstar.
I had traveled eight hours by myself from southern Pennsylvania to the mountains of Northern Vermont, following an inner voice that simply said I needed to go. Before I left, my husband asked me if I knew how to set up our tent as I was to camp out all week at Sage Mountain. I looked at him as if he’d lost his mind and told him of course I knew how to set up the tent, slightly offended.
I had signed up for Rosemary’s Apprentice program, aka herbal boot camp, in the spring and could hardly believe I was finally here, at the home of this phenomenal herbalist and healer who speaks to the plants. The week was to consist of herbal classes, field trips, 3 delicious vegetarian meals cooked for us each day, a Jacuzzi, available at any time of the day or night, and a cedar sauna that was to be fired up one night. Not to mention full access to Rosemary’s comprehensive, personal library of books and videos in our spare time. Of course, who am I kidding, there really wasn’t any spare time!
Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health Book Review
Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health and Vitality by Rosemary Gladstar Book Review
(Please note, this is paperback version of the Family Herbal; $16.95. The Family Herbal, the hard back edition, is out of print)
“This is a must~have reference for those interested in a healthy, herbal approach to daily life” ~ Joel M. Lerner, Washington Post
Rosemary Gladstar: Guardian Angel of Medicinal Plants
By Jesse Wolf Hardin
When we call people “angels” we usually mean somebody who goes out of their way to do good, individuals who are not only kind but driven to fulfill a mission of giving back to the world that has given so much to them.
Begin in the Garden
Interview with Rosemary Gladstar for Yankee Magazine
Winter solstice, and the woods around Sage Mountain are quiet under a sky gone dusky by mid-afternoon. There is no wind, little sound, few tracks among the snow-laden conifers.
Autumn Greetings from the Mountain
Sage Mountain Autumn Newsletter
“The seed is in the ground…and now may we rest in hope While darkness does its work”
~ Wendell Berry
Dear Friend,
Autumn has been glorious this year. At Sage, we put out beds to rest, harvest the last of summer’s glory, finish up the few remaining classes of the season, while the last bright oranges and yellows of calendula bravely flower around us, a testimony to the ongoing beauty and joy of life even at season’s end.
As we pause to put the last of the beds to rest, the harvest brought home, we wish to thank each of you who have joined us for our apprentice programs, classes and conferences, those who have traveled with us to distant lands on our wonderful and unique Plant Lover’s Journey’s, the commitment of hundreds of our correspondence course students to their studies (we are continuously amazed at the dedication and commitment of our correspondence students), and for all the phone calls and letters of support we’ve received throughout the years. It has been so heartwarming to watch the dream seed that was planted here on this Mountain 24 years ago flourish, the dream traveling forth like winged seeds on the wind with each person/student/teacher that comes here to share and learn. We feel more fortunate than we can ever express for the beauty each of you bring to the Mountain and the beauty each of you take home with you. It’s more than just about herbal teachings and formulas and recipes for health & well being, but a deep rich source of manna that feeds and nourishes the heart and the soul of each of us and the earth as well. It is sacred plant medicine. It is friends. It is community. The plants that are our teachers, that we are in service to, that we kneel before and honor as friends, healers, teachers ~ they help us open our hearts to one another, and to share a gentle more harmonious way to be in community together on this planet at this tumultuous time on earth.
We are in awe…of the green biomass, the beauty that surrounds us, and continues to remind us when things seem hopeless that there is always a way. Look to the plants that surrender everything they have at seasons end; that participate in the great give away each year without even a sigh of remorse. Look to the seeds that plant themselves on highway meridians and point the way or the tiny mushroom pushing its way obliviously through a sold block of cement to get to the light. That’s hope! That’s soft power manifesting before us! Its hope in our future and the cycle of life…. That we, too, can crack the cement of oppression and find the path to the light.
At seasons end, as fall turns to winter, we turn our thoughts to another year of herbal teachings and begin another cycle around the Medicine Wheel of Time. We invite you to join us on the journey. Though I am definitely slowing down some (as I enter my fourth decade of teaching and sharing) and am not offering as many programs and classes as in the past, we still have some wonderful events and programs planned for 2011 (please check out Programs and Events on our website). We’re especially excited about the upcoming International Herb Symposium that happens every two years; it’s truly a grand herbal event and not to be missed. The I IHS brings together herbalists, healers and traditional medicine people from around the world to network and share wisdom and helps to weave our global roots together in a profound and joyful manner.
And, of course, there's the Annual New England Women’s Herbal Conference. Now in its 24th year (and for many of us, our favorite event!), the WHC is moving this year to a more beautiful and larger site, Camp Wicosuta on Newfound Lake (located in the lake region of New Hampshire). Camp Wicosuta has been a girl’s camp for 90 years and warmly welcomes the Women’s Herbal Conference. With more indoor lodging, nicer cabins, more classroom space, lovely grounds, and a great beachfront, we think we’ve found the perfect site for the WHC to grow into for years to come.
Wherever our paths may cross this year ~ be it in the gardens at Sage MT, at an event or conference, on one of our amazing Plant Lover’s Journey’s, or through the mail as one of our Correspondence Course students ~ I look forward to sharing and learning more about the wonder of the green world with you. With you, I am standing my watch, doing what I can to help birth this world anew with a new vision that supports world peace and harmonly for all living beings. For me, `planting seeds and tending the garden' in all its profound manifestations and metaphors, is what I know best to do to help birth that vision.
In the spirit of the plants,
Rosemary Gladstar
Winter Recipes for Health & Well Bring
These are some of my favorite winter time recipes. They are all simple recipes, things easily made in the kitchen and easy to share with others. Pass them on ~
Fire Cider ~ a delicious tasty way to keep the 'cold/flu bugs' away!
- 1 part Garlic
- 1 part Horseradish
- 1 part Onions
- ½ part Fresh ginger
- Cayenne to taste (just a few grains will do)
- Honey to taste
- Apple Cider Vinegar.
Chop fresh garlic, onions, and horseradish into small pieces. Grate fresh ginger. The amounts and proportions vary according to your particular taste.. If unsure, start with equal amounts of the first three ingredients and roughly half part ginger the first time you make this; you can always adjust the flavors in future batches. Chop enough of the first four ingredients to fill a quart jar approximately half full. Put in wide mouth quart jar and cover with Apple Cider vinegar (keep vinegar about two to three inches above the herbs). Add cayenne to taste (just a small amount or will be too hot!). Let sit two to three weeks. Strain and discard spent herbs. Add honey to taste (add the honey after you strain the rest of the herbs).
Fire Cider should taste hot, spicy and sweet. Great as a winter time tonic and/or as a remedy for colds and coughs. I loved to take little shot glasses as a tonic and often people use it as salad dressing and/or on rice or steamed vegetables. It’s quite tasty!
Winter Cold Care Caps ~ One of my favorite old time stand byes for ‘kicking a cold’. Take two capsules every two - four hours at the earliest signs of a cold or cough coming on. Often, you’ll be successfully able to ward it off and/or shorten the duration of one.
- 1 part Golden Seal (organically grown, not wildcrafted)
- 1 part myrrh gum
- 1 part Echinacea
- 1 part turmeric
- ¼ part cayenne
Use the herbs in powder form. Mix together well and encapsulate in “00’ size capsules (available in pharmacies or at herb stores). Take two capsules every two to four hours until clear of any symptoms.
Immuno Support Tincture for Winter Time Imbalances ~ Everyone has their favorite immune formula for winter. Here is mine. It’s warming, good for circulation, and nudges a sluggish immuno system into action.
- 2 part Echinacea (fresh or dried)
- 1 part organically cultivated Osha (hard to find in cultivated form, but search for it. We need to create a demand for the cultivated Osha so we take the demand off of the wild crafted plants)
- 1 part fresh horseradish
- 1 part fresh garlic
- 1 part turmeric (fresh or dried)
- 1 part Shitake and/or Reishi (fresh or dried)
Chop and/or grate all of the herbs. Put herbs into a large mouth jar and cover with at least three inches of brandy or vodka (80 proof alcohol). Let sit in a warm place and shake every few days for four weeks. Strain and rebottle, discarding the spent herbs. At the first sign of a cold or flu coming on, take ½ to 1 tsp every hour or as needed to ward off illness.
Hot Curried Onions ~ This one of my favorite recipes to eat at the onset of a cold or flu. It’s a great ‘preventive’ and also helps mobilize the immune system. And it’s so very tasty you can eat it even if you’re not sick!
* Chop several large onions into think half moons
* Whole garlic cloves, peeled (about ¼ the amount of onions)
* Sauté onions and garlic slowly over heat until golden brown and soft
* Season with Braggs amino or a little tamari
Add a very good curry mix and stir in well. Allow to cook for another 15-20 minutes until curry is well absorbed. * Curry is a blend of spices that are all highly medicinal and usually contains turmeric, cumin, cayenne, ginger, coriander, and other herbs and spices depending on the blend.
* You can also add cashews and raisins to make it a little ‘fancier’. Serve with rice and yogurt for a special treat.
