2016 RI Herb Festival Schedule: 10am-5pm

We will have a kid's tent 
available with kids activities all day. Children need to be supervised by parents or guardian.  

10am-11am   

Essential Oils for Stress  
with Lesley Wooler
Stress is a common everyday occurrence in our lives. Learn which essential oils can help you deal with this on physical, emotional and psychological levels. Handouts will be provided.   
Lesley Wooler is the owner of The Herb Wyfe and is the RI Regional Director for NAHA (National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy). She has a B.Sc. in Horticulture and has maintained her own landscaping business for almost 20 years.

Super Nutrition for Free with Karen Talbot
Discover how you can make family meals delicious and nutritious with “weeds” that grow right under your feet. Samples of food and drink as well as recipes will be available for the adventurous!  Karen Talbot has been a certified herbalist for 25 years and has led wild plant walks for organizations, schools, and private clients. She aspires to empower you to access the most local and sustainable foods no matter where you live – country, suburbs, or city.

Summer of Herbs with Rachel Playe 
Summer is a time we crave to be outside, but the heat can be hard for some. It's also a time when we have access to fresh herbs. Come to the class to learn how to take care of your health using plants that are in season!

Rachel Play is the owner of Radia Herbs.  Located in Providence, Radia Herbs ethically wildcrafts herbs or sources them from their own gardens or local farms.  To Rachel, herbalism is not just about taking take of ourselves, but making sure we're also caring for the plants. Rachel is a graduate of Farmacy Herbs' level I and II programs and still continues her studies at Farmacy Herbs. Rachel is also a photojournalist and co-editor at Transport Providence, a public transportation and bike advocacy blog.

Farmacy Gardens Plant Walk with Mary Blue
Join Farmacy Herbs founder and lead herbalist on  a plant walk through the 16 year old medicinal herb gardens at Farmacy Herbs.  Mary Blue is the author of “Herbal Foundations” and the founder of Farmacy Herbs and Sage Clinic. She has 16 years experience as an herbalist. 

   11:15-12:15pm   

Spice It Up with Bonnie Kavanagh

This class is an A to Z tour of your kitchen spice cabinet with the emphasis on the medicinal benefits of common culinary herbs. The history of the spice trade and how it influenced world exploration are discussed and recipes shared. Bonnie Kavanagh is a second generation nurse and herbalist who is the community herbalist at 7 Arrows Farm in Seekonk, Massachusetts. She has been an herbal educator for over twenty years and involved in health care for 37 years. Bonnie teaches Rosemary Gladstar's Art and Science of Herbalism Apprenticeship program at 7 Arrows Farm and offers herbal consultations by appointment.

The Gut Brain Connection with Mira Silverman
Does our emotional state affect our digestion or does our digestive health affect our emotional state? How does stress impact our digestive system? Can the bacteria in our gut influence how we think? This class will look at how it’s all connected and what herbs can help us maintain equilibrium.
 Mira Silverman is a registered nurse, herbalist, writer, kundalini yoga instructor, and plant-loving earth-wanderer. She works as a visiting nurse for low-income pregnant women and new moms and also gives private, sliding scale herbal consultations.

Ask Better Health Questions with Traci Picard

Join Traci for a talk about health care questioning—we’ll ask ourselves--can better questions lead us to better answers regarding health care?

We’ll explore the who, what, when, where, why and how of asking!

Traci Picard, a community herbalist, medicine maker and teacher from Providence, RI with a propensity to asking WHY.  You can see more about her work and contact info at www.fellowworkersfarm.com

12:15-1pm

Gastros 401, the food truck will be selling lunch, or bring your own! 

1pm-2pm 

  
Herbal Cocktails with Jessyloo Rodrigues

Learn how to make cocktails with herbs from your pollinator garden. We’ll discuss tonic herbs that benefit our garden pollinators & how to use them in herbal libations. This includes: how to grow, how to harvest, how to infuse, and how to shake them into a cocktail. We will taste samples of the herbs & infusions. Must be 21 to participate.    Jessyloo Rodrigues, aka Dr Gin Medicine Woman, manages the Pearl Farm in Providence: an urban herb farm. On this organically managed city plot she grows & curates the Parcel Apothecary, an Herbal CSA & Cocktail Farm. www.parcelapothecary.com

Urban Plant Walk with Traci Picard
Venture outside the gardens of Farmacy to see what is growing in the cracks and crevices of the city!


Raising Herbal Kids with Sakinah Abdur-RasheedJoin Sakinah as she talks about her success in raising her two boys without chemicals, toxic food or vaccines. Using nutrition and herbs she successfully reared 2 boys into healthy young men. Sakinah has been a practicing herbalist for 25 years, and is the founder of WE HEAL, a community based herbal venture.


Medicinal Herbs in the Kitchen with Stephanie Minor
Come learn about tasty ways to eat your herbs! We’ll be discussing ways to add fresh and dried medicinal herbs to all kinds of food, and you’ll leave with some new recipes to try.
Stephanie Miner is a community herbalist, herb gardener and apothecary extraordinaire. She enjoys making anything with her hands and swooning over plants while walking in the woods.

2:15-3:15   

The Digestive Process with Bill Burgess
How does digestion work? What sort of things can impede it? In this class Bill will explore assimilation, excretion and how the digestive process works.  
Bill Burgess is a skilled carpenter, and a long time student of holistic health. He enthusiastically shares his knowledge with friends, family and clients. His own healing process has led him to become an advocate for nutritional and herbal healing in all areas of his life. 

The Flowering Plants of Farmacy Herbs  
with Mary Blue
Join  Mary as she talks about the medicinal and energetic uses of the flowering plants at Farmacy Herbs.


Beyond Tea: Herbal Sprites & Spritzers with Angel Putney
Come join Angel from Reclaiming our Roots Community Herbalism in relishing the bounty of summer and the art of creating herbal spritzers! Who knew medicine could be so tasty. We will talk about and demonstrate how to make oxymels, infused vinegar & other tasty mediums to use to create cooling, calming and nourishing herbal drinks. A great way to infuse plants into your daily life and benefit from them in a tasty way as well as getting those great live cultures for a healthy gut!

                          3:15pm-4:15pm

Plant Walk with Maggie Hatzpanian, RN, Herbalist Maggie Hatzpanian will lead you through the urban gardens at Farmacy Herbs. Her perspective as a nurse/herbalist will give you insight to the world of integrative health care. Maggie has been an herbalist for 15 years. She works to integrate herbs and allopathic medicine.
Her love of medicinal herbs grew from her desire to understand the plants around her.  She is an active organizer and founder of The Ocean State Herbal Association.

Muscular Healing with Herbs with Loren Mendozzi
Come learn about herbal properties that help specific muscular issues. Also, learn which herbal treatment will help to reduce muscular pain, spasms, and cramping.
Loren is the owner of East Side Escape and has10 years of experience practicing an array of holistic treatments such as massage, Reiki and herbalism.

Herbal First Aid with Anna Fox
Learn how to use plants as your everyday allies in first aid at home and outdoors! You will be introduced to local plants such as Plantain, Garlic, and Yarrow and how to use them as remedies for common happenings such as cuts, bites, and stings. Anna is inspired by plants and plant people daily as the Production Manager at Farmacy, where she also takes classes and works on the farm. She has studied Ayurveda, and recently went to Costa Rica to study and practice Herbal First Aid with 7Song.

2016 RI Herb Festival Teachers

We will be announcing the schedule of classes next week! 

We are so excited about our teachers this year!! 

Lesley Wooler of The Herb Wyfe and Belmont Market

Jessyloo Rodrigues of Parcel Apothecary

Maggie Hatzpanian of Ocean State Herbal Association

Loren Mendozzi of East Side Escape

Rachel Playe of Radia Herbs

Angel Putney of Reclaiming Our Roots

Mira Silverman author of The Children's Herb Book

Mary Blue of Farmacy Herbs, Sage Clinic and author of Herbal Foundations

Stephanie Miner, Bill Burgess, Pasquelle Moretti and Anna Fox of Farmacy Herbs

Bonnie Kavanaugh of Seven Arrows Farm

Traci Picard of Fellow Workers Farm

Karen Talbot, Wild Plant Expert

Lesley Wooler teaching at the 2015 RI Herb Festival 

Mary Blue teaching at the 2015 RI Herb Festival

Mira Silverman teaching at the 2015 RI Herb Festival

Ryan and Emily's mushroom class, 2015 Herb Festival 

Maggie and Molly's salve class, 2015 Herb Festival

City plant walk, 2015 Herb Festival

The herb festival starts at 10am.
Classes begin at 10:30am.

Come join us for a day of classes, locally made herbal products and community! 

SCHEDULE (Descriptions and Teacher bio's below) 

	Class 1	Class 2
10:30 am	What is a Rose? with Rachel Playe	Actions Plant walk with Mary Blue
11:30 am	Backyard Foraging with Wendy Fachon	Understanding Leaky Gut with Mira Silverman, RN
12:30 pm	Herbal Poetry with Maureen (Mo) Lapre	5 Herbs to Nourish Reproductive Health with Aja Blanc
1:30 pm	Plant walk with Maggie Hatzpanian	Dance of the Flowers with Mary Blue. (Mary is taking Susans place teaching this class because Susan had unexpected matters to attend to).
2:30 pm	Salves for Skin Support with Molly Hagan and Maggie Hatzpanian, RN	Identifying and using Medicinal  Mushrooms with Ryan Bouchard and Emily Schmidt
3:30 pm- 4pm	FUN ALERT!! We will be filming a dance party in the herb shop for our upcoming music video, "Herb Shop", a parody on Macklemore's song, "Thrift Shop"!! Bring a costume! A wig, a boa, a mask, whatever!!
4pm	Herbal Allies: Native Plants as Food & Medicine with Lesley Wooler	The Science of Stress and Adaptogens with Molly Hagan
KIDS	2:30-5pm KIDS ACTIVITY Herb Theatre with Mo Lapre. Ages 5-12 The kids will perform an herbal play at 5pm for everyone!

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Teacher	Class	Description
Aja Blanc	5 Herbs to Nourish Reproductive Health	Join Farmacy herbalist Aja Blanc for a discussion on herbs that nourish the reproductive system, allowing for balance and support in a variety of reproductive health goals. Focus will be given towards the female reproductive system with time held for discussion on herbs for the male reproductive system as well.
Mary Blue	Dance of the Flowers	Summer..a celebration of the sun at it’s peak..the bounty of flowers raising their faces to the sky.  Sharing their most potentized beauty, they bring healing and beauty to our bodies and souls. In this program we will look at blooming flowers of Farmacy. We will look at their uses, extractions and how they might support our emotional health.
Molly Hagan	The Science of Stress and Herbal Adaptogens	Herbs in the category of “adaptogen” increase one’s ability to adapt to environmental factors and reduce damage from stressors. We will explore what this means physiologically- which body systems these herbs act on and how they mediate the stress response. Different types of adaptogens will be covered, with a focus on those that support neurological adaptations.
Maggie Hatzpanian	Plant Walk	Nurse/ Herbalist Maggie Hatzpanian will lead you through the urban gardens at Farmacy Herbs. Her perspective as a nurse/herbalist will give you insight to the world of integrative health care.
Lesley Wooler	Herbal Allies: Native Plants as Food & Medicine	This class will explore the use of our native plants for helping to sustain us by their uses as both food and medicine. We will learn what is available to us with our local surroundings.
Rachel Playe	What is a Rose	A look at the botany of plants and how to the look at plant anatomy through an herbal lens. We'll talk about how plants are classified and focus on the rosaceae family.
Mira Silverman	Understanding Leaky Gut	Research is showing that intestinal permeability, also known as leaky gut, is connected with a wide range of symptoms and conditions from irritable bowel syndrome, to autoimmune disease, to depression. This class will explore how the digestive system is intricately tied with the health of the whole body. We will discuss the pathophysiology of leaky gut, its causes, as well as herbs and diet choices that may be helpful in supporting digestive health.
Mary Blue	Heral Actions Plant Walk	Join Mary Blue of Farmacy Herbs and author of "Herbal Foundations"  on this herb walk around the 15 year old medicinal herb gardens at Farmacy Herbs. Meet herbs that are astringents, alteratives, demulcents, tonics and adaptogens on this walk. Mary will also discuss how these specific actions work in the body, their constituents and best extraction methods.
Molly Hagan & Maggie Hatzpanian	Salves for Skin Support	Learn to create all natural salves for skin support and topical herbal applications. Herbs for eczema, psoriasis, sore muscles, cuts and scrapes will be explored. We will discuss different types of infused oils and ingredients for formulating salves, while also giving a step-by-step demonstration.
Ryan Bouchard and Emily Schmidt	Identifying and using Medicinal  Mushrooms with Ryan Bouchard and Emily Schmidt	This presentation will introduce the audience to the fun mushroom science and the amazing hobby of mushroom hunting. Ryan and Emily run a small mushroom based business called Southern New England Mushroom Hunting.
Mo Lapre	Herbal Poetry	Mo will guide us in taking our herbal interest and study to a deeper level. In this class, Mo will heop you find inspiration from the flowers to write an herbal poem.
Wendy Fachon, Environmental Educator	Backyard Foraging	Do you know which common weeds popping up in your vegetable garden or flower beds are actually edible? Delicious, nutritious and abundantly available, these wild herbs are a "free" source of food. This workshop will turn the troublesome task of weeding into a pleasure, as environmental educator and storyteller Wendy Fachon shows how to recognize and make practical use of some of her personal favorites. Fun for all ages.

Teacher Bio's 
We have some wonderful RI herbalists teaching classes!

Molly Hagan, Herbalist
Trained in Western Herbalism at Farmacy Herbs, Molly works as an herbal educator, advocate, and botanical medicine maker. Having studied herbalism in the US and abroad, Molly shares research, recipes, and travel stories on her blog, The Food Digger (www.TheFoodDigger.com).

Passionate about spreading excitement for plant medicine and natural health, Molly also delivers presentations on herbalism and nutrition, teaches medicine making workshops, and inspires audiences with creative, informational displays. 
 

Lesley A. Wooler B.Sc., RA, CYT

Lesley earned her degree in Horticulture from the University of RI.  She completed her first herbal apprenticeship and advanced herbal studies in the 1990’s and is the owner of The Herb Wyfe, located in Wakefield, RI. She served for ten years on the council of NEHA (North East Herbal Association), 4 years as its President Lesley is also a member of the following organizations: United Plant Savers, American Botanical Council, Herb Society of America, American Horticultural Society, Rhode Island Wild Plant Society and O-SHA (Ocean State Herbal Association).  She received over 230 hours of aromatherapy training at The Center for Holistic Botanical Studies where she was also on staff. She studied with Valerie Ann Worwood for over 4 years and is a Level IV Aroma Genera Practitioner. She has been teaching aromatherapy classes throughout the New England area for over 15 years.  Lesley is a Flower Essence Practitioner, having completed her training with David Dalton of Delta Gardens in 2000. She is also a professional member of FES (Flower Essence Society). She loves using her knowledge of herbs, essential oils and flower essences in combination to make healing remedies for her clients.  Lesley has maintained her own landscape/gardening business “Gardening with Finesse” for the past 15 years and is a RI>CH (Rhode Island Certified Horticulturist) through RINLA (Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association). She completed her Master Gardener program through URI in 1984. She enjoys sharing her love of the Green World with others. 

Aja Blanc, Practicing Herbalist

Aja Blanc is a practicing herbal educator, trained under Mary Blue of Farmacy Herbs in Providence, RI. A graduate of the Herbal Education and Training program in 2011 and Herbal Training Intensive in 2012, Aja is committed to supporting health and  nourishment through accessible herbal medicine and enlightened nutrition. In addition to supporting overall health and healing for men and women of all ages, her areas of focus include women's health and reproductive support for women. Aja currently writes an herbal healing column for Sacred Pregnancy Magazine and is a student of herbalist Aviva Romm's Herbal Medicine for Women Training Program. In addition to her work as an herbal educator, she is also a trained Kripalu Yoga and Meditation Teacher  - committed to helping people heal through a rich engagement with the body and spirit.

Rachel Playe, Herbal Product Maker, Herbalist

Rachel Play is the owner of Radia Herbs.  Located in Providence, Radia Herbs ethically wildcrafts herbs or sources them from their own gardens or local farms.  Radia sells a variety of herbal goods and offer one on one herbal consultations and personalized tea and tincture blends.  Rachel has grown food all of her life, and began her journey with medicinal herbalism in 2007.  To Rachel, herbalism is not just about taking take of ourselves, but making sure we're also caring for the plants. Rachel is a graduate of Farmacy Herbs' level I and II programs and still continues her studies at Farmacy Herbs. Rachel is also a photojournalist and co-editor at Transport Providence, a public transportation and bike advocacy blog.

Mary Blue, Founder of Farmacy, Practicing Community Herbalist

Since 2008, Mary has managed the Farmacy herb store, production kitchen, farm and has organized all the educational programs at Farmacy.

In 2006, Mary started developing the Farmacy's Herbal Education and Training Program. She has run this program 2x per year since 2006, with over 150 students participating in the program.

Mary has been teaching about herbs for 10 years.

She has taught classes on herbalism at local hospitals, colleges, high schools, nursing homes, elementary schools, conferences and to special interest groups and non profits.

Wendy Fachon
Wendy Fachon, MBA, is a writer for Natural Awakenings Magazine, an independent environmental educator (RIPQA certified), and a Board Member of RIEEA (Rhode Island Environmental Education Association). For the past four years, Wendy has been designing and teaching afterschool  and summer school programs, primarily in Pawtucket and North Kingstown, where she presents lessons from her Wild Plant Magic Card collection. She is known for her creative approach to active learning, her natural ability to connect with youth and her storytelling. She has presented adult workshops through NEEEA (New England Environmental Education Alliance and GEMS-Net (Guiding Education in Math and Science Network), a partnership between URI's School of Education, scientists and public school districts. Learn more on Wendy's website at www.netwalking.com
 

Maureen Lapre (Mo) 
Mo is Poet, Herbalist, Reiki Practitioner and Mom. Mo is an herbal educator giving plant walks and consultations in her community. She is also a teacher. Mo has studied herbs at Farmacy with Mary Blue, Jody Noe, Guido Mase, and many more wonderful teachers. 

Maggie Hatzpanian, RN
Maggie has been an herbalist for 15 years. She is a practicing RN, and herbalist. She works to integrate herbs and allopathic medicine.
Her love of medicinal herbs grew from her desire to understand the plants around her.  She is an active organizer and founder of The Ocean State Herbal Association. 

Ryan Bouchard and EmilySchmidt
Ryan Bouchard is the author of Gourmet Mushrooms of RI, the first book about mushroom hunting in the Ocean State.  Emily Schmidt studies the health and nutritional values of our local mushrooms, the many incredible ways they can be cooked, and their new technological uses, including cleaning up polluted areas.  Ryan and Emily educate people about safely hunting for wild mushrooms in the southern New England area.

Mira Silverman
Mira Silverman is a nurse-herbalist building her nest in Rhode Island. She has been in this lifetime a child in Brooklyn, an anthropologist in the Hudson Valley, an artisan in Mexico, and a plant-loving earth-wanderer. Mira received her formal training in herbal medicine at the California School of Herbal Studies before returning to school to become a registered nurse. She has a deep passion for accessible, integrative healthcare and she believes in the power of plants to help us reclaim the vitality and resilience of our bodies, our environment, and our communities.

Rhode Island Herb Festival is right around the corner!!

Come join us for the Rhode Island Herb Festival!

JULY 18, 2015 
at Farmacy Herb, 28 Cemetery Street, Providence, RI

It's free!
*kids and adult classes and activities
*plant walks
*tables with herbal products and information about herbal groups and classes