How herbs work in the body is complicated and is poorly understood scientifically, yet people have been working with herbs effectively for hundreds of years using information from just their senses and intuitive, pattern-based thinking. This class is meant to introduce students to this more straightforward system to think through when it comes to matching herbs to the qualities of one's illness or imbalance. We will discuss some of the most foundational actions of herbs (astringency, bitterness...), their energetics (hot/cold, drying/moistening...), and how the visceral response they produce in the body shapes the way we think about how herbs work. Come with questions and herbal perplexities, leave with a meaningful herbalist vocabulary and go-to generalist practices for new and familiar plants!
Attendees will receive a coupon to our shop!
Hi, I'm Alex Klein, intermediary between people and plants. I run a humble herbal medicine practice based in Allston, where I work out of an apothecary almost entirely gathered from wild plants or grown in my garden. My goal as an herbalist is to enable my clients to make healthcare choices on their own terms and educate them on how to use herbs to feel better. I trained as an apprentice under 7Song at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, as an herbal First Aid-er at various wilderness gatherings and as a foot care worker at the Asheville Street Feet Clinic in North Carolina. Along the way, I have wildcrafted and botanized up and down the East Coast getting to know our local flora and their many medicinal and edible uses, both current and historic. Since returning home to Boston in 2020, I have been leading classes and workshops on herbal medicine, wild food, invasive species and local ecology, and all sorts of other plant based topics. To get to know a little more about what I do, check out my website: alexkleinherbalist.com