Lectures, classes, speaking engagements… whatever you want to call it. To date, I've prepared and presented talks on two subjects. They are:
- Beyond the Materia Medica - Medicine in Your Own Back Alley
Living Medicine - Ethnobotany of the Sonoran Desert People
The first, Medicine in Your Own Back Alley consists of 15 medicinal plants that can be readily found in the Central Arizona area, many of them in Phoenix proper. This is a "work in progress" that will eventually become a published book. I've selected these plants because they are often neglected in the more popular herbal works. Since it was these plants that drew me into a herbal medicine years ago, I thought it fitting that I'd focus in on them.
The contents are:
- Aloe vera - Aloe
Chilopsis linearis - Desert Willow
Ephedra viridis - Mormon Tea
Erodium botrys - Storksbill
Eucalyptus globulus - Eucalyptus
Juniperus communis - Juniper
Olneya tesota - Ironwood
Opuntia phaeacantha - Prickly Pear
Pinus spp. - Pine
Rumex hymenosepalus - Canaigre
Sonchus oleraceus - Phua
Verbesina encelioides - Anil del Muerto
Those hyperlinked have already been prepared. The working title for that chapter is Learn to Love Those You Hate, as they have each been labeled as " nuisances " by some.
Three plants takes about 20 minutes, there are usually 5-10 minutes of questions… more for larger groups. Pick and chose your plants if you like…
For Living Medicine, Ethnobotany of the Sonoran Desert Peoples, I take a different approach and focus on the indigenous uses of the plants, hence the term ethnobotany in the title. I tend to wait until close to the engagement to determine which plants to bring, as fresh samples have proven helpful to students in the past. I usually spend most of this lecture comparing and contrasting how the plants were used in the past with how we use them today.
Some good candidates that are almost always available are:
- Larrea Tridentata -Chaparral
- Encelia farinosa - Brittlebush
Ephedra viridis - Mormon Tea
But lots more can be added, many from the first lecture depending on the season.
Want more information, or have a topic you'd like me to cover? Drop me an email.
Posted by Evo Terra at August 20, 2002 10:34 PM