Rain, Rain and More Rain Here in NY

It's been raining in NY for the past three days and the weather report says three more days to come. We are all feeling rather soggy right about now. The sun seems a distant memory.

To brighten up dreary days we can use fresh herbs in our homes. The lemon balm is already fifteen inches high outside in the garden and makes a delicious bouquet tied up with raffia and placed in a vase in the kitchen. It scents the air reminding me of why I love spring each time I walk by.

The chives and garlic ramen are terrific now is soups... yes, soup is the favorite dinner along with some crusty whole grain bread when it's raining and chilly. We can dig up some chives and garlic ramen, because there's always plenty more from whence they came.

Spring flowers are in full bloom here in NY. The azaleas are stunning along with the rhododendrons and mountain laurel. Our ground cover of periwinkle looks so pretty against the green backdrop of leaves. It's chilly out and the ground is wet, but a walk in the rain rejuvenates the soul. It's quiet. We can hear the birds chirp in the morning air calling to their mates. The steady dripping sounds of the rain mixed with the splashes of children on their way to school. It's certainly a spring morning in NY!!

AHG TeleSeminar: "What do the FDA Good Manufacturing Practices means for herbalists?"

Registration is open for the second installment in the 2009 AHG TeleSeminar Series. Roy Upton, AHG's Vice-President, will be speaking on "What Do the FDA Good Manufacturing Practices Mean for Herbalists" on May 4 at 7:00 p.m., EST.

When the new GMPs for herbal products were finalized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2007, many breathed a sigh of relief: the FDA was not requiring practitioners who make their own products for their clients to adhere to the new regulations. The FDA did retain the authority, however, to do so in the future. This raises questions for herbalists, like “What would cause the FDA to come knocking" on an herbalist's door or to change their minds and require us to follow the guidelines?

There are few better people than Roy Upton to answer these questions or to discuss the ways to ensure that your clients are receiving high-quality herbal medicines.

Trained in both traditional Western and Chinese herbalism, Roy Upton is a founding and professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. His background includes extensive study with various Native American and non-Native herbalists, ethnobotany of the United States Virgin Islands, and seven years of clinical practice, followed by a three-year clinical internship with Michael Tierra and training at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China. He is the executive director and editor of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® and is also a member of the Standards Committee of the American Herbal Products Association.

In his "day job," Upton is general manager of Planetary Formulas. He writes extensively and is the author of St. John's Wort and Echinacea, as well as co-author of the Botanical Safety Handbook—a landmark text of herbal safety—and is currently active in the preparation of a new edition.

To register for the AHG TeleSeminar, call the AHG Office at (203) 272-6731 or visit: http://americanherbalistsguild.com/node/132.

Spring Is In the Air

Spring is arriving a little more each day. The trees here are covered with bulging buds ready to pop. Magnolias are almost in bloom. Today I spent time in the sun enjoying the work of readying my herb garden for this years growth. I trimmed the oregano and lemon balm -both of which love to spread and take over my garden. I cut back the marjoram - that one seems to try to escape the herb bed by growing over my edging stones. The chives are already over a foot tall and will be ready for my soup this week. Sage and lavender grace the back of the garden making a beautiful wall along the bricks.

The squirrels have graced my garden with flowering bulbs I never planted, and again this year I have purple and blue bells sprouting between the herbs. They are lovely, so I leave them. At the edges of my herb garden I have daffodills blossoming and enjoyed the snow drops last month. The New York weather is too harsh for the rosemary to survive winter so I will replant again this year along with two types of basil for salads.

Since New York is crowded, there are no open areas nearby for me to safely harvest dandelion greens which are delicious now when they are small. I buy them at the local green grocers to add to salads. They are great for cleansing the toxins left from winters gloomy days. Soon I will be able to pick blackberries from the trees nearby along the bay. I look forward to getting a few, usually the birds beat me to most of them. The days are longer now and with daylight savings time in effect it is light out until almost 7:30pm. The neighbors bar-b-ques are going in the evening and the sweet scent of the herbs mixes with the heady odors from the grilles. This is my favorite time of the year. Happy spring everyone!!!

The ACHS Experience - Holistic Counselor

I've been an information junkie all my life. I'd been practicing with herbs, supplements, nutrition and a holistic lifestyle for years. Finally I decided to get the necessary credentials. I started my search for a school on line, as most of us do today. I checked out lots of local institutions... I live in NYC, so there's loads... and decided that with a child at home, PTA President, and a part time job I really had no more hours available to attend classes in person. That's when distance learning became a real solution. After much debate and research I settled on ACHS. Their reputation and accreditation were in order and the staff I encountered in my initial contacts were supportive and willing to help me complete my work. Throughout my studies I received excellent feedback and intelligent critiques on my work. My mentors were bright capable people who took their position as advisor quite seriously. As a result of their efforts, and my own, I completed the program with Honors.

I entered the program never before having worked through distance learning. I was surprised at how much I loved it. Doing the labs with my son was a blast. We made infusions, decoctions, salves and creams. We tasted, rubbed, sniffed and inspected. He even used some of our work as a class project! It was a great bonding experience for us, me being a single Mom at the time. My son is proud of my ACHS experience and calls me Dr. Mom. I knew my son was watching my efforts and so I made certain to ace all my classes. How could I ask more of him than myself. Thanks ACHS. This was a terrific life changing experience!!