HERBALISTA HEALTH NETWORK

2016 Service Report

Building Community Through Herbalism!

This past year Herbalista continued our mission of building community through herbalism by offering clinical support and educational opportunities. We expanded our reach, offering care not only in Atlanta, but around the country and the world.

Members of Herbalista outside the Open Door Community From L to R: Courtney, Corinne, Lorna, Chelsea, and Hannah

Our mobile clinics facilitated a total of 38 clinics and 10 health fairs in 2016. We worked with hundreds of folks, providing holistic care to those who need it most.

Rain or shine, the Cart makes its rounds.

List of Clinics:

16 Herb Cart Clinics

Woodruff Park (5)
The Open Door Community (1)
The Big House on Ponce (10)

17 Herb Bus Clinics

The Big House on Ponce (10)
The Open Door Community (7)

5 First Aid Stations

The Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference First Aid Station
The “Jungle” Refugee Camp in Calais, France (2 trips)
Herbal First Aid Station at Standing Rock, South Dakota
The Home Sweet Home Foot Care and Wellness Station in Dublin, Ireland

10 Community Health Fairs

The Big House on Ponce (10)

The Herbalista Health Network continued to provide educational programming and facilitated 3 Plant Rambles, 3 Grow a Row Workshops, 5 Pay-It-Forward Medicine Making Workshops, 10 educational series at the Herbalista Community Health Fairs, and 2 Herb Cart Weekend Trainings.

Plant Ramble in Kirkwood Forest on August 28, 2016. Atlanta, Ga

Herbalista began to offer services abroad with Lorna traveling to Europe to both teach and serve. In the summer of 2016, Lorna spent two months in Ireland, England, and France.

She taught the Herbalista model of community health care at both the HerbFeast Conference in Ireland and the Radical Herbalism Gathering in England.

Radical Herbalism Gathering 2016. Shropshire, UK.

Lorna also made 2 trips to the “Jungle” Refugee Camp in Calais, France, offering holistic foot care at an integrative First Aid Station in the heart of the camp.

Refugee First Aid and Foot Care Support Station. Calais, France. June 8, 2016

Back in the States, Herbalista again facilitated the First Aid Station at the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference. This gathering is the largest herbal conference in the United States, with over 1200 women and children in attendance. Our first aid station is an integrative clinic, staffed by both herbalists and EMT’s.

Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference First Aid Station Crew. Lake Eden, NC. October 16, 2016.

In November of 2016, The Herb Bus drove out to the Standing Rock Reservation to offer relief work at the Oceti Sakowin Herbal First Aid Station. Due to religious and social observances, they had a strong no alcohol policy and we were able to bring lots of non-alcoholic remedies, such as glycerites, capsules, and vinegar extracts to share at the clinic.

Standing Rock Wellness Area. Oceti Sakowin Camp, South Dakota. November 18, 2016.

In December, Lorna traveled back to Europe to continue assisting in the development of community herbal programming.

She taught an foot care workshop in London to the Herbalists without Borders UK Chapter.

Herbalists without Borders UK Foot Care Workshop London, England December 2016

We also began planting the seeds for a new community initiative in Dublin. On December 18th, we staged HerbShare Dublin: a Pay-It-Forward Medicine Making Workshop to prepare supportive remedies to distribute to the Homeless in Dublin to help them get through the winter months.

Medicines made at the Pay-It-Forward Medicine Making Workshop. December 18, 2016. Dublin, Ireland.

The night before our workshop, a campaign called “Home Sweet Home” to end homelessness was initiated by local housing activists and artists. They set up a new shelter in the Apollo House to provide a safe place for those who had been sleeping rough on the streets for the holiday season. Lorna helped form the wellness committee which established rotating practitioners offering massage, physical therapy, herbal support, and foot care for both residents and volunteer staff. We were able to distribute much of our medicine via the Home Sweet Home Campaign!

Foot Care Station at the Apollo House. December 22, 2016. Dublin, Ireland

We felt so fortunate for all of the inspiring people we met along our journey this past year! Here are a few of the great folks who dedicate their lives to building a more compassionate and caring world!

Sister Mary who offers a free foot care clinic for the homeless at the Capuchin Day Shelter in Dublin, Ireland.

All of the health care workers and activists at Standing Rock!

Nurse Cecilia Ibeabuchi of St. Francis House, who provides foot care as a part of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Maggie O’Keeffe, Herbalista and Housing Justice Activist at a Resource Station outside of the GPO in Dublin, Ireland.

Thanks to all of our supporters, sponsors, and volunteers who make this work possible!

We look forward to building a healthier future together!

~The Herbalista Crew

HERBALISTA HEALTH NETWORK

2015 Service Report

Building Community Through Herbalism!

This past year the Herbalista Free Clinic expanded services by adding a new member to our fleet. In January 2015, the Herb Cart hit the pavement to join the Herb Bus providing free herbal healthcare around the Atlanta area.

Together these herb-stations-on-wheels facilitated 38 clinics in 2015, serving hundreds in our local community!

Duane pushes the Herb Cart towards Woodruff Park for a Sunday Clinic alongside the Food Not Bombs Crew. May 2015

We continued to pour sweet, sweet herbal medicine, custom compounding all sorts of remedies for our patients, from teas to tinctures to oils and more! And though we are mobile, we provide regular opportunities for refills so that we can be a service folks can depend on! Over the course of 2015 we poured over 6 gallons of extract blends, 8 pounds of loose herbal blends, 1500 capsules blends, a quart of fixed oil preparations, dozens of aromatic inhalers, salves, spritzers and more!

We served at herbal first aid stations around the country. At these stations, herbalists and conventional practitioners (nurses, EMT’s, ect.) work together, providing patient focused healthcare.

The First Aid Station at the Florida Earthskills Gathering. February 2015

Joining 7Song’s Northeast School of Botanical Medicine to serve at the CALM First Aid Station at the Rainbow Gathering in Manistee National Forest, Michigan. July 2015.

The First Aid Station at the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference in Lake Eden, North Carolina. October 2015.

This year the Bus drove nearly 10,000 miles delivering healthcare and herbal education in Atlanta and around the country. The 2015 Herbalista Expedition was the Herb Bus’ most ambitious trip yet, clocking 8,000 miles and covering over 20 states during her 2 month voyage.

Viva la Herb Bus!

At well over 200,000 miles, this little bus just keeps on going! The Catholic Worker’s Hippy Kitchen on Skid Row, Los Angeles, CA. August 2015

And while we do rely on donations from the greater community, we are always striving to create more of a self-supporting system, from seed to remedy! This past year we watched Herbalista evolve from a “free clinic” into a “health network.”

( And we’re not done yet. Stay tuned for this year’s Seed Library!)

And as usual, our programming combined service with education!

Processing Tulsi Basil, donated through the Grow A Row Program

Pay-It-Forward Medicine Making Workshop. March 22, 2015 — Creating teabag blends that will stock the free clinic at a Pay-It-Forward Medicine Making Workshops.

The Herb Cart Service Project. Woodruff Park, ATL, GA. January 2015 — Apprentices training through the Herb Cart Service Project.

Health education at the Herbalista Community Health Fair. Big House, Atlanta, GA. March 2015.

It’s hard work I tell ya! Herbalista Community Health Fair at the Big House, Atlanta, GA. June 2015

We made new friends and reconnected with old ones!

Serving alongside the Foot Not Bombs Crew at Woodruff Park. Atl, GA November 2015 — Serving alongside the Foot Not Bombs Crew at Woodruff Park. Atl, GA. November 2015

Atlanta Beltline Fruit Forage and Herb Ramble with Concrete Jungle. September 2015.

The Radical Herbalism Gathering, Shropshire, England. June 2015.

Botanizing in Michigan with 7Song's Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. — Botanizing and wildcrafting in Michigan with 7Song’s Northeast School of Botanical Medicine.

Picking Monarda in Montana with the lovely Kris of Hill Botanicals. July 2015.

Visiting the Olympia Free Clinic in Olympia, Washington. — Visiting Herbalist Renee Davis and the Olympia Free Herbal Clinic in Washington State. July 2015.

Serving with Occupy Medical in Eugene Oregon. August 2015.

Learning and serving at the Gubbio Project for the Homeless in San Francisco with Nurse Roehrick. August 2015.

The California School of Studies. — All aboard! The Herb Bus visited the California School of Herbal Studies. Forrestville, CA. August 2015.

Once again, tending the feet of our friends on the street on Skid Row. Catholic Worker's Hippy Kitchen, Los Angeles, California. — Once again, tending the feet of our friends on the street on Skid Row. Foot Care Friday’s at the Catholic Worker’s Hippy Kitchen, Los Angeles, California. August 2015.

Sitting with white sage in the mountains of southern California. — Sitting with white sage in the Laguna mountains of southern California. August 2015.

Visiting Ponderosa High School in Flagstaff, AZ, where Terra Birds is empowering youth through gardening and permaculture skills. August 2015.

We look forward to a new year filled with herbalistic adventures in healthcare…

Won’t you join us? ~The Herbalista Crew

Still buzzing from the Radical Herbalism Gathering in England, I have packed up the Bus and now begin a 2 month expedition around this wild and wondrous county. I will be visiting and serving in free clinics and foot clinics along the way and look forward to sharing my adventures with all of you.

~With Love, Lorna

EDIBLE & MEDICINAL PLANT RAMBLE

Saturday, May 9, 2015

2:00pm – 4:00pm

Along the Eastside Hiking Trail of the Beltline

Suggested Donation: $20 (or become a $5/mth sustainer and enjoy plant walks all year long!)

A Homestead Event – Registration Here!

The land around you is chock full of edible and medicinal plants – come discover what’s in your back yard and how to properly identify plants while enjoying a walk along Atlanta’s Beltline.

Discover the bounty spring has to forage – even in the urban landscape. Plus this workshop is by donation only, and the entirety of your contribution goes to help the underserved receive herbal healthcare via The Herb Bus.

Cost: This class is by donation only and funds go to help underserved populations receive herbal healthcare via Herbalista Community Health Network. (Suggested One-Time Donation $20. Or, donate $5 monthly to become a Sustainer and enjoy plant walks throughout the year for free!)

About the Instructor:
Lorna Mauney-Brodek is a traveling herbalist, medicine maker, wildcrafter and teacher. Much of her herbwork supports organizations dedicated to promoting diversity, environmental responsibility, and social justice. Growing up “americana,” her health practices reflect the abundantly diverse influences of these lands to blend western medical herbalism, traditional chinese five phase, ayurveda, and southern folk.

She maintains a clinical practice and apothecary in East Atlanta as The Herbalista and teaches at various venues around the southeast, including BotanoLogos, the Blue Ridge School, and The Herb Kitchen.

March 25th, from 11am – 4pm

at the Big House on Ponce

368 Ponce de Leon, Atlanta, GA 30308

Please join us at the Big House each month for access to an array of health services, including Herbal Therapy, Yoga, Reflexology, and more. Services are on a first come, first serve basis, but while you wait your turn, please take part in the free health education classes we will have running throughout the day or take the opportunity to make new friends.

Receive what you need, give as you are able.

All Services from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm:

Herbal Aide

Reflexology

Endless pots of Herbal Tea

Referral and Resource Services

Bonfire Circle

Open Class Schedule:

11:00 – 11:45 – TBA

12:00 – 12:45 – Common Herbs with Gretchen

1:00 – 1:45 – TBA

2:00 – 2:45 – Kitchen Nutrition

3:00 – 3:30 – TBA

2014 Service Report

Another year of adventures in healthcare!

In Atlanta (our herbal hub) we continued regular services at our 2 Herb Bus Stations,

conducting 148 consultations over the course of 22 clinics.

At these monthly clinical rounds, we poured endless pots of seasonal tea, dispensed 6 1/2 gallons of customized tincture formulas (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), 14#’s of raw custom herbal and powder blends, and a variety of other remedies including aromatic inhalers, herbal capsules, and oil rubs.

We served at several herbal first aid stations including:

and the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference in North Carolina

The Bus drove over 10,000 miles delivering healthcare and herbal education around the country.

The Five Flavors Crew, Lassen National Forest, California

We shared the Herb Bus model of healthcare with classes and communities from Atlanta to California. Some of our hosts included Ponderosa High School, the California School of Herbal Studies, Sacred Plant Traditions, Five Flavors Herbs, Homestead Atlanta, and the High Museum of Art.

We expanded our efforts to make community herbalism sustainable by initiating new programs that combine service with education:

Pay-it-Forward Medicine Making: Teaching medicine making skills while we stock the Herb Bus with needed remedies.

Screen Shot 2014-12-21 at 3.52.34 PM — Grow A Row: Supply locally and sustainably grown herbs to the Herb Bus by enlisting and supporting local farmers in the cultivation of medicinal herbs. A joint project with Funny Farm Atlanta.

Screen Shot 2015-01-02 at 12.31.46 PM — Herb Cart: An Herbalista service project providing herbal first aid while offering learning opportunities for herbalists and herb students.

We made many friends and memories:

Talking buses, gift economy, and tea in Long Beach with Guisepi of the Free Tea Party Bus

Being inspired at the Radical Herbalists Gathering in Shropshire, England.

Spending time with special plants in special places. Anemone on Mount Shasta, California.

Harvesting and preparing medicine to share with my community and those in need. Arnica and Osha, Utah.

Tending the feet of our friends on the street with the Catholic Workers at Friday Foot Care on Skid Row, Los Angeles, California.

For all this and so much more, we are grateful.

We feel fortunate to have this opportunity to serve our community

and thankful for your friendship and support on this journey.

~The Herbalista Crew

Herbalista Crew (Past and Present): Lorna, Corinne, Todd, Amanda, Kaitlin, Lynda, and Anna

GROW A ROW for the HERBALISTA FREE CLINIC!

Together with the Funny Farm of Stone Mountain, we are excited to share the launch of our new project — Grow a Row!

Our Goal – To supply the Herbalista Free Clinic with locally and sustainably grown herbs by enlisting and supporting our local farmers in our Grow a Row Project. We hope that this will not only bring more herbal medicine to the people of our community, but will help develop a market for locally grown medicinal herbs!

OBJECTIVES

•Grow and donate high quality herbs for the Herb Bus apothecary

•Develop a market for locally grown medicinal herbs

•Collect data on production rates for herb production

•Study the potential for herb growing as a profit center for local farmers

•Promote bioregional herb production

•Spread knowledge about herb growing

WE WILL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING:

•Guidance on what herbs might be profitable to grow

•Seed or plants for the 9 herbs we need for the apothecary

•Advice on production techniques for herbs we have experience with at The Funny Farm

•On-going support throughout the growing season

•A team of gatherers to harvest herbs at the appropriate times

•Medicinal uses and recipes for each herb.

MEET THE HERBALISTA FREE CLINIC

The Herbalista Free Clinic, traveling via the Herb Bus, provides free clinical care, a spot of tea, and herbal education in the Atlanta area. The Herbalista Free Clinic is the 2013 recipient of the American Herbalists Guild Community Service Award. For all the herbalistic details, please visit the Herb Bus website at www.HerbBus.org

MEET THE FUNNY FARM

The Funny Farm is a 3 acre suburban permaculture haven, located in Stone Mountain, GA where Duane and Robin grow veggies, small fruits, herbaceous and woody flowers, medicinal herbs, mushrooms, and worms. They teach classes on organic gardening, sustainable living, and run the medicinal herb line Stone Mountain Herbs. For more information, please visit www.funnyfarmatl.com

Please print our info packet: Grow an Herb Row

Join us at the Grow a Row Groundbreak!

February 14th, from 10am -1pm

at the Funny Farm

FREE but RSVP required!

Email to reserve your spot.

Join other farmers and urban gardeners with an interest in medicinal herb growing. We will review our 9 herbs in depth, including growing tips and medicinal applications. These are herbs that the Herbalista Free Clinic uses in abundance and have practical applications for even the kitchen herbalist! Choose your herb and receive the seeds to Grow a Row!

Thanks to everyone for their support as we continue

Building Community through Herbalism!

For more information, please contact us at

growanherbrow@gmail.com

After a few weeks in England, where I had the honor of attending the Radical Herbalism Gathering (click here to check out some photos and stories from this truly radical event), I made a quick pit stop in Atlanta to pack up the Bus. I am now slowly rolling west across this amazingly beautiful and bountiful country. First stop is the CALM First Aid Station at the annual Rainbow Gathering in northeastern Utah. This will be my 3rd year serving alongside and learning from the other wonderfully skilled practitioners who volunteer their efforts at this free-off-the-grid-clinic and keep this temporary village in most vital health.

The next stop is California, where I will spend a few weeks in the Bay area and LA to offer a series of workshops and Herb Bus events. Check the Herbalista Calendar of Classes for events as they are added.

And no trip would be complete without plenty of time with the plants — botanizing and wildcrafting along the way as we make sweet, sweet herbal medicine to share with patients and friends.

Herbalista Free Clinic Service Report

2013-2014

It’s hard to believe that our clinic debut was not even a year ago! On Feburary 6, 2013 we pitched for the first time at the Open Door Community in Atlanta. It has been a tremendously exciting year, and we hope this is just the beginning of a long and healing journey.

We wanted to share some of the highlights with you:

At our Atlanta hub we hosted 17 clinics, where we served gallons of seasonal tea blends, conducted 111 consultations, dispensed 2 1/2 gallons of customized tincture formulas (alcohol and glycerites), 8#’s of raw custom herbal and powder blends, and a variety of other remedies including essential oil sniffers, herbal capsules, and oil rubs.

We facilitated several pop-up first aid clinics around the country, including the Rainbow Gathering in Montana, the Firefly Gathering in North Carolina, the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference in North Carolina, and the Georgia Organics Conference in GA, where we served hundreds more and put herbal healing in the hands of the people.

We spread the Herb Bus method and our love for plants and community at numerous classes and workshops. Some of our hosts included Ponderosa High School, the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, Warren Wilson College, Homestead Atlanta, and the High Museum of Art.

We created the Herb Bus Service Manual to help others start free clinic projects in their communities. This manual is available as a free PDF download from our website.

Lorna, the herbalista who drives this sweet ol’ bus around town, was awarded the 2013 Community Service Award by the American Herbalists Guild to honor her work with the Herbalista Free Clinic and the Harriet Tubman Free Foot Clinic.

The Bus drove over 10,000 miles delivering healthcare and herbal education around the country.

And, saving the best for last, we spent time with the plants– studying their form, learning their energetics and actions, and wildcrafting to prepare sweet sweet remedies to share with our patients and community.

Thanks to our community who supports this work, our teachers who inspire us to grow and strive, the plants who heal, and the people who receive these gifts with grace. Viva la Herb Bus!

~Herbalista Lorna

The Herb Bus turned Black Friday Green as she circled up in the museum piazza to share some herbal healing at the High’s “Go West!” exhibit.

Teachers from Homestead Atlanta demonstrated survival and crafting skills such as tanning, cobbling, spinning, herbal healing and orienteering — all skills necessary for life on the frontier. The pioneers relied heavily on plant medicine for survival during the days of western expansion. Most families would have needed to have a basic knowledge of how to use plants to keep themselves healthy as doctors were few and far between. For many, their doctor was in fact their wife or mother, and her apothecary would have been her kitchen using the herbs that grew around them. The Herb Bus is honored to carry this American tradition into the 21st Century. We spent the day crafting herbal remedies for wintertime health. I’ve posted the recipes for some of the remedies we made on the Herbalista website for your crafting pleasure. Give the gift of health this holiday season!

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Herbalista Blog: In the Field

HERBALISTA HEALTH NETWORK

2016 Service Report

Building Community Through Herbalism!

~The Herbalista Crew

HERBALISTA HEALTH NETWORK

2015 Service Report

Building Community Through Herbalism!

We look forward to a new year filled with herbalistic adventures in healthcare…

Won’t you join us? ~The Herbalista Crew

EDIBLE & MEDICINAL PLANT RAMBLE

Saturday, May 9, 2015

2:00pm – 4:00pm

Along the Eastside Hiking Trail of the Beltline

Suggested Donation: $20 (or become a $5/mth sustainer and enjoy plant walks all year long!)

March 25th, from 11am – 4pm

at the Big House on Ponce

368 Ponce de Leon, Atlanta, GA 30308

Receive what you need, give as you are able.

2014 Service Report

Another year of adventures in healthcare!

For all this and so much more, we are grateful.

We feel fortunate to have this opportunity to serve our community

and thankful for your friendship and support on this journey.

GROW A ROW for the HERBALISTA FREE CLINIC!

Herbalista Free Clinic Service Report

2013-2014

We wanted to share some of the highlights with you: