MWSHS Student Newsletter - Midwest School of Herbal Studies

MWSHS Student Newsletter
Autumn 2013
MWSHS' Original Textbook is Back—
In an Updated & an Improved Edition!
First-Semester, 2013 Graduates
We hereby offer our heartfelt congratulations to the
following 1st-semester, 2013 graduate of the WesternHerbalism Certificate Program:
Erin Petz, C.H.
We also hereby offer our same congratulations to the
following 1st-semester, 2013 graduates of both the Asian
& the Integrative modules.
Bonnie Garoutte, C.H.
Tracey Kamm, C.H.
We look forward to hearing how these graduates will
apply what they have learned in times ahead!
When the Midwest School of Herbal Studies was
founded in 2003, two textbooks
written by MWSHS’ founder,
Matthew Alfs, were available to
supplement the workbooks for the
Master-Herbalist Diploma Program. These were 300 Herbs:
Their Indications & Contraindications, published that same
year (and still, as of 2013, being
utilized by the School as a textbook) and Edible & Medicinal
Wild Plants of Minnesota &
Wisconsin, published in 2001, and
consisting of monographs on 100
different edible &/or medicinal
wild plants of the upper Midwest
plus 171 color photos of these same plants.
Part 3―Western Herbalism: Study Methods
Part Three of Modern Western Herbalism is the meat
of the Western Herbalism coursework and typically takes
our students many, many hours to finish.
Some students have told us that they struggle with
how to work through this Part—whether studying it
individually or with another student. Appended below is a
method outlined that some students have recently shared
with us that they said best helped them to work through
Part Three:
(1) Make a list of all of the subheads that appear in the
lesson you are studying on a piece of paper.
(2) Then, read through each of the lesson questions that
are printed at the end of the lesson that you are working
on and try to make a good guess from the nature of each
of the questions which of the subheads (that you wrote
down on the separate sheet of paper) the answer would
most likely appear under, writing them down under each
subhead.
(3) Then, read through the material under the first
chosen subhead and see if you can determine the answer
to the question(s) that you had referenced to that
particular subhead.
(4) After that, proceed in a similar fashion with the
remaining subheads and lesson questions that you had
referenced to them.
We hope that this suggestion, made by your fellow
students, proves to be of aid in mastering Part Three!
Register Now for the MWSHS Workshop
on Sunday, November 24th, 2013
See Page Two for More Information.
In 2008, however, Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants of
Minnesota & Wisconsin went out of print, in anticipation
of a revised and updated edition by director Alfs, which
was finally completed in early 2013. This revised and
updated edition of 422pp. is now available, serving to
assist the student’s visualization of many of the plants
discussed in the program via its 171 color photos (often
showing the plants in different stages of growth or
zooming in on various identifying features) and providing
detailed information on the Native-American, Physiomedicalist, folk-American, and Eclectic contributions to
Western Herbalism by means of its detailed and highly
referenced monographs. (Over 1,000 bibliographic references appear in the back of the book!) Introductions on
foraging, plant constituents, and the history of American
herbalism complement the text and photos, as do the
book’s valuable appendices (incl. one on medicine
making), fine glossary, and very detailed index.
Have you ordered your copy yet, dear student? You
can now do so via the School’s website at
www.midwestherbalstudies.com, via the “How to Order”
tab from the menu at the left on the home page.
Inside This Issue
2
3
4
Workshop Credit Options
Professional Herb Journals/Newsletters
In Coming Issues
WORKSHOP CREDIT OPTIONS
Except where noted, all of the below-listed events qualify as Workshop credits toward the Master-Herbalist Diploma
program. Each hour of verified attendance (per instructor-completed-and-signed verification of hours in attendance) counts
toward an equivalent hour of Workshop Category #3 credits—up to the student limit of 20 hours, unless another category is
specified or unless one attends a particular workshop at one of these events that is strictly in one of these other categories.
MWSHS-sponsored workshops are boxed.
Workshops, Conferences, Lectures, & Events in Herbal Studies across North America!
Nov. 7th-10th, 2013. “2013 Annual American Herbalists Guild Annual Symposium,” Bend, OR. For more
information or to register, call 1-617-520-4372. www.americanherbalistsguild.com
Nov. 24th, 2013. "MWSHS' Annual Workshop on Herbal Formulation & Nutritional Strategies," New
Brighton, MN, from 1:30 to 5:30. Attendance fee is $50.00; early-bird fee (by Nov. 20th, 2013) is $40.00. See
Registration form on the School's website, www.midwestherbalstudies.com, under "Events.,"
MWSHS Herbal Workshops to Be Expanded in 2014-15
We are pleased to announce that we are planning on offering more frequent workshops starting in 2014-15,
including several "short" wild-plant walks to complement the 3-hour walks that we hold twice a year already and
an additional workshop in the winter/spring: Henceforth, the workshop on formulation and other aspects of herbal
therapeutics will be held in mid-November, two Assessment-skills workshops will be held over the winter-spring
(from late February to late April), and the Wildcrafting/Medicine-making workshop will be held in mid-May.
MWSHS Director Matthew Alfs, M.H., R.H., Examines the Flower of a
Wild Plant during One of His Wild-Plant Walks
MWSHS Student Newsletter, Autumn 2013. Entire contents copyright  2013 by Midwest School of Herbal Studies. All rights reserved. Printed in the
USA. Any opinions expressed by contributors are those of their own and not necessarily those of the Midwest School of Herbal Studies. Articles on the use
of plants for health are for educational purposes only. All readers are encouraged to see their professional health-care provider for illness or injury.
Correspondence should be addressed to us by snail-mail at Midwest School of Herbal Studies, P O Box 120096, New Brighton MN 55112 or by email at
MWSHS@aol.com.
2
Professional Herb Journals/Newsletters: The Cream of the Crop!
Having covered, in previous issues (Winter 2008-09 through Spring 2010 issues), the herb-related books that
the serious student of herbal therapy should have in his or her home library, we thought we would devote this
issue to outstanding herb journals, magazines, and newsletters—all periodicals to which MWSHS students should
consider subscribing. (Some of these are mentioned toward the end of Part One of Western Herbalism; however,
address and subscription info has changed for many of them since having been listed therein.)
Medical Herbalism, edited by Paul Bergner, a clinical herbalist for over a quarter of a century, is one of the
oldest (20 years running!) and most respected journals for practicing herbalists in the United States. (This has
long been MWSHS director Matthew Alfs' favorite herb periodical.) This 20-page treasure trove features in-depth
articles by clinical herbalists on herbal strategies and protocols, research reviews, and book reviews. Info and
subscription rates are available at www. medherb.com. (Note that the mailing address has changed of recent date
and is currently: Medical Herbalism, P O Box 13758, Portland OR 97213.)
American Herb Association Quarterly, edited by Kathi Keville (an herbalist and an aromatherapist of long
standing) and founded in 1981, is an illustrated. 16-pg newsletter featuring a well-written herb profile, recent
summaries of abstracts of scientific studies on herbs, a running feature on legal aspects of herbs and herbalism,
book reviews, and other interesting and valuable features. Info and subscription rates are available at
www.ahaherb.com. The mailing address is American Herb Association, P O Box 1673, Nevada City, CA 95959.
Journal of the American Herbalists Guild, edited by Anne de Courtenay, is the official journal of the American
Herbalists Guild. Each 48-page issue (with a beautiful, full-color cover) features a number of well-written and
edited articles by professional herbalists and numerous b&w illustrations of plants, herbalists, etc. The current issue is a special issue on Lyme disease, while the next forthcoming issue will be the 10th anniversary
issue, with restrospectives by founders of the AHG. Info and subscription rates are available at
www.americanherbalistsguild.com. Note that MWSHS students may subscribe at a special, reduced "student
rate." (If you subscribe soon, your sub should start with the Lyme issue and then following with the 10thanniversary issue!)
HerbalGram, the official journal of the American Botanical Council, is a beautiful, 80-page journal, with a fullcolor cover and color illustrations inside, featuring a lengthy and well-written monograph on one or more herbs,
plentiful of newsworthy articles on herbs, summaries of abstracts of scientific studies on herbs, book reviews, and
even obituaries of prominent herbalists and herb researchers. Info and subscription info are available at
www.herbalgram.org. The mailing address is HerbalGram, P O Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345.
3
In Coming Issues
* Student & Alumni Profiles
* Book Reviews
* News & Views
*Informational Articles
Midwest School of Herbal Studies
P O Box 120096
New Brighton MN 55112
To:
First Class Mail
4