Upcoming Educational Webinars

Join The Lilium Initiative in these upcoming inspiring talks from local farmers, herbalists and authors.

Asian Medicinal Flora: Towards a Sustainable Future with Dr. Jasmine Rose Oberste, DACM

Thursday, May 18, 2023

5:00 PM 7:00 PM

This presentation will identify some of the challenges to sustainability of East Asian medicinal herbs, examine growth habits of some commonly used herbs in terms of hardiness and climate zones, explore climate shifts already occurring and project into the future with consideration on how farmers may work to adapt to a shifting climate. 

Dr. Jasmine Rose Oberste, DACM, is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, certified Functional Medicine practitioner licensed in California and Hawaii and practices permaculture in a community-based restorative agriculture setting of schools and developing community gardens. She founded the Chinese Herb Garden, a non-profit project sponsored by Three Treasures Institute with the mission of promoting the sustainable use of Asian medicinal flora. www.chineseherbgarden.org

THIS EVENT IS FREE FOR ALL LILIUM INITIATIVE MEMBERS. BECOME A MEMBER AND ATTEND MANY OF OUR EVENTS FREE OF CHARGE HERE.

IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN THIS EVENT WITH A SLIDING SCALE DONATION TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION HERE.

Registration for this event will open on April 25th, 2023 at 12pm PDT.

Qing Hao, Huang Lian, and Dan Shen: Historical perspectives and Modern Research with Toby Daly, Ph.D., L.Ac.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

5:00 PM 7:00 PM

In this Lilium Initiative discussion, we will explore the history, clinical application, and latest research on Qing Hao (Artemisia annuae Herba), Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), and Dan Shen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix). These explorations will include these medicinal substance's Nobel Prize winning applications that benefit millions of people every year. We will also look at these herbs' ability to address the virulent epidemic qualities of the Chinese medical pattern Gu Syndrome. We will discuss our three herb's bioactive components, including components that have been shown to regulate glucose levels so effectively that they are comparable to current first-line diabetic treatments. Finally, we will investigate their ability to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular diseases which are among the leading causes of death in the United States and worldwide.

Throughout the discussion, a special emphasis will be placed on research that is not solely focused on isolated bioactive components extracted from the medicinals, but instead on research involving the entire crude medicinal. This emphasis will include a look at the first ever herbal formula to progress through FDA clinical trials. This formula's efficacy and lack of side effects propelled it through its trials and it will soon be submitted to regulatory authorities for approval for use in the general population.

Toby received his undergraduate degree in Food Science from the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. He began studying Chinese medicine in 1997 with Sunim Doam, a Korean monk trained in the Saam tradition. He earned his master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2002 upon completion of training at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco and Chengdu University in China.

During his four years of training in San Francisco, he interned with the prominent acupuncturist Dr. Angela Wu and learned to apply the lofty theories he was studying in school into the pragmatic setting of a busy clinic. In 2013, he developed the Chinese Nutritional Strategies app to provide digital access to the wealth of Chinese dietary wisdom. In 2016, he completed a PhD in Classical Chinese Medicine under the guidance of 88th generation Daoist priest Jeffery Yuen. In 2021, he developed the Chinese Medical Characters app to enable direct access to foundational Chinese medical terms and concepts. 

His first book, An Introduction to Chinese Medicine, will be published in April 2023.

Herbal Spotlight: Huang Qin

Herbal Spotlight

Scutellaria baicalensis

Huang Qin

Baikal Skullcap

Scutellaria baicalensis, photo courtesy of Robyn Klein

This member of the mint family has at least 300 species in the same genus. This species has been used in China for at least 2,000 years (Foster and Chongxi, 34). 

Scutellaria baicalensis is a perennial that grows 1½ feet tall by 2 feet wide. Leaves are opposite, lance shaped to linear ½ - 1 ½ inch long with many branches that terminate in purple-blue flowers. It flowers from July-August.  Scutellaria baicalensis likes high, dry, sandy mountain soils in northeast China and north of the Yangtze River. Major production includes the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Heibei, Nei Mongol, and Shanxi. 

Scutellaria baicalensis prefers full sun, is drought tolerant and hardy. It must have good soil drainage. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 to at least 9. They do not tolerate saline conditions well. Do not overwater. Germination occurs in 15-20 days. 2 and 3 year old plants can be used for seed collection. 

Roots can be dug in Spring or Autumn, Spring preferred. Harvest plants 3-4 years of age. Root is dried in partial sunshine until ½ dry, then root bark scraped off or after ½ dried it can be sliced thinly and fully dried. 

Herbal Uses

As an herbal medicine it is considered bitter and cold. It enters the gallbladder, large intestine, lung and stomach channels. It purges fire and expels damp heat, especially from the upper burner (Bensky, 75). It clears heat and stops bleeding. It clears heat and calms the fetus when the fetus moves recklessly (Bensky, 76). Huang Qin has been shown to lower blood pressure with no reported side-effects. It has shown great effectiveness in the treatment of chronic hepatitis (Foster and Chongxi, 36).

Sources

1. Foster, Steven and Chongxi, Yue. Herbal Emissaries. 1992. Healing Arts Press. Rochester, VT. 

2. Bensky, Dan and Gamble, Andrew. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica. 1986. Eastland Press. Seattle, WA. 

3. Shafer, Peg. The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm. 2011. Chelsea Green Publishing. White River Junction, VT.

Photo courtesy of Robyn Klein

Spring Wind Spring Inventory

Photo courtesy of Ron Dunham

Our spring offerings through Spring Wind are:

Yi Mu Cao - Leonuri Herba

Han Lian Cao / Mo Han Lian - Ecliptae Herba 

Xia Ku Cao - Prunellae Spica

Qing Hao - Artemisia annua Herba

Bo He - Menthae Herba

Ju Hua - Chrysanthemum morifolium Flos

Hong Hua - Carthami Flos

Jing Jie - Schizonepetae Herba

She Gan - Belmacandae Rhizoma

Ye Ju Hua - Chrysanthemi indici Flos

Bai He - Lilii bulbus (coming soon!)

Many of the others have already sold out, but keep checking back on the Spring Wind website as there will be more posted very soon. Please inquire with Spring Wind Herbs directly to get the most up-to-date inventory!

New Board Members of 2023

Please join us in welcoming our newest board members of 2023! 

We want to introduce you to some incredible herbalists, writers, researchers, farmers and all around amazing human beings that have jumped on board the Lilium Initiative boat. We couldn’t be happier to welcome them to the team. Please read their bios to get a sense of the wonderful people representing your interests and this movement. We are sure this will be a generative and inspiring year with their added knowledge and skills. 

Andi Houston

Andi Houston is the Clinic Manager for Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in Gainesville, Florida and owner of Three Treasures Medicinal Herb Farm. She has worked for the Academy since 2008 and has managed the herbal dispensary since 2014. She has been a passionate gardener for her entire adult life and dabbled in Western herbs since the mid 90's. Her interest in growing Chinese medicinal herbs was sparked in 2012 by reading an article by Jean Giblette of High Falls Garden and the book "Herbal Emissaries: Bringing Chinese Herbs to the West" by Steven Foster. She began seeking herbs to test in her humid 9A climate and purchased a small piece of property just a few years later when her herb garden outgrew her small yard, focusing on forest-grown medicinal herbs for the humid subtropics. Since then, she has traveled to Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, and all over Florida connecting with other herb growers and teachers. This led to the formation of the Florida Herbal Cooperative in 2018, which is currently on hiatus. Andi has been volunteering with the Lilium Initiative since finding an LI postcard in a Spring Wind Herbs shipment in late 2019.

Colleen Hayes

Colleen Hayes has over 20 years experience working with ornamental, edible and medicinal plants in various settings. Her academic background in environmental health gave her an understanding of the American health care industry and fueled her desire for something different. Her appreciation and ongoing casual study of traditional Chinese medicine led her to focus on growing herbs for medicinal use. Though she no longer operates an herb farm, she still wants to see an increase in the cultivation and processing of herbs in the United States. She currently works for an organic certifier, reviewing farms' compliance with the organic regulations. She loves to cook, tend plants, listen to music and read non-fiction.

Erin Wilkins

Erin Masako Wilkins is an Asian American herbalist and acupuncturist. Her clinical work is rooted in Eastern energetic theory - tapping into her own ancestral healing traditions to empower others to restore health and prevent illness. She has been a practicing herbalist for over a decade specializing in Asian folk remedies and Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is passionate about applying Eastern energetics to domestically grown herbs and herbal medicine.  

A seasoned educator, her classes include Asian American herbalism and folk traditions, TCM theory, seasonal wellness, and community care workshops. Erin has a master’s degree from the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley, CA. Her book, “Asian American Herbalism: Traditional and Modern Wellness Practices for Everyday Wellness” is set for publication in Fall 2023. To learn more about her work visit HerbFolkShop.com

Pam Sherman

Pam Sherman researches and writes about food and medicine crop plants in regenerative agriculture, gardening, and landscaping and is particularly interested in the integration of Chinese Medicinal plants in these areas.

Robyn Klein, M.S.

Robyn’s herbal education includes Dominion Herbal College (1982) and Southwest School of Botanical Medicine(1995). After completing a MSc degree in plant sciences (2004), and as an adjunct instructor at Montana State University, she’s been teaching plant identification and ethnobotany to K-12 teachers. Her gardens are a mix of native, Chinese, and European medicinal species, and the odd carrot. Her favorite hobby is diving into rabbit holes, a.k.a., phytosleuthing medicinal plants.

Spring Asian Medicinal Seeds Available

We would like to share the availability of high-quality, organically certified Asian medicinal seeds available from Jonathan Major at Still Moon Farm. Please get in touch with him directly to place an order.

We are an Independent Nonprofit!

Please celebrate with us our 1 year anniversary of being an independent non-profit! Last April we left the umbrella of our friends at the Sonoma County Herb Association and attained our own official 501(c)(3) non-profit status. 

So please tell a friend, tell your family, and make a tax-deductible donation today to ensure the possibility of a safe, regenerative herb trade for us and for our future!