Reply To: General questions

[Benna Keoghoe | Registered Herbal Therapist]

Hi Jessica,

This is a good question, you are thinking ahead.
I will check into whether we can send you a list of the assignments ahead of time. The course is set up as it is, so that the student takes the course and has the base information before doing the assignment.

However if you did end up doing the projects in the winter, it would give you an opportunity to look into what medicine is still available around you at that time of the year. I took a quick look into some of the plants and trees there in Alberta and these might be found around you: balsam fir (Abies balsamea), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) (their buds are actually more easily harvested in the winter while the resin is less ‘gooey’), jack pine (Pinus banksiana), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), wintergreen (Gaulteria procumbens), juniper (Juniperus spp.), etc. This is a small list to get you started, if you are interested.

While these are not necessarily at their peak in the winter, they still have medicinal value, and it can be empowering to know about those winter medicines for the times when we might need them. It is quite interesting that most of those winter medicines are useful for cold and flu type illnesses.

I hope this is helpful and provides some inspiration,
With warmth,
Benna