Total classroom hours: 38
Description: The Herbal Medicine portion of our massage school program here in New Mexico really sets our curriculum apart from the others. Here is a letter to you from our amazing instructor Bernadette Torres:
Dear Prospective Students,
I look forward to sharing with you the world of Medicinal Plants. I’ve been learning about the incredible healing power of Plants since I was a little girl. My father and mother came from little ranching communities in northern NM mountains, where using plants was just common knowledge when it came to home remedies. I have vivid memories of my father making poultices for healing wounds. I also remember tagging along with him to gather edibles. I share that wonderful knowledge with you on our all day hike in our beautiful Sandia Mountains where you will began to recognize the abundance of medicinal plants all around us. We will also spend time in the school garden and my home garden learning to access the plants that easily grow close to home. I use plants in all forms from homeopathy, flower essences, essential oils, tinctures and teas. We will have a medicine making class that will amaze you how easy it is to make your own remedies. I was for years, the in- house herbalist for a couple of local herb stores here in NM. Some of my formulas, 10 years later are still sold in their stores. I will explain when best to use each of the formulas. We will talk about when Plants are contraindicated and how they can be misused. We will talk about the different systems of the body and which herbs to apply when imbalances are upsetting the body. I will share with you how to confidently pick out the best Plants to aide you, your family, and community toward better health and nutrition. We will also have a class where some pretty special plant people that I admire will share with you their unique relationship with Plants. Including, my partner, Ashéninka Mino, who is an indigenous healer from the central jungle of Peru. He has been my teacher since 2006, and I am proud to share the loving care he has taught me with the Plant kingdom. Most importantly, I will guide you to open your own senses, with regular homework assignments, lots of hands-on experiences, taste testing and the mystery tea!! So that this introduction to herbs will become an empowering foundation for future studies. Thank you, for taking the time to consider our lovely program.
In Health ~ Bernadette
Listen in: Robert Stevens describes herbal medicine, “Part of the early practice of nature cure.”—