New NCCAOM-accredited continuing education programs from HFG

These three-hour workshops are designed to be presented anywhere, co-sponsored by High Falls Gardens (ACHB 289) and a graduate college or other professional organization of Oriental Medicine.
Each workshop is approved for three PDA points by NCCAOM. The two may be given in one day. At present, the only approved instructor is Jean Giblette of High Falls Gardens but eventually other qualified instructors may teach the course.

A detailed agenda is available for prospective cosponsors upon request. Please inquire at hfg@capital.net.

Asian Medicinal Plant Ecology, Cultivation and Conservation
The program is a concise overview of issues related to Asian medicinal plant sourcing, quality and conservation. The implications of growing the plants in North America are examined in detail. The last hour is devoted to “action” planning: to help each participant understand how individual and collective choices can help assure future access to a full range of the herbs they have been trained to use.

Educational Goals

• To deepen herbal studies through consideration of the botanical and ecological context;
• To improve understanding of ecological, agricultural and conservation issues that affect sources of high-quality herbs;
• To enhance the ability of herbal practitioners to ask appropriate questions regarding herb quality and sources of supply

Family Patterns in Seeds: A Seed Germination Workshop
Designed for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine professionals (and students), this is an alternative means to learn the herbs of the Chinese materia medica. Using the pattern recognition method of plant identification, examples of five major family groups are examined with slides of the flowering plants and live seeds of the same species. In the last hour, students plant the seeds in plug flats, and either take them home or keep them at a central location. Basic plant morphology and horticultural techniques are discussed. Participants are encouraged to grow out the plants at home, or to participate in a student garden or herb club.

Educational Goals

• To provide an alternate means to learn the Chinese materia medica by study of the patterns common to plant families;
• To deepen herbal studies through hands-on contact with live plant material;
• To supplement botany courses or electives offered by the Colleges of A&OM;
• To encourage those students and practitioners who wish to support plant-related work such as student gardens maintenance, garden tours, or working with growers.