by Dr. Tori Hudson ND

FREE Webinar
This lecture will focus on evidence based natural support for common infections in women, such as those involving the urinary tract and reproductive systems, among others. Special attention will be paid to the research and historical use of botanicals for these common conditions.*

Botanicals to be discussed: cranberry, Oregon grape root, uva ursi, green tea, St. John’s wort, lemon balm, cruciferous extracts, turmeric, tea tree, goldenseal, garlic, and pipsissewa.

Registration: www.gaiaprofessional.com/events

CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP 

PART 1 OF THE FACIAL REJUVENATION CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

 Boone, North Carolina 

May 17th-19th, 2013

CREDITS: 20 CEU’s/PDA’s for NCCAOM re-certification available 

PREREQUISITE: Open to acupuncturists legally able to practice

TIMES: May 17th-19th, 2013: Friday (1- 7:00), Saturday and Sunday both (9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

Early Registration: $535 (includes all 3 days and supplies fee) if paid or postmarked by 4/10/13

Late Registration: $635 (includes all 3 days and supplies fee) if paid or postmarked  after 4/10/13. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Email: katie@pivotclinic.net (preferred) or call 828-406-6516. 

TO REGISTER:  Make checks payable to Boone Healing Arts Center. Mail checks and completed registration forms, proof of malpractice insurance and acupuncturist license to: Boone Healing Arts Center; C/O: Catherine Bruce-Smith, 838 State Farm Road, Suite 1, Boone, NC 28607. 

With this highly effective method of Facial Rejuvenation, one can simultaneously benefit a person’s appearance and overall health.  In this course, you will learn:

• how to customize facial rejuvenation treatments based on Chinese and Japanese acupuncture
• how to assess which meridians are involved in the various ways that individuals physically manifest the aging process
• point selection and needle technique for conditions such as acne, dry skin, age spots, sagging skin, wrinkles, scars, double chins, as well as bags and dark circles under the eyes
• Acupressure, Qigong and Virginia’s own Integrated Deep Muscle Therapy (IDMT) techniques for preserving youthful appearance and combating signs of aging on the face.

Lisa Ziperman.  I am a buyer at Golden Needle.  I am trained in western herbal medicine and licensed in massage therapy. I am a founding member of the Appalachian Botanical Alliance.  I can be reached at: lisa@goldenneedleonline.com

Golden Needle is a distributor of Acupuncture, Herbal, and Medical supplies to licensed practitioners. Golden Needle distributes locally grown chinese and western herbs to herbal practitioners by the pound http://www.goldenneedleonline.com/Golden-Needle-Bulk-Herbs/

Nancy is a founding and Board Member of the Appalachian Botanical Alliance (ABA).  The ABA is poised to provide a pivotal role in the successful marketing of fresh and dried medicinal herbs grown in western north carolina.  Check out www.aba-coop.com  Nancy’s bio from the ABA website: Nancy Odell, owner/operator of Geowild Farm, has been growing on her land in Madison County for 28 years.  Over this time, she has grown and marketed culinary and medicinal herbs, vegetable and flower starts, produce, and native perennials.  These products have been sold through farmer’s markets, festivals and special events, and used in small-garden designs for private clients.

Dr. Jeanine Davis
Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center
455 Research Drive
Mills River, NC 28759
Phone: 828.684.3562 ~ Fax: 828.684.8715
Email: jeanine_davis@ncsu.edu

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/herbs/

 

Joe Hollis

MOUNTAIN GARDENS
546 Shuford Creek Rd.
Burnsville, NC 28714
828 675 5664

joehollisherbs@gmail.com

http://mountaingardensherbs.com/about.html

SEED SOURCE

 

Peg Schafer
Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm
707) 765-3945 www.chinesemedicinalherbfarm.com

this book has the weather pattern maps that i used in the presentation

SEED SOURCE

Jean Giblette
High Falls Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 125
Philmont, NY 12565
(518) 672-7365

http://www.highfallsgardens.net/aboutus

SEED SOURCE

Steven Foster – Herbal Emissaries
From his chapter on Ginseng: “If you dig a hole to China from the Appalachians or the Ozarks you just might end up in a forest that looks very similar to the one where you started. For more than 200 years, plant geographers have recognized a phenomena known as the ‘disjunct eastern Asiatic – eastern North American range.’”

http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Steven_Foster

 

Richo Czech

www.horizonherbs.com

SEED SOURCE

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition [Hardcover]
Dan Bensky (Editor), Steven Clavey (Editor), Erich Stoger (Editor)

 

 

    A series of six weekend workshops on Chinese medicinal herbs, ‘from seed to serving.’  Each workshop can be ‘stand alone,’ but all six do make a complete unit.  Each weekend we will consider the medicinal herbs of a particular plant family in detail, and each weekend will feature a different plant propagation technique,  a different garden habitat, a different pao zhi method, and a different herbal preparation.

We will focus on 6 – 10 Chinese medicinal herbs, and western analogues, from one of the major plant families.  You will learn the names (and confusing synonyms, pinyin & latin), ecology (habitat), botany (ID, biochemistry), propagation, cultivation, harvest, post-harvest handling, processing and preparations appropriate to these herbs and this family.

Using the newly available English translation of Li Shizhen’s ben cao gang mu, we will discuss the history of the herbs and their perhaps changing uses and preparation over 1500 years.  Topics of particular interest include: edibility & use in cuisine (with recipes), tonics & use in Daoist longevity practices,  E-W pairs – comparison with related (same genus) western medicinal plants from a TCM perspective.

Instructor: Joe Hollis has been developing Mountain Gardens as a ‘botanical garden of useful plants’ for the past forty years.  He has been growing Chinese medicinal herbs for 25 years, and for the past ten years has taught medical botany, herbal preparations and herb cultivation at Daoist Traditions College www.daoisttraditions.org

Facilities:  Mountain Gardens incorporates the largest collection of medicinal herbs in the eastern US and affords a unique opportunity to study living Chinese herbs and compare them to related native spp.  Our library includes extensive collections for all the topics to be coveed, including many rare or obscure titles.  Our herb dispensatory is well-stocked with Chinese herbs and both single-herb and formula tinctures, and our apothecary includes all apparatus and supplies necessary to produce a wide range of herbal preparations.  We perate a small-scale seed business and plant nursery featuring medicinal and other ‘useful plants.’

Tentative schedule:

SAT  9 – 10:30:  Intro to the weekend, announcements, introductions, handouts, source materials, botany & biochemistry orientation.

11 – 12:30:  Characterizing the plant family [lily, aster, umbel, mint, buttercup, legume] ID, ecological, distribution and biochemical generalizations.

1:30 – 300: field botany, identifying the family and comparing its native and oriental species.

3:30 – 5:00: harvesting, cleaning, post harvest handling, herb processing (pao zhi) [dry-fry, solid adjuvants, honey, wine/vinegar, ginger / licorice, brine / other]

evening: Discussion of Daoist philosophy / poetry / painting / garden design / alchemy / longevity / mountain appreciation, herbalism; with herbal mead & liqueur tasting.

SUN  9 – 10:30:  detailed discussion of individual herbal species:  other parts used, changing actions & indications; contemporary research

11 – 12:30:  continuation of above and detailed comparison of oriental and related native herbs, traditional uses and biochemical evidence.

1:30 – 3:  herbal preparation(s), featuring one or more study herbs [tincture, powder/pill, syrup, wine / mead, infusion / decoction, salve / lotion ]

3:30-5:  growing medicinal herbs: propagation [seed, cuttings, division, nursery set-up, nursery practice, seed-saving]  and habitat [sunny & shade garden, woods, aquatic, xeric, disturbed]

Tuition: $225 per session, $1200 entire series.

Tuition includes lunch both days; handouts, samples of herbal preparations and seeds / propagating material as available.

We anticipate making CEUs available. This and other details will be posted soon

You are welcome to camp here, we ask $10 / night. Breakfast and dinner will be available for campers

We also offer one day classes on growing Chinese herbs, herb processing / pao zhi, Chinese herbal preparations / pharmacy, and tonic, rejuvenative herbs, preparations and cuisine.  See workshop schedule.

Details of individual sessions:

at MOUNTAIN GARDENS

    These workshops take advantage of our unique combination of diverse habitats, extensive plant collection, extraordinary library and well-equipped herb shop, plus my forty years of study and experimentation.

    As a ‘botanic garden of useful plants’, one of our purposes is to introduce and promote new useful plants, for gardeners, growers, herbalists and chefs. Areas of special interest include wildfoods, medicinal herbs,  (native and oriental), health-boosting (tonic, adaptogenic) plants and east-west parallels in botany and pharmacy.

    Seeds and plants of most of the species discussed will be available for purchase; additionally participants will have the opportunity to purchase freshly dug, bare-root plants at a considerable saving.

   Half-day workshops cost $50, all-day $100 (bring your own lunch). Some workshops will include valuable handouts.

PLANT WALKS and WORKSHOPS

April 19 Fri, 1:30-5pm  Spring wildfoods and  Sansai We’ll be observing, discussing and tasting seasonal wildfoods, both native and oriental (often related spp.).  These are gourmet (and very marketable) vegetables that can be naturalized in your woods, fields, wetlands, etc.

April 21 Sun 9:30 – 5pm  Spring useful plants This all-day session will cover ID, uses, ecology, propagation, cultivation and harvest of a wide variety of edible, medicinal, craft (fiber, dye. paper, basketry, etc., etc.).  We’ll be touring the garden and also the large library of resources I’ve assembled.

April 26 Fri 1:30 – 5pm   Bamboo: Hardy spp., cultivation, harvesting, food & craft uses.  Bamboo is far and away the most useful of all plants, its only ‘flaw’ being that it is too easy to grow (invasive). We’ll look at it, talk about it, taste it and make a simple garden arch / trellis.   Well also be reviewing a collection of books on growing, using and building with bamboo.

May 10 Fri 1:30 – 5pm   Spring wildfoods & medicinals A plant walk in the garden and adjacent Nat’l Forest.  ID and discussion of uses, plant habitats, propagation / seed germination and harvest / preparation, with tasting and a quick literature review

May  25 Sat 9:30 – 5pm   Grow Chinese herbs  We’ll tour our large collection (100+ spp.), and discuss habitat, propagation & cultivation, harvesting and processing methods. Chinese medicinal herbs encompass a complete range of plant types (annual & perennial herbs, shrubs, vines, trees) and habitats (garden, woodland, wetland, etc).  There is an established market, nationally and locally, but almost no growers. Be a pioneer!

June 14 Fri 1:30 – 5pm   Perennial vegetables  (with notes on edible weeds) Become a hunter-gatherer on your own land. Once established, many of these spp. are care-free, and can be harvested for years to come.  Knowing the appropriate habitat is one key to success. another is knowing in advance the potential weediness or invasiveness of a species.  Diversify your diet, CSA, or restaurant sales.

June 29 Sat 1:30 – 5pm  Wasabi WNC is ideally suited for wasabi cultivation.  I’ll share what I’ve learned over 25 years of working with wasabi, and we’ll inspect several plantings. Wasabi is easily grown if you can provide the right habitat, and a very high-end market is there and waiting.  At last check of internet, no one is offering fresh, domestic wasabi. Be a pioneer!   Seeds & plants will be available for purchase.

July 19 Fri 1:30 – 5pm  Bamboo: hardy spp., cultivation, food & craft uses;  trellis making.  Same as 4/26

August 24 Sat 9:30 – 5pm  Grow Chinese herbs same as 5/25

Aug 25 Sun 9:30 – 5pm   Summer useful plants same as 4/21, but different plants will be discussed

Sept 13 Fri 1:30 – 5pm   Perennial vegetables  same as 6/14, different seasonal emphasis

PHARMACY WORKSHOPS

May12 Sun 9:30-5pm 19^th century apothecary: techniques and preparations from Eclectic herbalism.  I have assembled a good collection pharmacy textbooks, formularies, dispensatories, materia medica, etc. from the era when medicine was herbal medicine. Very detailed instructions for up to 50 different types of preparation, on a scale and using apparatus suitable to a home kitchen.  I’ll introduce the texts, and demonstrate techniques and apparatus as we make a tincture, percolation, syrup, essential oil / hydrosol, herbal mead, salve, and lozenges. (I hope we can squeeze all that in)

July 6 Sat 9:30 – 5pm   pao zhi – Chinese herb processing. Using various degrees of heat as well as a variety of ‘adjuvants’ such as bran, earth, brine, vinegar, wine and ginger juice, Chinese medicine has developed a unique repertoire of techniques to modify the palatibility, side effects, actions and energetics of herbs. These methods could also be advantageously applied to western herbs

July 20 Sat 9:30 – 5pm   Chinese herbal preparations (by  Chinese methods) This parallels the 5/12 workshop (above), but using Chinese techniques and apparatus to produce traditional Chinese preparations.  Much less inormation is available (in English) on this subject – I’ll share what I’ve found.  We’ll make medicinal wine and liqueur, honey pills, salve, syrup, infusions and decoctions.

Sept 7 Sat 9:30 – 5pm   Pao zhi  Chinese herb processing. Same as 7/6.

TONIC & REJUVENATIVE HERBS

Aug 16  Fri 1:30 – 5pm  I. Food: Tonic & rejuvenative herbs in garden and kitchen  Bupin ‘repair substance’ is a group of Chinese herbs which can be combined with meat (optional) and vegetables to produce ‘medicated cuisine’, for tonification and boosting immunity.  Consisting mostly of seeds, fruits and tuberous roots, they are tasty and are consumed as part of the meal (a few fibrous ones are used to prepare stock, then discarded).  There are classic combinations invo;ving 6-12 or more herbs, and many of these are sold pre-packaged in the larger oriental supermarkets.  An exciting new (to us) direction for adventurous chefs.  Many of these can be grown locally (an exciting new direction for adventurous growers). Also: congee, the standard Chinese breakfast of soupy rice, to which herbs can be added to address a wide variety of health concerns.  I’ll share a collection of cookbooks.

Sept 20 Fri 1:30 – 5pm  II. Drink: Longevity tonics & rejuvenative herbs as meads & liqueurs.  This workshop will cover many of the same plants as above, and also those rasayana ‘rejuvenative’ herbs used in Ayurvedic (India) medicine which can be grown locally.  Instead of food, the focus will be on using these herbs to create medicinal wines, herbal meads and longevity elixirs (liqueurs).  These are very popular in the orient, being healthful and delicious.  The same herbs used to retard aging are also used for boosting athletic performance, ‘body-building’ and martial arts.  You can purchase herbs to take home and make your own brew, from a large selection of recipes. (E.g. more than a dozen different recipes for improving memory).

Saturday, March 23rd, 2013

This 2 Hour Class Will Be Followed by
Ethics with Robert Kienitz, L.Ac.
NCCAOM Approved for 4 PDA/CEU

YouTube Video with Information at Tiny.cc/SC_Ethics

Online Registration at SoEnlightening.com

Schedule: Saturday, March 23rd, 2013
10:00am – Noon: Smoking Cessation
Noon – 1:00pm: Lunch
1:00pm – 5:00pm: Ethics

Location: Executive Development Center
1241 Military Cutoff Road
Wilmington NC 28405

Cost: $75.00 for 6 PDA/CEU
Or $35 for Smoking Cessation Only
Or $65 for Ethics Only

The answers to this question will be explored in depth at Peter Holmes’ and Tiffany Pollard’s interactive Aroma Acupoint Therapy workshop in Montclair, NJ (near NYC),  on April 27 & 28.

If you are a lover of essential oils, and you know on some level that they are indeed powerful catalizers in the healing process, then you’ll want to be at this workshop.

You will not only discover how to put energetic theory of essential oils into actual practice, but as a result you’ll also watch your practice move to the next level of power and effectiveness. Here is what some of the AAT participants have to say:

Aroma Acupoint treatment is truly taking my practice to a whole new level! It is as exciting to me to implement as acupuncture was a really long time ago. I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate your knowledge and expertise.

— Stephanie Willard LAc, Portland

I’ve been using essential oil acupoint therapy on most of my clients every day since the workshop and find it to work so quickly and so well that I am just amazed. There are just so many ways that this new modality is inspiring me.

— Anne de Courtenay LMT, Chicago

Taken by acupuncturists, body workers, students and practitioners, there is nothing quite like this hands-on, interactive workshop:

• • Imagine learning a proven effective yet gentle method of energetic

treatment using just essential oils

• • Consistently get excellent results treating the systemic imbalances that

underlie common conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue,

muscle tension and pain, etc.

• • Secure valuable clients, young and old, who dislike needles!
• • Give your fingers a break while the oils do the work for you!

The link to the full course description and registration online is:

http://www.snowlotus.org/portlandoregonfebruary9and10-1.aspx

Here are the practical details:
Dates:  April 27 & 28 (Sat. & Sun.), 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Montclair, NJ:  Eastern School of Acupuncture, 427 Bloomfield Ave., Suite 301, NJ 07042
Cost: $295, payable by credit card
Late registration after April 15: $335
Cancellation policy: Cancellations received by April 15 receive a full refund less a $50 cancellation fee. No refunds can be given after April 15, ’13.

NCCAOM CEUs are available too!

Call 800 682-8827 to register, or register online or email us after hours at info@snowlotus.org

Greetings!

Come join us for this exciting 8-class series (& 16 CEU’s) on the Spirit of the Points, taught by Mark A. Fortney, L.Ac. of Pulse Acupuncture in Asheville, and take your understanding of the points to the next level. Also benefit from the experience of an ongoing opportunity to discuss Chinese medicine with your fellow local acupuncturists.

Course Title: “Ten Thousand Things: Delving Deeper Into the Spirit of the Points” with Mark Fortney, L.Ac.

Dates: 8 classes on Thursday evenings, 7-9 pm (February – April 2013) – 16 CEU’s

2/28/13 ~ 3/14/13 ~ 3/21/13 ~ 3/28/13 ~ 4/4/13 ~ 4/11/13 ~ 4/18/13 ~ 4/25/13

Suggested reading and hand-outs for each class will be provided.

Cost: $350* (Register before 2/12/13 and receive a $50 discount: only $300 when you mail your check by 2/12/13. See below for more info.)

Location: TBA (Asheville)

This course will provide licensed acupuncturists with guidance in delving deeper into the energetics and meaning of acupuncture points. We will use the I Ching and other ancient texts as well as the work of contemporary scholars such as Lonny Jarrett and Debra Kaatz as a jumping-off place for our investigations.

Plan to cultivate your own relationship to the points so that you may more fully access the healing potential of each point in your practice. In enriching your understanding of the points, you will achieve improved facility in your point selection and in the articulation of the points to your patients. Using metaphor and discussion, the goal of the course is to improve your efficacy in the treatment room.

The format of each class will include a review of the name of the points, interpretation of the Chinese characters of those names including the etymology, a guided meditation on the points, as well as a review of the associated meridian’s energetics. Comparison of these meanings to the traditional associations and uses of the points will be made. Discussion will enable participants to share how they use the points according to their individual insights. The class will conclude with a synthesis of the group’s insights.

For more information, please email Heather Spangler, heather.spangler@gmail.com.

Mark A. Fortney has been practicing Chinese medicine in the Asheville area for the past 8 years. A graduate of the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture, he has taught classes and supervised at Daoist Traditions College in Asheville during that time. Mark has worked as a teacher for over 20 years and brings a rich experience of studying and teaching in China to his students.

*Refund Policy: The price of the course is $350. Full refunds will be available up until 2 weeks before the date. After that, 50% of the total cost will be refunded.

*Partial CEU’s can be awarded based on prior-scheduled attendance at an adjusted rate. Please email Heather for more info and/or to make those arrangements. These arrangements must be made ahead. Thank you!

*Checks can be made payable to:     HS-ACUPUNCTURE, 612 Wilson St, Asheville, NC 28803

with Debra Betts, author of The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy and Childbirth

September 28 & 29, 2013

O’Henry Hotel

Greensboro, NC 27408

$375 if registered by August 1^st, $425 thereafter

14 NCCAOM PDA (Pending)

To register: heather@stillpointacupuncture.com or call 919-742-0545

by guest blogger Alison Dressler

Learn Chinese Business Blog

In the ever-changing global economy, many factors are at play that are effecting the world trade of Chinese herbs. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is arguably one of the oldest and most complex medical systems in existence, originating almost 5,000 years ago. While there are many modalities within TCM including qigong and acupuncture, herbal therapy is one of the strongest and most important pillars in TCM, enhancing all other treatments.  TCM literature, such as the Chinese Pharmacopeia, contains over 100,000 herbal medicinal recipes – evidence of the complexity of this medical system.

TCM is still the dominant medical system in China, despite the presence of Western medicine in recent years. At the same time, interest in Chinese Medicine outside of China is at an all-time high – resulting in certain plant species being over-harvested in China to satisfy this growing demand. While there is cultivation of some Chinese herbs within China, much of the land has been transformed to vegetable farming for export. Almost unbelievably, China is running out of land to grow herbal medicine for its own people as well as for the rest of the world.

In addition to China’s own supply difficulties, the demand for herbs originating from China has shifted. Detection of heavy metals, pollutants, and other chemical adulterants have been found in many of the herbs coming from China. This is very concerning as these herbs are medicine and the contaminants will lessen the potency of the medicine or cause digestive harm. Many of the large importers of bulk herbs are stating that now more than ever, pollutants are forcing them to look for alternative sources for Chinese herbs.

The Specialty Crops Program run by Dr. Jeanine Davis at NC State’s Mountain Horticultural Crops and Research and Extension Center is addressing these concerns by incorporating Chinese herb cultivation into the Specialty Crops Program. Dr. Davis’ program focuses on alternative crops for farmers interested in production diversification, including the cultivation of Western medicinal herbs. In 2010 this focus expanded to include Chinese herbs with Dr. Davis and colleagues leading a collaborative between representatives from community colleges, state universities, the extension service, private business, and interested landowners to form the Alternative Agricultural Working Group. This group began to address the issues of the supply and quality of herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with the primary aim to explore the economic viability for Western North Carolina to become a reliable supplier of Chinese herbs by establishing six test plots throughout the region.

2011 was the second year for the initiative, with three more test plots established on farms in Western North Carolina. At the end of 2011, six growers of Chinese and/or Western herbs and a local herb distributor came together to form a cooperative business, Appalachian Botanical Alliance, that will continue the work of the Alternative Agricultural Working Group by expanding test plots and performing both laboratory and organoleptic analysis on the Chinese herbs grown in WNC. These herbs will be tested against herbs emanating from China in order to determine how local herbs compare to those imported from across the world.

Goji Berries

The herbs include Anemarrhena (Zhi Mu), Angelica (Dang Gui), Astragalus (Huang Qi), Chinese skullcap (Huang Qin), Chrysanthemum (Ju Hua), Goji Berry (Gou Qi Zi), Gynostemma (Jiao Gu Lin), Lobelia inflate, Peony (Bai Shao), Pinellia (Ban Xia), Polygonum (He Shou Wu), Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), Schizandra (Wu Wei Zi), and Sophora (Shan Dou Gen).

One of the founding members of the Appalachian Botanical Alliance, Lisa Ziperman, works at Golden Needle – an Asheville based Chinese medicine distributor. Golden Needle has been wanting to work with local growers to supply Chinese and Western herbs, but the supply has just not been there. Appalachian Botanical Alliance is working to fill that gap and partner with Golden Needle on growing high quality, potent, medicinal herbs. This kind of grower-buyer relationship is what will enable Western North Carolina to truly become known for providing potent medicine from the earth.

Asheville, NC has been known as an herbal medicine mecca, with four herbal schools including one devoted to TCM – Daoist Traditions, and hundreds of herbal practitioners. Buyers have consistently noted that they desire herbs from Western North Carolina, but there has been insufficient supply. A very coordinated effort between buyers and growers is necessary in order for supply to be efficiently met. With an ideal growing climate for many Chinese herbs, a long-standing tradition of herbalism, and an array of herbal practitioners and acupuncturists, Western North Carolina is in a favorable position to establish itself as a reliable supplier of high quality, potent Chinese medicinal herbs.

For more information on Dr. Jeanine Davis’ program, please visit ncherb.org 

Affiliate Link: The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm: A Cultivator’s Guide to Small-Scale Organic Herb Production–Including 79 detailed herb profiles, growing information, and medicinal uses