About
Cascadia Folk Medicine was founded in 2004 with the intention of supplying the community with high-quality, local herbal medicine and providing a forum for people to deepen their realtionships with the medicinal plants of the region.
It's founder, Scott Kloos, a Community Herbalist, Medicine Maker, and Wildcrafter, has been studying and researching the native plants of the Pacific NW for over ten years. In addition to many years of self-study, he has worked at the Herb Pharm in Williams, OR and has studied with Christopher Hobbs.
He spends much of his time in the mountains connecting with and collecting herbs. In his healing practice he works mainly with the psycho-spiritual aspects of plant medicine and leads classes on identifying and using edible & medicinal plants, medicine making, and recognizing plants as teachers. He is a faculty member of the Elderberry School of Botanical Medicine and the director of the Cascadia Materia Medica Project.
 |
|
Horsetail Harvest
|
- Make positive identification before harvesting.
- Know the rare and endangered plants of the area and don't pick them.
- Make Assessments:
Ecological Implications-Will your impact be noticeable? Will it adversely effect the often delicate ecological balance of the stand or the intricate web of interrelations that ensure its continued existence?
Animal/Insect Interactions-Are there animals or insects that depend on this plant for food or other uses? How will your harvesting impact these relationships?
Personal-Are you in the proper emotional state to make a harvest? Are you prepared to be honest with yourself in regards to making decisions about your impact on this stand? How much of this medicine can or will you realistically process and use? - Ask permission from and make offerings to the plant. Remember that when you treat plants with respect, they will not only be more effective as medicine, but they will be more likely to reveal themselves to you.
- Pick from different stands or spots in a stand to minimize impact.
- Care for and develop a relationship with the stand. Leave any area you harvest from in the same or better condition than you found it (e.g. fill in holes after harvesting roots, don't leave discarded leaves or other plant parts lying around where others can see them, and whenever possible replant root crowns or disperse seeds.) Observe the stand over time so that you can continue to refine your personal assessment of any harvesting impact you have had or any natural environmental changes that may have an effect on the health of the stand. Based on this information, be prepared to alter your wildcrafting practices or stop harvesting altogether from this spot.
-developed in conjunction with the Elderberry School Class of '07
 |
|
Mormon Tea Harvest
|
Articles, Photos, and Traveler's Tales
Nettles, Bees, and Nerves
Peru & Bolivia 2003
Into the Peruvian Andes
Oasis
My First Revolution
Peru 2005
Huaraz
Chavin de Huantar
Lago Paron
Trujillo
Huaca de la Luna
Cajamarca
Ventanillas del Otuzco
Chachapoyas
To Iquitos and the Jungle
Pacaya-Samiria
At the Frontier in Search of Poison (Quicktime Movie 16:22/117 MB)
This is a slideshow of my 2005 journey to Peru where, among other things, you can see me lying in my own vomit after receiving frog poison deep in the Amazon jungle...Thanks to my friend and physical/psychoactive travel companion for the last leg of the journey, Todd Lippiatt, for letting me use some of his pictures...This is a pretty big file-depending on your connection speed it may take a while to load. Now's your chance to grab a snack or go to the bathroom.
Native Plant Photos
Heartleaf Arnica Arnica cordifolia
Wild Ginger Asarum caudatum
Balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata
Fairyslipper Calypso bulbosa
Striped Coralroot Corallorrhiza striata
Corydalis Corydalis scouleri
Ladyslipper Cyprepedium montanum
Cobra Lily Darlingtonia californica
Bleeding Heart Dicentra formosa
Shooting Star Dodecatheon pulchellum
Glacier Lily Erythronium grandiflorum
Chocolate Lily Fritillaria sp.
Bitterroot Lewisia rediviva
Cascade Lily Lilium washingtonianum
Western Skunk Cabbage Lysichiton americanum
Bracted Lousewort Pedicularis bracteosa
Western Coltsfoot Petasites palmatum
Western Meadowrue Thalictrum occidentalis
Birthroot Trillium ovatum
Sitka Valerian Valeriana sitchensis
