Foraging for First Aid and Survival Class

This is a photo of Usnea. A common lichen you will learn about as well as many other native plants and trees that are useful in ways you may never have considered. We will take a walk through our woods to see what we can discover and talk about the native Cherokee uses for different plants and trees. We will harvest some of what we find and discuss ways we can use the plants, barks and roots we find. We will discuss how to make and use a poultice, tea, extracts, tinctures and tonics, while learning the difference between them and their applications. We will also learn how to make Oil infusions and will make a salve from plants we discuss in the class you can take home to use.

We will also talk about native plants you can easily grow in your own garden or backyard, like the Elderberry bush, pictured here. Not only are the berries immensely healthful and tasty, so are the flowers. There are also some invasive plants and herbs we will discuss that are common, useful medicinally or beautiful, but one should be very cautious about planting.

Warning! learning about medicinal and culinary herbs and plants is addictive. Next thing you know you will be making your own concoctions from the herbs and plants you find or grow. You will be less likely to buy aspirin when you can drink a little White Willow Bark Tea. It begins in small ways and grows. It may start as something as simple as pine needle tea to drink for all the nutrients it offers, to a complex salve, tincture or even a culinary herb mix using (weeds) found in the back woods. Once you start…Healthy and Happy are some of the best results you will receive.