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Fall Medicinal Plant Workshop with Professor Emeritus Jim Adams of USC School of Pharmacy
October 8, 2022 @ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$100
Photo of Jim Adams with mugwort: Lisa Fimiani
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Please join me and special guest Professor Emeritus Jim Adams of USC School of Pharmacy for a Fall Medicinal Plant Workshop in Ojai on Saturday, October 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dr. Adams has been a frequent and popular contributor to my events for the past nine years. This workshop is based on his ground-breaking pharmacological studies on local native plants and his personal commitment to sharing the traditional medicinal practices he learned from Chumash healer Cecilia Garcia. He will be joined by plant educator Enrique Villaseñor and acupuncturist Michelle Wong, co-authors with him of Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West: Cultural and Scientific Basis for Their Use. Participants will learn how to make California plant medicines, how to process foraged foods, and the history of California Indians.
The workshop will be held at two locations. The morning outing from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. will be a slow-paced walk at Cluff Vista Park native plant garden and the Chumash Garden at the Ojai Valley Museum identifying and discussing local medicinal plants. It will involve stopping for discussion for periods of time. A lightweight campstool could be useful for those who are uncomfortable standing for periods of time.
After a one-hour lunch break, the afternoon hands-on session from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. will take place at a local church kitchen. The focus will be on preparing seasonal edible and medicinal products for winter health from wild foraged plant material. Depending on seasonal availability, plant preparations onsite may include, among others:
- Yerba Santa tea and steam inhalation
- Acorn dish
- Wild California Buckwheat pancakes
- Gordolobo tea
- Datura hand soak
- Black walnuts
- Prickly-Pear fruits (“tunas”)
At 3:00 p.m. Dr. Adams and his co-authors will have copies of their book for sale and signing. I will have Medicinal Herbs of California on hand as well. Following the workshop, participants will receive by email a complete list of all plants that are identified and/or utilized as well as recipes and other notes.
ABOUT JAMES ADAMS, PH.D:
Dr. Adams brings to Ojai a wealth of scientific knowledge and field experience as well as a singular perspective on herbal medicine. As he tells it, “My family came to Virginia in 1635 and has always survived by using American Indian healing. On the frontier, there were no doctors. American Indian healing was better than European medicine anyway. I continue this tradition.”
Now retired from active teaching and enjoying his new status as Professor Emeritus, Dr. Adams taught pharmacy students, medical students, doctors and other healthcare professionals for over 30 years at USC while researching the natural pharmaceutical compounds in native plants. He has over 200 publications.
Running parallel with his academic career, Dr. Adams has worked with the Chumash people of the San Fernando Valley since 1998 and studied Chumash healing with Cecilia Garcia for almost 15 years. They wrote a book and 30 journal articles together. Jim is now the carrier of the healing knowledge passed to him by his teacher.
Dr. Adams is the co-author, with Michelle Wong and Enrique Villaseñor, of the fourth edition of the groundbreaking book, Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West: Cultural and Scientific Basis for Their Use. The cultural information is based on the teachings of Cecilia Garcia and the scientific portion on Dr. Adams’ laboratory studies. It can be purchased beforehand at that link and will also be available for purchase and signing at the event.
“Humans have used plant medicines ever since humans came into existence, about 200,000 years ago,” Dr. Adams explains in Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West. “That means that our ancestors experienced an intense natural selection. Those who responded to plant medicines survived and passed their genes on. We are the products of this natural selection. Our bodies are designed to respond to plant medicines.”
Here is an excellent 2017 article about Dr. Adams from USCStorySpace.com: “A Scientist’s Calling to Practice Chumash Healing.”
Please note: This workshop will go on RAIN OR SHINE unless there is a steady downpour in the morning and/or a 100% chance of heavy rain that day. No dogs or smoking, please.
The cost for the Fall Medicinal Plant Workshop is $100, including all materials for preparing plant medicines. A limited number of scholarships for pharmacy, medical, and herbal medicine students are available as well as discounts for children under 18 accompanied by an adult.