I’ve been asked to teach a series of classes on Plant Identification on desert plants, ethical wildcrafting and medicine making as well as teaching a medicine making workshop at my friends amazing High-Desert nursery - Cactus Mart  in Morongo Valley. So I’ve been busy organizing these classes as well as scouting for other areas to take folks for a plant hike. Each hike will start with a short plant meditation working an infusion made with a local medicinal desert plant. Meet one of my Desert Green Allies, Eriodictyon trichocalyx - Yerba Santa - Hairy Yerba Santa. A shrub with leathery like leaves that can grow from 3ft - 9ft. A native plant to the Mojave Desert that is also medicinal. One of

As the sun moves into Capricorn it is symbolic of a new year is fast approaching. We are reminded to pause and reflect. Checking in with ourselves and asking ourselves "are we where we want to be? "Are we doing what we ought and want to do?" We can take clues from Mother Earth on what we should be focusing our attention and energy on. As it is winter the trees are bare, the leaves have fallen in autumn, the critters are in hibernation. All of nature is slowing down, so taking cues from Mother Earth and how she conserves her energy, we too can do the same. In today's times we are always busy, work, family, relationships all seems to have us always on the go. Taking time to go within even if i

Last nights immune boosting and my Ode to the Desert - decoction using some Mojave Desert native plants. Ethically wildcrafted by myself Piñon Pine needles, twigs, bark and Yerba Santa. Adding to this brew: •Ginger •Elderberries •Cinnamon •Clove •Anise •wildcrafted Fennel •Licorice Root •Peppercorns •Cardamom •Turmeric This “spent” plant material will go into my composting bucket rather than throwing the left over plants away. I let my decoction sit for several hours to overnight, soaking up all of the aromatics of the plants. If you have noticed many of the herbs are warming, Cardamon, Ginger, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Clove, Anise, Fennel, Peppercorns are all warming and blood moving. I especial

Last nights immune boosting and my Ode to the Desert - decoction using some Mojave Desert native plants. Ethically wildcrafted by myself Piñon Pine needles, twigs, bark and Yerba Santa. Adding to this brew: •Ginger •Elderberries •Cinnamon •Clove •Anise •wildcrafted Fennel •Licorice Root •Peppercorns •Cardamom •Turmeric •💚lots of LOVE 💚 ✨ This “spent” plant material will go into my composting bucket rather than throwing the left over plants away. Showing the deepest respect, honor & gratitude to the plants & their medicine, I return the plants to the earth 🌏 ✨ I asked Susun Weed last year about re-brews & asked if I‎t was still medicinal, her answer was “NO”. Now some plants you can extr

I wanted to share with folks who have interest in gathering resin from trees but haven't any experience on how to gather resin from trees. The way I go about gathering resin for medicine making is first by connecting with the tree, sitting with the tree, touching her branches and her needles, her trunk before I start to look. I ask permission before I begin to gather and offer blessing herbs. Offering a gift of appreciation and gratitude for their medicine by offering either water or herbs that I connect with. Some folks offer tobacco, I do not have a relationship with tobacco and tend to offer other plants that I have a personal connection to. So, here is a short video I made during a wildc

A little vid that someone special made for me that embraces what Every Leaf Speaks is about. Ethically wildcrafting, Re-Wilding, medicine making, connecting to Mother Earth, my continuous study of the plants and their medicine. Living in the High Desert of the Mojave Desert in Joshua Tree, I find an abundance of medicine here. Many plants who's medicine is overlooked. As a family herbalist, I continue my path by studying the plants, learning to identify and work with these medicines. I am intrigued by how the people before you and I that lived on this land worked with the plants. They were so resourceful using plants for making flour, bread, baskets, clothing to season their food to medicine