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February 2025 HerbWalks & OjaiHerbal Newsletter
February Events
Full Moon Sunset Nature Hike
&  After-Party
Wednesday, February 12
 
Please join me and Rondia at 5 p.m. as we continue celebrating my 49th year of leading Herb Walks with another monthly full moon hike above the picturesque Ojai Valley. Then we'll head to Ojai Valley Brewery for an optional after-party with herbalized beer and BBQ. Click here or on the Ojai full moon photo above by Joe P. Powers to learn more.
"It's A Family Affair:" The Human-Plant Family Connection– Part 1
Saturday, February 15

 

Please join me, Ojai author/herbalist Lanny Kaufer and herbalist/gardener/educator Carol Wade for a deep dive into the similarities and connections between human and plant families. Scheduled in 4 parts, one for each season, this series of “It’s a Family Affair” workshops from February through October will enhance your knowledge of edible and medicinal plants as well as your understanding of our own species, our personal and collective health, and our place in Nature.

 

Each session will include a morning herb walk and an afternoon hands-on medicine making class. Part 1 is on Saturday, February 15. Experience the glory of witnessing the cycles of change in a garden, plants, and the ecosystem at large, including us humans. It really is a wonder! See the article below to learn more.

 

ACUPUNCTURE CEUs: This course is approved by the California Acupuncture Board for 7 hours of continuing education (Provider Number 1526). There is a $25 processing fee for receiving a CEU certificate. Please indicate on the REGISTRATION form at this link or by clicking on the image above if you are interested in CEUs.

Seasonal Rhythms: Five Elements Lifestyle Medicine with Jiling Lin, LAc

Saturday, February 23

 

Special guest acupuncturist-herbalist-artist Jiling Lin will join me for a full day workshop in beautiful Ojai. Discover the art of seasonal living through the Five Phases (五行) of Chinese medicine. This outdoor experiential class explores how to cultivate vibrant health by aligning with natural rhythms throughout the year. See the article below to read more.

 

ACUPUNCTURE CEUs: This course is approved by the California Acupuncture Board for 7 hours of continuing education (Provider Number 1526). There is a $25 processing fee for receiving a CEU certificate. Please indicate on the REGISTRATION form at this link or by clicking on the image above if you are interested in CEUs.

 

Explore the Effective & Powerful Legacy of Historical Plant Medicines From Around the World

A Free Video Event With David Crow, LAc

Ever since he was a keynote speaker at the Ojai Herbal Symposium, I've been a huge fan of David Crow, the master clinical herbalist and renowned educator. I hope you've noticed that I'm very selective about suggesting online courses for you. This vital topic and David Crow's decades of research and experience make this one of those worth checking out. Click here or on the image above to learn more. The free offer is good until February 13.

Here's where you can find my book when you're out supporting local businesses

 

If you're out and about at any of these outstanding businesses (and please do support them!), you can find my book on the shelf: in Ojai at Farmer & the Cook, Krotona Quest BookshopOjai Cannabis Company, Ojai Valley Brewery, Ojai Valley Museum, Rainbow Bridge, Sespe Creek CollectiveWestridge Market Midtown, and Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center; in Ventura at Ema's Herbs, Green Thumb NurseryTimbre Books, and Ventura Spiritsin Sun Valley at Theodore Payne Foundationin Goleta at Island Seed & Feed; and, among many other booksellers, at REI and Barnes & Noble locations throughout California. (All local store names above are listed in alphabetical order within each city.)

February
Herb Walks Events
Northern Chumash tribe holds San Luis Obispo County cultural burn on June 18, 2024
Fire-related articles and hyperlinks
My heart is heavy with sadness and empathy for those who lost family members, homes, and businesses in the recent Los Angeles fires and for the wildlife affected. Here are some timely links to information on how to help those in need and how to prepare ourselves and our communities for the new normal of a year-round fire season:
 
Through your donations, my friends Elise and Jeff at the wonderful Oshala Farm in Oregon can help support the health and well-being of those affected by the fires by sending herbs and herbal products from the farm. They will match your donation dollar-for-dollar through February 14.

   

Support Altadena's Fire Victims

There are various options for helping those in need. ONE LOVE ALTADENA is a GoFundMe page supporting the most vulnerable victims of the Eaton Canyon fire in the Altadena community. This grassroots effort will align with local nonprofits, lifelong community members, and city officials to ensure all donations are delivered to the victims directly. 

                  

"Northern Chumash tribe holds first SLO County cultural burn in generations. ‘Like coming home’"

(Yahoo! News)

For months, the Tribe and the city prepared the land for this burn last year – harvesting native purple needlegrass seeds, collecting burn materials, and hacking away brush to prevent the fire from spreading too fast.

 

The burn removed invasive plants and reduced wildfire risk, while revitalizing native plants and restoring a cultural practice.

 

"To end wildfire cycle, a look to nature"

( Los Angeles Times)

More-frequent fires choke out native vegetation and open more land for invasive, tinder-like grasses that provide ready fuel for more blazes. Is it possible to break this feedback loop and turn the clock back on an increasingly flammable ecosystem?

 

California State Parks and the National Park Service — which manage over half of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area that encompasses areas of Malibu and much of the mountainous wilderness — believe they have a potential solution: the coast live oak, a native keystone species known for its ability to impede fire and quash embers.

The Earth Island Medicinal Herb Garden is the site of the morning herb walk to start off this workshop on February 15.
Connecting the dots between human and plant families with Carol Wade

On Saturday, February 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., herbalist-gardener-teacher Carol Wade of Ojai School of Herbal Studies and the Earth Island Medicinal Herb Garden will join me for an outdoor-indoor workshop entitled “It’s a Family Affair:” The Human-Plant Family Connection – Part 1.  This is the first in a 4-part series to be continued on April 26, June 14, and October 25. No commitment to sign up for all four is required. Each part is a standalone event.

 

During a morning herb walk through the Garden led by Carol and me, you’ll enjoy the beautiful Ojai vistas as we apply the plant family method of identification to some of the native and international herbal allies that live in the Garden.

 

The February session will highlight herbs such as Rosemary, Stinging Nettles, and Yellow Sweet Melilot chosen for their prominence at this time of year. You’ll learn the properties of those three herbs and others that we’ll explore in greater depth in an indoor setting in the afternoon. And you’ll prepare home remedies to take with you.

 

Interesting topics, great conversations, and timely remedies make this a wonderful way to connect with the glory of the earth, each other, and all sorts of beings, large and small.

 

Due to limited space for gathering in the Garden, registration will be limited to 15 participants.

 

ACUPUNCTURE CEUs: This course is approved by the California Acupuncture Board for 7 hours of continuing education (Provider Number 1526). 

 

To learn more and sign up, click this link or the image above.

Other Local Events of Interest
Satellite view of a residential neighborhood with a high percentage of green space
Is residential green space associated with childhood obesity?
This carefully designed study, "Satellite-Based and Street-View Green Space and Adiposity in US Children," from the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms that green space may help prevent obesity in children by promoting physical activity and reducing stress.
Explore Five Elements Lifestyle Medicine with Jiling Lin, LAc

Join me and  acupuncturist-herbalist-artist Jiling Lin, LAc, on Sunday, February 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., for an outdoor workshop entitled “Seasonal Rhythms: Five Elements Lifestyle Medicine.”

 

You’ll journey through each season and its corresponding Element, beginning with Winter (Water) and flowing through Spring (Wood), Summer (Fire), Late Summer (Earth), Autumn (Metal), and back to Winter again. We’ll pay special attention to our current seasonal transition between Winter and Spring – the dance between Water and Wood Elements.

 

Beginning with an herb walk in the morning led by me and Jiling at the Chumash Garden at Ojai Valley Museum, you’ll meet local medicinal plants who will guide us through each Element. In the afternoon we’ll gather under a huge Valley Oak on the enchanting patio deck at Nutmeg’s Ojai House.

 

Tea meditations, gentle movements, reflective journaling, and group discussion will help us to explore the unique characteristics of each season and its corresponding flavors, body systems, Spirit, and more. Learn practices to rest, move, connect, nourish, and create in harmony with the seasons. 

 

ACUPUNCTURE CEUs: This course is approved by the California Acupuncture Board for 7 hours of continuing education (Provider Number 1526). 

 

To learn more and sign up, click on this link or the photo of Jiling above.

Higher elevation sites on the Ojai Ranger District (ORD) of the Los Padres National Forest are closed for the winter. The Matilija Wilderness remains off-limits while the trails and Matilija Canyon Road are undergoing repairs due to storm damage. A Forest Closure Order is in effect through July 18, 2025
 
Forest-wide fire restrictions have been lifted but remain in place only for the Santa front country through February 26, 2026. 
 
For more information, visit this webpage. Note: Online information is not always up to date. For best current info, contact your local USFS Ranger District Office.
The 4th Ojai Herbal Symposium on beautiful and peaceful Krotona Hill has been rescheduled for the weekend of May 30-31, 2026. Please watch these newsletters for updates.
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