We had so much content for the Summer edition of our Power of Plants magazine!
In addition to the amazing contributions for the latest issue, we wanted to share details of some up and coming courses should you wish to learn more about gender identity, transition and some of the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.
Find out more by clicking each of the course titles below...
Doll Herbalism Online Course: Feminizing Surgery Support 4 Girls & Babes of All Genders
Hosted by the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism
With Ayelet Hashachar (she/her)
Sliding scale cost: Individual classes (£20-£40), combined (£60-£120)
Part 1 (Tuesday 13 June) - Surgery Basics and Facial Feminization Surgery
Part 2 (Tuesday 11 July) - Silicone & Fat
Part 3 (Wednesday 30 August) - Bottom Surgery
‘Herbal support for gender affirming surgeries has been a powerful and prominent part of trans and queer herbal care for years. This workshop aims to build on that foundation and speak to specific considerations with surgeries that are considered feminizing.
While our entry point will be herbal strategies to support trans women and trans fems, this content carries relevant applications to cisgender women, non-binary people, and people of any gender identity in preparing for and recovering from surgeries that are considered feminizing. It is open to anyone who is interested in accessing or supporting feminizing surgical care, including allied practitioners. Each class is two hours in length, and recordings will be made available for all classes.’
Herbalism, PTSD & Traumatic Stress Course
By Nicole Rose (she/her)
Next open for enrolment in October 2023
Sliding scale cost: £0-£345
‘In a world full of injustice and oppression that can be deeply traumatising, we need plant medicines more than ever. In this self-paced online course, you will be supported to build relationships with plants to help take care of your nervous system, your health and your loved ones for the long-haul.
This course will help you gain an understanding of how trauma shapes the body, and how we can reclaim and reshape it. You will also develop an in-depth knowledge of plants and nervous system physiology, grounded in an anti-oppressive analysis. This course will not only help you learn the theory, but most importantly it will aid you in embodying the practice. The course is structured and has resources to enable you to gain the practical herbalism skills you need to transform your life and find some respite from the relentless rollercoaster of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and traumatic stress.’
Hosted by the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism
With Tessa Micaela Landreau-Grasmuck (they/them)
Sliding scale cost: Individual classes (£20-£40), combined (£60-£100)
Part 1 – Herbal Support for Pregnancy (recorded class)
Part 2 – Herbal Support for Labour and Birth (recorded class)
Part 3 – Herbal Support for Postpartum Care
‘These two hour classes offer a deep dive into each phase of the childbearing cycle. They are taught from the midwifery perspective, rooted in the knowledge that pregnancy and birth are physiologic and somatic (not pathological) processes that call on the innate wisdom of the body. We’ll cover safety and shared decision-making tools for use of herbs in the childbearing year, including evidence-based research, cultural and historic uses, risk assessment, dosing and formulation, as well as long-term strategies for perinatal and postpartum care.
Designed specifically for birth attendants, doulas, midwives, care providers, and herbalists looking to support folks in childbearing cycles, but all levels of knowledge and curiosity are welcome. These classes will be taught with a trauma-informed lens and with a commitment to bodily and collective autonomy; all genders and all bodies are welcome and celebrated.  Recordings will be made available for all classes.’
Clinical Skills: Body Liberation in Practice
Hosted by the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism
With Kenzie Khaliq (zie/they/she)
When: Thursday 8 June 2023
Sliding scale cost: £20-£40
‘How do we make space in our clinical practice for centering pleasure as a measure of health and freedom? Guided by the principles of Adrienne Maree Brown’s Pleasure Activism, we will strategize pleasure practices that empower people who experience body shame and sexual repression. With herbs, ritual and flower essences we will address ways to center ritual over compliance, abundance over scarcity and pleasure over shame.
If you are an herbalist looking for ways to address gender inclusive sexuality and incorporate fat positive practices that are trauma informed, this workshop is for you.’
Free Public Webinar: Clinical Approaches to Working with Trans, Non-Binary, and Gender Fluid Youth
Hosted by the American Herbalists Guild
With Kristin Henningsen MS, RH (AHG), RYT
When: Tuesday 19 December 2023
‘Gender identity and expression are central to the way we engage in the world around us. This is certainly true for transgender and gender-expansive youth, whom many providers struggle to provide competent care.
This class will introduce basic gender literacy and clinical approaches to show allyship for trans youth. We will explore some common challenges, goals, and how best to support our clients through herbal or other gender affirming care.’
