Disruption of healthy sleep patterns can occur for many reasons, including current stressful situations, female hormonal imbalance, adrenal dysfunction, nutritional deficiency, depression, anxiety, glucose deregulation, hepatic detox issues, thyroid malfunction, chronic inflammation and pain. Botanical medicines offer safe and effective non-habit-forming sleep aids to address the specific needs of the individual.

This presentation includes a description of current standard medical treatments, diet and lifestyle recommendations and case histories. Naturopathic physician, Mary Bove, also discusses a variety of botanicals including California poppy, valerian, American skullcap, chamomile, catnip and more.

Addressing the challenges presented in the keynote address the previous evening, this panel describes therapies for those already exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Kenneth Proefrock begins with a detailed description of the pathways by which the body eliminates toxic environmental chemicals, and how those systems can be enhanced with botanicals and nutrients. Mary Rondeau discusses the role of EDCs in autism, and Jason Miller speaks specifically about the disruptions to the endocrine system that can lead to cancer, and the physiological processes behind it. Botanicals and other natural therapies to restore balance are provided in every section.

Other topics: when fasting is beneficial for detoxification, and when it can be harmful to patients in an already weakened condition; what diets and lifestyle changes can be helpful; and many more details brought out in the question and answer period at the end. (Catalog Number 19ME17)

The information on this site is provided as a research resource for health professionals and is not intended to replace diagnosis and treatment by a qualified health care practitioner. Consult your medical care provider before using any herbal medicine.

Children are filled with love and sticky fingers and manage to bring home every bug from school. As a result, common childhood ailments regularly include diarrhea, vomiting, earaches, and coughs. While these common childhood conditions are important for strengthening the immune system, they can be burdensome to a working family.

Half the battle is having a well-stocked botanical medicine cabinet, and the other half is getting kids to take the herbal preparations. Learn about creative (and tasty!) ways to get these medicines into kids. Ayurvedic and western dietary and herbal preparations are discussed. (Catalog Number 20ME29)

Resilience is the ability to cope with stress and adversity and bounce back to a state of normal functioning. Botanicals can aid in resilience by countering catabolic processes associated with stress, improving carbohydrate metabolism, and aiding the recovery of the normal functioning of the mind and body. This lecture from naturopathic physician, Tori Hudson, explores botanicals including Rhodiola, St. John’s wort, ginkgo, lemon balm, red clover, kava and others. (Catalog Code 14SW03)

This lecture examines the relationships between fragrance, olfaction, the limbic system, moods and mental states according to concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. Explore Shen (spirit) disturbances and the Seven Pathological Emotions, Prana Vata (mind / breath current) and mental health, and essential oils as botanical Chi and Prana. David also discusses the use of aromatherapy for the management of anger, depression, addictions, OCD and PTSD. (Catalog Code 15SW16)

Water extracts are an easy and essential source of nutrition and holistic care. Herbal medicines delivered as teas are under-appreciated, powerful allies and can correct imbalances, build vitality and offer therapeutic results. Here Teresa draws on 30 years of experience to describe the art and science of preparing tea blends based on a person’s constitution and the symptoms indicating imbalance. These blends also take into account aroma, taste and eye appeal (beauty) of the mixture. Join her on this audio while she describes three separate cases and mixes the tea blends most suitable for them: nutritive tonic tea, rest and relax tea and cool down tea. (You’ll also hear Teresa call on her assitant for help with the mixtures, since she had recently broken her arm, which has since healed completely.) (Catalog Code 20ME24)

A few years ago, at Medicines from the Earth, Leo Trasande, MD gave a thorough presentation on the chemicals in our environment and the harm they do to the human body. He described avoidance as the best solution, and the steps he is taking to show the high monetary cost of these chemicals as a way to convince governments to eliminate them. The next year, Donald Yance presented an intensive which highlighted the research on the concept of hormesis, which showed that a small amount of ingested toxins can actually strengthen the body’s resilience when dealing with these chemicals.

The third prong of the approach to the overwhelming daily toxicant burden is presented here by Walter Crinnion, one of the foremost experts on environmental medicine. He cites extensive research indicating that daily intake of commonly available botanicals (often found in indigenous diets) has shown the ability to both prevent and reduce toxicant damage. A summary of articles published within the last two decades provides us with a list of botanicals that have the widest beneficial effects. (Catalog number 16ME07)