North Country Herbalist Guild

12/10/2025

We’re on for tonight! Mpls has called a Snow Emergency. No parking on Snow Emergency routes starting at 8pm this evening.

The North Country Herbalist Guild’s 30th Year Celebration will be held from 6-9pm at the New City Church and include a silent auction, delicious food and drinks plus a presentation my local herbalist, Jessie Belden. We’d love to see you there!

11/24/2025

Our 30th Anniversary Celebration is coming soon!! On December 10th, join Jessie Belden and the NCHG for a night of connection and discussion around the many facets of being an herbalist in today’s world. There are an infinite amount of paths available to you as an herbalist. What are some current challenges, pitfalls, triumphs and most importantly, herbal allies we can encounter on our journey? Gratefully, the plants are our guides and support us to illuminate our way forward as we walk this path of flowers together.

Jessie Belden is a mother, herbalist, and farmer currently living in western Wisconsin. She has been a student of the plants all her life, but formally for the last nearly two decades. Jessie has followed her herbal calling down the paths of herbal product maker, clinician, brick-and-mortar apothecary owner, teacher, and most unsuccessfully, herb grower! All while mothering her 4 wild children along the way. Ultimately, dancing with the plants along her unique herbal path has been one of the greatest joys of her life. The evening will include a presentation, silent auction of tons of great herbal goodies and classes as well as snacks and drinks. The Silent auction will be held from 6-9pm with the presentation from 7-8:30pm. This event will be held at the New City Church in south Minneapolis.

10/03/2025

Please join us on Wednesday, Oct 8th at 6:30pm. This month's meeting will feature a talk about Trauma-informed Flower Essence Blending with Loey Colebeck
In this talk, she will discuss how buried emotional and physiological responses can get in the way of many treatments for many conditions. So it becomes important to understand how a psyche can structure itself around survival strategies that protect us from unbearable feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and powerlessness, because they also prevent us and our clients from accessing our full vitality and personal treasure chest. In this class we will map out structures in the psyche defined in IOPT (Identity-oriented psychotrauma therapy) and how we might use that map to approach custom, trauma-informed, flower essence blending to support deeper, fuller healing processes. 6:30-7:00pm Tea & Social, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Meeting
Location: New City Center - 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407. Learn more about Loey Colebeck at her website: https://www.mindisbodytherapies.com/

09/05/2025

Please join us for the next NCHG meeting this Wednesday, Sept 10th at 6:30pm. The meeting will feature a talk about Ayurveda & Fenugreek by Nalini Mehta.

In this presentation, she will discuss how in Ayurveda, fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), or methi, is a key medicinal plant used for its warming and nourishing properties to balance doshas. It is particularly prized for its ability to improve digestion, support women's health, and regulate metabolic functions. We will learn how to incorporate fenugreek in our diet while sipping on fenugreek tea and sampling some fenugreek Indian flat bread.

Nalini started teaching Ayurvedic cooking 22 years ago. She began her career as a culinary instructor at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health in NYC and later started her own company, Route to India LLC where she now offers cooking classes rooted in Ayurveda. She also makes a fun, crunchy, good-for-you ayurvedic snack, YOGA POPS made from water lily seeds available at Kowolskis, Wedge, Lakewinds Co Ops and select Target stores around the country. Nalini has been a speaker at a range of institutions including San Francisco Asian Art Museum, Rubin Museum of Art, Princeton University, and the United Nations. Nalini was the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Women In Culinary Leadership Grant program which brought her to Minneapolis first in 2017. Currently she is also in the process of building a yoga retreat and culinary school in Maple Plain, MN which should be open later this Fall. Check out these articles on her work in the media: https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-brands-bring-the-ancient-tradition-of-ayurveda-to-store-shelves/600273429?refresh=true and https://www.voyageminnesota.com/interview/hidden-gems-meet-nalini-mehta-of-route-to-india-llc/
https://makeitmsp.org/food-ag/profile-nalini-mehta Website: www.routetoindia.com.

6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Tea & Social, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Meeting
Location: New City Center - 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407

08/07/2025

Join us on Saturday, August 9th at 10:30am at The Lamb Shoppe & Wellness Center for a guided walk through our vibrant medicinal gardens and wild spaces. Explore a rich variety of cultivated herbs, native plants, wild edibles, and healing flowers growing right on the farm. We’ll talk plants, share stories, and connect with the land—one leaf at a time. Whether you’re a plant lover, a curious beginner, or a seasoned herbalist, you’ll come away inspired by nature’s abundance and wisdom. Herbal teas will be provided!

Find out more about Connie Karstens and The Lamb Shoppe & Wellness Center at www.lambshoppe.com

Location: Lamb Shoppe & Wellness Center, 61231 Highway 7 W Hutchinson MN 55350

Since 1996, the Shoppe features grass-fed meats raised on the farm which includes lamb, beef, chicken, eggs, and turkeys. Nowadays, the Shoppe also carries local products & gifts, organic foods, non-toxic makeup, personal care goods, bulk medicinal herbs & teas and educational material on healthy li...

07/09/2025

Please join us tonight, 7/9, for a meeting featuring local Hmong herbalist Zongxee Lee, on "Exploring Common Hmong Medicinal Herbs and Their Uses." We'll have tea and social time from 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm and then a talk from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm at New City Center (3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407).

This talk delves into the rich tradition of Hmong herbal medicine, highlighting key medicinal plants and their applications. It also explores the intricate process of documenting these herbs, including the use of DNA sampling to preserve and verify their identity. Through this journey, we uncover the deep cultural knowledge embedded in Hmong healing practices and the scientific methods used to safeguard them for future generations.

Zongxee Lee is a Hmong herbalist, registered nurse, self-taught ethnobotanist, floral farmer, photographer, and author. Rooted in a lineage of Hmong herbalists and shamans, she self-published “30 Days of Purification” in 2016, a postpartum guide highlighting traditional Hmong plant medicine. She is the founder of Zooxis Conservatory and Botanical Garden LLC, a cultural and botanical initiative focused on researching DNA sequence of Hmong postpartum herbs, preserving, and educating about Hmong medicinal plants and holistic healing practices. Her work has been featured at national conferences and universities, bridging ancestral wisdom with modern wellness. Alongside her mother, Mayyia Lee, and sister, Mhonpaj Lee, Zongxee helped launch Minnesota’s first culturally-based healing meals using traditional Hmong herbs, offering integrative care to patients. Through workshops, public exhibits, and seed-to-bloom storytelling, she continues to inspire communities to reconnect with healing tradition, plant by plant, story by story.

Website: https://zooxisconservatory.my.canva.site/

06/08/2025

Looking forward to our June meeting this week with Chick of the Woods! Tree identification with a fun(gi) twist! We'll learn fun (and sometimes silly) tips and tricks to identifying trees native to the metro area using bark, twigs, leaves, and diseases. While we won't be focusing on mushroom identification, we will mention which mushrooms like to grow with the trees we are discussing.

This event is already full, with a waitlist, but we're excited there was so much interest! We will plan to have more events like this in the future and may explore ways to have a larger group or multiple groups to allow for more attendees. Check out Chick of the Woods' website for future learning opportunities too - see her bio below:

Jaime Rockney, known as “Chick of the Woods,” is a foraging educator with a deep passion for the forest and fungi. Since discovering her love for foraging in 2008, she has been on a mission to inspire others to appreciate the wonders of nature. In 2019, she founded Chick of the Woods Foraging, LLC, and shortly after turned her passion into a full-time career, teaching others about wild mushrooms, berries, plants, and trees. Jaime is an active member of the Minnesota Mycological Society, Wisconsin Mycological Society, and the North American Mycological Association and holds three certifications for mushroom identification and sales. Through her classes and events, she empowers others to forage with confidence while fostering a deep respect for the forest’s rich biodiversity. Learn more about Jaime and her classes on Facebook (), Instagram (.of.the.woods), or her website at www.chickofthewoods.com
Website: www.chickofthewoods.com

05/06/2025

Join us for our May meeting this Wednesday at our new location, New City Center! Details below:

5/7/2025, 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Tea & Social, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

@ New City Center - 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Topic: The Medicine and Magic of Three Native Plants: Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa), Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Speaker: Ashley Elenbaas, M.Sc., RH(AHG)

Topic: Minnesota’s native landscape is home to an abundance of medicinal plants, and Bee Balm, Blue Vervain, and Yarrow stand out as three of the most remarkable. Join clinical herbalist Ashley Elenbaas, M.Sc., RH(AHG), as she shares her expertise in cultivating, crafting remedies from, and working with these powerful herbs in her practice. This workshop will delve into the rich mythology, traditional wisdom, and the doctrine of signatures associated with these plants, alongside Ashley’s personal insights and experiences. Participants will also have the opportunity to taste herbal samples, deepening their connection to the plants through a hands-on, sensory experience.

Speaker Bio: Ashley Elenbaas is a clinical herbalist, educator, and passionate advocate for plant-based healing. With a Master of Science degree in herbal medicine and certification as a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild (RH(AHG)), Ashley has dedicated her career to blending traditional plant wisdom with modern clinical applications. She draws from years of experience working directly with clients, teaching herbal medicine, and creating personalized remedies that support holistic health. Ashley is known for her engaging workshops, where she weaves together the science, mythology, and energetics of plants to inspire a deeper connection to the natural world. Through her work, she strives to empower individuals to integrate herbal healing into their daily lives with intention and respect for nature’s gifts.

www.skyhouseherbs.com

01/17/2025

A free class by Rosemary Gladstar!

Join Rosemary Gladstar’s free webinar and discover a seasonal herbal roadmap to simplify learning, craft remedies, and build a deeper connection with plants in 2025.

01/13/2025

According to Phyllis D. Light, Naturopath, herbalist, author, teacher, instead of knowing 25 different herbs, we should know 25 things about one herb or we could also say we should have a few herbs in our herbal tool chest but know each herb really well. She is right, I have used Plantain (Plantago major) for so many different issues and it worked every time.

Welcome to the website of Phyllis D. Light and the Appalachian Center for Natural Health. A fourth generation Herbalist and Healer, Phyllis has studied and worked with herbs, foods and other healing techniques for over 30 years. Her studies in Traditional Southern and Appalachian Folk Medicine began...

01/11/2025

ANNOUNCEMENT

We are no longer using a physical PO box, and all payments or correspondences need to be completed through the website and/or via email. If wanting to pay for membership or a donation via paper checks or cash, it needs to be brought to a meeting and turned into the treasurer or other board member present.

Thank you for your understanding! The Guild