Invasive Plant Medicine

Discussions about “invasive plants” happen in many different segments of society and industry, in professional contexts for landscapers, farmers, park land managers, and restoration ecologists, as well as in our personal gardens, homes, and neighborhoods. Many people hold quite vehement beliefs about the nature of these “invaders” and what we as a society should do about them. Examining the layers of belief we hold about invasive plants is an interesting and transformative process, one that can shine a light onto biases that we didn’t even know we were holding, and hopefully bring about a more balanced way of being in relationship with the living world.

Many, if not all invasive plants are medicinal in some capacity, and present in abundance in rural and urban areas. We will talk in depth about a number of Washington’s "invasive” plants and how to use them for food, medicine, and as guides for how to live well in changing times. Cost is $30, though no one turned away for lack of funds. Please bring a journal for notes.

In this class we will cover:

- How to correctly identify and safely harvest a number of "invasives"

- Ways to make medicine from these plants for yourself, family and community

- Discuss our opinions of invasive plants, how to control and interact with them

- The ethics of wildcrafting and foraging invasive species